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While racing in 44Cup events usually goes to the wire, decided in the last few metres of the final race, this hasn’t been the case this year where the dominant force has been Monaco-based Dutchman Nico Poons and his Charisma team.  

Winning two bullets from two races on Friday put Charisma into the lead of this 44Cup Portorož World Championship, the pinnacle event of the season for the tweaky high performance one designs. Local Slovenian favourite Igor Lah and his Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 was top scoring boat yesterday, but going into the final day still trailed Charisma by five points, albeit with a more comfortable eight point lead over third-placed Team Aqua. 

The outlook for the final Sunday looked un-sailable with every forecast predicting sub-five knot breeze. Waiting out on the water Chris Bake was deserted on board Team Aqua, left to sail his RC44 singlehanded with much woops and hollering of encouragement from his crew in the support RIB. Several other brave singlehanded owner-drivers lined up against him in a mini-race. 

Ultimately the wind did stabilise and, with anemometers barely rotating, a final race was started deep into the Bay of Piran, a stone’s throw from Portorož Marina. The two top teams didn’t engage – Ceeref headed left, Charisma right, up the first beat. Charisma prevailed, getting the inside berth to Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team at the top mark while Ceeref rounded a close fifth, immediately gybing. On the run Charisma remained on starboard, a tactic that paid as she led into the bottom gate ahead of Black Star. From there Charisma sailed her own race and despite splitting from the pack (or they from her) when she gybed early on the final run, went on to score her fifth bullet of the championship from 10 races. 

Incredibly this was the third consecutive 44Cup event that Charisma has won this season, a feat only previously achieved by Team Aqua during their peak period in 2011. While five out of the eight teams competing here have previously won the RC44 World Championship, this was the first time for Poons and Charisma. “In the light weather I didn’t expect to do that well,” commented the delighted Dutchman. “But in the end it was all good! It was quite tiring especially because of the light wind. I am not so much of a light wind specialist, so I had to focus on that, but we succeeded.”

Poons attributed their success to their consistency of their crew. This comprised Hamish Pepper (tactician), Chris Hosking (main trimmer), Ross Halcrow (headsail trimmer), Dimitri Simmons (offside trimmer), Ryan Godfrey (pit), Ivan Peute (bow) and Robin Jacobs (grinder), supported by coach Morgan Reeser, boat captain Julian Hampe, Sam Poons and Sophie Heritage: “Outside of sailing, the team is quite relaxed with themselves. We have Julian, who is doing a very good job together with Sophie. Hamish is a very special talent and without him we wouldn’t have this success. But the whole crew is special – Chriso, Rosco have sailed a long time with me now and Ivan is the longest serving.” 

Of their success, Hamish Pepper commented: “We knew this week was going to be tough and we worked hard on our light air performance. Even last night we were talking about how we could improve and do a better job. The guys on the boat are so damn good that I don’t need to be concerned about anything. It gives me the opportunity to be the best I can at my job. We were really fast downwind this week. I don’t know why. Rosco and Chriso and Nico really worked the boat well and the guys on the bow were using their bodyweight to help.” 

Of today’s race Pepper added: “We didn’t want to engage too much. Just sail as clean a race ourselves and do the best we could. We managed to get to the right side of the course and a few breaks went our way. We were very happy.” 

While they won here in Portorož at the beginning of the 2021 season, Ceeref’s Igor Lah was gracious in defeat. “It was almost impossible to win with only one race, so it was all or nothing. I really liked this event…it was light wind but it was spectacular and great sailing.” He added that because the RC44 has a Slovenian design in Audrej Justin, the RC44 is almost considered the nation boat. Certainly this event has attracted more local media interest and sponsorship than any other in the 44Cup calendar. 

RC44 Class President Chris Bake made it to the last spot on the podium, largely thanks to being one of yesterday’s top scoring boats but also due to today’s third place for his Team Aqua. Of this week Bake observed: “I don’ think that there are many boats out there that in 5-6 knots of breeze could go out and have the type of racing that we’ve had. We had a good race in 5.5 knots today which is great testament for the class.”

The 2022 44Cup concludes in Muscat, Oman over 7-11 December.

 

The outlook for the final Sunday of the 2022 World Championship looked un-sailable with every forecast predicting sub-five knot breeze. Waiting out on the water Chris Bake was deserted on board Team Aqua, left to sail his RC44 singlehanded with much woops and hollering of encouragement from his crew in the support RIB. Several other brave singlehanded owner-drivers lined up against him in a mini-race. 

With a race lost on Friday at the 44Cup Portorož World Championship, to recoup the schedule four races were held today (Saturday). The race area was further offshore with the medieval nearby town of Piran as an eyecatching backdrop in one direction with another headland to weather strongly affecting the light breeze causing it to shift frequently between the south and southwest. This made for highly tactical racing with much position changing. 

