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When it comes to exotic knitwear, there are no brands more exclusive than Loro Piana. But for the last decades outside of the world of high end fashion, the name has also become synonymous with maxi yacht racing, through the exploits of Pier Luigi Loro Piana and his series of magnificent My Song yachts. The sailing bug now seems to have caught on in another branch of the Loro Piana family with Pietro, son of Pier Luigi’s late brother Sergio, following in his uncle’s footsteps. 

At last year’s 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina, Pietro drove Aleph Racing for the first time in place of owner Hugues Lepic. He returned in the same role in Puerto Calero two weeks ago and is expected to drive the French RC44 for at least one more event in 2024. This follows an invitation from Aleph Racing’s tactician Michele Ivaldi, whose brother Francesco has been Pietro’s coach and tactician, ever since he took up yacht racing 10 years ago. “He was my first teacher,” says Pietro of the youngest Ivaldi. “We started with a little bit of J/80 racing in Palma and then he taught me how to trim the headsails on a J/70 and then we went and kept pushing in the Melges 20.” 

He continues to race his boat Gone Squatching in the Melges 20 class. There he has met several of the Team Nika’s crew, including their remarkable Italian ex-470 Olympian Federica Salva. “She is one of the strongest women that I know. She is an incredible sportswoman…”

Impressively at the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina, Aleph Racing, with her rookie helmsman, won the first race and going into the final race of the final day was within a point of eventual winner, Igor Lah's Team Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860. 

“That event was amazing – it’s an amazing fleet,” said Pietro of his first experience with the high performance, owner-driver one designs. “Now I have tried out the RC44, I would say it is an adrenalin rush! It is a crazy nice boat and the crew was astonishing. It was the first time I’d sailed at such a level. Just to be brutally honest I enjoyed it like it was my first time sailing.” 

He cannot adequately praise Michele Ivaldi and the highly polished international cast of Aleph Racing crew that includes two from Ireland, the USA, Slovenia, Italy and as afield as South Africa and New Zealand, all of whom will continue to race on board this season. “They made me do some amazing starts and helped me end up where we ended up. I want to thank everyone because it was a beautiful experience for me.” 

Ultimately finishing the 44Cup Marina Alcaidesa a close second was a superb first result. He continued: “Unfortunately on the first day we had a little trouble at the top mark - we went fishing! We were looking for tuna! Of course the objective was to keep pushing to try and get the team to where they deserved to be. I was a little bit sad about the result from the last race – we did everything humanly possible to push as hard as we could. But I was very happy with the result…” 

In Lanzarote, where the wind more often than not has been 20+ knots, conditions provided another big wind trial for the young Italian helmsman. “The conditions are unbelievable. A couple of races over the last few days have been a bit marginal. On Friday we had a scary moment when we had a gust of 30+ knots on the finish line when we still had the kite up with a lot of boats coming in from port and starboard. You have to be focussed 100% of the time and if you miss one single wave people will pass you and the boat will not forgive you the mistake.” 

On the Thursday Aleph Racing suffered two major broaches but Loro Piana acknowledges that he is on a steep learning curve. Fortunately the French team has an excellent crew and knowledge support staff who can analyse the slightest mistakes made. “This is one of the most amazing classes in the sailing world and I am surrounded by great teachers, so I am just being humble and being here to learn. Of course making mistakes is all part of the learning curve and analysing them so I don’t repeat them…”

Sadly the big conditions having not included the long waves that allow the RC44s to surf and reach maximum speed, but nonetheless it has still been exhilarating. “Surfing on waves is one of the reasons why I think this sport is addictive and downwind on this type of boat, keeping the apparent wind going and keeping the boat ripping, is one of the best feelings a helmsman can have. The last few days have been very good for that.” 

Certainly Pier Luigi Loro Piana would be proud of how in which his nephew is taking on the RC44 class. “I think it is a family issue - we all love sailing!” Pietro continues. “It was the biggest gift of my cousin Giacomo Loro Piana. He was the one, when my father passed, who gave me the opportunity to understand what sailing really was: he invited me to Palma for Copa del Rey and from that moment on – whenever I have the opportunity, as soon as I can, I go sailing.”

Aged 31, Pietro brings some welcome sprightful youth to the owners’ group. “They are young in spirit and they sail like they are 20 years old,” he says. “They push like crazy and I am happy to have lowered the average age but they are all incredible. They made me feel part of the team – we had an astonishing dinner. They are an amazing bunch.” 

Four bullets from nine races was enough to secure Team Nika victory in the 44Cup Calero Marinas, opening event of the 2024 44Cup. 

All four days of racing in the Canary Islands were in maximum conditions for the high performance owner-driver one design – in fact no one can remember an event requiring their smallest headsail, the J3, to be used in every race. Even for the final day (forecast to be the lightest), teams were still subjected to gusts into the high 20s blowing from the north, over Lanzarote’s barren lunar landscape. 

The day began with Team Nika first, three points clear of Igor Lah’s Team Ceeref Vaider. However initially both teams made a meal of it: In the first race Team Nika was second at the first top mark rounding, had dropped to fourth by the second but went the wrong side of the course on the last run to finish sixth place - her worst result. Fortunately her principal rival had fared even worse being OCS and then suffering spinnaker damage. She finished last.

Matters got worse for Team Nika in the second race, once again held in wind ranging from 14 knots to 24. In this, once again, she start well and was second to Charisma at the top mark. However approaching the leeward gate, she dramatically broached, dropping her from second to sixth, losing a further position by the finish. Meanwhile a third for Team Ceeref Vaider left them two points clear overall going into the regatta’s deciding race. 

Sadly the much anticipated final show-down never materialised. Team Ceeref Vaider won the pin but once she tacked wasn’t sufficiently advanced to cross Artemis Racing and Calero Sailing Team. In ducking they struck the host team’s stern and were awarded a penalty turn and two penalty points. Salvaging fifth was enough for them to retain second overall, a slender point ahead of John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing. 

Meanwhile Team Nika got the last race right. Peninsula Racing was first to the top mark, but she was in her wake. The two split at the leeward gate with Peninsula Racing taking the favoured right,  but Team Nika covered well, nosed into the lead and was gone. Winning by 45 seconds she was followed by a deluge - second placed Peninsula Racing and sixth placed Charisma separated by just four seconds.  

“It was a very good regatta – challenging, strong winds,” commented Team Nika’s Vladimir Prosikhin, who last won in Oman in 2022. “We finished the previous one second and this one first – I hope we can stay consistent. We have two new crew – they smile, are full of energy and very strong.” Hull #10, Team Nika is the oldest RC44 competing, now 17 years old. 

Sporting a new mast, Team Nika clearly had speed which helped tactician Nic Asher: “In both the first and second races we started well. In the first I was a bit impatient and we had that broach: The kit went through the jib so up the second beat we couldn’t sheet the jib on.”

If Team Nike was star of the show, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua was star of the day. In the first race, towards the end of the second beat they grafted their way past Team Nika, Artemis Racing and Aleph Racing to lead around the top mark and then just managed to do enough down the final run to win from a charging Artemis Racing and Black Star by just 8 and 11 seconds respectively. 

But their second race will go down in 44Cup folklore when they were called OCS and then went on to score their second consecutive bullet, aided by a ‘right shift from God’ again towards the top of the second upwind. Again on this occasion they did just enough on the run to finish 13 seconds ahead of Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing, being steered here by Pietro Loro Piana. 

“That is the nice thing about this course – if you can put the shifts together,” mused Chris Bake of their second race. “We knew we were going to get some rightie, but we didn’t expect it to be that big.” He added: “It has been great here. It shows how dynamic these boats are. You can have wind conditions from 14-27 knots – everyone has had a blast. The Caleros have done a great job.”

Aleph Racing had their best day yet, posting a 5-2-3. They were fighting back after two crew injuries earlier in the week. These spots were filled by Team Aqua’s Aaron Cooper and Black Star Sailing Team coach Luke Molloy. “If it hadn’t been for them, we would have been at the dock,” said tactician Michele Ivaldi. “It was difficult, especially in these super tricky conditions which are at the top range of sailing for a 44. If the event started again tomorrow we could do a really nice job!” 

Peninsula Racing and Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team also had good final days posting a 4-6-2 and a 3-5-7 respectively. Artemis Racing shone in today’s first race when in the final moments they made great gains on the final run to come home second behind Team Aqua – their best result of the week.

The 2024 44Cup resumes over 8-12 May in Baiona, Spain.

After Friday’s brutal conditions, the forecast indicated a slightly lighter day three of the 44Cup Calero Marinas. However the Lanzarote wind gods felt differently and with 30 knots blowing late morning, the call was made initially to postpone ashore, the day’s first race finally getting underway at 1430 UTC. 

Even this was challenging with prolonged gusts of <26 knots and lulls as little as 15. 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 an short, sharp chop to challenge the nine teams.  

In today’s 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 centre 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 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. 

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 favourable 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. 

A dramatic start to race six saw three boats – Team Ceeref Vaider, Team Aqua and Calero Sailing Team - 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 held to the finish. This third bullet for Team Nika saw Vladimir Prosikhin’s team retain its overall lead, but today highest scoring yachts were Peninsula Racing and Team Ceeref Vaider. Going into the final day Team Nika is only three points clear of Team Ceeref Vaider, in turn holding an eight point cushion over Peninsula Racing. 

“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.” 

As to their finishing by a giant 1 minute 3 seconds lead in race two today, he explain this was set up on the first run: “Nic [Asher] called an early gybe at and we got straight into pressure and ended up pointing right at the mark. We got a really good puff. It was tricky out there –tactical calls are super important, but having a boat that goes fast helps everyone.” 

For Peninsula Racing it was their finest hour since they came so close to winning their own 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.”

