A windless final day brought the 44Cup Marstrand to an early conclusion, handing overall victory to Nico Poons' Team Charisma after three days of close racing in southern Sweden. With no gradient wind and no sea breeze developing, Principal Race Officer Maria Torrijo and the Marstrands Segelsällskap race team abandoned Sunday's scheduled racing after monitoring conditions afloat.
The result gave Team Charisma its fifth Marstrand title, matching the record set by Chris Bake's Team Aqua. The Dutch team previously won in 2018 and from 2022 to 2024. "It's a good thing that I'm now equal with Team Aqua. It is just a shame that Chris isn't here to celebrate with me," Poons said. "We had our ups and downs, but in general we made the least mistakes."
Victory Toast — Team Charisma celebrates its record-equalling fifth 44Cup Marstrand victory after racing was abandoned on the windless final day. Photo: Nico Martinez
The regatta also marked the return of New Zealand tactician Hamish Pepper, who helped Team Charisma secure both the 44Cup and RC44 World Championship titles in 2022 and 2023. "RC44 racing is so close," Pepper said. "We were lucky a few times when we needed to be, but everyone was enjoying the sailing and having a good time."
Sweden's GeMera Racing finished second overall after strong performances on the opening and third days. "We made our mistakes at the beginning of the week and managed to learn from them," said Markus Törnqvist. "Marstrand is one of my favourite venues, and we're looking forward to coming back."
Runner-Up Finish — GeMera Racing celebrates second place overall at the 44Cup Marstrand, retaining the lead in the 2026 44Cup championship standings. Photo: Nico Martinez
Despite finishing runner-up, GeMera Racing retained the overall lead in the 2026 44Cup standings on seven points, ahead of Aleph Racing on nine, with Team Charisma moving to within one point on ten.
Podium Place — Aleph Racing celebrates third overall at the 44Cup Marstrand after a regatta that combined strong performances with an impressive fightback. Photo: Nico Martinez
Aleph Racing completed the podium after a mixed regatta that included two last-place finishes. "The boys and the team did an amazing job," said Pietro Loro Piana. "We kept the morale high after some unlucky results, and I'm only sad we couldn't sail today."
Black Star Sailing Team narrowly missed the podium after leading the first two days, finishing level on points with defending champion Team Nika.
Shared Reflections — GeMera Racing's Markus Törnqvist (left) chats with Team Nika owner Vladimir Prosikhin after the conclusion of the 44Cup Marstrand in Sweden. Photo: Nico Martinez
Peninsula Racing produced Saturday's strongest performance, while Team Aqua topped the daily standings on Friday.
The improving Wow! Sailing Team also enjoyed its week in Sweden. "We're getting there," said Murat Edin. "The boat is fast, and the team is improving. If we're not having fun, then what's the point?"
Host team Artemis Racing finished seventh overall but ended Saturday on a high by winning the spectacular harbour finish into Marstrand. "I love this place," said Torbjörn Törnqvist. "The sailing has been absolutely fantastic, and I still enjoy this class so much."
The 44Cup season continues with the RC44 World Championship in Cowes from 23-27 September.
