Another slow start for day two of the 44Cup Portorož World Championship saw the fleet held ashore with racing not getting underway until 1400. However, when it did fill in, the breeze was a crucial two knots more than it was for the opening day, and the eight RC44 teams were able to race with their high-performance one designs fully powered up.

Dublin Bay trimmer Cian Guilfoyle sailing on Aleph lies second on French entry Aleph Racing.

By rights, the day should have belonged to event host Slovenian Igor Lah and his Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860, the defending champions here in Portorož. Today two races were held before the wind began to disintegrate and in both the Slovenian RC44 sailed a superb first upwind, to lead around the top mark only subsequently to lose it on the downwinds. In the first race on the second downwind Nico Poons’ Charisma on her own gybed early and perhaps into better pressure and from there managed to sail deeper and creep ahead of Ceeref to take the bullet.

Remarkably similar occurred in the second race with Ceeref ahead at the top mark. On this occasion on the first run Charisma gybed much earlier and, lo, once again seemed to find her own personal something and had pulled ahead by the gate. Meanwhile, down to third at the gate, matters went from bad to worse for Ceeref as she got stuck in traffic on the next upwind and found herself being pinballed around the race course dropping her to last place (seventh – Black Star Sailing Team had been disqualified for being over early under a U-flag start).

Today’s results have left Charisma, winner of the last two 44Cup events, an impressive six points ahead of Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing at the halfway stage of this regatta. Of today’s racing Poons commented: “It was really close - just metres apart at the marks. Downwind we were very strong. That was the big difference.”

Charisma’s Australian mainsheet trimmer Chris Hosking shed more light on their downwind dominance: “In that left hand corner looking upwind it gets a little bit light and Pepsi [tactician Hamish Pepper] chose to gybe out of there early and clearly it was a very nice move because we were into better pressure and just rotated around the bows. We were also in clear air, not fighting with guys on our weather hip.

“We have developed a nice low mode downwind - you might have seen the start of that in Marstrand... We have been doing that better than the other teams, but they’ll catch up - you can’t take anything for granted in this class. They are all top teams and when people have bad results they get that extra fire in their belly to get themselves organised. That happened to us when we finished last in the first race yesterday.”

Despite having his full fan club in town today, Igor Lah was not in the best of spirits after his team’s performance today. “It was a nightmare,” he admitted. “There is something wrong with the boat. We don’t know what. The shore team will check. The downwind legs were a disaster. We were not moving at all. Otherwise everything was perfect. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow…”

Second best team today was John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing which posted a 3-2 and is lying sixth, four points from the podium. Her position would be higher were it not for an unfortunate collision yesterday (before Bassadone arrived…) that saw his team penalised by two points.

“We all sailed pretty well today,” observed Bassadone. “We had a good debrief after yesterday and pretty much sailed as we set out to last night. It has been good - really great fun. It has been a long time since we have had the feeling that we were in control. It was very solid.”

The significant difference here is that back on tactical duties for the first time in four years, after retiring to take part in the last America’s Cup in New Zealand, is Italian Vasco Vascotto. Bassadone was trying to play down his influence: “He is a brilliant tactician, but it is a combination of everything. It’s about the little details, just putting in the hard work analysing everything and testing things and making slight changes.” Part may also be the legacy of previous tactician Giles Scott, now tied up with America’s Cup duties with the INEOS Britannia America’s Cup challenge.

As to his part, Vascotto is enjoying a homecoming: “They know exactly how bad I am! And from my side I know the same about them! So it is great. We want to see Peninsula better in the game. We realise that we are not the same as we were before, so it is a case of working hard and trying to recover from bad positions. The guys are great.”

Vascotto, who heralds from nearby Trieste, added: “We had a good day and we are learning every single minute. It was light breeze and these boats are fantastic in light airs. In 5-6 knots you are already hiking and we saw 8.5 knots today. Maybe Charisma saw 9 - that’s why they won!”

Racing continues tomorrow when the early indications are that the racing may start earlier, on time at 1200.

44CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PORTOROZ RESULTS:

(After five races)

1. Charisma - 8 1 3 1 1 - 14
2. Aleph Racing - 7 2 1 5 5 - 20
3. Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 - 4 6 2 2 7 - 21
4. Artemis Racing - 1 4 8 6 4 - 23
5. Team Nika - 6 5 5 4 3 - 23
6. Peninsula Racing - 3 8 7 3 2 (2) - 25
7. Team Aqua - 5 3 4 8 6 - 26
8. Black Star Sailing Team - 2 7 6 7 9UFD - 31

Official racing starts at the 44Cup Portorož World Championship in Slovenia on Thursday, but today the eight-boat fleet enjoyed some warm-up competition.

As Afloat reported, at least two Irish crews are competing in the eight-boat fleet.

Wedged between Italy and Croatia, Slovenia has a coastline measuring just 10 miles across, but they pack it in. This week the 44Cup fleet is based in Portorož Marina, by the peninsula upon which is perched the ancient town of Piran, today a major tourist attraction. Six miles up the coast, Koper is a medieval town doubling as Slovenia’s commercial port complete with a new container terminal. Among others, Port of Koper is a key supporter of the 44Cup Portorož World Championship.

