Day 4 - 44Cup Palma 2019 - Far Behind Victory Decides 2019 44Cup
Nov 17, 2019, Day 4 (final day of racing): It was supposed to be a heavyweight bout between Chris Bake’s Team Aqua and Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika. These two, among the oldest, most successful teams in the high performance one design monohull class, started the 44Cup Palma, the final event of the season, separated by just one point at the top of the 2019 44Cup leaderboard. Behind them Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF went into the 44Cup Palma five points off the lead with Aleph Racing of Hugues Lepic a further point behind. However this non-discardable final event of the season was to prove surprisingly dire for both the leaders who, against all expectation, began today’s final day of racing in last place. Meanwhile, two other teams were excelling – Nico Poons’ Charisma, the 2018 defending 44Cup champion, and Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF, winner in 2016-17, who prevailed once again.
Day 3: 44Cup Palma 2019 - CEEREF Could Turn 44cup On Its Head
Nov 16: If Charisma and Aleph were the stand-out teams yesterday, today, the penultimate day of the 44Cup Palma, belonged to Igor Lah's Team CEEREF. In a return to their 2016-17 season-winning form, the Slovenian team won both of today's races. This elevated them to second overall astern of Nico Poons' Charisma which had another solid day leaving them with a six point lead going into the final day.
Day 2 44Cup Palma - Two Bullet Day for Charisma, but Aleph Leads
44Cup Nov 15, 2019: Yesterday racing was canned with the breeze gusting to 40 knots. Today, despite a large residual swell, conditions appeared more sailable, but for almost two hours the wind failed to settle, its direction pulled around due to the giant clouds crossing the Bay of Palma race area. Although light to moderate, the wind randomly shifted between southwest and northwest and back before finally settling close to the former when, on their fifth attempt, the race committee was able to lay a course successfully.
DAY 1 44Cup
Nov 14, 2019: Winds gusting up to 40 knots and a heinous seastate out on the Bay of Palma, kept the 44Cup fleet at the dock on the opening day of the 44Cup Palma. The wind began veering and dropping mid-afternoon but the left-over sea state precluded the deciding round of the 2019 44Cup from getting underway. “We had a steady 23-25 knots of wind, but the sea states was such, coming from various directions, that it was basically like a cauldron,” reported PRO Peter Reggio. “That combined with the velocity being at the upper end means it wouldn’t have been good racing at all. Fortunately the forecast for the next few days is looking better than it did this morning."
The secrets behind a tactician and his coach (video) features Artemis Racing's tactician Andy Horton and coach Tom Burnham on what makes their relationship work.See also 44Cup Preview (video). 44Cup Palma, Nov 13 - 17, Real Club Náutico de Palma, Palma de Majorca, Spain. The grand final is in Palma, Majorca, the fifth and final event of the 2019 season. Expect to see a a heated fight for the podium between the top three teams. Chris Bake’s Team Aqua currently leads the fleet, after the World Championship win in Marstrand Sweden during the summer which they followed up with a win in Cascais, Portugal last month. Having been at each other’s throats for the entire season Team Aqua’s biggest threat is Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika with three second place event finishes this season and desperate to take an event win.
Team Aqua won the 44Cup Cascais with a race to spare:
Day 4 44CUP Cascais - Oct 6, 2019: Whether it was in big waves or small, gale force or sub-10 winds, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua shone all week and as a result, won the 44Cup Cascais with a race to spare. Although this was common occurrence for Team Aqua during her glory years of 2011-13, winning with a race to spare is very rare these days, such is the level of competition in the high performance one design monohull class. The final day of 44Cup racing off the Portuguese sailing mecca, where the event was hosted by the Clube Naval de Cascais, provided even brisker conditions than the day before, mainly due to the race committee setting up the start area further offshore, free from the protection of the headlands west of Cascais. As a result, with the wind regularly blowing 20+ knots, and a lumpy and at times random chop set up on top of the Atlantic swell, it was a perpetually wet ride for the crews on this high load, high stress deciding day.
Team Aqua wins the 44Cup Cascais 2019
44Cup Cascais best shots video above, Oct 6, 2019.