His Italian tactician Vasco Vascotto added: “It was very shifty and if you could stay in phase made it easier.” Of winning today’s first race, he said: “We went to the right because we were in a big leftie all the time and in the end you have to trust that at some point it has to come back - and that is exactly what happened. Our speed was good and John was relaxed. Yesterday was practice – today was the real thing!”

Team Ceeref Vaider’s Igor Lah was pleased still to be in the hunt with Team Nika. “It was nice to have good speed and we are sailing really well. We’re happy. It is extremely difficult in these conditions to be consistent, but we managed to do it and Ado [Adrian Stead] did good tactics. We were doing an awesome job, apart from two mistakes. In the first race bottom gate rounding, we couldn’t drop, so we had to do it manually and it was a big mess. In the second one we were a little bit over the line. I am really happy, but there’s one more day…”

For some time the Lanzarote forecast for day two of the 44Cup Calero Marinas showed conditions exceeding the RC44 class’ theoretical upper wind limit of 25 knots. Anticipating this PRO Maria Torrijo brought the start time forward to 09:30. 

As the race got underway the wind off Puerto Calero was already into the high teens with the odd gust into the early 20s. Daniel Calero’s newbies on Calero Sailing Team won the pin from Chris Bake’s Team Aqua while Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika started well at the weather end of the line. In the drag race out to the left, those at the extreme ends edged ahead on the lifted starboard tack. Ultimately by the time the left hand group tacked back, Team Nika was clear ahead. By the top mark the overall leader after day one was still ahead, with Nico Poons’ Charisma and Calero Sailing Team close behind. 

Team Nika remained in front down the run, taking the right gate mark and the right side initially up the second beat. While the Calero team dropped back on the first run, Charisma remained in contact with Prosikhin’s team with Team Ceeref Vaider up to third. 

By the time the RC44s reached the top mark the wind had firmly built into the early 20s with sustained gusts of 25+ knots and a developed sea state, complete with spume forming between the waves, indicative of big conditions. Despite this there were fortunately no big broaches today, as occurred to Aleph Racing and Charisma yesterday, but the conditions were nonetheless challenging with blistering boat speeds at times peaking at 24+ knots as the nimble RC44s took off down waves. 

Ultimately Team Nika earned her second bullet ahead of Charisma and Team Ceeref Vaider. With conditions now excessive, the decision was made to cancel racing for the remainder of the day and send the fleet back to their berths within Puerto Calero. With two bullets from four races, Team Nika now holds a four point lead over Team Ceeref Vaider with Charisma back on to the podium, but six points adrift of second. 

Tactician Nic Asher was pleased with Team Nika’s race: “I struggled a little bit yesterday with starting, so we concentrated on that before the race and we had a good start… We wanted to be top of the line as I thought we’d hold the right longer than the left. There was also a tiny bit of bias at that end. Plus we have good pace, so holding the right a bit more, we could just push over them and then we got into the left shift, from the wind coming off the land…”

As to today’s conditions compared to yesterday’s, Asher explained: “It was nearly 30 knots, but it was sustained. Yesterday it was up to that in the puffs but there was definitely a higher ‘wind weight’ today and the range of shifts was smaller – we didn’t get the big righties.”

All the owners and crews came ashore soggy but glowing, including old hands such as Team Aqua’s Chris Bake, the RC44 Class Association President: “It was very exciting. I don’t think we’ve ever had that much water on board, between the waves and our nose diving a lot! Multiple times the whole boat was covered in water - it was pretty impressive! We had sustained 21-22 knots downwind. I am sure we came close to the record. It was a fun day.”

Once again the local heroes on Daniel Calero’s Calero Sailing Team exceeded expectations, even their own, after reaching the top mark in third place. “We had a really good start at the pin,” said Calero, who is back racing in the fleet here for the first time in 11 years. “Upwind, the speed of the boat and our performance was good – we were very happy. But in the middle of the downwind it was a little bit tricky and we lost a lot of positions. But at least we are still learning about everything. This class is so competitive you need to be very stable and consistent for the whole race to be at the top. So it is what we are looking for.” 

As to the conditions Calero continued: “We have several modes on board when we are racing: The mode we had for the second downwind was ‘survival’ . We reached 24 knots of speed which was tough, but great fun.”

Tomorrow the plan is to start on the scheduled time of 1200 UTC when an attempt will be made, if conditions allow, to make up the schedule.

The Canary Islands are renowned for their breezy northeasterly trade wind conditions and today Lanzarote fully delivered this, with 20-25 knot winds and occasional gusts of 30. In this wind, plus the lumpy sea state, playing it safe and carrying out well executed manoeuvres was order of the day for the nine teams. 

Despite American Andy Horton replacing New Zealander Hamish Pepper as tactician on board, Nico Poons’ Charisma in the first race demonstrated why they are the defending 44Cup champions: they won the pin, and the left subsequently coming good, enabling them to lead around the top mark and continue to score the first bullet of 2024 comfortably. 

In the third and final race Charisma looked set to repeat this, extending their lead down the first run until this was abruptly halted as they were laid flat in a massive gust. “It was a big, big puff, while we were out in front on our own” explained Horton. “We were on the edge, trying to get down, but it was just a moment in time that wasn’t kind to us…”

Of today’s conditions, which peaked in the second and third races with the wind blowing obliquely offshore from 020-030°, Horton continued: “It was full on, awesome. It got to the point where we were easing sails upwind and just going high, because it was so windy. Then downwind you just held on. The gybes were manageable – not out of control, if you did a good job.” Coming last in the final race, dropped Charisma to fourth overall, albeit just one point from the podium. 

In the final race, Charisma’s loss in her broach was Team Aqua and Team Ceeref Vaider’s gain. As Charisma floundered, Chris Bake’s team powered into the port leeward gate in first with Igor Lah’s Team Ceeref Vaider close astern. But up the next beat Ceeref’s crafty tactician Adrian Stead put in a small hitch to the right and with this side slightly favoured and coming in with rights, the Slovenia team finally got the upper hand over Team Aqua, leading into the final top mark and on to the finish. 

“It was amazing - it felt like being on a submarine!” commented Lah. “We caught a few waves and got completely wet. I was extremely careful not to broach, but it was so close! It is really fun in those conditions - I really love it, even if it looks dangerous.”

Stead added: “It definitely was on the edge – the gybes were getting interesting especially with the seaway slightly twisted. But it was Lanzarote at its ‘shiftiest best’. The breeze was flicking around by about 40° and quite gusty and as the day went on the gusts got more vicious and unstable. But it was a great day all round and Igor did a great job driving.”

Team Ceeref Vaider’s 5-2-1 today left them second overall, but behind Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika, which with three podium finishes today currently leads the 44Cup Calero Marinas.

“Today was good, pretty consistent,” mused Prosikhin. In the second race, John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing had led Team Ceeref Vaider around the port leeward gate mark as Team Nika had split right. A shift had subsequently propelled Team Nika into the lead which they held to the finish. But their most outstanding result was in the last race when they recovered from a start line penalty (infringing Team Aqua) to finish third. 

Of today’s conditions Prosikhin commented: “It was fun - this is why we are sailing - days like this are very special. Our top speed was 24.7 knots - very close to the record. It was fun, very exciting and the crew worked well. The trimmers were great because they didn’t let me broach the boat even though I was very close a couple of times.” 

Of their secret today, tactician Nic Asher explained it was about keeping it simple and to the basics – handing, staying in phase with the shifts, etc. “We didn’t start too well. The guys did a good job, so it was easy to place the boat where we wanted to. Downwind we were solid - in fact we were able to catch up if we got it slightly wrong on the beat.”

One of the most radiant coming ashore was Daniel Calero, skipper of Calero Sailing Team, the RC44 being fielded at this regatta by the event hosts Calero Marinas. Given that the ‘black boat’ is used by inexperienced teams looking to join the 44Cup, their 8-7-5 was commendable as they didn’t once finish last. 

“I am super happy about the day,” said Calero. “We enjoyed it a lot. We were a little afraid of the conditions, but I think we had some luck and were getting better during the day. The conditions were really tough, but the boats react well to it. Alfredo [Gonzales, tactician] did a great job in difficult conditions, because the strong wind increased the difficulty. We are all super happy. We have seen we can at least be in the fight.” 

Due to an even stronger forecast tomorrow (Friday 1 March) the schedule has been brought forward with a first warning signal scheduled for 0930 UTC. 

Alongside names such as Bake, Lah and Törnqvist, one of the cornerstones of the RC44 has been Caleros. After stints in the IMS 500 and GP42 grand prix classes, Lanzarote’s Calero family was lured by Russell Coutts into joining his fledgling high performance owner-driver RC44 class for its second season in 2008. But far from merely having their own team, the Caleros are also one of the leading marina operators in the Canary Islands. As a result their Puerto Calero marina on Lanzarote featured on the RC44 calendar annually from 2008 to 2013, including the first all-important RC44 World Championships in 2010, 2011 and 2013. 

More recently the 2023 season concluded here while tomorrow (Thursday 29 February) 44Cup racing will resume out of Puerto Calero for the circuit’s first event of 2024. Unlike last autumn’s event, the line-up for this 44Cup Calero Marinas will for the first time in 11 years feature a Calero family team. Calero Sailing Team will race the class’ ‘black boat’, that is available for aspirant RC44 teams wishing to experience the 44Cup’s ultra-tight racing (or in this case others wishing to remind themselves of it). 

Calero operations in the Canaries Islands began in the late 1980s, led by family patriarch José Calero. Today Calero Marinas operates two marinas in Lanzarote, plus others in La Palma and Fuerteventura, run by elder son José Juan. Younger brother Daniel runs the family’s real estate company Calmar Developments. Despite their busy business and family lives, both sons are involved in the team, but as was the case when they raced previously, Daniel is skipper. He has tasked local Lanzarote sailor Alfredo Gonzalez, a seven time world champion in classes ranging from the high competitive Snipe to the J/80, Swan 42 and 45, with putting the new team together. 

