44Cup Marina Jandía 2025 - Day 2

It is all change at the top of the leaderboard of the 44Cup Marina Jandía with Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing taking the lead after today's first race. Marcus Törnqvist's GeMera Racing and Vladimir Prosikhin's Team Nika were the two top scoring boats of the day and complete the podium at this half way stage of the final event of the 44Cup's 2025 season, all separated by just three points after six races; with just five points separating the top five.

Fuerteventura delivered an exceptional day on the water. With the black peaks of Jandía Nature Park serving as a dramatic backdrop, the northeasterly wind built to 20 knots for the third race. But it was the sizeable sea state that gave the owners a thorough workout as they surfed downwind at speeds approaching those of the wind.

Aleph Racing started where she left off yesterday by winning the first race. GeMera and Team Aqua initially appeared to have done well being first to the starboard lay line on the first beat but Aleph Racing came in from the left and slipped in front to lead down the run.

"We had a good start, but then we got two good shifts in the middle," recounted tactician Michele Ivaldi. "We were in phase at the beginning of the beat, so we got a little bit of a lead. It was us and GeMera, but they overstood coming into the top mark and we leebowed them and got in front."

44Cup Marina Jandía 2025 - photo © Nico Martimez / Martinez Studio

John Bassadone's Peninsula Racing gybed early on the run and was up to third by the leeward gate with Nico Poons' Charisma moving into second at the second top mark rounding. However Peninsula Racing also did well on the final run to claim second astern of Aleph Racing.

In the day's second race the Turkish Wow! Sailing Team won the pin (after Charisma was called OCS) and after her exceptional start was able to cross the fleet when she tacked back on port. At the top mark she found herself ahead of considerable traffic, with a bunch up astern including Torbjörn Törnqvist's Artemis Racing, Team Nika and Charisma. She gybed early allowing Team Nika to take the lead at the leeward gate as they split taking the left side. As the two converged Team Nika tacked on top of Wow! Sailing Team allowing Charisma to slip through to second. On the run Wow! Sailing Team again gybed early, but missing the lay line allowed more boats through, leaving her seventh, despite an exceptional race for the newbie RC44 team.

44Cup Marina Jandía 2025 - photo © Nico Martimez / Martinez Studio

"For us it's very good because it's the first time that we are feeling that we can be in the game and win," commented Wow! Sailing Team's tactician Iker Martinez. The Spanish double Olympic gold medallist and round the world skipper added of today's conditions: "It was classic Fuerteventura - 15 to 20 knots with some waves. I think tomorrow will be the same - 15 to 20 knots, when the boats can be super close to each other with plenty of action and drama at the marks."

The last two races were won by the 44Cup's 2025 leader Team Nika, which only truly got her nose out in front in the second race going into the last run, to win by 35 seconds over Charisma and Artemis Racing.

In final race, the right was looking good and Peninsula Racing seemed in good shape once she'd reached the lay line, only for Artemis Racing and then Team Nika to tack ahead of her. Team Nika led on to the first run and into the gate where second placed Artemis Racing seemed undecided, eventually splitting to round the port mark allowing Chris Bake's day one leader Team Aqua to pull into second, heading out to the right behind Team Nika. While Team Nika maintained her lead Artemis Racing planted a leebow tack on Aqua to round the top mark in second with her team mate GeMera Racing getting up to third. Team Nika went on to score her second bullet, 42 seconds ahead of Artemis Racing with GeMera a further 12 seconds back.

Two bullets elevated Team Nika to third overall after a slow first day. Vladimir Prosikhin came ashore at Marina Jandía complaining that he felt like he had a target on his back: "Everyone tacked on us - I don't understand why they hate us! We are getting better and now the boat is well-trimmed."

Prosikhin said he loved today's conditions: "It was perfect - wavy, the boat goes downwind at up to 19 knots and its such good fun. And look at this fleet! No one broaches, because the people are so good."

44Cup Marina Jandía 2025 - photo © Nico Martimez / Martinez Studio

His tactician Nick Asher agreed: "We definitely sailed better than yesterday, just working out the venue a little bit more and in the waves, it was good, very pleasing." Of the waves Asher observed: "Some come down close together, like walls, so you don't really know what to do and then others are a bit easier to get over - it was very mixed. There's areas of flat water and then there's other bits that just destroy you, so it makes it very challenging. We definitely had a couple of near broaches.

"I feel a lot better after today, because yesterday we struggled. Now the front five have got a a gap and that's a nice position to be in. We'll just keep doing what we've been doing and see where we end up."

Racing sets sail once again at 1200 and it will be interesting to see how the teams get on in waves that could be even bigger than today's.

Results after Day 2: