44Cup Porto Cervo - Day 1

The RC44s once again demonstrated their versatility on day one of the 44Cup Porto Cervo. Two races were held successfully for the nimble owner-driver one designs in light conditions in which other keelboat classes would have struggled.

The first race got under way on time at midday in a 8-9 knot northeasterly. John Bassadone's Peninsula Racing and Igor Lah's Team CEEREF Vaider were called OCS and from there Christian Zuerrer's Black Star Sailing Team and Torbjörn Törnqvist's Artemis Racing did well out on the left of the first beat to cross ahead of the starboard tackers, led by Vladimir Prosikhin's Team Nika and Chris Bake's Team Aqua. Black Star just got the inside berth on her Swedish opponent to lead on to the run and from there the front duo never looked back. This was despite the wind dropping to 5-7 knots and going right, requiring a course change to be made by PRO Maria Torrijo and the race team from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the event's joint organiser with the 44Cup.

44Cup Porto Cervo - Day 1 - photo © Nico Martinez / 44Cup

The win marked a good start to the 2025 season for the Black Star Sailing Team, which didn't attend February's opening event in the British Virgin Islands. "It's how you should start every new season!" quipped Zuerrer. "We had a pretty good start and made the right tactics - going off to the left with more pressure. Artemis Racing got a little more pressure on the right side of the last downwind, but we managed to stay in front. It's always very confidence-building if you can do that in your first race." Practicing their 'low mode' downwind the previous day had paid off, Zuerrer added. While the Swiss team has not changed for this season, a new face in their coach boat is France's Nicolas Charbonnier the four time 470 World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist, who has spent many years calling tactics for the highly successful Alinghi team.

44Cup Porto Cervo - Day 1 - photo © Nico Martinez / 44Cup

Oddly in the second race the two front runners from the first race found themselves the back markers. "We didn't have the best start and then Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team was in front of us. We asked for a penalty but unfortunately they did not give it," said Zuerrer. "But we didn't give up and we managed to get back a seventh."

In the second race Chris Bake's Team Aqua and Artemis Racing were over early but successfully restarted. Initially the right appeared to pay with two of the underdogs, Markus Törnqvist's GeMera and Daniel Calero's Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team edging ahead but as the two sides converged it was those returning from the left that once again crossed ahead with Team Nika eventually pulling on to the starboard lay line just ahead and to leeward of Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing. Team Nika led down the run and both rounded the port gate mark, Aleph Racing team tacked, immediately creating a split and finding more pressure out to the right of the course pulled out a substantial lead. Having gone with them Igor Lah's Team CEEREF Vaider managed to pull ahead of Team Nika at the top mark and held this down the run to claim second from Aleph Racing.

44Cup Porto Cervo - Day 1 - photo © Nico Martinez / 44Cup

Aleph Racing's Italian tactician Michele Ivaldi described how they had got on: "It was a super difficult day, because the conditions were so light and the wind was shifting in intensity and direction quite a bit. But we have a good feeling with our boat speed in these conditions - we found a good set-up with the sails and the rig.

"In the second race we wanted to start in the middle of the line, going left and we succeeded. Then after we tacked on the second upwind and were heading out to the right we kept lifting, lifting, lifting and found ourselves with a massive lead. We'll take that - it was fantastic!"

Despite it being a high scoring day, in typical 44Cup style, two points separate first from fifth and four points first from seventh with Aleph Racing and Team Nika tied in first place.

44Cup Porto Cervo - Day 1 - photo © Nico Martinez / 44Cup

"We're very happy because it was quite challenging," commented Team Nika's Vladimir Prosikhin. "It was a J1 day and historically Team Nika is better under J2 and J3. So we're quite happy with the result, because nothing is guaranteed, there were a lot of holes, a lot of long shifts and some luck. But our boat handling is good and the boat is fast... it was completely refurbished in Portoroz - the boat captain did a very good job. It was completely disassembled and assembled again and that makes a difference, because it's so smooth and responsive. And Porto Cervo is one of the best destinations in the world to go sailing racing."

Team Nika has been in the class since 2011 and Prosikhin remembers the 'good old days' when the class enjoyed big fleets. He is delighted to see this return: "It feels crowded on the start line, because we got used to there being eight or nine boats and now there's 11. It's so nice that the class is growing."

44Cup Porto Cervo - Day 1 - photo © Nico Martinez / 44Cup

While today was light, tomorrow is forecast to be very different with a 20+ knot northerly for 1200 start time but then dropping through the afternoon. Follow live at www.44cup.org

44Cup Porto Cervo Results after day 1