Day 3 44Cup Cascais 2019 - Russian bears wake up
While at the 44Cup Cascais there has been a light first day, a medium second day with a large swell, on day three the Portugese sailing mecca saw winds exceeding the forecast, gusting up to 25 knots, with a short wind-driven chop and a reduced swell. The wind hovering around 18-20 knots for most of the day provided hair-raising downwinds with the crew hanging on as the RC44s accelerated to 20+ knots speed, engulfed in spray. The conditions placed a premium on crew work and it was easy even for the most polished teams to come unstuck - notably three time World Champion Team Nika which broached dramatically during today’s first kite hoist.
Day 2 44Cup Cascais 2019 - Team Aqua shows ‘golden wheels’ form
Oct 4, 2019: Half way stage the 44Cup Cascais, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua has joined Nico Poons’ Charisma at the top of the leaderboard and is even ahead on countback. The second day of racing for the high performance one design RC44 monohulls, hosted by the Clube Naval de Cascais, was held in slightly more wind than yesterday, 10-16 knots, building slowly in the final race, but remaining more firmly northwest. However the height of the swell was notably larger, drummed up by Hurricane Lorenzo. Thanks to the long wavelength this wasn’t especially dramatic, but it made holding a course tricky as boats experiencing a momentary lull and they disappeared in the troughs.
Day 1 Highlights, 44Cup Cascais 2019 - Charisma and Team Aqua stride ahead
In contrast to their tail end of the fleet finish in Marstrand in July, Nico Poons and Charisma showed the way around the race track on the opening day of the 44Cup Cascais, posting a most respectable 2-1-2. While today Charisma, the 2018 44Cup champion (and winner the last time the high performance 44ft long one design long monohulls visited these waters last November), seemed to be the stand-out team, in fact they finished the day just one point ahead of Team Aqua. Chris Bake’s team, which currently holds the 44Cup’s ‘golden wheels’ as overall 44Cup leader, claimed today’s final race and had nearly as consistently good a day as Charisma, posting a 3-2-1.
Venue: located on the mouth of the River Tagus leading up to Lisbon, Cascais is open to the Atlantic and comes with all the potential for big winds and large oceanic swell. It is for this reason, combined with excellent hospitality provided by the Clube Naval de Cascais, that the Portuguese stopover is another regular on the 44Cup circuit, having featured every year since 2012. It hosted the World Championship in 2015 and 2017, both of which were won by Team Nika.
44Cup video above published Jul 13, 2019: Ever wonder what it is like to be onboard an RC44? Our Icarus camera man jumped onboard during racing yesterday to capture the experience.
360° onboard Artemis Racing
44Cup video above published Jul 11, 2019: #Shotoftheday - 360° onboard Artemis Racing
Day 4 - Final Day of 44Cup Marstrand World Championship 2019
July 13, 2019: World Championship claimed by Team Aqua. Holding an eight point advantage going into the final day, and then doing enough to hang on, enabled Chris Bake’s Team Aqua to be crowned the 44Cup Marstrand World Champions for 2019. The team claimed this year’s title ahead of Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika and Torbjörn Törnqvist’s local heroes aboard Artemis Racing. “I feel really good about it,” said Bake, still dripping from his victor’s plunge once Team Aqua was back at her berth on the Marstrand quayside. “Yesterday was a good day and the boat was going really well. Today was tough – shifty and really patchy.” Today the teams had a long wait out on the water as the breeze faded, subsequently materialising just long enough to allow two races to be sailed before the 1500 cut-off.
Best of the 2019 44Cup World Championship, Marstrand
44Cup video above published Jul 13, 2019: All the best shots from the 2019 44Cup World Championship in Marstrand Sweden.
Day 3: 44Cup Marstrand World Championship 2019
44Cup video above, Jul 12, 2019: "After a marginal forecast left the nine strong 44Cup fleet parked at the dock until 1300, the Swedish wind gods came good allowing four races to be held in 8-12 knots on the penultimate day of the 44Cup Marstrand World Championship 2019. This helped the schedule recover following no races yesterday due to a lack of wind. Stand-out performer today was Chris Bake’s Team Aqua, which, much like Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing on day one, scored no race worse than a fifth place. Her resounding 2-5-2-1 scoreline has left Bake’s team with a useful eight point advantage going into the final day."
