RC44 Class Association video published Mar 4, 2018: Lanzarote has delivered outstanding winter racing for this year's RC44 Calero Marinas Cup. From 20+ knots of boat speed blasting downwind in training to champagne sailing in 15 knots for the final day.
Day 4 RC44 Calero Marinas Cup - Charisma secures victory as RC44 racing goes to the wire
RC44 Class Association video published Mar 4, 2018: Nico Poons’ Charisma proved today that there is a new player in town in the one design fleet, as they clung on to their lead from yesterday to win the RC44 Calero Marinas Cup, the opening event of the 2018 RC44 championship. But it came down to the last run of today’s last race when a final curved ball cut the Monaco-based team’s overall lead to just one point ahead of arch-rival, Team Nika.
After their outstanding Saturday, defending 2017 RC44 champions Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF were still in the groove and led today’s opening race from start to finish.
After posting a couple of deep results, Vladimir Prosikhin 's Team Nika was back on song for race two. The Russian team and John Bassadone’s Peninsula Petroleum opted early for the right on the first beat where they struck gold. The two boats were respectively first and second at the top mark, positions they maintained until the finish.
UPDATE Mar 4, 2018: Charisma held a five points advantage over Team Nika, with Artemis Racing a further three points back going into the final day of racing on Sunday. Charisma held on to win.the RC44 Calero Marinas Cup 2018 on Sunday, a well-deserved win for Nico Poons, Ray Davies and the entire crew after a week-long battle with Team Nika.
RC44 Calero Marinas Cup 2018 overall ranking
1. Charisma-36
2. Nika-37
3. CEEREF-40
4. Artemis-47
5. Aqua-55
6. Peninsula-58
7. Aleph-68
Next RC44 event: RC44 Portorož Cup, May 9-13, 2018.
Day 3 RC44 Calero Marinas Cup - Charisma strides ahead after challenging day
RC44 Class Association video published Mar 3, 2018: A North Atlantic cold front, threatening to wreak havoc over Lanzarote, provided Solent-like conditions for the opening race on day three of the RC44 Calero Marinas Cup, the first event of the 2018 RC44 championship. Fortunately, once the front had passed, the wind veered back into the south, the sun came out allowing all the teams to enjoy another memorable afternoon of racing.
Day 2 RC44 Calero Marinas Cup - Too close to call at the halfway stage in Lanzarote
RC44 Class Association video above published Mar 2, 2018: Lanzarote laid on superb conditions for day two of the RC44 Calero Marinas Cup under brilliant sunshine and winds that started in the sub-10 range before building solidly into the 20s, making for a spectacular action-packed third and final race.
Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing claimed the opening race after tactician Andy Horton correctly called the favourable left side of the course, just as he did in yesterday’s first race.
Conditions had built for race two which turned into a heavyweight bout between Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika and Nico Poons’ Charisma. Nika led around the first lap but Charisma had edged ahead by the end of the second beat and maintained their lead to the finish. Pundits noted that the match racing between the two boats may have been fuelled by some rivalry between the tacticians– former Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker calling the shots on Team Nika and his former tactician Ray Davies in this position on Charisma.
Day 1 RC44 Calero Marinas Cup - Three races and three winners fire up 2018
RC44ClassAssociation video above published Mar 1, 2018: The opening day of the 2018 RC44 Calero Marinas Cup indicated firstly how close the season for the Russell Coutts-inspired one designs is set to be and how to win, it will be vital to make zero mistakes.
Three races saw three different winners. Torbjörn Törnqvist and Artemis Racing romped away to claim race one. Next up it was the turn of Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika to take race two. This left the sole Russian team now competing on the RC44 circuit ahead overall going into the final race. Sadly, while they were second at the first top mark rounding on the transom of John Bassadone’s Peninsula Petroleum, a ripped gennaker put paid to Team Nika’s chances and lost her the overall lead at the close of play on this opening day to Peninsula Petroleum.
Interview: Nico Poons and Ray Davies
RC44 Class Association video above published Mar 2, 2018: The key to success in the RC44 fleet is flawless crew work. We talk to Charisma owner Nico Poons and tactician Ray Davies to find out how it's done. See also: "Introducing the CEEREF's Black Hawk (video), "The world's best sailors are back on the RC44 race track" video and Welcome to the RC44 family (video)--friends onshore, rivals on the water.
THE RC44 CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR 2018
First up: RC44 CALERO MARINAS CUP 2018
The five event 2018 RC44 Championship begins where it left off in 2017 - in the Calero family’s Marina Lanzarote, in Arrecife in the Canary Islands. The RC44 Calero Marinas Cup will take place 28 February (practice day) until 4 March.
Teams:Tweets by RC44Class
France Aleph Racing (FRA17)
Sweden Artemis Racing (SWE44)
Monaco Charisma (MON 69)
United Kingdom Peninsula Petroleum (GBR 1)
United Kingdom Team Aqua (GBR 2041)
Slovenia Team Ceeref (SLO 11)
Russia Team Nika (RUS 10)
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