While none of the original Calero team is back apart from the skipper, this is due to the campaign only having been put together at the last minute. All of the original crew have other commitments, some even elsewhere in the 44Cup fleet such as Gonzalo Morales, long term bowman on Peninsula Racing or their original tactician Gustavo Martínez Doreste, now coach for John Bassadone’s team. “Some of them started with us when they were very young and now they have become pro. We helped them on their way, which I’m very proud of,” states Daniel Calero.

The latest Calero crew is not only from Lanzarote but from all over Spain. Among them are multiple round the world race sailor Pablo Arrarte; two time 49er Olympian Iago López; TP52 grinder Francesco Scalice; four time world champion pitman Héctor González and trimmer Jon Lazarrabal, also a four time world champion. As is now typical across the fleet, they have a female crewwomen and theirs is equally well qualified in Silvia Mas, who in 2021 became the last 470 Women’s World Champion (before the Olympic doublehander became mixed for Paris 2024). 

In fact their present tactician Alfredo Gonzalez did race on board their Islas Canarias Puerto Calero but only for the Cagliari event in 2011 when he was just 23. Today he is one of eight professional race boat sailors from Lanzarote. That this should be case, and Lanzarote perhaps being best known of the Canaries Islands for hosting yacht races, Gonzalez attributes to the Caleros, their sailing campaigns and their marinas which have hosted events from the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Transatlantic Race to the Mini Transat to Volvo Ocean Race and IMOCA teams looking for winter training. 

“The 44 is my favourite class,” says Gonzales. “The style of sailing is super-good. It is a keel boat, similar to the Snipe, but it is also a technical boat which I like a lot.” 

Having past experience of the RC44 class (their top result was coming fifth from 15 boats in 2011), Daniel Calero recognised his team’s limitations despite coming to the circuit with past experience. He admits their one and a half days of training is not enough, but remains optimistic: “You never know what can happen. The crew is very happy, they are enjoying being here in Lanzarote. Most of them know Puerto Calero from other events. They are very happy to be here which helps.”

The Calero Sailing Team is supported by Calero Marinas, Calmar Desarrollos Residenciales and Lanzarote Premium, an initiative of the island to raise the standard of its tourists. As to their 12-year hiatus, Daniel explains that the timing just wasn’t right coinciding with critical times in both their business and family lives. “I’ve spent too many years on the bench…so I am super-excited to be back. We hope to have fun and be competitive, but we are trying to restrain our expectations.”

Racing sets sail at 1200 tomorrow. After two relative light weather events here, this week conditions look to be harsh. Today’s practice racing was called off due to gale force winds blowing along the southeast coast of Lanzarote. 

As Michele Ivaldi, tactician on Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing, winner of last autumn’s event here, explains: “We will have good breeze all week long, with high pressure coming down and low pressure over Africa, squeezing the isobars. I think the four days of racing all will be sailable, but we’ll see. Two years ago it was quite light and last time we used our J1 [headsail] quite a lot of the time. This time it looks like we will use the J3 most of the time!”

After a brief winter break, the 44Cup resumes next week with the 44Cup Calero Marinas, first of the five event 2024 series, taking place out of Puerto Calero in Lanzarote. 

Three months ago, the high performance owner-driver one design RC44 fleet concluded its 2023 44Cup on these same Canary Islands waters. On that occasion Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing comfortably won ahead of Team Nika with Nico Poons’ Charisma completing podium, to win the season. 

Aleph Racing had an exceptional 2023 with only one result off the podium, but even so she still finished the season second overall, three points behind Charisma. 

For the 44Cup Calero Marinas, Aleph Racing will have almost the same winning crew as before, led by Michele Ivaldi, however standing in for owner Hugues Lepic will be Italian Pietro Loro Piana. Loro Piana steered Aleph Racing to second place at the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina last year. 

The more significant crew change for 2024 is the departure of Hamish Pepper from tactical duties on Charisma. The Kiwi ace helped coax Nico Poons and his team to 44Cup victory, in both 2023 and 2022. He is being replaced by American RC44 veteran Andy Horton, who last sailed with the class in 2022 as Torbjörn Törnqvist’s tactician on Artemis Racing. Ironically, following the departure of the Swedish team’s tactician, Dylan Fletcher, so Pepper will be taking his spot in Lanzarote – albeit only as a one-off. 

Horton first raced the RC44s in Lanzarote 13 years ago on Ironbound and since has been the long term tactician on Katusha, before Artemis Racing. He comes in race fit from having won last weekend's GL52 Winter Series in Key West on board Fox, where Charisma’s mainsheet trimmer is Chris Hosking. He is looking forward to stepping on board the Nico Poons winning machine. “I can’t wait to get with those guys and see what they have and to learn from them.”

He continues: “The 44s are the best boats we sail: they are powered up in all conditions – the genoa does that in light conditions and the kites are big. They are nearly as quick as a 52 around the race track. And the boat is as complex, with adjustable things like the pole and trim tab - so everyone has a job. It is the best boat there is - 100%.” 

Igor Lah’s Slovenian team, led by Britain’s Adrian Stead, lacked their usual impeccable consistency in 2023 winning in both Oman and Gibraltar (44Cup Alcaidesa Marina) but also scoring three deep results that almost cost them their final spot on the podium. For this season the only crew change is Ireland’s Grattan Roberts coming in as grinder. The team for this season will be known as Team Ceeref Vaider (Vaider being owner Igor Lah’s company). 

One point off the podium for the season in 2023 was Team Nika, which otherwise scored results in the top half of the fleet, culminating in a second place finish to Aleph Racing in Lanzarote last November. The team has been part of the 44Cup since 2011 and last season saw two of its longest serving Slovenian crew depart in offside trimmer Mitja Margon and grinder Iztok Knafelc. They are being replaced this season by burly Estonian Taavi Taveter, who already stood in for Knafelc grinding last season and Australian Harry Hall. 

“We were a little bit light with our set-up, so we have gone younger and gained some weight, which should make a difference,” explains British tactician Nic Asher. “Both should be very eager and bring a more youthful outlook to Nika this year.” Team Nika is also bedding in a new mast.  

As to their prospects for 2024, Asher says: “We feel pretty good. The last event was good for us. We sailed well. We have a few things we want to work on for this year and the two new guys should make a nice difference in a few of those areas. So we are feeling quietly confident. We just need to find our way, improving at every event.” 

Chris Bake’s Team Aqua also has a flesh influx for this season with Rockwool Danish SailGP team’s Hans-Christian Rosendahl coming on to grind and Rebecca Coles stepping up from the shore team to fill the offside trimmer role. Meanwhile Matt Cassidy returns as bowman. A joy of the 44Cup is that many of the owners get to sail with their children and over the course of this year we can expect to see both Grace and Andrew Bake racing on board with their father. 

Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team is hoping to continue its ascent, with improved consistency, after scoring their first podium event finish at the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina last year. The Swiss team has much the same crew as 2023, including New Zealand veteran Cameron Dunn on tactics and Australian 470 Olympic gold medallist Will Ryan trimming main. One of their 2023 crew has departed to focus on her Mini Transat campaign and is being replaced in the ‘floater’ position by 28-year-old J/70 World Champion Kilian Wagen, who previously went to the Tokyo Olympic games in the 470 with Black Star’s offside trimmer Grégoire Siegwart.

John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing always seems to be ‘in the hunt’ but struggles to put together a consistent series. Back with Italian tactician Vasco Vascotto, their only crew changes are Matthew Barber going from pit to grinder role and Juan Pablo Maros taking over in the pit. 

Finally the 44Cup’s trial horse, the ‘black boat’ will be campaigned this week by a team fielded by the event’s host. Calero Sailing Team will make a welcome return to the 44Cup with a crew led by Daniel Calero with Alfredo Gonzalez as tactician for the all-Spanish crew. More details follow next week. 

One of the features of which the 44Cup should be proudest is the large number of owners who get to enjoy sailing with their offspring. The circuit’s loyal group of owners have been competing for so many years that their RC44 has itself become like a family member. 

To recognise and encourage this, the RC44 class introduced a rule change last season permitting its crews to have a combined weight of 730kg with either a under 30 or a direct family member on board, or 680kg without. Maximum crew weight is beneficial so in 2023 all of the RC44s gained a crew member. 

While some of the RC44 owner’s children have been sailing on board irregularly for years, a few have grown to an age where they are now a regular part of the crew. 

One is Tine Lah, the second of three sons of Team Ceeref Vaider owner Igor Lah. Igor was one of the first owners to join the RC44 class back in 2008 (the class has strong ties with his native Slovenia – the RC44 was conceived by Russell Coutts, but the hard core naval architecture was handled by Slovenian Andrej Justin and first sea trials of the prototypes took place there). And this certainly influenced the Lah middle son, who, for his degree, chose to study naval architecture in Plymouth, a course which Tine says suited him better than the more famous course at the University of Southampton as his enabled him to study dinghies and composite boat building, etc. In fact the Lah children have other strong ties to the UK – youngest son Luca, a musician, works for the London-based Orchestra for the Age of Enlightenment. 

All the Lah sons have chosen different vocations and when Tine left university he went to work for Slovenia’s other well known yacht design firm J&J. Since the early 1980s, the Jakopin brothers have been designing yachts for many of many leading builders, not only Slovenian-based companies such as Elan and Shipman, but also Jeanneau, Beneteau and Bavaria, subsequently moving into motor boats and superyachts. Tine worked there for two years before moving into more mainstream design. 