Marstrand, Sweden is the third event of the 2019 44Cup which pits the world's top businessmen and the best sailors in the industry compete in high-performance one-design 44-foot carbon racing yachts.
Day 2: 44Cup Marstrand World Championship 2019 - Skunked on day two video (no racing on Day 2). 44Cup Jul 11, 2019: "Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and unfortunately today was the latter for day two of the 44Cup Marstrand World Championship 2019. At the skippers briefing in the morning PRO Peter ‘Luigi’ Reggio kept the crews ashore. The race committee then took to the high seas to the west of Marstrand island to check out the conditions. They kept abreast of the situation, on the hour updating crews and owners with news as they waiting patiently in the 44Cup hospitality area on Marstrand’s quayside. However when there was still no wind at 1530, Reggio pulled the plug on racing for the day."
Day 1 44Cup World Championship 2019
The opening day of the 44Cup Marstrand World Championship 2019, July 10, was one of exceptional sailing conditions in 15 knot winds, on top of a short, sharp chop making for an exhilarating, if wet ride for the nine crews competing:
"Despite the relatively stable conditions it was an unusually high scoring day for all but Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing. Winner of the last 2019 44Cup event in Rovinj, Croatia in May, the French team claimed the opening race after winning the start and making the most of the favourable left. However in the next two races they had to fight back from poor starts. However with no score worse than a fifth, Aleph Racing leads the World Championship after day one."
Welcome to Marstrand and the 44Cup World Championship 2019--preview video: "Highlight of the 44Cup season, the World Championship sets sail in Marstrand, the sailing mecca on the west coast of Sweden. Nine of the one design owner-driver monohull teams are competing and as usual in this hotly competitive class all boats in the fleet are capable of winning races but success will come down to which can string together the most consistently good score line over the next four days."
Teams in order of standings overall after 44Cup Marstrand World Championship, total points with one discard: Team Aqua (GBR 2041)--4; Team Nika (RUS 10)--4; Team Ceeref (SLO 11)--5; Artemis Racing (SWE44)--6; Aleph Racing (FRA17)--7; Peninsula Petroleum (GBR 1)--8; Charisma (MON 69)--11; Tavatuy Sailing Team (RUS 21)--12; Bronenosec Sailing (RUS 18)--14.
Points are allocated on the standard World Sailing ‘low point system’, so the boat that comes first in a race gets one point, second gets two points etc. The team with the fewest points at the end of each event is the winner. All 44Cup YouTube videos.
Event schedule:
Tuesday, 9 July: Practice Racing
Wednesday, 10 July - Saturday, 13 July: Fleet Racing
Day 4 Adris 44Cup Rovinj - Aleph Racing: 44Cup winner finally after nine years of trying
Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing scored their third bullet out of four races, increasing their five point lead at the final day's start to a massive 10. Ultimately a fourth place in the final day's second and final race handed the French team victory at the Adris 44Cup Rovinj. This was a considerable step up from their third to last place at the first 44Cup event of the season in Montenegro in April. 44Cup video above published Jun 2, 2019.
DAY 3 Adris 44Cup Rovinj - Leader change as Aleph Racing goes turbo
Day 3 results of the Adris 44Cup Rovinj demonstrated how fortunes between the slippery, high performance RC44 one design monohulls and their ultra-competitive crews can change in a heartbeat. London-based Frenchman Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing was top scorer in yesterday's three races, just. But today she was runaway leader.
To make up the schedule and because the forecast indicates conditions may be lighter, racing has been rescheduled to start an hour earlier Sunday, June 2, 2019. Meanwhile Saturday night the celebrations continue for the opening of Maistra's Grand Park Hotel Rovinj and the adjacent ACI Marinas Rovinj superyacht marina. See the Adris 44Cup Rovinj video Parade of Sail, a sail past of the Maistra Collection’s brand new Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, host venue for this event.