Absent due to business commitments, defending world champion Chris Bake arrived last night and back aboard Team Aqua, promptly won the today’s first race. First to the top mark having played the left, Team Aqua fended off Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team that had gybed early on the run. Team Aqua then played the mid-right on the second beat to score her first bullet of the series. Meanwhile overall race leader, Nico Poons’ Charisma, had a shocking first race in which they picked up two penalties leaving them last only to fight back to fourth. Team Aqua went on to score the third best score of the day propelling them up the leaderboard from seventh yesterday to third today.

“It was really tricky, but the boat is going really well,” said Bake. Of taking the wheel today he added: “Probably it was a little easier for me as I didn’t have the stress of the last few days so, being fresh and more on the shifts. We obviously had a good first race, but it was hugely fluky - we had 40° wind shifts on a regular basis.” 

While a third consecutive World Championship victory would be a 44Cup first, Bake says he is not thinking about this. “It is always wonderful to win a championship, especially with this class being as competitive as it is. I am just trying to get the boat going, and keep it going right now rather than trying to win the World Championship.” 

In true Nico Poons zero-to-hero style, Charisma fought back and in the second race masterfully played the shifts up first beat, finally benefitting from a major right shift lifting her towards the weather mark, leading around with Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing close astern. Unfortunately the shift left the leaders able to lay the leeward gate in one. A course change rectified this for the second lap and again playing the right enabled Charisma to hang to her lead over the remainder of the course – despite breaking from the pack and gybing early on the final run, a move no one else followed.  

Today’s third race was the windiest with 8-9 knots. After leading both yesterday’s races but winning neither, the hard work put in by Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 finally paid off. Black Star Sailing Team put in a spectacular opening leg and reached the top mark on Team Aqua’s transom as, coming in on port, Ceeref struggling to find a gap to thread her way in, rounding in fourth. Team Aqua lost out badly gybing here leaving Black Star to lead into the gate with Team Nika. Black Star clung on at the top mark rounding ahead of Charisma. Up to third Ceeref was first to gybe and, in a dose of medicine served to them twice yesterday by Charisma, found better pressure to take the lead and the bullet. 

Posting a 2-6-1-2 today, Ceeref was today’s winner, much to the team’s delight: “We made some small changes and they paid off,” explained Igor Lah. “We knew yesterday we could do it and we did it today! We are really looking forward to this match tomorrow.”

 Tactician Adrian Stead explained today’s awkward conditions: “It was a tricky race track: With the breeze coming from the southwest sometimes it was coming around the headland and sometimes coming over the land. The breeze stayed in for longer than forecast which was great. It felt like we were going well upwind. On days when you have four races you have to keep bashing away. Everyone in this fleet is so good you can’t just sit there. You need to be active and look for the next shift.”

In the fourth and final race John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing showed their old form, at least partly attributed to the return of their old tactician Vasco Vascotto. The Gibraltar team led Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing and Team Aqua on to the run. While Ceeref and Artemis Racing gybed away, Peninsula Racing soon followed but was far enough ahead to lead into the leeward gate and for the next lap ahead of Ceeref. Behind there was a four way photo finish for fourth place, with Charisma prevailing. Team Nika would have been in this position had they not wrapped their kite during a gybe. 

“When you finish the day with a terrible moment like that - losing three boats within lengths due to a bad gybe, it is quite painful,” admitted Team Nika’s tactician Francesco Bruni. “I am very happy that our owner always has a smile on his face. The team is down so we have to do all we can to recover tomorrow.” 

Tomorrow is the final day of the 44Cup Portoroz World Championship and three more races are scheduled. The forecast is not looking promising but neither has it for the last three days yet the event has so far held its full schedule. 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An ultra-light onshore breeze at the 44Cup Portoroz World Championship should have made for a straightforward opening day to the high performance one design’s pinnacle event of the season. In fact it demonstrated how the nimble RC44 can race meaningfully in practically no wind, but still scores were high with all eight teams suffering at least one big result. 

Despite a seventh place in today’s opening round when they were late for the start line, Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing went on to post a 2-1 in today’s final two races leaving the French team, at the end of the first day two points ahead of a trio of boats: Nico Poons' Charisma, local hero Igor Lah on Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 and Chris Bake's Team Aqua. After three races the mid-fleet remains close with second to seventh place separated by just four points.  

“We had a very bad start on the first one - we thought that the door was going to be shut by Ceeref so we did a double tack and then we were very late,” admitted Aleph Racing’s star Italian tactician Michele Ivaldi. “We had a chance to get back into the race but we missed the left shift. But we learned and in both races after that we played the left side of the course. There was more pressure there.”

Ivaldi was kicking himself they hadn’t chosen the favoured left sooner as it had been recommended. Today guests on the eight RC44s were exclusively local Oppie sailors: “We asked Philippe, who is a local Optimist sailor, which side we should go and he told us ‘left’. We should have followed his advice from the outset. It is good to have the guest program back,” concluded Ivaldi. 

The course today had the race committee boat positioned less than a mile from Marina Portorož with the weather mark 1.1 miles away and with St Bernadine’s point protruding into the course on the right. Technically a ‘left banana’ course, according to Ivaldi the favoured parts were “right at the bottom and left at the top and a little bit of pressure at the end of the left layline.”