When he was 24, Tine first joined his father’s RC44 team for the first regatta of the 2019 season at the opposite end of former Yugoslavia, in Porto Montenegro: “It was a funny regatta - I started sailing and then we won!” he recalls. At this point he was part of both Team CEEREF’s shore crew and sailing on board. 

“I think it is very interesting,” says Tine of the RC44, on which he is the offset trimmer. “It is really, really fun, especially when the breeze is around 18 knots, when you are planning downwind and there is a good swell so that then you can surf and you have to put all the weight back. I haven’t sailed too much on other boats like TP52 and Melges but everyone says that these are the most fun.”

And wearing his qualified yacht designer hat? “The RC44 is a simple design – the cost of running them is very low, in terms of shipping etc, the way they pack up to the size of a 40ft container - I worked on the shore team for my first two years, so I know all about that! It is great for a boat that was made in 2007. They are made in carbon, so they last well, plus, when they have a crash they can be fixed easily in a very short time.”

After two years working both on and off the boat, it was deemed too much to do both jobs effectively “especially if it was windy and everything is broken. So I got out,” he explains.

His role on board as the offside trimmer involves helping the trimmers, for example loading the new sheet on the windward side prior to manoeuvres, tailing ropes and occasional grinding. But thanks to having the same slight build as his father, he frequently gets asked to do many jobs on board: “When they need something, I go in. Because I am light, they want me everywhere.”

On board he is just another one of the crew. “We [Igor and Tine] don’t talk much during racing. It is mostly just the tactician [Adrian Stead] and a few others that do the talking. But it is good and I like it. Especially because it gets your mind off things and I can see my father having a lot of fun. It is quite the family class. It would be fun maybe one day to have a son’s race! Maybe first a practice race, so we don’t all crash into each other!”

Their team has been impressive in recent years. Since winning the 44Cup outright in 2019, they have never finished off a podium at the end of each season since and were only relieved of second in 2023 after Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing went on a charge, winning the final event of the season in Lanzarote. 

Tine enjoys being part of the team. “The communication on board and the atmosphere is good between us. There is always tension especially when something goes wrong but we all know what to do and we all understand each other. All of them on board are good sailors…”

Team Ceeref goes into the 2024 with a new name – Team Ceeref Vaider, after Hrastnik’s parent company. 

It’s all change for the 44Cup’s 16th season in 2024. While the circuit for the high performance owner-driver one designs will still comprise five events, including one World Sailing-sanctioned World Championship, this year it will visit three new venues for the first time. 

However, taking place at the end of February, the first event will be on very familiar territory, the RC44 owners and crews able to enjoy some winter sun in Lanzarote, with its uniquely barren lunar-type landscape as a back-drop. The Canary Islands are renowned for their regular north-northeasterly trade winds which average around 12 knots in early March. 

Porto Calero in Lanzarote hosted the grand finale of last year’s 44Cup, which was won by Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing, while a third place for Nico Poons' Charisma was enough to crown the Dutchman's Monaco-based team the 2023 44Cup champions. The 44Cup has a long association with the Calero family, who own marinas throughout the Canary Islands. For several years, the family even campaigned their own RC44. 

For its second event, the 44Cup remains in Spain but heads for the mainland and, for the first time ever, to Baiona in the country’s most northeasterly autonomous region of Galicia. Located on the south side of the entrance to the Ria de Vigo, the town is open to the Atlantic. The prevailing wind is northerly, but the geography of the bay permits protection in the event of it getting too strong. 

Galicia is world-renowned for its seafood and this area around Vigo, the Rías Baixas, for white wine produced from the Albariño grape. Baiona itself is historically significant for being where La Pinta moored, bringing news of the discovery of ‘the New World’ in 1493 and for being on the Portugese coastal pilgrimage route to Santiago di Compostela. With the town overlooked by the 16th century Monterreal Castle, the 44Cup’s hosts for the Baiona event will be the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona.

From Spain, the 44Cup makes its own annual pilgrimage north to Marstrand for its rendez-vous with the Swedish paradise island and its rugged terrain courtesy of Artemis Racing’s Torbjörn Törnqvist. The 44Cup will be hosted here by the Marstrands Segelsällskap club with the support of the Marstrands Haveshotell. In the height of summer, conditions on the race area to the west of Marstrand island can vary from chilly brisk northeries to light, more balmy conditions if high pressure develops nearby. This will be the 11th time the 44Cup has visited Marstrand, Sweden’s premier regatta venue. This year racing will coincide with Midsommardagen, the summer solitice, one of Sweden’s most celebrated holidays. As usual the 44Cup will lay on a show and on at least one day a finish line will be set in Marstrand fjord providing great views of the action for spectators. 

For 2024’s World Championship, the 44Cup will move inland to a lake. Due to their unique design that enables a 44ft long yacht travel as if a 40ft container, the RC44s are straightforward and relatively inexpensive to transport. As a result, they have often raced on lakes including Lake Garda in Italy and Lake Traunsee in Austria, but the last time this happened was in 2012. While the RC44s had an event on Lake Lugano in 2007, this will be the first occasion the 44Cup has visited central Switzerland where they will be racing on Lake Lucerne out of the small touristic town of Brunnen. This is located in one of the oldest parts of the country, close to where the Switzerland’s oldest official document, the Federal Charter – a pact between the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden - was signed in 1291.

The Brunnen event has come about at the recommendation of Christian Zuerrer who has raced and trained there with his Black Star Sailing Team often in the past. “It is a fantastic place. During COVID we spent one month training there and out of 30 days we sailed for 28 days. The guys were exhausted!”

Brunnen is located on the outside corner of a 90deg bend in the picturesque lake which means the racing area can be adapted to the conditions – the wind is largely thermal, building typically to 12-18 knots but as much as 25 at times. Zuerrer is setting up the event with support of the Brunnen town council and he is keen to show off 44Cup racing to visitors. “It is a spot where people come to spend a nice summer weekend, just to hang out at the lake. For me it is a chance to show them that this is a cool sport, so we want to make it friendly to the public and not stuck away in a closed marina.”

For its final event, the 44Cup will return to the British Virgin Islands at the end of November. The circuit last visited the Caribbean at the end of 2015, with the Virgin Gorda Cup. On that occasion the event was held out the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda’s clubhouse in North Sound Harbour, but this sadly was destroyed during the Category 5 Hurricane Irma in 2017. As a result for the 2024 44Cup’s conclusion the fleet will be based out of Nanny Cay marina on the main island of Tortola, famous for hosting the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival every April, where they will be hosted by the Royal BVI Yacht Club. 

Racing here will take place on one of the world’s best courses – the Sir Francis Drake Channel between the Tortola itself and the smaller off-lying islands to the south, such as Peter Island, Norman Island and Ginger Island. While the race area is still relatively open to the typical easterly trade winds which blow in this part of the Caribbean, the effect of these low-lying islands is to flatten out the water. For those visiting from north Europe, Tortola’s typical temperature in November is a welcome 25-30degC.

Dutchman Nico Poons was unable to stay dry once ashore from the final day of racing at the 44Cup Calero Marinas. As is tradition, RC44 Class President Chris Bake encouraged him to take a plunge in celebration of his Charisma winning the 2023 44Cup for a second consecutive year. Shortly after the Charisma crew was dowsed again, this time in champagne at the regatta prizegiving, where José Calero, founder of the marina group playing host to the Lanzarote regatta this week, provided the introduction. 

Charisma had an exceptional season. Second in Oman, they followed this with wins in Marstrand and the RC44 Worlds in Cowes. Had Charisma posted another strong result of Marina Alcaidesa last month, their victory may have been secured, but it wasn't. This week their main competition was Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860, winner of the last event, but which struggled in the difficult conditions here, finishing sixth. With Charisma’s third this week, and a discard applied, she won the 2023 44Cup by 7 points to Aleph Racing’s 10 and Ceeref’s 13. This win was not as resounding as last year’s when she won by seven points from Ceeref and Team Nika.

“This week we started reasonably well, but then we had a dip because of the weather. But today we had a good day,” admitted Poons. “The season was perfect: Winning for a second time and the World Championship… What more can you wish for in such a high performance class like the RC44?” 

At the prizegiving he added: “I would like to thank the Calero family, who 10 years ago sold me their boat, which is why I am here with my team. Thanks to the local sailing club and all the others and especially to my team who I had a second very successful season with. I am very happy to come back here for the beginning of next season.” 

For Charisma’s tactician Hamish Pepper it has been a good year, winning the 44Cup again and finishing the 52 Super Series tied at the top of the leaderboard. “The main objective from this regatta was to close out the season. We obviously had an eye on our main competitor, Ceeref. Halfway, Aleph became a threat and we had to monitor her.” This week Charisma led after day one, but a few deeper results mid-regatta dropped them to third, but today she was top scoring boat. 

“The fleet is strong,” continued Pepper. “We had some really good regattas, but we were never launched from the others. It was always close and we only won them by a point or two. It shows how close this fleet is.” He paid tribute to their crew: Chris Hosking, Ross Halcrow, Dimitri Simmons, Ryan Godrey, Robin Jacobs, Flavia Tomiselli and Ivan Peute - plus shore support boat captain Edwin de Laat and boatbuilder Craig Thompson, chef Eva Rahl, coach Morgan Reecer and physio Sandra Sibbert.

The class act this week was Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing on which Louis Balcaen was stand-in helmsman. Under tactician Michele Ivaldi, Aleph Racing has been strong all season, with only one result off the podium. This week in 12 races, they scored four bullets and avoided the ‘big scores’, never finishing worse than sixth.