While several early events were held here (the RC44 was designed by Slovenian Andrej Justin in conjunction with Russell Coutts), this is the third time it has visited in the high-performance one design’s recent history, the last being in 2021 when it opened the season. Significantly it is the first time Slovenia has hosted the class’ World Championship.

This 44Cup Portorož World Championship will also be the first time since the pandemic that the class has returned to having its guest programme.

Mitja Margon, who twice represented Slovenia in the Olympic games in the 470 and has been racing on the 44Cup aboard Team Nika for the last 12 years, is also the local event organiser. “It is a privilege to host a World Championship for such a class full of so many champions and sailing superstars. For the region it is important.”

Head of the Slovenian Met Office, keen sailor Jure Jerman, was on hand today and provided his forecast: “From a positive side - there won‘t be any rain! There is a weak easterly gradient over the north Adriatic, so we have a weak Bora overnight. Then, in the afternoon, the sea breeze takes over. It is autumn so the sea is quite warm but the heating from the sun is not great, so the sea breeze is quite weak. Yesterday we had <10 knots and it will be the same today and tomorrow although it will take longer for the sea breeze to establish.” Jerman was expecting the wind to build to 10 knots and back into the west. “On Friday the weather is changing with a warm front crossing in the afternoon, but there will still be conditions for a weak sea breeze. On Saturday and Sunday, the high pressure will move further east and there will be more southerly in the gradient.”

There are few crew changes for this event. Most significant is the return of bubbly Italian tactician and local hero Vasco Vascotto (from nearby Trieste) to John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing. Previously he served as tactician with the Gibraltar team for many years before moving to Italian America’s Cup challenger Luna Rossa Pirelli Prada. Vascotto comes fresh from winning Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez aboard the Maxi 72 Cannonball alongside Team Aleph tactician Michele Ivaldi.

The local team here is Slovenian Igor Lah and his Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860, who, alongside Chris Bake’s Team Aqua, have been integral to the class since its dawn in 2008. They come into this event as favourite: They won here last year and unusually for so early in the season Ceeref is already the stand-out team, having posted an amazingly consistent 1-2-2 in Puerto Calero, Cascais and Marstrand, leaving them five points clear of Nico Poons’ Charisma, despite the latter winning the last two events.

But Ceeref’s tactician, Adrian Stead is far from bullish. “It is great to be sailing here in Slovenia: Everyone is excited – it is our World Championship! We are currently winning, but it doesn’t make any difference - all the boats here are more than capable of winning races and that is why we all love this class. It is down to ‘that’ shift or ‘that’ start or ‘that’ boat-on-boat exchange, that usually takes it to the last race.”

A significant development here is the debut of the first new RC44 in eight years. Swiss sailor Christian Zuerrer’s new Black Star Sailing Team, hull #27 was launched a month ago in the UK. This week her shore team has been busy commissioning her. “They have done a great job to finish it,” said Zuerrer. “We had planned to have some more days sailing before.” The new boat is identical to the other RC44s except it has an electric engine, which, including the battery, is some 20kg lighter (rectified by corrector weights). “We have no excuses now!” says Zuerrer. “Of course it is much nicer to the sail the boat with new sails and everything.”

While between themselves 44Cup teams may appear nonchalant that the annual World Championship for their high-performance RC44 one designs is “just another regatta”, in fact, this is far from the case with teams saving their best gear for the major event of the season. Unquestionably the 44Cup Portoroz World Championship, taking place in Slovenia next week from 12-16 October, represents the ‘big one’ of the year; the world champion’s trophy, the one that all eight owner-drivers would like to be admiring on their mantlepiece this winter.

But the question remains: Whose mantlepiece will it be residing on?

Irish interest fcouses on Simon Johnson in the Pit of Black Star Racing and Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle is a Grinder on the French entry, Aleph. 

The scoring so far this season has been far from conventional. Going into the Slovenian stopover, the fourth and penultimate event of the 2022 44Cup, the local heroes on Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 hold a commanding five-point lead in the season’s championship leaderboard. Showing their usual impeccable consistency, the team on which British ace Adrian Stead calls tactics, has posted a 2-1-1 scoreline so far in Puerto Calero, Cascais and Marstrand. However, on a roll since their dire 8th place finish at the start of the season in Lanzarote is Nico Poons’ Charisma. The Dutchman’s team, led by Kiwi tactician Hamish Pepper, has finally bucked their ‘zero to hero’ trend of the last seasons and won both the last two events back-to-back, the first in Cascais by a massive 12 points.

In Marstrand, Poons’ celebrations were slightly muted as his team looked forward to the ‘big one’. “I am absolutely happy that we won this one and the last one as well. We are in a good stream. But let’s wait for the Worlds…” A World Championship win for Charisma in Portoroz would be significant as it would be their very first since joining the 44Cup in 2015.

This is not the case for five of the eight teams set to be on the start line in Slovenia. Over 11 RC44 World Championships, Team Nika has won the most with three (2015, 2017 and 2018). CEEREF has claimed two but neither recent (2013 and 2016), while the biggest surprise is perhaps Chris Bake’s Team Aqua. Despite having won by far the most overall season’s championships than any other team, Team Aqua only claimed the World Championship title for the first time in 2019 in Marstrand but then, clearly having relished the experience, followed it up by winning the next edition last year in Scarlino, putting Bake’s team into the position of defending champion.

