Team Nika continues to lead the 44Cup Calero Marinas after a thrilling third day of racing in Lanzarote. Despite the forecast predicting lighter winds, the Lanzarote wind gods had other ideas and 30-knot winds blew late morning. After initial postponement, the day’s first race finally got underway at 1430 UTC.
As Afloat reported earlier, Irish crews compete on three of the nine boat fleet; France's Aleph in fifth place, Black Star Racing and Team Ceeref Vaider.
The gusts of up to 26 knots and lulls as little as 15 made the race challenging. The northerly wind was backed compared to the first two days, blowing more squarely offshore from Puerto Calero. The breeze, passing over Lanzarote’s mountainous barren landscape, created huge turbulence, churning up a short, sharp chop to challenge the nine teams.
In the first race, Team Nika and Team Ceeref Vaider started to weather of the fleet, and despite Aleph Racing and Artemis Racing both looking good out to the left, tacking on the (giant) shifts up the center paid. Igor Lah’s Slovenia team led on to the first run ahead of John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing and Team Nika, with Calero Sailing Team holding fourth after another strong upwind leg for the rookie local heroes.
Tacticians Vasco Vascotto and Nic Asher spotting a right shift coming, Peninsula Racing, and Team Nika were the first to gybe, but a good layline call by Adrian Stead enabled Team Ceeref Vaider to reach the leeward gate just ahead of Team Nika, which split right.
Team Nika leads the 44Cup after a thrilling third day of racing in Lanzarote Photo: Nico Martinez
Up the second beat, Team Ceeref Vaider was doing well on the left, and Team Nika tacked to join her. As the two entered into a private match race, a favorable shift for Peninsula Racing out to the right saw her ease into the lead and Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing into third. As Peninsula Racing extended away down the final run, helped by another significant shift making it ‘long on port’, the main battle became for second with Team Ceeref Vaider prevailing.
In the second race, three boats – Team Ceeref Vaider, Team Aqua, and Calero Sailing Team - were OCS, while Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team was carrying out a penalty turn on the line. After winning the pin, Charisma initially looked good on the left only for a right shift lifting the Pietro Loro Piana-steered Aleph Racing up to the mark and into the lead ahead of Charisma and Team Nika.
On the run, Team Nika and Team Ceeref Vaider - remarkably already recovered from her OCS - gained by gybing early into more pressure. They led around the starboard gate mark with Aleph Racing third, splitting left. Team Nika held the lead up the second beat to round the top mark ahead of Team Ceeref Vaider and Peninsula Racing, positions they held to the finish. This third bullet for Team Nika saw Vladimir Prosikhin’s team retain its overall lead.
“We feel really fast upwind and downwind,” explained Team Nika headsail trimmer Pierluigi de Felice. “Vladimir is steering well, and everything is coming together this week. Hopefully, we can seal it tomorrow.”
For Peninsula Racing, it was their finest hour since they came so close to winning their event in Marina Alcaidesa last autumn. “It felt amazing – it’s always good to win,” commented John Bassadone. “Today generally the feeling was that we sailed well, whereas yesterday we didn’t. We felt that everyone in their different positions sailed well. That first race was very good, and even the second one we covered quite well. We were sailing the runs a lot better, and the boat seems to be well balanced, which, in these conditions, is quite hard.”
Going into the final day, Team Nika is only three points clear of Team Ceeref Vaider, who, in turn, is holding an eight-point cushion over Peninsula Racing.
44CUP CALERO MARINAS RESULTS:
(After six races)
1. Team Nika - 2 1 3 1 4 1 - 12
2. Team CEEREF Vaider - 5 2 1 3 2 2 - 15
3. Peninsula Racing - 3 3 8 5 1 3 - 23
4. Charisma - 1 5 9 2 7 4 - 28
5. Aleph Racing - 4 6 6 4 5 6 - 31
6. Team Aqua - 9 4 2 7 6 5 - 33
7. Artemis Racing - 7 8 7 9 3 7 - 41
8. Black Star Sailing Team - 6 9 4 6 8 8 - 41
9. Calero Sailing Team - 8 7 5 8 9 9 - 46