Day 2 Adris 44Cup Rovinj - Two bullet day for Charisma
Glory boys of today were unquestionably Nico Poons’ Charisma, who managed to secure bullets in the first and last races. However these sandwiched a costly last place - the classic zero-to-hero way for which the Monaco-based Dutchman’s team is famous. “This is normal for us - I wish I knew why,” admitted Poons. “We need a bit more time to sail together, but the potential in the team is there. We are getting a more stable and cutting out bad results.” 44Cup video above published May 31, 2019.
Day 1 Adris 44Cup Rovinj - Five races within one on opening day
A difficult opening day of the Adris 44Cup Rovinj saw just one race completed and a worthy winner in Igor Lah's Team CEEREF. But perhaps never in the history of the 44Cup have so many different teams led during one race. 44Cup video above published May 30, 2019. See also Adris 44Cup Rovinj preview video and video of Tom Slingsby and Vladimir Prosikhin on defending 44Cup World Champion Team Nika for the 2019 season.
The 44Cup fleet returns to the Croatian gem of Rovinj for the second event of the 2019 tour. In the 2019 44Cup, the world's top businessmen and the best sailors in the industry compete in high-performance one-design 44-foot carbon racing yachts. With the team owners at the helm, and the pros calling tactics, the fleet racing is very short, intense and action-packed, with a target race time of 40 minutes and boats frequently separated by just seconds at the finish line. There are generally three to four fleet races a day, depending on weather conditions, and no discard meaning every single race counts. The fleet racing takes place on a windward-leeward course, with a dog leg at the windward mark and a gate at the leeward mark.
Points are allocated on the standard World Sailing ‘low point system’, so the boat that comes first in a race gets one point, second gets two points etc. The team with the fewest points at the end of each event is the winner.
Wednesday, 29 May: 10.00 Practice race briefing; 11.30 1st warning for practice racing; 18.15 Welcome drinks.
Thursday, 30 May: 10.00 Fleet race briefing; 10.30 VIP morning briefing; 11.00 VIP boat dock out; 11.30 1st warning signal for fleet racing; 16.00 Aftersail buffet.
Friday, 31 May: 10.00 Fleet race briefing; 10.30 VIP morning briefing; 11.00 VIP boat dock out; 11.30 1st warning signal for fleet racing; 16.00 Aftersail buffet.
Saturday, 1 June: 10.00 Fleet race briefing; 10.30 VIP morning briefing; 11.00 VIP boat dock out; 11.30 1st warning signal for fleet racing; 20.00 Official crew party.
Sunday, 2 June: 10.00 Fleet race briefing; 10.30 VIP morning briefing; 11.00 VIP boat dock out; 11.30 1st warning signal for fleet racing; 15.30 Last warning signal; 16.00 Prize giving ceremony + buffet.
Tweets by the44cupVenue: Rovinj is situated on the western coast of Istria in Croatia, the largest peninsula on the Adriatic coastline, a one hour drive from Trieste, 2.5 hours from Zagreb and 6 hours from Munich. The people of Rovinj make their living mostly out of tourism, fishing, agriculture, winemaking and viticulture. Boasting a rich natural and cultural heritage with beautiful landmarks such as the old town, the Golden Cape Park Forest, protected islands and coastal area, Rovinj has many loyal visitors from all parts of the globe and has developed into a popular tourist destination. A pleasant climate and a wide array of sports facilities make Rovinj an ideal host venue for competitions, tournaments, sports schools and training camps for professional athletes all year round. 44CUP EVENTS 2019:
44Cup Porto Montenegro April 10-14, Porto Montenegro, Tivat, Montenegro
ADRIS 44CUP May 29 - Jun 2, Rovinj, Istria County, Croatia
44Cup Marstrand Jul 9 - 13, Marstrand, Västra Götaland County, Sweden
44Cup Cascais Oct 2 - 6, Clube Naval de Cascais, Cascais, Lisbon District, Portugal
44Palma Cup Nov 13 - 17, Real Club Náutico de Palma, Palma de Majorca, Spain
more about sailing below (@ web version link below for mobile)
Day 4 44Cup Porto Montenegro - Team CEEREF claims golden wheels in Montenegro
The Bay of Tivat came good for the final day of the 44Cup Porto Montenegro with three races held and a most worthy winner in Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF. The Slovenian team led this first event of the 2019 44 Cup from the outset. Today neither they nor Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika won a race, but showed impeccable consistency, both enjoying a trio of podium place results, elevating Team Nika from fourth to second overall. Video above published Apr 13, 2019.