Balcaen was pleased with his perfect scoreline in 44Cup racing and thanked Hugues Lepic and the Aleph team. Ivaldi added: “I am super pleased. The crew was on fire this week - we didn’t make any errors and we had a very good speed upwind and downwind.” Ivaldi is renowned as a specialist in shifty conditions which featured on the first three days here: “I like it when there are big shifts – they provide opportunities. And Paul [Wilcox – main trimmer] did a good job to help me out with them. The boat was going well, we started well, Louis did a good job and I like this place.”

Ivaldi described today’s racing: “In the first race we had a good start, believed in the left and we led at the top mark. After that it was easier. In the second we got a good start and gained quite a bit, but then we got locked outside of the layline by a couple of boats. But we fought back and finished third.”

The first attempt at the third race was abandoned after the wind faded. This was life saving for Aleph Racing – when the gun went they were parked some way from the line and with Team Nika just five points behind them, this may have cost them victory. When the race was sailed again, “we stayed in the same bit of water as Nika and [at the end of the first run] took them outside of the layline and sealed the deal there.”

There were a few tears on board Team Nika with long term Slovenian crew Mitja Margon and Iztok Knafelc retiring. Margon, who is also organiser of the 44Cup Portoroz event, will continue with Team Nika, but not sailing. “My first season was in 2007 so I’ve done 12.5 seasons,” said Margon. “I think it is time to quit. I have been offside trimmer for the last six seasons but it is a job for younger guys. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.”

The 44Cup resumes in Puerto Calero in 2024 with the first event of the season over 28 February until 3 March. 

The 44Cup Calero Marinas, the final event of the 2023 44Cup has become a two horse race going into the final day. Once again today the star performers among the high performance owner-driver one designs were Aleph Racing and Team Nika, both winning races and, crucially, the only teams to avoid posting any big results. They currently are on 25 and 29 points respectively with the 2023 44Cup’s overall leader Nico Poons’ Charisma third on 35. 

Thanks to the offshore wind providing the most challenging of conditions over the last three days, this has been – by 44Cup standards – a high scoring regatta and going into the last day, with 27 points still on the table, ‘only’ six out of the nine teams can still win here. It also seems highly unlikely that Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 (currently fifth), can overtake and then put the required three boats between her and Charisma (currently third) to prise the 2023 44Cup title from Poons’ posse. 

After two days of a painfully tricky northerlies, blowing over the top of mountainous Lanzarote, today the 44Cup fleet ventured out on to the water to find a decent easterly, blowing along Lanzarote’s shore and marginally more stable. 

In this Ceeref and John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing did well on their own out on the left of the first beat only for the right to come good in the closing moments allowing Team Nika to round the top mark just ahead. At the bottom of the run Ceeref took the port gate mark as Team Nika went right, followed by Peninsula Racing. This time it was Ceeref on Team Nika’s transom at the top mark. On the run, Ceeref’s crew pulled off a masterful ‘dummy gybe’ that caused Peninsula Racing to fully gybe with Team Nika following. The result was a near photo finish. 

Ceeref’s tactician Adrian Stead explained: “Peninsula was strong on us down the last run and had we gybed we would have been third. Instead we let them go, Nika went with them and then we got a nice split. Probably our dial-down into the finish line was too early and we should have gybed, so we lost by 4-5m. Had we not dummy gybed we would definitely have been third…”

After this the wind chose not to co-operate. Soon after starting race two the wind went hard left and the race was abandoned. Reluctantly the race committee reset the course closer in to Puerto Calero on the same northerly axis as yesterday. 

In this, the first beat was difficult with Michele Ivaldi on Aleph Racing and double Olympic 470 gold medallist Hannah Mills on Team Aqua calling the shifts up the middle of the course with greatest expertise to pull out a small advantage over Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing at the top mark. These positions they maintained to the finish. 

With the wind up to 15 knots, the third race again saw tacticians well tested as they responded to the fluctuating breeze. In this Team Aqua appeared to have done the better job up the first beat but overstood slightly coming into the top mark allowing Ceeref to get the inside berth and the lead. All did not go well for the Slovenian RC44 on the run losing the lead to Aqua, which at the gate chose to take the right mark as Ceeref split left. Once again it was ‘lucky left’ for Ceeref and after two crosses with Aqua they led into the top mark and from there to the finish. Seeing the tightly grouped RC44s blasting down the run was a reminder, if anyone needed it, of what fun these nimble boats are even in moderate conditions. 

Of their performance today, Team Aqua’s Chris Bake commented: “The first race was difficult. We got into tricky situations at the windward mark and leewards, but the next two races were really good: Hannah [Mills, tactician] is doing to a great job, fighting through aggressively and calling the shifts. She is used to throwing a boat around a lot, so we are all doing a lot of work!” 

Ceeref also posted two good results and one big score today. “It was just an incredibly tricky race track,” explained tactician Adrian Stead. “The wind is shifting around by up to 30-40°and quite gusty, so there is plenty going on with lots of good sailors who are good at reading the conditions, so it is great fight. It is always non-stop action in this class.”

Laurent Déage’s Team 69 had to withdrawn from the final race after suffering technical issues which will be fixed overnight. “It was very interesting because each day we make mistakes and each one loses you one or two places in the ranking, but we are making less and less,” he said. “But we are enjoying it. Today under spinnaker was incredible! The fleet is very close.”

His tactician Sébastien Col added: “The racing is very tight. The starts make a big difference, if you can hold a lane going in the right direction, but everyone here is able to do that. Then you have to round the top mark in good shape. It is standard racing, but at a very high level. You have to get all the details right. And it is physical – in more than 12 knots the crew needs to be well prepared.”

They say in yacht racing that when conditions are light, flukey and difficult to predict, it is all about keeping a cool head and avoiding the big results. Italian sailors are renowned for excelling in this as they are the prevailing conditions around the Italian coast line, so it was little surprise that in the 5-10 knot northerly that was blowing over mountainous Lanzarote, two out of three of today’s winning boats at the 44Cup Calero Marinas had Italian tacticians: Michele Ivaldi on Aleph Racing and Vasco Vascotto on Peninsula Racing. 

While Nico Poons’ season’s championship overall leaders on Charisma led going into today, the Monaco-flagged team was eased out of the top spot in today’s first race by Team Nika. Then by the end of race three there was another new leader in Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing. The French team came out guns blazing today, hitting left side of the first upwind well in the opening race to lead at the top mark and from there on, to score their second bullet of the regatta. This race had an unusual finale when, after a sudden dramatic wind shift, the middle three finishers were forced to hoist jibs to reach the line while the final three came to finish under spinnakers (as the first trio had). 

In the second race things did not go so well as Aleph Racing trailed the fleet up the starboard layline, languishing in last place. But going into the run they gybed immediately and two supremely timed gybes  later saw them going into the gate in first place. Ultimately they finished fourth and followed this with a second in the final race – their day’s scoreline elevating them to the top spot on the leaderboard. At this halfway stage of the 44Cup Calero Marinas they sit three points clear of second placed Team Nika, whose run of podium finishes came to an end with a disappointing seventh in today’s last race. 

“We sailed consistently, which was the most important thing to do today in the super shifty, tricky conditions,” explained Louis Balcean, who is standing in for Aleph Racing’s regular helm Hugues Lepic at this event. “We have been first, we have been last and everything in between, so we are happy to be where we are. But there are six more races and anything can happen.”

Going into this event Aleph Racing also stood the smallest of chances of winning the 2023 44Cup overall, currently lying third, five points behind Charisma and two behind Team Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860. Here in Lanzarote Charisma is currently third overall and would need to end the event sixth or worse for Aleph Racing to stand a chance of claiming the title.  

Of Aleph Racing’s day American bowman Greg Gendall shared his perspective: “We had a good day – it was puffy and shifty. We started reasonably well in two out of three races. Then Mick [Michele Ivaldi] did a great job keeping the boat in phase and the guys kept the boat going well. It all has a really good feel to it at the moment. In that second race we had that great run: we did a set gybe and passed a few boats right there and Mick did a good job picked our way down that run. We came around the bottom tied with Vasco for first.”

Of their new helm for this event he added: “We definitely miss Hugues, but Louis is doing a really job. He is quite experienced and has stepped right into it.”

In race two John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing was second to Ceeref going around the top mark, but gybed earlier than her Slovenian rivals to lead into the starboard leeward gate mark and hung on, despite a dangerous second beat when she got boxed in between Aleph Racing, Team Nika and Chris Bake’s Team Aqua. Although this situation was very tight, her Italian tactician Vasco Vascotto managed to thread them through to lead at the top mark and a small hitch to the right on the final run saw them comfortable take the bullet in the day’s second race. 

“It is extremely tricky, shifty conditions – snakes and ladders, but it was fun,” said Bassadone. “We had a good solid second race, but in the third we were just over the line which was very frustrating because we were in a good position. The boat is going very well - we seem to have some speed.” They also have some local knowledge on board –bowman Gonzalo Morales is from the Canaries, making them the ‘home team’ for a second consecutive regatta. 

While he is not Italian, Adrian Stead, who is calling tactics for Team Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860, has won a Farr 40 World Championship for an Italian team and been part of an Italian America’s Cup challenger. In today’s third race, Stead showed his inner Italian, keeping Ceeref on the favoured starboard tack on the first beat as others around them tacked off  - a move that saw them reach the top mark with a comfortable lead, to which they resolutely hung on to from there. 

Sadly this ray of sunlight came after several deep results including a last when they had gone the wrong way up the first beat in today’s opening race while in the second they were called OCS. “It was tough racing - always complicated,” said Igor Lah. “Today was easier than yesterday and somehow we were lucky in the last one. You need to realise you can still do it.” 

Racing continues tomorrow with a first warning signal at 1200 and similar conditions forecast. 

