Artemis Racing emerged victorious at the 44Cup Baiona, held at the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona (MRCYB) in Galicia, after winning five out of nine races. The second event of the 2024 44Cup concluded on Sunday, after a delay in the wind direction caused a lengthy wait for the races to commence. 

Chris Bake's Team Aqua started the first race on a high note, tacking at the committee boat and winning the right to take the lead. However, Artemis Racing made a wrong choice by starting on the left, which put them behind. But in the second race, both teams chose the same sides, and Artemis Racing managed to gain an inside berth at the top mark, eventually taking the lead and winning the race. This win secured the 44Cup Baiona victory for Artemis Racing, beating Team Nika by six points.

Torbjörn Törnqvist, the helmsman for Artemis Racing, expressed his delight at the victory and credited the team's success to "the perfect regatta for us. Everything seemed to work from the boat set-up to the teamwork, the coordination on board, the tactics, the speed, etc. When you feel that, your confidence level goes up." 

The win marks a significant turnaround for Artemis Racing, who joined the RC44s in 2008 but had not won a regatta since 2016. Hamish Pepper, who became tactician for Artemis Racing, played a crucial role in the team's success, having won the last two seasons with Nico Poons' Charisma. The addition of Brad Ferrand and Luke Muller as stand-in crew may have also changed the dynamic on board.

Team Nika, captained by Vladimir Prosikhin, secured second place in the event, despite not winning any races. Their consistent performance throughout the races enabled them to retain their position as the 2024 44Cup season leaders.

The event was praised by Chris Bake, the RC44 Class Association President, who said, "The club facility is beautiful. They have been very hospitable, which is really nice. I think they are keen to have us back, and everyone is pretty excited about that." 

The next event on the 2024 44Cup will take place in Marstrand, followed by two more new venues for the 44Cup - Brunnen, Switzerland for the RC44 World Championship, and concluding at Nanny Cay, Tortola in the BVI.

Baiona 44 Cup results:

• 1. Artemis Racing - 1 7 5 1 9 1 1 3 1 - 29
• 2. Team Nika - 3 8 2 4 2 2 4 6 4 - 35
• 3. Black Star Sailing Team - 4 9 1 6 1 3 5 4 7 - 40
• 4. Team CEEREF Vaider - 5 1 4 9 5 4 3 5 5 - 41
• 5. Aleph Racing - 7 3 7 5 7 7 2 2 8 - 48
• 6. Peninsula Racing - 6 2 6 3 6 9 7 7 2 - 48
• 7. Charisma - 2 4 3 7 8 5 8 8 3 (2) - 50
• 8. Calero Sailing Team - 9 5 9 2 3 6 9 1 6 - 55
• 9. Team Aqua - 8 6 8 8 4 8 6 9 9 - 61

Team Nika emerged as the winner of the 44Cup Calero Marinas, the opening event of the 2024 44Cup. The high-performance owner-driver one-design race was held in maximum conditions for all four days of racing in the Canary Islands. In fact, no one could recall a time when the smallest headsail, the J3, was used in every race. Even on the final day, teams faced gusts into the high 20s blowing from the north, over Lanzarote’s barren lunar landscape.

All four days of R44 racing in the Canary Islands were in maximum conditions for the high performance owner-driver one design Photo: Nico Martinez

Team Nika secured their victory with four bullets from nine races. The team faced a challenge from Igor Lah’s Team Ceeref Vaider, who finished second overall, just one point behind Team Nika. Team Ceeref Vaider suffered a spinnaker damage and was awarded a penalty turn and two penalty points in the final race of the regatta.

Several Irish sailors are competing at the 44Cup including Donaghdee's Oisin McClelland and Dublin Bay's Cian Guilfoyle on board Aleph Racing Photo: Nico Martinez

Team Aqua, skippered by Chris Bake, had a remarkable second race, being called OCS and then going on to score their second consecutive bullet. They finished third overall.

The regatta was challenging, with strong winds, and the teams had to cope with tricky conditions that were at the top range of sailing for a 44. Despite this, the event was a great success, and all teams had a blast.

The 44Cup resumes over 8-12 May in Baiona, Spain.

44CUP CALERO MARINAS RESULTS:

(After nine races)

1. Team Nika - 2 1 3 1 4 1 6 7 1 - 26
2. Team CEEREF Vaider - 5 2 1 3 2 2 9 3 5 (2) - 34
3. Peninsula Racing - 3 3 8 5 1 3 4 6 2 - 35
4. Team Aqua - 9 4 2 7 6 5 1 1 4 - 39
5. Aleph Racing - 4 6 6 4 5 6 5 2 3 - 41
6. Charisma - 1 5 9 2 7 4 8 4 6 - 46
7. Black Star Sailing Team - 6 9 4 6 8 8 3 5 7 - 56
8. Artemis Racing - 7 8 7 9 3 7 2 8 8 - 59
9. Calero Sailing Team - 8 7 5 8 9 9 7 9 10DNF - 72