When the 44Cup was last in Portoroz at the beginning of 2021, Team Aqua finished third behind CEEREF and Team Nika. Bake would clearly like to make it the 44Cup’s first ever World Championship hat-trick but warns that “Portoroz is a difficult venue. We prefer windier venues like Marstrand or Cascais. But perhaps in October we could get wind there.”

The only other occasion the RC44 World Championship was held on the Adriatic was at the Adris 44 Worlds in Rovinj, Croatia, some 30 miles to the south of Portoroz in 2012. On that occasion it was won by John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing. With a new tactician for this season in Finn double Olympic gold medallist turned America’s Cup tactician Giles Scott, Bassadone is hoping that his Peninsula Racing will return to the podium next week, having got a slight taste of success when they won the last race in Marstrand.

Bassadone sums up: “The World Championship, the next regatta, is most important for us because of how the season is panning out. We are placing extra emphasis on the big event of the season. Hopefully we can clean up the areas [where we’ve not been doing so well] and hopefully have a good result there.”

Racing starts at 1200 Thursday, 13 October and runs until Sunday, with up to three races scheduled each day. 

2022 44CUP OVERALL RESULTS: (After three events)

1. Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 - 1 2 2 - 5
2. Charisma - 8 1 1 - 10
3. Team Nika - 2 3 6 - 11
4. Team Aqua - 6 4 3 - 13
5. Artemis Racing - 3 6 4 - 13
6. Aleph Racing - 4 5 5 - 14
7. Peninsula Racing - 7 7 7 - 21
8. Black Star Sailing Team - 12 8 8 - 28

RC44 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS:

• 2021 Team Aqua (Scarlino, Italy)
• 2019 Team Aqua (Marstrand, Sweden)
• 2018 Team Nika (Cascais, Portugal)
• 2017 Team Nika (Marstrand, Sweden)
• 2016 Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 (Sotogrande, Spain)
• 2015 Team Nika (Cascais, Portugal)
• 2014 Bronenosec (Marstand, Sweden)
• 2013 Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 (Puerto Calero, Lanzarote)
• 2012 Peninsula Racing (Rovinj, Croatia)
• 2011 Artemis Racing (Puerto Calero, Lanzarote)
• 2010 Oracle Racing (Puerto Calero, Lanzarote)
• 2011 Artemis Racing (Puerto Calero)
• 2010 Oracle Racing (Puerto Calero)

The waters off the Swedish holiday hotspot of Marstrand took on a different complexion on day two of 44Cup racing, with a sharp chop and the wind backed from the northwest to the south and gusting into the mid-high teens. But once again the sun was out and the temperature perfect for three more races to be held at this mid-way event of the 2022 44Cup hosted by the Marstrands Segelsällskap with the support of the Marstrands Havshotell.

As Afloat reported previously, there is Irish interest in the fleet as Simon Johnson is in the Pit of Black Star Racing and Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle is a Grinder on the French entry, Aleph. 

Of the previous nine times the RC44 fleet has come to Marstrand, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua has won five times. However, Bake acknowledges that they have made it hard for themselves this time with a tough opening day that left them wallowing in sixth. Today’s second race came good for the 2021 44Cup champions and reigning RC44 World Champions largely from hitting the left most vigorously, getting ahead and then hanging on. This was no mean feat as on the first bear away their starboard runner broke. Fortunately, with ultra-quick thinking, the crew found a solution: “We were able to substitute the spinnaker halyard for the upwind leg,” recounted Bake. “That is only the second time that happened to us in 15 years…”

Otherwise, Bake loves Marstrand. “It is everything it is cracked up to be. I always enjoy sailing here. The scenery is beautiful and when the sun is out it is glorious and when the sun is not out there tends to be breeze. The set-up here is great.” Following their bullet with a second has raised Team Aqua to fifth but, in a usual ultra-close 44Cup state of affairs, just four points separate her from second-placed Team Nika with Charisma and Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 in between, all of whom had solid days.

Also suffering from a difficult opening day, but scoring a bullet in today’s first race, was Aleph Racing with Frenchman Hugues Lepic making a welcome return to the 44Cup for the first time in several events. “It is good to be back on the RC44. It is always tough, but always enjoyable,” said Lepic. Like riding a bicycle? “Not as easy, but it does come back relatively quickly because we haven’t changed crew.”

While Aqua won in the left, so Aleph Racing won by going hard right. “We had a good start which meant we could sail in clean air,” continued Lepic. “When you are ahead in the RC44 everything comes together.”

His Italian ace tactician Michele Ivaldi added: “We had a good feeling on what to do on the first race and we achieved what we wanted – start at the boat, tack, go straight and we managed to hold the lane all the way to the corner.” There, Ivaldi said, they found some relief from the 0.8-1 knot current (flowing against the boats upwind). Otherwise, their regatta hasn’t been going well, trying too hard with three OCSes in six races and in another a port-starboard with CEEREF, which resulted in their picking up a penalty. “We’ve ticked off all the boxes of the things we could do wrong. Fortunately, we have six more races,” observed Ivaldi.