The opening race was won in convincing style by Torbjörn Törnqvist and Artemis Racing. “It was a good race,” recounted the Swedish team’s US tactician Andy Horton: “We got off the line, had a good beat and got ahead and that was pretty straightforward. The guys sailed well and we were fast. 

“It was questionable whether the right hand shore would work down by St Bernadine. We thought that might be 20% of the beat and the other 80% would be on the left. We didn’t get into a fight with that and just worked up the left side and that is how we got across of everyone. There was pressure on that side as there was most of the time.” Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team, #27 and the first new RC44 to be launched in eight years, came home second in the Swiss boat’s race debut. 

In his usual ‘zero to hero’ (and back) style, Nico Poons’ Charisma finished dead last in the opening race (having won both of the last two 44Cup events this season in Cascais and Marstand) only to win today’s second. Typically the Dutchman’s team don’t like light conditions, but his highly experienced crew, led by tactician Hamish Pepper, seems to have overcome this. “The first race was very bad – we were on the wrong corner and we guessed we had something around the keel,” recounted Poons. “The second race went well and the third race was our best race because we fought back. It is too early in the event to look at the score.” 

Racing is expected to again be light tomorrow with the start of racing already delayed to 1300 CEST.

RC44 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS:

2021 Team Aqua (Scarlino, Italy)

2019 Team Aqua (Marstrand, Sweden)

2018 Team Nika (Cascais, Portugal)

2017 Team Nika (Marstrand, Sweden)

2016 Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 (Sotogrande, Spain)

2015 Team Nika (Cascais, Portugal)

2014 Bronenosec (Marstand, Sweden)

2013 Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 (Puerto Calero, Lanzarote)

2012 Peninsula Racing (Rovinj, Croatia)

2011 Artemis Racing (Puerto Calero, Lanzarote)

2010 Oracle Racing (Puerto Calero, Lanzarote)

2011 Artemis Racing (Puerto Calero)

2010 Oracle Racing (Puerto Calero)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

RC44 World Championship

2021 Team Aqua (Scarlino, Italy)

2019 Team Aqua (Marstrand, Sweden)

2018 Team Nika (Cascais, Portugal)

2017 Team Nika (Marstrand, Sweden)

2016 Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 (Sotogrande, Spain)

2015 Team Nika (Cascais, Portugal)

2014 Bronenosec (Marstand, Sweden)

2013 Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 (Puerto Calero, Lanzarote)

2012 Peninsula Racing (Rovinj, Croatia)

2011 Artemis Racing (Puerto Calero, Lanzarote)

2010 Oracle Racing (Puerto Calero, Lanzarote)

 

Despite the America’s Cup having turned to foiling boats, many of its top sailors have still been attracted back to the 44Cup: from Dean Barker and Ray Davies to Terry Hutchinson and currently Peninsula Petroleum’s tactician Giles Scott and Team Nika’s Francesco Bruni. But this is also true further forward in the boats with Bruni recruiting his friend and long term headsail trimmer Pierluigi de Felice to race with him this season on the 44Cup.

Aside from racing with Bruni, the lure of racing in the 44Cup was also simply to bring more balance to his sailing, explains de Felice: “Otherwise as a professional sailor you get stuck in one corner of the game.” He fondly remembers the World Match Racing Tour, when, following the 2007 America’s Cup, he and Bruni (along with their present Team Nika pitman Pietro Mantovani and Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 bowman Matteo Auguardo) represented Italy with the Azzurra team. “Doing the World Match Racing Tour you’d change boats from event to event. Being able to adapt to them all of the time really improves your skill, instead of being stuck on one design and being really specific to that.”

De Felice and Bruni have remained stuck together as a team that has taken them through numerous campaigns. “After so many years you tend to spend your time and sail with people you enjoy and also enjoy sailing with and have a good feeling. Also on the boat when you interact with people you want to be quick to adapt and feel and you need to have a good relationship to do that. If you are not getting the most out of each other, you are not succeeding. That is why sailing with the same people and getting a good vibe on the boat and being able to get the best out of each other is the best recipe.” 

Having raced in the ClubSwan 36 last year finished second at the Worlds with Bruni, an opportunity came up with Team Nika for this season. “Vladimir [Prosikhin] wasn’t happy with the way his team was heading and wanted to make some changes so we got in touch and had the opportunity to sail with him,” explains de Felice. 

Originally from Naples, de Felice speaks English with a slight hint of Kiwi. This is because of his strong ties to the country. While competing at a 470 Junior Worlds there in 1999, he saw Patrizio Bertelli’s first Luna Rossa challenge for the America’s Cup. This caused him to swap his Olympic aspirations in favour of sport’s oldest trophy. He joined Mascalzone Latino for the 2003 Cup.

