Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo S Series

RC44 Oman Cup - Perfect sailing conditions for fleet racing

by Jo Grindley on 1 Feb 2013
RC44 Fleet at the 2013 RC44 Oman Cup RC44 Class/MartinezStudio.es
At the RC44 Oman Cup, Muscat produced some perfect sailing conditions for the start of fleet racing. The sea breeze clocked in at 12 noon and continued to build from nine to fifteen knots throughout the afternoon bringing with it a big rolling swell. The conditions however couldn’t separate the fleet of 13 RC44s who seemed to arrive at the windward mark in unison, causing difficult mark rounding’s that kept the umpires very busy.

Katusha (RUS) were on fire and dominated the day winning the first two races and making a great recovery in the last to finish third, even after picking the un-favoured left side up the first beat and being buried at the top mark.


Steve Howe is at the helm of Katusha this week, standing in for owner Gennadi Timchenko, he put their day into perspective.

'Yesterday was a good day and we tried to keep the same plan for the fleet racing today, get a good clean start, sail the shifts and get around the race course ahead of the fleet. It’s one design sailing at its best, you have your good days, your bad days and it’s going to happen when you have a bad race like we almost had in race three, but you just have to focus and minimise the risk.'


Chris Bake’s Team Aqua (GBR) was hot on Katusha’s tail, finishing second in both the opening two races and sixth in the third. But a collision in the final race resulted in a dramatic end, seeing the American team’s scoop rip away from the hull. A protest was lodged by Ironbound’s new tactician Paul Goodison and after much debate in the protest room, Team Aqua were disqualified from race three and given three additional penalty points, dropping them from second to sixth overall. Ironbound was awarded redress leaving them third in the overnight standings.

Artemis Racing won the final race of the day after what had been an indifferent start for Swedish team. They had picked up a penalty in the first race for missing the offset mark and again in the second for trying to squeeze inside MAG Racing at the leeward gate. Owner Torbjorn Tornqvist who arrived in Oman this morning was pleased to end the day on a high note. 'The third race finally went really well. We hope that the good results will stay for the rest of the regatta but you never know. There are so many good boats here, from year to year all the teams are getting better, the new teams learn from the established teams and they obviously improve which is good to see. Some you win and some you lose but we are happy with the way we are sailing at the moment, we have good boat speed, good handling, no issues.'


Sitting in second place overall after Aqua’s disqualification is Brian Benjamin’s Aegir Racing. The team from England came 13th in Croatia last October and are clearly enjoying their guest tactician, Russell Coutts, valuable input this week.

In a further incident between Team Italia and RUS 7 the Russian team were given three penalty points for damage.

Racing at the RC44 Oman Cup presented by Oman Shipping Company continues through to Sunday 3rd February with the first warning signal on Friday at 12.30 (GST). RC44 website


PredictWind - GO! exec 728x90 BOTTOMC-Tech 2021 SnuffAir 728x90 BOTTOMSelden 2020 - FOOTER

Related Articles

Léon wins the Rolex Fastnet Race
Alexis Loison and Jean-Pierre Kelbert have won the event in its centenary year Alexis Loison and Jean-Pierre Kelbert's JPK 1050 Léon has been crowned overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race.
Posted today at 1:05 pm
RS Aero World & Youth Worlds Day 1 & 2
The largest class this year is the Aero 5 with 62 competitors A fantastic entry of over 170 RS Aeros from 17 nations have converged on the beautiful Quiberon peninsula in southern Brittany, France, for the 7th RS Aero World Championship, combined with the 4th RS Aero Youth World Championship.
Posted today at 8:54 am
Australian Sailing Team and Element 6 Evolution
Elite Partnership Continues Towards LA 2028 The Australian Sailing Team's (AST) ILCA program is built on a legacy of excellence, underpinned by world-class athletes, a strong squad culture, and elite equipment.
Posted today at 4:59 am
58th Governor's Cup Match Racing Day 1
Cole Tapper (AUS) and Justin Callahan (USA) lead 6-0 There are always favorites before the start of major sailing events, but there are usually a few surprises as well. However, after the first day of the 58th Governor's Cup International Youth Match Racing Championship, there were no real surprises.
Posted today at 4:48 am
43 Copa del Rey MAPFRE Day 2
Early Bird rises to coastal challenge to retain perfect scoreline The four divisions which are competing for the ORC European Championships titles at the 43rd Copa del Rey raced their statuary coastal race around the Bay of Palma and out to its western fringes today.
Posted on 30 Jul
2025 iQFOiL Youth & Junior Worlds, day 6
Medal Series line-up locked in With just one day to go before the champions are crowned, Day 6 at the 2025 iQFOiL Youth & Junior World Championships delivered high-stakes racing and emotional turning points.
Posted on 30 Jul
Rolex Fastnet finishers wait with bated breath
Aiming to claim the elusive prize for IRC Overall Celebrations were finally subsiding this morning in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin's Port Chantereyne following Peter Harrison, Pierre Casiraghi and the Yacht Club de Monaco team's superb victory in the successfully rejuvenated Admiral's Cup.
Posted on 30 Jul
Anticipation rises in centenary Rolex Fastnet Race
The podium places in the different classes have begun to take shape Of the 444 yachts competing in the centenary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, some 380 are eligible for overall victory under IRC Time Correction.
Posted on 30 Jul
Admirals Cup: Day 8 - Minnows win AC25
Two small sailing countries have struck a hammer blow for the sport, taking top places in AC25 In a result that is a hammer blow for the sport and the revival of major offshore teams trophies, Monaco and Hong Kong have provisionally taken first and second in the world championship of offshore racing.
Posted on 30 Jul
A Crown for the Principality
Yacht Club de Monaco wins the 2025 Admiral's Cup The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) is delighted to announce the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) as the winner of the 2025 Admiral's Cup.
Posted on 30 Jul