Generally, once again it was a high-scoring day with Team Aqua and a polished Artemis Racing being the lowest scoring boats picking up 10 points apiece today. Torbjörn Törnqvist’s team became the first to pick up a second bullet in today’s third race, finishing inside the Marstrand fjord. Having won the first beat by going left, the Swedish team then extended and much to Törnqvist’s delight was able to lead the 44Cup fleet home. This has given Artemis Racing a four point lead at this half way stage of the 44Cup Marstrand.

At this event children from the Marstrands Segelsällskap’s sailing school have been heavily integrated with the 44Cup teams, with five youth sailors working for them for the duration of the event: helping during set-up, on board coach boats during racing, riding on the back of the RC44s and participating in daily team debriefs. This provides the young sailors with a full picture of how pro sailing teams function. The 44Cup has also donated 5,000€ to the club’s youth program. There are also numerous ‘inspirational figures’ on the boats including double Olympic champions Iain Percy and Giles Scott.

Scott, who is calling tactics on John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing, admits he is a Marstrand virgin. At a time when many others participated previously here with the 44Cup or on the World Match Racing Tour, the towering Brit was busy acquiring Olympic medals. In the meantime, he still has some way to go with Peninsula Racing. “We were going much better today than yesterday, when we were full of mistakes - we couldn’t get across the finish line without getting a protest,” admitted Scott. “We finished last in a couple of races where we had a bit of a coming together. Today was better, but we are still off where want to be, we’re struggling with pace, etc."

Racing continues on Saturday with a first warning signal scheduled for 1130 CEST.

44CUP MARSTRAND RESULTS: (After 6 races)

1. Artemis Racing - 1 5 2 3 6 1 - 18
2. Team Nika - 4 1 3 5 3 6 - 22
3. Charisma - 7 4 1 2 5 4 - 23
4. Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 - 6 2 6 4 4 3 - 25
5. Team Aqua - 2 8 5 7 1 2 (1) - 26
6. Aleph Racing - 5 6 4 1 7 7 - 30
7. Peninsula Racing - 8 3 8 6 2 5 - 32
8. Black Star Sailing Team - 3 7 7 8 8 8 - 41

Njörðr, the Norse god of the sea and the wind was clearly smiling upon both the 44Cup Marstrand and local team Artemis Racing for the first day of the 2022 44Cup’s third event off western Sweden’s holiday hotspot of Marstrand.

As Afloat reported previously, Simon Johnson is in the Pit of Black Star Racing and Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle is a Grinder on the French entry, Aleph. 

The eight teams and their high performance one design RC44 yachts were eased gently into the regatta. There was flat water and brilliant sunshine, while the northwesterly wind started at the lower end of the spectrum, at 6-8 knots, for the first race and then built to a moderate 12-14 for the third and final one.

Torbjörn Törnqvist, host of the 44Cup Marstrand, steered his royal blue RC44 to victory in the first race, taking the left side of the course on the first upwind as the rest of the fleet went right. Artemis Racing tactician Andy Horton explained: “Early in the day the left was favoured - there was pressure there, plus the pin was up, which gave us a couple of boat lengths lead. The guys are sailing the boat fast. We had three good starts and we could end up sailing straight almost as long as we wanted to.”

Then in the third race, Artemis Racing looked set to score her second bullet of the day, leading at the top mark only to lose it on the first run. “We missed the gybe in,” admitted Horton. “It [the wind] switched over and started working near the shore on the downwinds.”

“It was good all today,” said Torbjörn Törnqvist. “The boat was set up perfectly and we had speed. Everything was working well on board, like the manoeuvring. We have tried to improve. We have been training for one or two days before [each event]. And it feels good; great sailing. It was great to get going and to be here again. Tomorrow will be another nice day with warm weather.”

Although he heralds from Stockholm, on the opposite side of Sweden, Törnqvist adds: “I am enjoying sailing here and the atmosphere around this place, even though I am not from here. It wouldn’t be the same to be here without the RC44 teams. It is like having the family here.”

Ultimately Artemis Racing has ended up leading after day one, albeit on countback, tied on points with Team Nika, a past victor here in 2017 and winner of today’s second race after they started to weather of the fleet and pulled ahead by claiming the right – ironic after Artemis Racing won the first race by going left. In race two Team Nika finished narrowly ahead of Igor Lah's Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 and John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing.

Certainly the 44Cup’s Swedish team looks like it has changed a gear here. As Horton muses: “The group is working pretty hard. And Torbjörn has been here training and he is relaxed. It is amazing how much time on the water does.”

Victory slipped through Artemis Racing’s fingers in the third race after Nico Poons’ Charisma opted to gybe early on the first downwind. Gybing back to converge with the fleet they appeared to have made a substantial gain. As Charisma tactician, Kiwi Olympian and America’s Cup helm Hamish Pepper explained: “The boat was going well and the guys were sailing it fast. We had a nice lane and the others may have been jostling a little bit and off VMG and in the next minutes we had gained three or four lengths and we were leading. Plus we could capitalise on the free air and maybe some pressure - it doesn’t take much after that for it to become a big gain.” 

At the end of day one Charisma lies third overall, four points off the lead after at one stage finding themselves dead last in the first race. “That was a tough race,” Pepper continued. “I didn’t get us off the line well and we got pinballed a little bit. Next minute we were last, but then another boat got a penalty at the finish, so it wasn’t a complete disaster.”