Leaders, favourites and defending champions, Nico Poons’ Charisma got off to a solid start on the opening day of the 44Cup Calero Marinas, the final event of the 2023 44Cup. The Dutchman’s Monaco-flagged RC44 leads after three races, but by a mere point from Team Nika, with Aleph Racing a further two behind in third. The three teams managed surprisingly consistent performances despite this being one of the most tricky days out on the race course that competitors have faced all year. This was caused by the NNW wind direction, blowing across Lanzarote and its unusual mountainous lunar landscape, that was causing the wind to irregularly and suddenly shift through 40° with occasional puffs. 

Perhaps the most unusual race of the day was the first. After a general recall and a resetting of the course, the race got away cleanly seemingly straight into a left shift so significant that everyone was forced to tack on to port. Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing reaped massive rewards having tacked immediately after the start, sailing hardest right into beneficial shift and building pressure. It was by no means straightforward after that with teams almost able to lay the leeward gate in one, making for a compressed rounding as the nine boats streamed into the port mark. Nonetheless, the French team, on which Italian ace Michele Ivaldi calls tactics, made the best of the conditions and led onto the final run. Unfortunately on this they ran into a localised wind hole, allowing those astern not just to catch up but to sail around them too. Ultimately Team Nika was first home ahead of John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing, hosts of the previous 44Cup event in Alcaidesa Marina, and Charisma. Aleph Racing was a disappointing sixth. 

Licking their wounds, Aleph Racing bounced back to win the second race, a great result given they have a new helm for the 44Cup Calero Marinas in Louis Balcaen. From Belgium, Balcaen heads an investment company but is also a highly experience sailor having competed in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race on board Team Brunel and part of the subsequent fully crewed round the world race. 

“Today was a good day,” he said. “The first race went well until we got stuck in a wind hole - we were too low and the fleet caught up to us with pressure. It was really unlucky. It went from 10 knots to 1 knot. Someone from above was not liking us…!”

More recently Balcaen has been campaigning a Swan 50. “But this [the RC44] feels like the next step up in terms of the competition. I have sailed with many guys on the 50 who sail in this class and they said it was amazing and I should come and try it.” Aside from knowing Aleph Racing tactician Michele Ivaldi, Balcaen is new to the rest of the crew, although there are several of his former Volvo Ocean Race competitors within the RC44 fleet. “I feel very fortunate to step into a team like this. They are really great.”

Charisma and Team Nika completed their days of podium finishes, with a first and third to Aleph Racing’s second in the third and final race, Charisma winning with the biggest lead of the day. 

“It was a fantastic day - everybody pushed hard,” said Charisma’s Aussie mainsheet trimmer Chris Hosking. “That’s the Charisma attitude: never give up; fight for every metre we can around the race track. Obviously it was a mortifyingly challenging day on the race track - you wouldn’t want to be a tactician, but Pepsi [Hamish Pepper] did an incredible job.” Their day had nearly come acropper when they were sideswiped by the stern of Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis Racing during the first race’s general recall start, causing Charisma’s bow to be holed on the starboard side at the waterline. Fortunately the hole was fixed with a temporarily repair that lasted the remainder of the day. 

On Team Nika, British tactician Nic Asher felt they had an interesting day. “It was really tricky with the wind coming off the land,” he explained. “The wind was coming through a couple of gaps in the mountains and was flicking through 30-40°, but there were times when it went random and it dropped down and you couldn’t see it, like the last downwind in the first race - Aleph got really unlucky there. 

“As usual it was about just trying to get off the line, so you can line up that first pressure. As long as you could tack, it was alright but even then you weren’t entirely sure if you really wanted to tack!”

Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860, who is Charisma’s main challenge for the 2023 44Cup title, had a poor first day ending in fifth place 12 points off the lead, followed by Team Aqua and Artemis Racing, both of whom received two point penalties in races today. 

Racing resumes tomorrow at 1200 with wind conditions set to be very similar to today. 

The 44Cup’s trial boat, which teams can use to gain first-hand experience racing the high performance, owner-driver RC44 one design, has had a busy 2023 season. This started in Muscat driven by an Oman Sail crew, then had Louise Morton's all-female Bullet team competed on her at the 44 Cup Cowes World Championship in August and Luis Cabiedes’ Noticia team from Spain at last month’s 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina. For this week’s 44Cup Calero Marinas, the final event of the 2023 44Cup season, the circuit’s trial horse is being used by Frenchman Laurent Déage’s Team 69, who are looking to join the 44Cup full time in 2024.  

To assemble his team, Déage, a private and corporate banker based in Toulon (born in 1969 – hence his team’s name…) signed up his old college friend, pro and America’s Cup sailor Fabrice Blondel and French sailing maestro and former America’s Cup helmsman Sebastian Col. 

“It is an old dream – I’ve followed the class since the beginning,” explains Déage. His personal sailing background has been handicap racing under the IRC rule in the south of France with his family on a series of J/Boats – starting with the popular J/24 and J/92, then the J/97 Diablotin Majic and ultimately their J/111 Black Bull, which they also raced offshore. This ground to a halt during the pandemic and then due to ill-health within his family never re-started. Thus Déage chose to start his own team. 

As to why he chose the RC44 rather than any other boat, he explains this is due to its central features: it is a strict one design, exclusively owner-driver and offering windward-leeward inshore racing at the highest level. The RC44 itself reminds him – visually at least - of the last monohulls used in the America’s Cup (pre-foils). He likes that the 44Cup visits interesting and diverse venues that in 2024/25 will include the Caribbean, places that his family will enjoy visiting. 

An aim of his Team 69, similar to that of Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team from Switzerland, is to start with a young, but talented national crew – all from France – and to grow en masse as a team. Thus Team 69’s crew mostly come from southwest France and features old hands like Col and Blondel and multihull ace Devan le Bihan and young sailors like Sandro Lacan, the Marseille sailor who has achieved success on the Diam 24 trimaran and Albane Dubois, who represented France in the women's 49er FX in Tokyo or Jules Bidegaray, from Hyeres, a French youth sailor and match racer, who was on the French SailGP team with le Bihan and more recently part of Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard’s Spindrift racing TF35 flying catamaran crew.

Déage has a long term view for Team 69 - gelling as a team in the first seasons and winning races by year three. He is new to the RC44 as is most of his crew – even the highly experienced Sébastian Col has not sailed in the class since his stint as tactician on Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF before British ace Adrian Stead took the role more than a decade ago. “I have been living my dream now for the last two days,” says Déage. “It is more pressure for me because we are racing in the fleet. Compared to my crew, my level is low and I need to bridge the gap with them, to minimise my errors.”

A greater surprise here is the absence of Cameron Appleton, whose presence calling tactics on Chris Bake’s Team Aqua has been a feature of every 44Cup event since the class’ dawn. However this week he is recuperating from an operation and his position is being filled by Welsh 470 gold medallist Hannah Mills. These days she works closely with Chris Bake at his Emirates UK Sail GP team and on the Athena Pathway, that fast tracks the development of women and youth sailors into professionals targeting SailGP and the America’s Cup.  

Mills’ participation on Team Aqua will be the first time a RC44 has had a female tactician. Just adding to the pressure will be that while Mills is as good as they get in dinghies and has recently been enjoying life in the fast lane aboard flying catamarans, this will be one of her first ever races in a keelboat… 

“It will be a big learning curve, but luckily the guys are all over it,” she muses. Confident? “Not very! I am confident in the team. All of the stuff - like tacking and crossing and judging manoeuvres are the hard parts to pick up. By Sunday I’ll be in a much better place!” However  she is already coming to terms with the RC44 boat: “They are awesome, really good fun. I am looking forward to ripping downwind. I love their close racing.” 

Fellow British former 470 World Champion Nic Asher is enjoying being back in Lanzarote, where he first raced the RC44’s trial boat at the beginning of 2022. “The set-up is super simple with the hotel and the marina and I like the sailing here - it is tricky. It can be wavy with a tiny bit of current - it is an interesting venue.” Fortunately this week the northeasterly trade winds, for which the Canary Isles are famous, will be blowing. “The forecast was looking light, but now it is looking better,” continues Asher. “I enjoy it here – but let’s see if I am still saying that at the end of the week!”

The fifth and final event of the 2023 44Cup takes place for the high performance, owner-driver one designs in the familiar waters off Lanzarote’s Puerto Calero next week. The Calero family, who own and operate four marinas in the Canary Islands, have long been friends of the RC44 class, even campaigning their own boat during the circuit’s early years. In turn, the 44Cup has regularly visited their marinas in the Canary Islands, the last occasion being when the fleet wintered there two years ago. The 44Cup will once again conclude it 2023 season and start its 2024 one racing off the island, famous for its dramatic barren lunar landscape. 

Since last month’s 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina, the landscape has changed on the 44Cup leaderboard. Defending 44Cup champions and reigning world champions, Nico Poons’ Charisma, was defying the usual closeness of 44Cup racing having finshed 2-1-1 in this year’s first three events (in fact Team Aqua scored the same in 2013 before winning that season overall). A fourth good result off Gibraltar last month would have made Poons’ team virtually unbeatable for the 2023 44Cup title. However they wavered, finishing the regatta an uncharacteristic sixth. Meanwhile their principle rival, Igor Lah's Team Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 prevailed, winning (as is so often the case in this class) in the final race. 

So far this season Charisma and Ceeref have won two events apiece, but whereas Ceeref's two other results have been a pair of fifths, Charisma's are a 6-2. 44Cup teams are not allowed discards at events, but are allowed to drop one of the five during the season, albeit not the World Championship, nor the last event. Having the ‘better discard’ means that Charisma can still win the season overall if at the 44Cup Calero Marinas she finishes fourth and Ceeref wins (or there are no more than two boats between them).