In fact the 2000s were halcyon days for Italian sailing with two Italian America’s Cup campaigns, both running two boat campaigns, both with 30+ strong sailing teams and both eager to recruit the most promising young Italian talent. De Felice continued with Vincenzo Onorato’s team in Valencia in 2007 before signing with Luna Rossa for San Francisco. He has remained with Luna Rossa Pirelli Prada ever since, including the 36th America’s Cup with Bruni, once again back in Auckland.  

While most Italian sailors sail with Italian racing teams, perhaps for language or cultural reasons, de Felice, along with Bruni, made the conscious decision early on to ‘go foreign’, outside of his America’s Cup racing at least. Today he seems to have sailed in more classes with more crews of multiple nationalities than most other Italian pro sailors. “It was never easy,” he admits. “Italy is similar to France and Spain where the ‘season’ is the ‘season’. I remember after my first America’s Cup when I came back and wanted to do more, I said ‘this isn’t big enough - I’m not going to get where I want to get to. I have to get out of here. I need more opportunities.’” Since then, whenever possible, he has sailed with international teams. This has included for example winning the Extreme Sailing Series in 2017, for example with the Danish crew on SAP Extreme Sailing Team.

However de Felice has also enjoyed great success with Italian teams, notably Joe Fly on the Farr 40 circuit and, later, on aboard the Stig Melges 32. He won the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice in 2009 with the Italian Azzurra team. He had also twice been part of the top ranked skipper’s crew on the World Match Racing Tour - first with his former Mascalzone Latino helm Paolo Cian, then with Bruni and Azzurra.

Unusually 2022 is de Felice’s first 44Cup campaign, although he has done one-off races with Team Aqua, notably when they won in Malta in 2017, and then with Team Aleph in Montenegro. While invited to continue with Team Aqua, he was unable to do so due to his America’s Cup commitments. 

“Back in January I really wanted to do some monohull sailing, to balance out all the foiling boats with some high level [displacement] monohull racing. So we decide to get into the RC44 again because it is really fun racing. It is amazing – you can race the RC44 in five knots of wind and still have a good race. Or 25 knots. It is good that the class has stuck to together and is getting a bit of a new boost now with more people interested in it because of the cost of the boat. As long as the class keeps adapting and changing and making it fun, it is really interesting. And it is great racing - we are not foiling or doing 40 knots, but it is still really good fun.” 

Surprisingly, de Felice signing with Team Nika occurred just before one of his other teams – Black Star Sailing, with whom he races on the GC32 Racing Tour and won this year’s GC32 World Championship – also joined the 44Cup. 

On board Team Nika, de Felice is headsail trimmer but is also more deeply involved in the sail program. Although he is not a sailmaker, he has always been involved with the sailmaking process dating back to his first America’s Cup campaign. “I help with the sail development, so I am more in the speed loop.” 

At the time of this interview de Felice had yet to have the call up for what will be his fifth America’s Cup campaign. But this is allowing him to focus on Team Nika on the 44Cup: “We started the season in Lanzarote and came away with a second, which was great. We were third in Cascais and we didn’t have our best event in Marstrand… So we are looking forward to the World Championship Portoroz in October.”

A miserable day weather-wise off the west coast of Sweden turned magnificent, like the fortunes of Nico Poons’ Charisma which after three races today claimed the 44Cup Marstrand over Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 and Chris Bake’s Team Aqua. This was the Dutchman’s second consecutive 44Cup win following his massive 12 point Cascais victory in May. 

“I am absolutely happy that we won this and the last one too - we are in a good stream,” said a beaming Poons, soaked after his traditional victor’s dunking. “It is not about winning. It is about keeping the damage from the bad ones under control.”

Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 started the day led by a point. At this stage six teams could still win. However in today’s first two races, with the southerly gusting to 20 knots in the squalls and the sky for the first time grey and overcast, bringing occasional rain, it was Charisma and Team Aqua that were strongly on the ascent.

In the first race Team Aqua did well to windward of the starboard tackers and later, approaching the top mark, bounced Artemis Racing off to the right and then, on port, crossed clear ahead to lead onto the run, never looking back. Chris Bake and his team followed this with a second in today’s penultimate race. 

“We joined the dots a lot better today than we did yesterday,” said Bake. “It was really shifty, but a much flatter sea state [than yesterday]. Once you got the boat going, it was really great sailing.” 

Meanwhile Charisma had finished the first race third astern of Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing and went on to win the second. Mainsheet trimmer Chris Hosking described it: “We got off the line nicely at the pin and went left, the way Pepsi [tactician Hamish Pepper] wanted to go. We got to the top mark in good shape and sailed away.” Out on the left they had found more pressure and a good shift. 

Going into the final race and with up to eight points available, Charisma led by four points from Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860. By now the wind had dropped and the skies cleared. But as soon as the gun went all appeared to have gone wrong for the leaders. Up the first beat Charisma was last as Igor Lah’s team was second – an overall winning position for them. At the top mark they had dropped to third as Torbjörn Törnqvist on Artemis Racing led around ahead of John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing.

By the leeward gate Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 led again, and went left as Peninsula Racing split right with Charisma still seventh and Team Aqua last. On the next beat Lah’s team got caught among the starboard tacker Artemis Racing again taking the lead only for a penalty at the top mark dropped them to third. This handed the race win to Peninsula Racing ahead of Team Nika. However importantly behind them Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 had pulled up to third and Charisma to fourth – handing Nico Poons and his crew victory. 

Chris Hosking said of the last race: “We didn’t get off the start line well and got out of phase and made life tough for ourselves. But it is not the first time we have been last. Fortunately Aqua was back there too so we managed to press the reset button and claw our way back through the fleet. We are pretty proud of the position we are in and how hard everyone is working. We are especially pleased because in this fleet there is an exceptionally talented group of people on some great boats.”

Nico Poons admitted that in the last race he was head down but wasn’t surprise his crew had been able to dig themselves out: “We have seen that before and have come back quite strongly most times, even when we have been over early and fought back. That is not bad in a fleet like this.” 

Team Aqua’s tactician Cameron Appleton said they had been in a similar position in the last race: “Everyone was fighting hard and we found ourselves on the back foot at the wrong moment…”

After a regatta of mixed results, Peninsula Racing’s John Bassadone was delighted to have finally scored a bullet. With double Olympic Finn gold medallist turned America’s Cup tactician Giles Scott calling tactics on board, his Gibraltar team is undergoing a metamorphosis. “It has been a long time coming. We haven’t been sailing badly. The boat has been fast, but we have made a lot of unforced errors and silly mistakes… I don’t think the overall result represents where we should be. It is very frustrating but it is good for the guys to get a win at the end of the regatta.” 

Hosted by the Marstrands Segelsällskap with the support of the Marstrands Havshotell, the 44Cup Marstrand was the third event of the 2022 44Cup which will continue over 12-16 October with the major fixture of the season – the RC44 World Championship, taking place in Portorož, Slovenia. 

Chris Bake pushed Nico Poons in the water as is customary for the regatta winner in the 44Cup fleet. 

From southwesterly winds gusting up to 20 knots, and one of the sharpest sea states the class has endured, dropping to five to six knots and the lightest conditions sailable by the nimble RC44: the 44Cup Marstrand’s penultimate day provided a complete test for the teams off west Sweden’s holiday hotspot.

The fleet ventured out of the security of Marstrand harbour to be greeted by a stiff southwesterly breeze and a vicious sea state that was short and sharp. The fetch had built up overnight and according to tactician Adrian Stead was especially confused, and at times mountainous, having combined from different directions - coming around the top of Denmark and up its east coast. 

The big wind specialists on Nico Poons’ Charisma, who include past Volvo Ocean Race winners Ryan Godfrey and Ross Halcrow, got off to the best start, posting a 3-1. They were en route to becoming boat of the day until they were one of three called OCS in today’s final race. Nonetheless in that they managed to salvage a fifth, leaving them second overall, a mere point from first. 

“We had a good start to the day and were extremely happy with that and felt the boat was going really well,” said Charisma tactician Hamish Pepper. “Then I just put us over the start line in the last one and had to claw our way back. The guys are sailing the boat well and fast. We seldom make mistakes.”

However there is some truth in Charisma’s reputation. “We have had some good races in light airs too, but Nico [Poons] enjoys the stronger winds - it is a lot easier to feel the boat and get it going in those [big] conditions,” said Pepper. “In the waves it was tricky for him and the trimmers, keeping the boat going and keeping good modes, both upwind and downwind.” 

On the first beat of race two Charisma played the left and then, tacking and on port had just wriggled across Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860. This set them up to cross the rest of the starboard tackers and ultimately reach the top mark with a small lead. Poons and his crew then extended. After today’s second race Charisma had taken the lead. 

As yesterday, winner of the day’s first race was Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing. After an absence from 44Cup, Lepic had regained his RC44 stride today with he, tactician Michele Ivaldi and his crew second lowest scoring of the day. They are fourth overall going into the final day, one point shy of Chris Bake’s Team Aqua. 

Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team got off to a good start, hitting the right side hardest in today’s first race to hold second behind Aleph at the top mark. Sadly they later dropped to fourth, but it was still a strong display by the newbies. 

Heroes of the day were undoubtedly Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860, which followed a 2-3 with a win in today’s third - another course, like yesterday, finishing within Marstrand Harbour. This propelled the Slovenian team to the top of the leaderboard where they now cling, just one point ahead of Charisma. 

“It was an extremely tough and complicated day: from strong winds to light winds, with big waves; from 20 to almost nothing, so you had to adapt immediately,” said a tired but satisfied Igor Lah. “Cheese [Dirk de Ridder] and Javi [De La Plaza] kept working on the speed and Ado did great tactics, so it paid out.” 