Most teams had their ‘five minutes’ today. This included the newbies from Switzerland, Black Star Sailing Team which was second at the top mark in the opening race only to drop a place, coming home a worthy third. As helmsman Christian Zuerrer explained: “We had a good start and good tactics and I am happy that we finished third because we had a broken kite - it got scratched on the hoist somewhere. It was a bit scary but it wasn’t getting bigger and we tried to keep the load off it while still going fast.”

Zuerrer is used to racing in his native Switzerland and the Mediterranean, but this is his first time racing in Sweden. “It is a nice place,” he says of Marstrand. “Sunny. Good breeze. It is a nice spot. I like to be here. The organisation does a great job to keep this all running, so I am looking forward to close racing over the next three days.”

Racing continues tomorrow with a first warning signal scheduled for 1130 CEST.

44CUP MARSTRAND RESULTS: (after 3 races)

1. Artemis Racing - 1 5 2 - 8
2. Team Nika - 4 1 3 - 8
3. Charisma - 7 4 1 - 12
4. Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 - 6 2 6 - 14
5. Aleph Racing - 5 6 4 - 15
6. Team Aqua - 2 8 5 (1) - 16
7. Black Star Sailing Team - 3 7 7 - 17
8. Peninsula Racing - 8 3 8 - 19

Normally 44Cup events are decided in the final gybes of the last leg of the last race after four days of competition. But at the 44Cup Cascais, the second of the 2022 series for the high performance owner-driver one designs, the opposite was true. Charisma of Monaco-based Dutchman Nico Poons, set the benchmark high after scoring three bullets on the opening day. Their advantage since Thursday may have gone up and down, but they ended the weekend having won five out of 11 races sailed, including today’s third, concluding one. They finished the 44 Cup Cascais a massive 12 points ahead of Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860. Charisma’s result was especially unusual since at the 44Cup Lanzarote in February they were last.

Wind conditions were similar to yesterday with a 10 knot southerly and cloud cover giving way to blue sky. PRO Maria Torrijo today moved the race area to due south of Cascais, protecting it from the worst of the northwesterly Atlantic swell. However instead there was a confused sea - swell coming from two directions plus wind driven waves from the south.

Charisma of Monaco-based Dutchman Nico Poons, set the benchmark high after scoring three bullets on the opening day

Today, as on Friday, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua was fastest out of the blocks, winning the opening race. However they finishing last in the next race and looked set to repeat this when they were OCS in the last race, salvaging a fifth – but this ultimately cost the 2021 44Cup champions third place here.

“It was a bit more open and it was about getting the boat settled in and set up well,” said tactician Cameron Appleton of today’s conditions. Of their first race win he added: “We went to the right side and chased a bit more pressure and the current was favourable. We have been sailing well all week. The guys have done a good job. We have had a lot of great moments. We have had good starts, but not capitalised on them.”

Going into the final race Charisma only had to finish to win the event. Nonetheless undeterred they won this in emphatic style. Of their overall victory, skipper Nico Poons mused: “It is a good feeling – we won! I am amazed, especially since last time we didn’t do well in Lanzarote and now we have won with such a big advantage. The first day with three bullets – that was a cracker, insane! The driver needs his focus but it is the team that is making or breaking things.”

Contributing to Charisma’s success this week was employing the local knowledge of professional Portuguese sailor Álvaro Marinho.

Even a man usually full of theories, Charisma’s mainsheet trimmer Chris Hosking was at a loss to explain their success: “I wish I knew! Sometimes it just goes your way. It doesn’t feel like we did anything particularly different to what we did in Lanzarote when we finished eighth.” Certainly, the Charisma team usually performs well in breeze.

Going into the last race, Ceeref had already secured at least second overall. Their ultimately doing so provided no surprises for Igor Lah. “It is the curse of Cascais for us. We ALWAYS finish second here! I have to congratulate Charisma – they sailed extremely well. But we are happy - we have kept our golden wheels,” he concluded referring to the 44Cup’s equivalent of the Tour de France leader’s yellow jersey.

While second was secure, this was far from the case for third overall. Team Aqua held this going into the final race, but tenuously with Aleph Racing and Artemis Racing both a point behind and Team Nika a further two back.

While Charisma was the stand-out team here, in fact today’s winner in terms of scoring lowest points was Team Nika which won today’s second race and followed this up chasing Charisma home to claim second in the last race. These results propelled them up the leaderboard from sixth to third, albeit only decided on countback from Aleph Racing and Artemis Racing.

“We had a great start and we picked the first two shifts in the right way - we didn’t just hit the corner,” explained Team Nika’s tactician Francesco Bruni of their race win. “We were very excited that we still had a chance to finish in the top three after that. Then we were a little bit lucky to finish on the same points as Artemis and Aleph and win on countback. We are happy and coming third is important for the season’s points.” As to Charisma’s performance, the Italian America’s Cup helmsman explained: “That is typical of the 44Cup. One day you are zero and then you are the hero.”

44Cup newbies Black Star Sailing Team enjoyed a brief moment of glory when in today’s second race they reached the top mark in second, ultimately ending up sixth in this race. “It was a great event with a lot of learning,” said skipper Christian Zuerrer of their first 44Cup event. “It is always nice to be in the pack. In these conditions, it was challenging to steer and with our old jib we couldn’t sail upwind like the others. But it was much better today than yesterday.”