“The beauty of the 44Cup scoring system is counting the last regatta, so it is never done and dusted until the very end,” says Ceeref’s tactician Adrian Stead. “So we have a chance of catching Charisma, although the tie break is the Worlds where Charisma holds the trump [they won it], but it is still possible. 44 Cup racing often comes down to the last race: In 2019 we went into the last event in Palma, six points behind Aqua and Nika for the season and we won the season on the last beat…” 

At present all of the teams on the 44Cup are capable of winning regattas. John Bassadone's Peninsula Racing, host of the Marina Alcaidesa event, was leading their regatta for the first three days until some final deep results caused them to drop off the podium. Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis Racing also had a strong start to the event. Chris Bake's Team Aqua did the opposite, with three podium finishes in the last four races after a slow start, while Charisma returned to their bad old ways of either winning or coming last. Team Nika had their moments despite being two crew down due to sickness.

The team most strongly on the ascent currently is Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team. During the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina they not only managed to win their first ever individual 44Cup race since joining the class last year, but also finished on the podium for the very first time. 

“It was definitely a great result and I am happy of course to step on the podium,” says Zuerrer. “It was one of the goals we had this season - to be competitive.” 

There is nothing like having an Olympic gold medallist on your crew and for Lanzarote Black Star Sailing Team once again will have Will Ryan, the Australian defending 470 Olympic champion from Tokyo on mainsheet. While one person can’t make all the difference, bringing on someone with Ryan’s credentials, and the Olympic discipline that comes with it, may have had a wider effect on the whole crew. Whatever the reason, Zuerrer is hoping they can replicate it – or better - next week. “At this coming event, we have to show we weren’t a ‘one hit wonder’. I am looking forward to Lanzarote – I know that it will be wavy and possibly windy, but it is the same for every team and we will have to do our best to stay on the top of the fleet.”

Adrian Stead concludes: “I am very excited with how the fleet is at the moment. The boats are such good fun to race. The 44Cup is the most competitive we have seen. We are up for another fantastic end of season and another great advert for the class.” 

In form typical of the high performance owner-drive one design, going into the final race of the final day of the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina, just two points separated the top four boats and, with nine points on the table, mathematically any of the top six could still win. Added to this was the venue with a third day of racing from a third direction – the east, blowing across La Linea. Racing started in moderate wind and rain beneath an ominously dark sky, before building into the 20+ knots in the gusts for the third and final race. 

Leading by one point going into this race life was made easy for owner Igor Lah, tactician Adrian Stead and the crew of Team Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 made it easy as their most threatening rivals tied themselves up. Ceeref won the pin, claimed the left and returning on port screeched into the starboard layline and from there rounding the top mark just ahead of Team Nika and Chris Bake’s Team Aqua. At this point their top four rivals were not featuring: leader going into the final day and generous host of the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina, John Bassadone and his Peninsula Racing and star of the first two days – Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team – were eighth and ninth respectively both having committed to the unfavoured right. The closest of Ceeref’s rivals was Aleph Racing in sixth. 

From here Lah’s Slovenian team clung on and even extended over Team Aqua and Team Nika. At the finish, nearest of the ‘top four’ was Aleph Racing now up to fourth, leaving Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 ahead of her by four points with Black Star Sailing Team and Peninsula Racing tied on points, a further three adrift in third and fourth. 

Crossing the line the Ceeref team was ecstastic complete with fist pumping and high-fiving. This was their first event win for the 2017 and 2019 44Cup champions since Oman in February. 

“I am happy!” said a delighted Lah shortly before he was ‘encouraged’ by RC44 Class President Chris Bake into a victor’s dunking in Marina Alcaidesa. “We were struggling for a few regattas, but now we are finally back and everything is fine.” As to going into the last race which such major competition so close behind him, Lah continued: “We wanted to extend it a little bit! So it was successful. It is always nerve-wracking but every race is a new development.” 

His tactician Adrian Stead added: “It is good that we have got Ceeref back on track a little bit. We are always trying to be the best, but this fleet is bloody tough. In Cowes we had one difference in the team and we didn’t start as well. On our last day we could have been second, but ended up fifth. Here the whole regatta has been tight, so it was all about just chipping away. Today there were three windy races in building breeze, so being in control was key, avoiding the top mark incidents and getting settled downwind.”

Top scoring boat of the day was in fact Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing which this week has had Pietro Loro Piana on helm. Loro Piana comes from a well known sailing family, his uncle Pier Luigi campaigning a series of maxi yachts called My Song. Pietro has been racing smaller sportsboats and was enthusiastic about his introduction this week to the RC44. “It has been an adrenalin rush - it is a crazy nice boat. The crew were astonishing. It is the first time I have sailed to such a level. To be brutally honest I enjoyed it like it was my first time sailing. Michele [Ivaldi] is a great tactician and the entire crew did an amazing job. They made me do some amazing starts. I have to thank everyone who sailed with me.” Aleph Racing won the second race and with a 3-1-4 today, was top scoring boat. 

Third top scoring boat today was Team Nika, winner of the opening race, their first bullet of the event. “We have been struggling a little bit with some of our crew being sick,” admitted tactician Nick Asher. “Our pitman and grinder got sick so we had to swap them out, which wasn’t ideal. Today we sorted ourselves out and we were starting better and going well upwind.” So with no warning one of their shorecrew, Vid Jeranko, found himself taking on the difficult and exacting job of operating an RC44’s pit for the last two days.  

With two breezy days and one light, and wind from the west/northwest, south and east and current that was hard to predict, the 44Cup’s first ever event in the shadow of Gibraltar was considered a great success. This was especially so given the first class hospitality offered by John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing team, including a gala dinner at the Hacienda Links Golf Resort. 

The 44Cup has its fair share of Olympic sailors, from tacticians to crew, most packed on to Artemis Racing, including triple Olympic medallist Iain Percy and bronze medallist Anders Ekström while their regular tactician reigning Dylan Fletcher is the reigning 49er gold medallist. 

For the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina, Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team is trialling gold and silver medallist Will Ryan on mainsheet 470. Ryan has been part of the extraordinary Australia Olympic 470 medal-making machine that saw their men’s crews win gold in four out of the last six Olympic Games, and podiuming in five. Ryan was part of the last two of these, winning silver in Rio then gold in Tokyo with helm Matt Belcher. With the change of classes for Paris 2024, so Ryan has shelved his Olympic aspirations. “The racing you do in the Olympics is phenomenal and I miss it a lot. I was so happy with where our program got to with Matt that now to go back into that space I would have such high expectations.”

Ryan had his first taste of RC44 racing in at the opening event of the 2022 season in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote where he joined his former 470 competitor Nick Asher on board La Pericolosa as the German team tried out 44Cup racing on the class’ trial boat. However even then he had already been big boat racing previously as tactician and trimmer with Australian owner Marcus Blackmore on the Hooligan TP52 and on his Southern Wind 96.

So what does he make of the RC44? “The 44 is a phenomenal class. I’ve always admired them. These boats existed before I even knew how to sail, so the fact that they are still amazing boats now and provide such close racing shows the quality of their design. But what strikes me most, besides the closeness at the top marks, is just the openness and friendliness of everyone. In other fleets there is a lot of secrecy and games and politics.”

Compared to other big boats Ryan says the RC44 is more “dinghy-like. As an individual you can contribute a lot more dynamically whereas in the 52s you have to work as a whole team to make those little gains.

“In the 52s you often get the same boats featuring at the top mark, whereas here a different boat leads around every race. And downwind these are much more dinghy-like and you can catch the waves. Just being narrower they heel over and that gives you more scope - you can compromise in one area and gain in another. Coming from a dinghy background, you have these options with the RC44 where you can mode it. Downwind is always fun and the racing is short and intense. The narrow hull shape means you can heel the boat and sail it aggressively in almost all wind conditions. I think it is something about the fact that there is so much weight in the keel bulb that makes them so powerful around the course.”

For a while now Ryan has been living in Switzerland as his girlfriend is Swiss and he has become a Swiss resident. Because of this he is taking more interest in Swiss sailing. To this end he has become Swiss J/70 champion. He has also come into contact with Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team. “Christian is doing a great job getting young Swiss up-and-comers involved. I am friends with a few of those guys and the opportunity came around for me to get involved. My intention is to come in as an observer and see maybe how I could help in the future but the opportunity arose to jump in at the deep end.” This week he is trimming mainsail. 

“Christian has a great attitude and he is a good team organiser. He puts good pieces together and I hope I can use my experience to unlock the potential from the young guys and get the communication through the group going and unload Cam [Cameron Dunn - tactician] a little bit. He has done a super job lifting the team over this last year.” 

Whether Ryan becomes a full-time Black Star Sailing Team member also depends very much upon his schedule. He is busy already racing a TF35 foiling catamaran in Switzerland but taking up most time is his position as wing trimmer with the Switzerland Sail GP team. He would also love to defend the Etchells World Championship title his team won this year. 

“I enjoy racing the RC44 a lot. Hopefully I can contribute positively. It is about how the comms style works but my commitment to the program is going to be hard as next year’s calendar is going to be extremely difficult.”

The Bay of Algeciras had a complete change of complexion for the penultimate day of racing at the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina with the southerly wind initially non-existent, then slowly filling in to 8-10 knots. Thus the race course was set up in the opposite direction to yesterday, with competitors sailing towards the entrance of the Bay, with the formidable Rock of Gibraltar off to port. 

Today was well forecast as being light – the Bay of Gibraltar laying on the complete test – so PRO Maria Torrijo announced a one hour postponement to 1300. The first warning signal eventually was at 1320. 

The lighter conditions seemed to the liking of one team that has been having a surprisingly sub-standard year. Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 finally found her form winning the first race. 

As yesterday, Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team went out to the right on their own, benefitting greatly on a lifting tack. But coming into the top mark, the wind went weird. Tactician Cameron Dunn described it: “It was radical - we were 25-30° higher than the boats coming in on our hip.”

