Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments BFD 2024 Leaderboard

44Cup Portoroz World Championship - Day 3

by 44Cup 16 Oct 2022 01:02 PDT 12-16 October 2022

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 nearby medieval 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 on 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 final 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.

44Cup World Championship Portoroz Results: (after nine races)

1. Charisma - 8 1 3 1 1 4 1 4 4 - 27
2. Ceeref powered by Hrastnik 1860 - 4 6 2 2 7 2 6 1 2 - 32
3. Team Aqua - 5 3 4 8 6 1 4 6 3 - 40
4. Aleph Racing - 7 2 1 5 5 8 5 3 5 - 41
5. Peninsula Racing - 3 8 7 3 2 3 7 8 1 (2) - 44
6. Artemis Racing - 1 4 8 6 4 6 2 7 6 - 44
7. Team Nika - 6 5 5 4 3 7 3 5 7 - 45
8. Black Star Sailing Team - 2 7 6 7 9UFD 5 8 2 8 - 54

Related Articles

Marstrand challenges Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team
Team Nika claimed the overall victory after a dramatic final day in the 44Cup Marstrand Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team wrapped up their participation in the 44Cup Marstrand in 10th place after a week marked by extreme weather conditions that tested the international sailing elite. Posted on 29 Jun
44Cup Marstrand 2025 overall
Team Nika's golden wheels get shinier While the penultimate day of racing at the 44Cup Marstand was cancelled due to excess wind, today conditions off the paradise Swedish island for the final three races were still boisterous from the lumpy residual sea state after Friday's gale. Posted on 28 Jun
44Cup Marstrand 2025 day 3
Gale force winds batter the west coast of Sweden With gale force winds battering the west coast of Sweden, racing had to be cancelled on day three of the 44Cup Marstrand. Posted on 27 Jun
44Cup Marstrand 2025 day 2
Aleph Racing takes the lead after glorious four race day The 44Cup is nothing but surprises. Day two of competition for the one-design owner-driver RC44s at the 44Cup Marstrand was forecast to be light but in fact provided further magnificent conditions, with sunshine and flatter seas than yesterday. Posted on 26 Jun
Tough start for Lanzarote Calero in Marstrand
An intense day on the water, marked by gusty winds and a series of incidents The Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team began their participation in the 44Cup Marstrand with an intense day on the water, marked by sunny conditions, gusty winds, and a series of incidents that impacted the day's results. Posted on 26 Jun
44Cup Marstrand 2025 day 1
Peninsula Racing and Team Nika share the limelight After a gale forced the cancellation of yesterday's practice racing, for day one of the 44Cup Marstrand, taking place off the familiar Swedish paradise island, there was a west to northwesterly that built as the afternoon progressed, to 17 knots. Posted on 25 Jun
44Cup Marstrand 2025 starts tomorrow
Fleet back up to 12 on eve of breezy Marstrand event While the RC44s were up to 11 for the last event in Porto Cervo, for this week's 44Cup Marstrand, scheduled to set sail tomorrow from the breezy west coast of Sweden, the fleet has now grown to 12. Posted on 24 Jun
Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team returns to Marstrand
The team returns to these waters with good memories The Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team is heading into the third stage of the 2025 44Cup in Marstrand, Sweden, with a clear objective: to turn the season around and climb the overall rankings. Posted on 21 Jun
44Cup Marstrand 2025 preview
3rd event of the season in Sweden next week Historically this is the most consistently visited venue for the high performance owner-driver RC44 one designs and their owners, which have visited the remote picture postcard island on Sweden's west coast since 2011, with the sole exception of 2016. Posted on 20 Jun
Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team at 44Cup Porto Cervo
Heads held high and another important step forward in its journey The Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team concluded its participation in the 44Cup Porto Cervo with heads held high and another important step forward in its journey within the demanding RC44 circuit. Posted on 19 May
Hyde Sails 2024 - One DesignArmstrong 728x90 - HA Foil Range - BOTTOMPalm Beach Motor Yachts