44Cup racing will continue with the circuit’s Swedish stopover, the 44Cup Marstand over 29 June to 3 July. 

44CUP CASCAIS RESULTS: (After 11 races)

1. Charisma - 1 1 1 4 3 4 2 1 6 2 1 - 26
2. CEEREF - 3 4 2 2 6 1 3 2 2 7 6 - 38
3. Team Nika - 5 8 3 6 1 5 5 6 5 1 2 - 47
4. Team Aqua - 2 6 4 1 4 8 4 4 1 8 5 - 47
5.  Aleph Racing - 4 2 7 5 2 3 1 7 - 7 5 4 - 47
6. Artemis Racing - 7 3 5 3 5 2 6 5 4 3 7 - 50
7. Peninsula Racing - 6 5 6 7 7 6 7 3 3 4 3 - 57
8. Black Star Sailing - 8 7 8 8 8 7 8 8 8 6 8 - 84

44CUP OVERALL RANKING: (After 2 events)

1. CEEREF powered by Hrastnik 1860 - 1 2 - 3
2. Team Nika - 2 3 - 5
3. Charisma - 8 1 - 9
4. Artemis Racing - 6 3 - 9
5. Aleph Racing - 5 4 - 9
6. Team Aqua - 5 4 - 9
7. Peninsula Racing - 7 7 - 14
8. La Pericolosa - 9 10 - 19
9. Black Star Sailing - 12 8 - 20

Dun Laoghaire's Cian Guilfoyle stays third overall on Aleph after day three of the 44Cup in Cascais, Portugal.

After two days of sun, Atlantic swell and prevailing northwesterlies, conditions turned around for day three of the 44Cup Cascais. Overnight the wind veered into the south and in the morning the eight RC44 teams waited ashore for an extra hour and half as the wind filled in.

Out on the race track, the tacticians faced the perplexing scenario of the breeze from the new southerly direction, combined with, on the upwinds, more than a knot of current against them, but still with the residual Atlantic swell from the northwest with them.

Despite the about-turn of the race track, the hard right again was favoured and in the sub-10 knot conditions, it was Nico Poons' overall leader, Charisma, Chris Bake's Team Aqua and Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing that went all the way to the starboard layline before tacking. The port tackers, Ceeref, Team Nika and Artemis Racing picked up at the top of the beat, but thanks to a good layline call into the top mark all had to duck Aleph Racing coming across with rights on starboard. 

Tight racing in the 8-boat 44Cup in Cascais, Portugal Photo: Nico Martinez

After going the wrong way up the first beat, Charisma gybed early on the run, and finding better pressure she was propelled from seventh to second. She was able to follow Aleph around the starboard gate mark and out to the right. Both played the shifts well up the second beat and, with Ceeref in third, they gained separation which they held to the finish.

“We wanted the right,” recounted Team Aleph tactician Michele Ivaldi of their winning race. “We had a good start in the upper part of the line. The first two boats went off [to the right] and we waited another minute and then we went all the way too. Then we got a nice righty going into the mark. It was lucky we were on the layline so we didn’t have to do an extra tack.”

According Ivaldi the contrary current and Atlantic swell made it difficult to helm: “There was more wind at the top of the swell and less at the bottom so getting it stable was key.” Fortunately Team Aleph helmsman - former Rolex Farr 40 World Champion Alex Roepers, who is standing in for Hugues Lepic at this event - did a sound job.

Roepers himself is enjoying his first time steering an RC44 in anger. “The experience is incredibly good. It is amazing how fast they can sail in light air but we have had some very high breeze for the first couple of days and it is unbelievable to work these machines downwind. It was a bit of a learning curve for me to get the gybes right, but the Aleph team is top notch. I am very lucky and honoured to be a guest helmsman. My compliments to the RC44 management and the owners for a great class.”

A short delay saw the wind drop and return for a second race, but in continued light conditions. Charisma and Ceeref went hard right out of the start, but then on a long starboard tack across the course they managed to cross ahead of the entire fleet. Charisma rounded the top mark first with John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing pulled into second ahead of Ceeref. The lead boats all gybed early heading out to the favoured right, especially favoured thanks to a wind shift to the right. The lead trio remained the same to the finish but with Ceeref edging past Peninsula Racing on the second upwind.

Going into the final day the dominant Charisma has managed to recover the six point lead she had after her exceptional opening day here when she scored straight bullets. But with three races scheduled tomorrow in further south or southwest wind, as tactician Hamish Pepper puts it: “Any time you are leading a regatta in this fleet you are obviously sailing very well and we are just happy we are in front but it is still pretty close. Six points - you can lose that in one race and in this fleet that can easily happen and has happened in the past.”

Team Aqua lies in fourth place having had what skipper Chris Bake described as a “truly average day for us. It was difficult - very different to yesterday, different wind direction and you had a cross current under the sea state, which created a strange motion on the boat. But it seemed to go okay.”

John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing, on which double Olympic Finn gold medallist Giles Scott calls tactics, saw a moment of brilliance when they came home third in the final race today. “It was good to get a decent result there," said Bassadone. "But generally we are quite disappointed because the boat is going well and it is a combination of bad luck and a couple of boat handling things. It is good to at least to have half a smile on our face after that race today.”

Racing continues on Sunday at 1200. 

44CUP CASCAIS RESULTS:

(After 8 races)

1. Charisma - 1 1 1 4 3 4 2 1 - 17
2. CEEREF  - 3 4 2 2 6 1 3 2 - 23
3. Aleph Racing - 4 2 7 5 2 3 1 7 - 31
4. Team Aqua - 2 6 4 1 4 8 4 4 - 33
5. Artemis Racing - 7 3 5 3 5 2 6 5 - 36
6. Team Nika - 5 8 3 6 1 5 5 6 - 39
7. Peninsula Racing - 6 5 6 7 7 6 7 3 - 47
8. Black Star Sailing - 8 7 8 8 8 7 8 8 - 62

Next week, the 44Cup will return to the Portuguese sailing mecca of Cascais for event two of its 2022 season. Racing for the eight high-performance one-design monohulls will take place from Thursday to Sunday, 11-15 May.

The cup features among its lineup some key Irish crew such as Cian Guilfoyle, Dylan Gannon and more recently Simon Johnson has indicated his return to the circuit on the Swiss entry, Black Star.

Joining the fleet for the first time in Portugal is the Black Star Sailing Team. For owner Christian Zuerrer this will not only be his first time racing an RC44, but also his first time racing in the Cascais. Taking on the role of tactician to guide the team through their debut event is New Zealander Cameron Dunn. Having finished third on the podium in Cascais at the 2018 RC44 World Championship and having coached in the class too, Dunn knows how to perform well on an RC44 and acknowledges that it will be a steep learning curve for the new team which also campaigns a GC32 foiling catamaran.

"We are under no illusions about the difficulty of joining such a high-quality fleet with all the teams having many years of experience in the class. We will first concentrate on the boat handling to get the basic manoeuvres to a good quality before we can even start to compete in this fleet," explains Dunn. "We will have our hands full, but we know the task ahead and can't wait to get started".

Cascais is renowned for its northwesterly breeze blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean and wrapping around Cabo Raso into Lisbon. On a racecourse which is set off the northern shore of the Tagus estuary, effectively in the Atlantic, the fresh winds and large oceanic swells allow the crews to surf their RC44s at 20+ knot speeds downwind. "It is one of the best sailing areas you can think of and the club is nice. What is not to like?" explains Charisma's owner Nico Poons. "And the racing is very, very close. There are minimal differences between us."

Dunn adds: "There are some major geographic features, but the placement of the racecourse can affect these quite dramatically, so it's always a good challenge, both tactically and for the boat handling. Ripping downwind in an RC44 at 20 knots in big waves is some seriously fun yacht racing."

For this event Team CEEREF powered by Hrastnik 1860 holds the 44 Cup leaders' golden wheels, followed by Team Nika in second and Artemis Racing in third. Defending 44Cup and RC44 World Champions from 2021, Chris Bake's Team Aqua is currently sixth on the overall leaderboard after an inconsistent start to the season in Lanzarote back in February, but will undoubtedly be back on winning form.

Muscat, Oman, is to host the final and deciding event of the 2022 44Cup season, set to be held from 7 - 11 December.

Hosted by Oman Sail, Muscat will be the last event of the five-stop international tour in 2022.

The 44Cup features Ireland's Simon Johnson and Cian Guilfoyle as crew in the 10-boat fleet.

As previously reported, this started in Lanzarote in Spain in early February and continues to Cascais in Portugal, Marstrand in Sweden and is followed by its World Championship in Portoroz, Slovenia before heading for its grand finale in the Middle East.

Muscat will extend a warm welcome to the fleet of ten high-performance one-design RC44s, which will be based in and racing on the warm waters off Al Mouj Marina in the heart of the Omani capital.

Muscat and Al Mouj Marina are well known to the 44Cup crews, having hosted the fleet here in 2013, when it was won by Chris Bake's Team Aqua and in 2014 when the top trophy went to Vladimir Prosikhin's Team Nika. "There is a passion for sailing in Oman and thanks to Oman Sail, a great development programme for youth sailing. As a professional racing circuit, the fact that the conditions are tricky is ideal for exciting racing. We had a lot of fun sailing there last time we went," explains Team Aqua's tactician Cameron Appleton.

Since 2009 Oman Sail has been attempting to rekindle the country’s maritime eminence and to provide opportunities for the Omani youth to learn from the sport of sailing.

Oman Sail has become a globally recognised initiative in the process. Omani high-performance sailors are now competing in several leading racing circuits and Oman Sail hosts an increasing number of key international events along their nation’s splendid coastline. In 2021 alone they hosted, among others, the Asian Windsurfing Championships, the 2021 49er, 49er FX and Nacra 17 Asian and World Championships, the ILCA Radial World Championship in Mussanah and brought the sailing season to a close with the successful hosting of the Youth Sailing World Championships.

Welcoming the 44Cup to Oman, CEO of Oman Sail Dr. Khamis Al Jabri said: "The high-speed, high-performance racing on show during the 44Cup is always a spectacular sight to behold. With some of the world’s best professional sailors competing, the ideal winter sailing conditions will provide an excellent arena for the top prizes to be decided. We look forward to welcoming the teams to Oman and sharing our famed warm hospitality at the finale of this year’s series."