Of the big waves Lah commented: “It was extremely difficult, extremely hard to steer.” Then the physical stress turned to mental: For the third race the wind dropped to sub-10 knots and the sea state was flattening but the wind dropped more sailing into Marstrand harbour, causing the fleet to compress. Thus Lah, tactician Adrian Stead and the crew could only watch at their substantial lead eroded followed by a tighter-than-comfort gybing battle to the finish line off Marstrand’s Strandverket with Aleph Racing.  

Adrian Stead summarised: “It was an interesting day,  staying ahead of the sail changes, how we sail the boat from flat planning and surfing on big waves to making the best of it in the last run. There was quite  a lot of helping current out on the right where it was even choppier so it was just a case of finding the rhythm, not putting yourself in too tight a spot. The goal was to be in contention going into day four.” Which they certainly are. 

“Igor did a really solid job today,” Stead continued. “The helmsman does get thrown around in waves like that, but Igor has got good balance and is good at being focussed and he was being pushed pretty hard to keep the boat locked in.”

Tomorrow is the last day with three races again scheduled to start at 1130. But with the top six separated by nine points, the story of the 44Cup Marstand, as usual, is far from written. 

How did you get into yacht racing?

I sailed dinghies but never at a high level. I started sailing on yachts when I was 14 years old on a 29-foot racer-cruiser that we sailed every weekend. After a year, the owner sold the boat and got himself a proper race yacht. We went as a team to Roy Heiner to follow specific courses at his sailing academy. The course were about the weather, rules of sailing, tactics and boat handling. We trained a lot, swapped positions, and started to specialise ourselves in the end. This was the first time I was introduced to a professional environment in sailing. We didn't get any money for it, but it was an investment in ourselves. 

I started to sail as much as I could next to my studies—everything from handicap racing, match racing and one design. After winning more and more, I got the invite to sail as an amateur for the Mean Machine team. When I look back, this was a defining moment and the real accelerator of my sailing career. Because of this chance, I was able to sail with and against the best of our sport. It was fantastic to see the level of boat preparation, sailing skills and what pro sailing was about. Slowly my network was growing, and before I knew it, I was able to sail for other teams as well. 

During these years, I managed to graduate as a naval architect. But I reached a turning point where I said to myself either I stop sailing as an amateur and get a "normal" job or I'm going to give everything for two years to see if I can become a pro sailor. And that's what I did; since then I have never looked back.

Who would you like to thank for taking a chance on you?

That list is long! Throughout my sailing career, different people have been important at different times. You need to have someone who trusts you. I am super grateful for the chance certain people have given me to prove myself. I try to do the same now when I see young talented sailors. Unfortunately, there are not that many pro/am classes anymore where we can give young people a chance.

What is your first memory of sailing? 

My mom and dad had a 7-meter long sailboat. When it was nice weather we often went for a sail on the river. I always wanted to steer the boat but my mom thought I was too young, so I had to take sailing lessons in an Optimist. I remember one of my first training weekends, I was eight. It was pouring down with rain and pretty cold. Some of the kids were sailing with proper foul weather gear, and I was in some cut off jeans and a simple rain jacket. But I didn't care and loved every minute of it. Being on your own and in control of a sailboat at such a young age gives you an enormous feeling of freedom and responsibility. 

At what point did you realise you had made it?

I don't have that feeling; actually far from it. There are still so many things I would like to achieve. This varies from family goals, sailing certain events and sailing with people I have never sailed with before. I'm 38, that sounds old to some of you, but in this industry that's still very young. So hopefully enough time to enjoy all the opportunities!

What has been the most exciting moment of your career? 

Luckily there has been quite a few of these moments—the feeling of being capable of winning events or winning seasons in the last race of a regatta. Sometimes everything falls into place, from having a boat that is competitive to being part of a team that really works well together. This is probably the addictive part of the job, to try to get everything right what you can control. These moments are special to me and that's what keeps bringing me back. 

What has been the worst moment of your career?

The worst moments are probably getting injured. Missing events because of an injury always makes me feel that I've left the team in a compromised position. You can compare it with the feeling of losing races because of a mistake you have made. If this happens, it's about what you learn from it and prevent yourself from doing it again.   

What advice would you give a 16-year-old wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Go out there and try to find a boat you like. Start building a sailing CV with some good results. Results will do a lot of the talking. Get good at different positions and specialise yourself in one of them. Being a good sailor is not enough. You need to bring more than only your sailing skills to the table, a second skill set is important to have. This can be everything from rigging skills to boat building or sail making skills. If you want to achieve something in this industry, you need to let people know who you are. People need to know that you exist and that you can be a new crew member in their team. Last but not least, don't be shy about working. If you don't know what needs to be done, ask if you can help, there is always plenty to do on race day!

What has sailing taught you? 

That doing something you love is crucial in life. It's hard to wake up for something you don't like, so make sure you enjoy the things you do. Sailing also taught me that you have to keep believing in the fact that situations can change and that you have to be ready to take the opportunity when it arises. In sailing you have a saying; 'It ain't over till the fat lady sings'. Boats in front of you can blow up their kites, missing a shift or puff and that's the same in your daily life, when things are tough, you must remember there will always be a better time. 

What do people not realise about the industry?

It has almost a family-like atmosphere with very passionate people who are doing what they like.

The 44Cup has been returning to Marstrand, Sweden, for ten years; however, for 2022, a new partnership with Marstrands Segelsällskap has formed as the supporting yacht club for the event. With it, a strong youth programme has been created to run alongside the 44Cup Marstrand, and this year has allowed five local youth sailors the opportunity to gain work experience with the professional crews and the local optimist sailors the chance to meet their heroes. 

The five Swedish youth sailors, aged between 16-20, have been heavily integrated with the 44Cup teams, working for them for the duration of the event: helping during set-up, on board coach boats during racing, riding on the back of the RC44s and participating in daily team debriefs. It has provided valuable insight and experience into the industry, which is extremely competitive and hard to brake into initially. 

 “I have found it a really interesting experience; I have been blown away,” said Anton Vedin, the young Kungälv sailor who is working with team Charisma this week. “Everyone is constantly looking for small things to work on, it has highlighted how important all aspects of an event are, on the water and off the water. It’s all about the marginal gains.” 

 For the 44Cup, supporting and creating these opportunities for younger sailors is essential and something the class is looking to incorporate into future events. Creating an opening for youth sailors to learn and develop their skillset in all areas of the industry is vital for the future of the sport. 

On Friday (1 June), it was time for the younger children to get involved, with twenty optimist sailors from Marstrands Segelsällskap taking to the water in their own regatta alongside the 44Cup racing. At the end of the day, they then came ashore to cheer the 44Cup teams as the boats reached into a foxtrot finish inside Marstrand harbour with the line set off Strandverket.

After sailing, the optimist sailors were offered the opportunity to climb onboard the high-performance RC44 one-design monohulls and were shown around by the crew. The Optimist regatta prizegiving took place to a standing ovation from the 44Cup sailors and a cheque of 5,000 euros was awarded by the 44Cup to the youth programme at Marstrands Segelsällskap. It will contribute to getting more local children out on the water and involved in the sport. 

Andreas Axelsson, pitman onboard Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860, who took the time to do a Q+A with the youth sailors, said: “It’s important to involve younger sailors in events like ours to show them what other types of sailing there is after optimists for example. There is so much out there and it’s important to make them aware of what is out there.”

The 44Cup will continue to build a platform for young sailors to get involved within the circuit and thanks to Marstrands Segelsällskap and look forward to growing the project in the coming years.  

A special edition of bBeautiful shots from our photographer Nico Martinez at the 44Cup Marstrand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Racing continues tomorrow with three more races scheduled starting at 1130. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

July begins and so too the holidays in Sweden, with a deluge of tourists set to descend on western Sweden’s most picturesque island of Marstrand for the first official weekend of the summer. Visitors to this favourite holiday hotspot will also get to witness the 44Cup Marstrand, which sets sail tomorrow with the first of four days of competition, the event hosted by the Marstrands Segelsällskap with the support of the Marstrands Haveshotell.

Eight of the high performance RC44 one design monohulls are competing at this the third event of the 2022 season. They include several previous winners. Favourite must certainly be Chris Bake’s Team Aqua, which out of the nine previous editions, incredibly, has won five, including the last two in 2021 and 2019. 

Nico Poons’ Charisma team won here once in 2018 and comes in hot from their decisive victory at the last event in Cascais where they finished 12 points ahead of Slovenian Igor Lah’s second placed Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860. However Charisma, on which Kiwi Olympian/America’s Cup sailor Hamish Pepper calls tactics, has a reputation for its up-and-down performance. For example, victory in Portugal came after finishing a lowly eighth at the season’s first event in Lanzarote. Can they stop the yoyoing? “It is a new regatta with new chances,” says Poons looking ahead to this week’s racing. “It is a good place. We could end up doing well there too. We have won it before. Sometimes you need a chip on your shoulder to win.” Does he have a chip on his shoulder going into this event? “It is too early to tell. We will see…”

The hometeam, Artemis Racing, will be another to keep an eye on having finished on the podium at the last two events here. The Swedish team’s principal Torbjörn Törnqvist, host of the 44Cup Marstrand, has been quietly putting in a few more hours on the helm, turning up early to both this event and also last month in Cascais to gain extra training time.  

“Marstrand is very special for me, because it is in my home country and I like the sailing here,” said Törnqvist. “Every event has its character. It is nice to see the boats back in Marstrand, but I am always worried about the weather...” Conditions are looking varied over the next four days: A light but sailable northwesterly on Thursday; similar on Friday but from the south; mid-teens from the west on Saturday and similar, but backed into the southwest, for Sunday. 

Artemis Racing wasn't able to translate their extra work into points in Cascais where they finished sixth, albeit just three points shy of the podium. Can they turn it around in Sweden? “We have such wonderful speed, but we get ourselves into situations… Charisma is exceptional - they are very sorted in all conditions,” says Törnqvist.

Leading the 2022 44Cup overall after winning in Lanzarote and coming second in Cascais, is Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860. Surprisingly, having dominated the 44Cup circuit for so long, the Slovenian team has never won here. Of Marstrand, British tactician Adrian Stead summarises: “It must be one of the most varied venues: I have these snapshots of sailing here in a load of breeze, gusty, quite chilly northerlies, and light and shifty with current. But today we are dominated by high pressure. Later in the week there is more going on with the isobars. 

“It is one of the choppiest and most seaway venues. Compared to Cascais, here there is more of a chop rather than rolling waves. Marstrand is an amazing place to keep coming to. You know what you are in for when you come here: Great hospitality. Long daylight. The dock is 80m from our hotel...” 

As to the form, Stead reckons almost all of the teams are in with a chance. “That is what is so brilliant about this class, all these guys can put together a series and win. That is also what keeps the owners hungry…‘we can win this’!”

Among the others, Team Nika, winner here in 2017, can never be discounted, and is on the ascent with Italian and America's Cup helmsman Francesco Bruni calling tactics on board this season, while Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing has on tactics the talented Michele Ivaldi who was tactician on the winner here in 2014-15. John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing has British America’s Cup tactician and two time Finn gold medallist Giles Scott helping the mostly Spanish crew raise it game. 

New kids on the block, Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team will be hoping to gain more experience on the RC44 before picking up their new boat prior to the RC44 World Championship in Portoroz this October. On board Kiwi match racer Chris Steele is calling tactics this week with Cameron Dunn moving to main sheet. 

Racing begins tomorrow with a first warning signal at 1130.  

The RC44 fleet return to Sweden's west coast next week for the 44Cup Marstrand over the 29 June – 3 July, the 10th year the fleet has raced off the picture-postcard island. 

The crew with the best success record over the ten years is unquestionably Chris Bake's Team Aqua, who goes into racing next week as the defending champions with an impressive five 44Cup Marstrand titles to their name after back-to-back wins between 2011 - 2013 and 2019 - 2021.

In 2021 Bake's crew saw off Nico Poons' Charisma in an ultra-close conclusion to the regatta's final race, in which five of the eight-strong fleet were still capable of winning the event. 

"I like Marstrand a lot: the breeze is great, the weather conditions are highly variable - it throws everything at you. There's the terrain and the horizon melds into the sea, but I really enjoy sailing here. There is a good atmosphere," explained Bake. 

 Currently leading the 2022 overall ranking, with the winner's golden wheels glinting onboard their RC44, is Igor Lah's Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860. However, for the Slovenian team, Marstrand is not one of their strongest events, as their historical results show they have never finished higher than fourth on the podium. 

The opposite is true for Swedish team Artemis Racing who has regularly enjoyed posting the best results of the year on its home waters, having finished third in Marstrand in 2021, 2019 and second in 2018.

This year, the 44Cup Marstrand is hosted by the Marstrands Segelsällskap with the support of the Marstrands Haveshotell. 

Thanks to the new partnership, a group of youth sailors from the Marstrands Segelsällskap will join each of the 44Cup teams during the event to learn how a professional crew runs. The youth sailors will be expected to help with everything from the boat preparation ashore pre-event to following the racing alongside the coach and joining team de-briefings, offering them valuable insight and experience.

 As usual the 44Cup Marstand will begin with practice racing on Wednesday, 29th June following by four days of racing over 30th June -3rd July.

Normally 44Cup events are decided in the final gybes of the last leg of the last race following four intense days of competition. But at the 44Cup Cascais, the second of the 2022 series for the high performance Russell Coutts conceived owner-driver one designs, the opposite was true. Charisma of Monaco-based Dutchman Nico Poons, set a high initial benchmark when managed to score three bullets out of three races on the opening day. Their scoreline since Thursday may have ebbed and flowed, but they ended the weekend having won five out of 11 races sailed, including today’s third and concluding one in emphatic style and dropped off the podium in just three races. They concluded the 44 Cup Cascais a massive 12 points ahead of Igor Lah’s Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860.

In terms of the wind, conditions today were similar to yesterday with a regular 10 knots from the south, cloud cover giving way to blue sky as the afternoon progressed. However PRO Maria Torrijo today moved the race area to due south of Cascais, closer to the mouth of Lisbon’s Tagus river to avoid the worst of yesterday’s northwesterly swell. Instead today the seastate was confused with swell coming from two directions in addition to wind driven waves from the south. 

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

Going into the final race Charisma only had to start to win the event while Ceeref already could not be challenged for second, however it was a different story for the final step on the podium which Team Aqua was holding at the time but with Aleph Racing and Artemis Racing both a point behind and Team Nika a further two back after winning in the last race. 

While Charisma was the stand-out team here, in fact today’s winner in terms of lowest points scored was Team Nika which won today’s second race and followed this up chasing Charisma home to claim second in the last race. These results propelled them up the 44Cup Cascais scoreboard from sixth to third. However this was only decided on countback from Aleph Racing and Artemis Racing.  

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