Nonetheless, the Swiss team managed to continue leading around the top mark, with Ceeref and Aleph behind. On the run tactician Ceeref’s Adrian Stead did a better job reading the shifts and the Slovenian team led round the leeward gate. They then hung on to claim what, surprisingly, was their first bullet at a 44Cup event since Oman in February. 

“Somehow the team work was brilliant and the guys did a brilliant job and Ado did good tactics today,” said Lah. “We were a little worried but I think the boat speed is back to what it was.”

Ceeref followed this coming second in the next race and even an OCS in the final race saw them salvage a seventh. This left them second top scoring boat of the day. 

As on Friday, the drama-laden race of the day was the second. Today it was one boat’s performance that shocked. At 44Cup events, teams from outside can charter the RC44 trial boat. This week the Santander-based Noticia team of Luis Martín Cabiedes, well known from the Soto 40, J/70 and J/80 classes. 

Trial boat teams are not expected to win, but no one told this to Cabiedes, his tactician Rayco Tabares and their crew. In race two they went right up the first beat and, to gasps from spectators round the top mark first. Surely they couldn’t survive the run? They did. And despite being challenged up the second beat also led there. In fact they seemed to have the race in the bag until Black Star split left in the closing stages of the final run as Ceeref tackled them from the right. Ultimately Black Star was first over and a better gybe by Ceeref on the line left Noticia third – still an exceptional result. 

“Being in front of this incredible fleet has given us the confidence that given more time we can be in front and that we can do it,” said Cabiedes. “It was a great call from the tactician to go right. From there we were able to sail on our own. We have still a lot to improve in our manoeuvres, but we have only been here three days. It was incredible to be up there. Some of these crews have been sailing these boats for 10+ years so you cannot expect to come here and win races. We have ladders to climb, but we are on our way.” 

Meanwhile Noticia’s loss was Black Star’s gain, scoring just their second ever bullet and ending the day top scoring boat. “It is a combination of a lot of things,” explained Kiwi tactician Cameron Dunn, no doubt fired up by his nation’s rugby victory over Argentina last night. “We think we have made a jump in our speed. We talk a lot before the races about strategy.” Black Star is getting on top of their ‘speed loop’ allowing Dunn to concentrate on tactics. 

After two lacklustre races, the final race went Chris Bake’s Team Aqua. The Class President didn’t have much good to say about his first races, but of his final bullet commented: “We got a good start, got the right side of the course. We were slightly resigned we couldn’t do any worse, so we could only go up from there! It was fairly tricky. There were definitely big ‘sides’.”

However, despite all these names being up in lights, still hanging on to the overall lead of the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina is John Bassadone and his Peninsula Petroleum. The event host posted three results in the top half of the fleet today and hangs onto the lead by one slender point from Black Star Sailing Team, in turn four ahead of Ceeref. 

In an attempt to recover the schedule, racing is due to start one hour earlier tomorrow at 1100 CEST with up to four races possible. Big winds are forecast!

Ironic after a day blown off as severe gale force winds battered the nearby rock of Gibraltar, day two of the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina started with barely a breath of wind. Fortunately, right on queue just before the appointed midday start time, the wind on the Bay of Gibraltar suddenly and forcefully kicked in with an offshore breeze stabilising at 13 knots from 280°.

At the start the new Spanish team Noticias of Luis Martín Cabiedes with his World Champion-laden crew (they have 23 such titles between them) won the pin while Black Star Sailing Team started at the race committee boat and tacked to claim the right, followed by John Bassadone and his local heroes on Peninsula Racing. Up the first beat the right paid and it was a confident-looking Black Star that was first around the top mark. Sadly some spinnaker issues coming into the leeward gate dropped the Swiss team to second behind Aleph Racing, which had picked up places on the run. The French team rounded the port gate mark, tacked to the right and consolidated their position over Black Star as the wind speed jumped up to 20+ knots in the gusts. “There was pressure, some right hand in the breeze and a bit of current relief too on the right once you got close in,” explained Aleph Racing’s Italian tactician Michele Ivaldi of their tactics. 

Race two was by far the most dramatic of the day. Firstly a shift on the start line enabled the increasingly plucky Black Star Sailing Team to tack on the line, crossing ahead of the fleet which were otherwise bunched up by the race committee boat ‘port tacking the fleet’.  The Swiss team once again led up the beat, keen to right their loss in the first race. Sadly in a matter of seconds the darkness to windward turned into into a violent rain squall engulfing the fleet as they were approaching the top mark, reducing visibility to metres in a deluge of driving rain. Crews later reports having seen wind speeds of almost 40 knots. The squall was so violent that it tore the wand (anemometer) from Aleph Racing’s masthead. The race was abandoned. 

Finally on the resailed second race it came good for the Swiss team. After trailing Artemis Racing around the top mark, Black Star gybed early to take the lead at the leeward gate and then held on to the finish. This was Black Star Sailing Team’s first ever bullet on their eighth event on the 44Cup showing the considerable journey they have made to this morning. 

Through the day the Swiss team with Christian Zuerrer driving and Cameron Dunn called tactics looked fast and confident. “We felt really comfortable,” admitted Zuerrer. “We had a good practice race day with two seconds and a third and we’ve found the best balance for trimming and steering the boat though the choppy stuff. It was a good first day – I am definitely pleased. It is a great venue here.” Of their brave port tack start, he said: “It is not often that you can start like that in such as a strong fleet.”

This season, Nico Poons’ Charisma has been the stand-out team, including their victory in August’s RC44 World Championship in Cowes. After two lacklustre races, including an OCS in race two, the Dutchman’s team finally bounced back to win the third decisively. After rounding the top mark in third, Charisma was first to gybe and edged into the lead. “We ended up being above the bottom mark and had to soak in,” admitted Charisma’s tactician Hamish Pepper. “It was pretty even going into the gate- the other side was favoured, but we came around on the favoured tack and then we picked up a big leftie and then it became very easy after that. It was more luck than skill I’d say…” As another tactician observed – that had been the only left of the day… 

In fact while they did not win a race, the day’s star performer was local host of the 44Cup Aldaidesa Marina, John Bassadone and his Peninsula Racing. They never finished off the podium and concluded Friday leading overall on eight points to Black Star Sailing Team’s 11 and Artemis Racing’s 12. 

“It is fantastic to have a home regatta in our marina here, right next to where I live in Gibraltar,” said a beaming Bassadone. “I am super proud. The guys have done a tremendous job, as it hasn’t been easy, -so a big thank you to them. I am excited and pleased what a great set up everyone has done. It is just fantastic to sail with the Rock of Gibraltar in the background.”

Some local knowledge may have come into play as the Peninsula Racing team often sail their team’s fleet of J/80s or Victorys in Gibraltar itself. “It has been a while since we have been leading – it feel good,” continued Bassadone on today’s performance. “We have sailed very well in very tricky conditions in a lot of wind. Vasco [Vascotto – tactician] and the whole team have done a great job today to help me sail around in apretty solid manner and we are super happy with the result. But this is only the first day and it all can change pretty quickly.”

For all the teams apart form Peninsula Racing it was a high scoring day and in a true example of the ‘first shall become last’ in the third race Black Star came home eighth while Aleph Racing was ninth after some spinnaker issues on the final run.  

Tomorrow the racing is again due to start at 1200 CEST with lighter winds forecast. 

On some days conditions can be marginal for a committee to lay on yacht racing. Today at the 44Cup Alcaidesa Marina there was nothing marginal about the wind strength on the Bay of Gibraltar. Despite the first warning signal for the opening day of competition being brought forward by an hour to 1100 CEST, already at 1000 conditions were exceeding the maximum 25 knot limit for RC44 racing to take place. The decision to cancel racing for the day was disappointing, but an easy one.

44Cup PRO Maria Torrijo explained: “We are expecting strong wind, especially this afternoon – we have a warning of gale force winds. This morning we were supposed to have less wind and a window of two hours in which we wanted to do two races, but right now on the course we have 23 knots steady and the gusts are up to 27-28 and we know it will be increasing throughout the day.”

Fortunately prospects for tomorrow are much better with 18-20 knots forecast, when the race committee will attempt to make up the schedule.

Team Aqua’s Chris Bake commented: “25+ knots and building and we are expecting 50-60 knots later today, so it is a case of ‘sense over valour’. There is no point trying to go racing these conditions.”

The event at Alcaidesa Marina is hosted by Peninsula Racing and owner John Bassadone. Peninsula Racing and their team coach Gustavo Martinez Doreste frequently race here on Peninsula’s fleet of J/80s. “I think it was a good decision to cancel today,” said Doreste. “We are used to having the westerlies and easterlies here. Today was pretty much like yesterday, but the gradient is stronger. What we also have today are much bigger puffs, so sometimes it can be nice sailing but then suddenly you get a gust of 30-35 knot because the wind is coming over the mountains. So it is tricky.”

Black Star Sailing Team tactician Cameron Dunn agreed: “When we first came down to the dock this morning we had 15 knots at the top of the mast and within the next hour we were getting puffs to 24. But there is a 50 knot gradient up there and it is going to be 45 knots later on this afternoon. Unfortunately it just came in too quickly. 

“Tomorrow is looks like it will be a moderate to windy, post-frontal northwesterly, 12 to 20 knots, pretty light on Saturday possibly and then the opposite direction, southwesterly on Sunday. And as we saw yesterday when it gets light out here there is a lot of geography – it can be quite a radical race course.”

Aside from the wind, banter on the dock is turning to rugby with Argentina and New Zealand playing on Friday night and England v South Africa on Saturday and all these nations represented on the 44Cup. Irish crews are still being reminded repeatedly of their defeat last Saturday to New Zealand.