Day 3 44Cup Porto Montenegro - Team Nika wins penultimate day
44Cup video published Apr 12, 2019: Dramatic cloud formations over the mountains surrounding the Bay of Tivat and an overcast sky suggested that 44Cup Porto Montenegro competitors would be in for another day of adrenalin-filled competition in winds in the high teens. In the event the wind started dropping almost the moment the timing for the sequence was announced.
360° Tavatuy Sailing Team mark rounding
Onboard 360° video with Tavatuy Sailing Team as they round the windward mark and then broach downwind at the 44Cup Porto Montenegro. Video above published Apr 12, 2019.
Day 2 44Cup Porto Montenegro - Team Aqua top scorer
44Cup video above published Apr 11, 2019: While the sun was out and the rain held off, Porto Montenegro presented a challenging second day of 44Cup racing with conditions starting off in 10 knots and building to 20 by the close of play this afternoon. A light patch around the committee boat helped create nail-biting photo finishes in two of today's three races.
See also Day 1 video and Day 2 #Shotoftheday video: Spinnaker Burst. Porto Montenegro is the first event of the 2019 44Cup which pits the world's top businessmen and the best sailors in the industry compete in high-performance one-design 44-foot carbon racing yachts. The RC44 Championship Tour has been given a makeover and has been rechristened the 44Cup.
44Cup Porto Montenegro, April, 10 to 14 April 2019, hosted by the world-renowned superyacht marina Porto Montenegro situated in Tivat on the Bay of Kotor, virtually landlocked from the sea, with a setting that is spectacular, nestled between mountains and vast fjords to Venetian hamlets and untouched parks. Home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Montenegro is on the ascent as a tourist destination. The tiny Balkan nation is perched on the eastern Adriatic yet heavily influenced by its Mediterranean neighbors.
Teams: Aleph Racing (FRA17) Artemis Racing (SWE44) Bronenosec Sailing (RUS 18) Charisma (MON 69) Peninsula Petroleum (GBR 1) Team Aqua (GBR 2041) Team Ceeref (SLO 11) Team Nika (RUS 10) Tavatuy Sailing Team (RUS 21) Tweets by the44cup
more about sailing below (@ web version link below for mobile)
For its thirteenth season, the RC44 Championship Tour has been given a makeover and has been rechristened the 44Cup with a more modern logo in carbon black and neon yellow. "Rebranding is a standard marketing procedure in the corporate world," says Chris Bake, who has campaigned Team Aqua continuously from the very dawn of the circuit. "The 44Cup continues to provide the most exciting, rewarding and cost effective owner-driver one design racing there is, but, after 13 years, we felt it was time to give the brand a cleaner and bolder line - a positive fresh statement. It feels to me that the circuit is getting a second lease of life." The 2019 44Cup: the world's top businessmen and the best sailors in the industry compete in high-performance one-design 44-foot carbon racing yachts.
44Cup 2019 Season:
44Cup Porto Montenegro 10 - 14 Apr
Adris 44Cup 29 May - 2 Jun
44Cup Marstrand July 2019
44Cup Cascais 2-6 Oct 2019
44Cup Palma 13 - 17 Nov 2019
NEWS: Bigger fleet, rebrand and two new venues for the RC44s in 2019
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Team Aqua (GBR 2041)--4;
Team Nika (RUS 10)--4; 
Team Ceeref (SLO 11)--5;
Artemis Racing (SWE44)--6;
Aleph Racing (FRA17)--7;
Charisma (MON 69)--11; 
