Lanzarote is hosting the 44Cup Calero Marinas this week, providing a challenging environment for the RC44 owners and crews. Following a moderate opening day and winds reaching over 20 knots on Friday, racing was delayed by over two hours as teams awaited suitable wind conditions.

Chris Bake, President of the RC44 Class, alongside tactician Cameron Appleton and the crew of Team Aqua, showcased aggressive tactics that proved effective once again. During the first race, they gained a crucial position at the start line and raced to the right side of the course, successfully keeping rivals like Pietro Loro Piana’s Aleph Racing behind. Team Aqua secured their second victory of the regatta, finishing seven seconds ahead of Aleph Racing, and a considerable 48 seconds in front of John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing.

However, their success was short-lived as Team Aqua faltered in the last race, finishing last due to poor decisions at the start line, which dropped them to third overall.

Bake reflected on a challenging day, describing the conditions as “all over God’s creation”. Team Nika, led by 2025 44Cup champion Vladimir Prosikhin, faced their own trials, adapting to a new tactician after their original had to depart unexpectedly. Despite this, they clinched a win in the second race after an excellent start and holding the lead throughout.

Their luck turned, however, when they collided with Artemis Racing in the following race, resulting in a seventh-place finish and an accumulation of penalty points. Prosikhin admitted to reacting too late during a congested start. Fortunately for Artemis Racing, damage was minor, and repairs are underway for their return.

In the last race of the day, GeMera Racing, helmed by Markus Törnqvist, led significantly until the final downwind leg when Peninsula Racing executed a successful move to clinch victory by 11 seconds.

Italian teams Peninsula, Aleph, and GeMera performed notably well throughout the day, with Peninsula Racing’s tactician Vasco Vascotto praising their crew’s efforts in navigating the day’s tactical challenges. Vascotto also commented on the tight finish in the final race, highlighting the significance of strategy in achieving victory.

Aleph Racing, despite not winning any races, scored high with consistent finishes, securing the top points of the day. Tactician Michele Ivaldi acknowledged the challenging conditions and how their team capitalised on starting well.

As the competition progresses, the final day of racing is set to begin at midday tomorrow, expecting similar conditions with an offshore breeze.

For further details, visit www.44cup.org.

44CUP CALERO MARINAS RESULTS:

Team	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	PP	TOTAL
1. GeMera Racing (30) Markus Törnqvist	2	1	3	6	1	4	7	3	2		29
2. Peninsula Racing (27) John Bassadone	4	3	2	5	4	2	3	6	1		30
3. Team Aqua (28) Chris Bake	5	5	4	1	2	3	1	2	8		31
4. Aleph Racing (17) Hugues Lepic & Pietro Loro Piana	8	8	1	3	6	7	2	4	3		42
5. Team Charisma (15) Nico Poons & Carlo Vroon	3	4	6	4	5	5	5	5	5		42
6. Artemis Racing (26) Torbjörn Törnqvist	1	7	5	2	3	6	8	7	6		45
7. Team Nika (10) Vladimir Prosikhin	6	2	8	8	7	8	4	1	7	2	53
8. Wow! Sailing Team (25) Mehmet Taki & Murat Edin	7	6	7	7	8	1	6	8	4		54