Artemis Racing's tactician Andy Horton added: "It feels like an adventure to go to Oman for a regatta. The climate is perfect for winter racing, the culture and the people are welcoming. It's always exciting to go back.”

Going into the final day of the 44Cup Calero Marinas, Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 held a strong 11 point lead. Normally this would have seen them packing their bags early, having won with a race to spare. However, this is the 44Cup, home of high performance one designs and owner-drivers surrounded by Olympic medallists, America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race winners and nothing is ever certain. Ultimately the Slovenian team did win here in Lanzarote, but for several tense minutes victory seemed to have fully slipped through their fingers.

Today’s three races took place in a moderate easterly that built during the second race into the high teens.

Overall, Dublin Bay sailor Cian Guilfoyle racing on Aleph finished fourth. Results below.

In the first race the new boys on La Pericolosa won the pin and dug left, enabling them to reach the top mark first. Down the run they were being hunted by Pavel Kuznetsov’s Atom Tavatuy and at the gate they split, going left. On the second upwind Atom Tavatuy benefitted from a big right shift and gained a strong lead going into the top mark. While the Russian team comfortably secured their second bullet of the event, there was a scramble for second with Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika sneaking in ahead of La Pericolasa.

Finally in the second race Nico Poons’ Charisma came good. They had led yesterday’s first race until having to recover a man overboard. This afternoon they redeemed themselves. As stand-in tactician Vasco Vascotto described it: “We started well, nicely at the pin and we went left, which we believed was correct. Usually there is a little band of wind there and today there was less current too.” They rounded the top mark first and then hung on, despite a charging Team Nika that finished a close second. “That was one small sweet after a very bitter week, but this is the RC44 class! If you are not consistent you are at the back.”

Meanwhile, one eye was on the overall results. After a sixth in the first race, Ceeref’s margin over Team Nika was just six points. This dwindled by three more in the next. Going into the final race Ceeref’s lead was just four points over Team Nika. At the start disaster struck when they were locked out at the pin, gybed and ended up starting very late. Meanwhile, Team Nika played the shifts well up the first beat to lead around the top mark ahead of Valeriya Kovalenko’s ARTTUBE and Atom Tavatuy. Prosikhin’s team consolidated and went on to take the win comfortably.

Behind them a yacht racing masterclass took place as tactician Adrian Stead, Lah and the Ceeref crew fought back. By at the top mark they had recovered to eighth, by the leeward gate were sixth and after a stunning second upwind rounded the top mark second, which they held to the finish - enough to secure them 44Cup Calero Marinas victory.

“We wanted to keep some drama in! But I am relieved,” said Lah. “It is great to win the first event in the season. It is always like this in this class – you are never sure of anything.”

Stead continued: “All credit to Team Nika - they have been sailing well all week. We can definitely say this regatta was won by the recoveries – how many boats you could pass.” Team Nika had performed a similar feat in today’s first race, after their OCS. “The team did fantastically well and we kept believing in what we were doing, which is the key. I would say this is the best racing we have had in this class.”

Today’s stars were certainly Team Nika, posting a 2-2-1. “We’ve started to sail downwind much better so we have been gaining upwind and downwind,” explained Prosikhin. “It was difficult, but very enjoyable. I loved every moment of it.” Of the last race he added: “I looked back only approaching the finish line. Unfortunately the first thing I saw was Ceeref – the only disappointment of the day!”

Half of the Team Nika crew are new for 2022 and Prosikhin paid special tribute to tactician Francesco Bruni. Bruni said that there had been more passing lanes today. “It was less stable with at times more pressure offshore. We sailed very well. This crew finished last season in a low moment and they needed a recovery. Here we had more practice, which really helped. Vladimir is really following my leadership of the team.”

Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing finished a solid third having won races on the first two days.
Trying their hand at RC44 racing, were the former Melges 32 champions on La Pericolosa, who led the fleet at the top mark at least twice. “It has been really good,” said British tactician and former 470 World Champion Nic Asher. “We have loved the boat and the class is really nice, welcoming, everyone has been giving tips and advice all week.”

Over the course of the 44Cup Calero Marinas’ 10 races, incredibly seven boats won races and after just six races, all 10 teams had podiumed.

44Cup racing resumes at the 44Cup Cascais over 11-15 May. To find out more visit www.44cup.org.

44CUP CALERO MARINAS RESULTS

(after 10 races)

1. CEEREF powered by Hrastnik 1860 - 3 1 5 4 3 2 3 6 5 2 - 34
2. Team Nika - 2 6 7 6 4 4 1 2 2 1 (2) - 37
3. Artemis Racing - 6 5 1 10 1 7 4 4 3 7 - 48
4. Aleph Racing - 5 4 9 1 5 5RDG 5RDG 8 6 3 - 51
5. Atom Tavatuy - 8 7 4 3 8 1 8 1 8 4 - 52
6. Team Aqua - 1 3 6 5 6 5 7 7 4 9 - 53
7. Peninsula Racing - 10 2 3 8 2 6 2 5 7 8 - 54
8. Charisma - 4 9 2 7 10 8 5 9 1 5 - 60
9. La Pericolosa - 9 10 8 2 7 9 11DNS 3 10 6 (4) - 79
10. ArtTube - 7 8 10 9 9 3 6 10 9 10 - 81