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Just when the pecking order seemed to be firming up at the 44Cup Marstrand, so today’s final race off the picture postcard Swedish island, turned the results on their head, yet again. Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing and Nico Poons’ Charisma were looking reasonably comfortable in the two top spots overall until the final race, in which they finished last and second last respectively.

In an example of the high performance RC44 one design class’ typically ultra-close racing, so yesterday’s winners dropped to the bottom of the pile at the 44Cup Marstrand today as those managing to remain the most consistent rose gradually to the top.

The 44Cup Marstrand had a tricky start today off the Swedish paradise island bearing its name. A weather front slowly moving across the west coast of Sweden brought with it solid 25 knots winds, 30+ gusts and the real prospect of no racing for the eight owner-driver RC44s.

On a circuit where the racing is as close as it is on the 44Cup, rarely does one team to claim back-to-back wins in the high performance, owner-driver one designs.

Beautiful drone shots from a foxtrot finish in Marstrand.

One of the most daunting jobs in the sailing is to be tactician on board Team Nika in the 44Cup.

The most regularly visited venue on the 44Cup, since the first full racing season for the high performance owner-driver one designs took place in 2008, has been the picture postcard island of Marstrand on Sweden’s west coast.

Watch the full event highlights from the 44Cup Portoroz. The opening event of the 2021 44Cup Championship Tour.

Four magnificent days of 44Cup racing in Portoroz, Slovenia concluded with further 20+ knot winds, flat water and sun, but mixed fortunes.

For the first 44Cup event in 17 months, Portorož could not have offered better conditions to date; slowly ramping up the wind strength to the third and penultimate day of racing, when the wind was at times solidly into the 20s, gusting to 25 knots.

In a fleet as close as the 44Cup's it is rare for one team to dominate. However, perhaps because of the 17 month absence caused by the pandemic, yesterday at the 44Cup Portorož there was one stand-out performer, Team Nika. Today it was the turn of RC44 legend Chris Bake, Kiwi tactician Cameron Appleton and Team Aqua to shine brilliantly.

With its light start, brilliant sunshine and the ancient town of Piran and the still snowcapped Slovenian Alps as a backdrop, the day could not have been better for the 44Cup fleet to blow away any cobwebs after such a long absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a few days out on the water training here in Slovenia, owners and crews of the eight RC44s are now back in the saddle and ready for tomorrow's start of the 44Cup Portorož.

Following a huge effort on the part of the local organisers in Slovenia, the class, as well as the owners and teams arriving from the four corners of the globe, the 44Cup season will fire up again next week at the 44Cup Portorož.

The 44Cup is proud to celebrate the return to sailing and the sport that we love. We pledge that the health and safety of all our stakeholders – sailors, officials and partners – will be our priority.

Since the fleet last visited Bermuda in 2016, furiously writing notes and shooting video on their RIB has been towering Australian Andrew Palfrey, better known simply as ‘Dog’.

After a rollercoaster year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the 44Cup is ready to launch into 2021 with two new venues and a full fleet of nine boats.

The 44Cup has always been popular with Russian teams, the high performance owner-driver one design class attracting their nation’s top sailors.

The owners and Organising Authority of the 44Cup have today made the final decision to cancel the remaining two events of the 2020 season.

Team Aqua’s main sheet trimmer, US-based Kiwi Andrew Estcourt, reckons he, along with team mate Ben Graham, has missed only one event with Chris Bake’s team as they start their 14^th season on the high performance one design circuit.

Due to the travel restrictions imposed by the UK Government the 44Cup will sadly not be a part of Cowes Week in August 2020.

Taking place over every Wednesday in April the 44Cup Virtual Regatta Series saw 20 sailors, staff and race officials from the 44Cup compete over 12 races online while Europe is in the Coronavirus lockdown.

Due to the impact of the ongoing global outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) it is decided that the 44Cup Marstrand will be postponed to the summer of 2021.

Enjoying their first full season on the high performance one design monohull circuit this year is Pavel Kuznetsov’s Tavatuy Sailing Team.

The 2020 44Cup season will join one of the oldest and most respected regattas in the world, Cowes Week.

Baird is no stranger to the 44Cup having raced in the past with Synergy Russian Sailing Team, Team Nika and Katusha.

Team Aqua’s tactician Cameron Appleton discusses his first time racing an RC44, how the boat has changed over the past 12 years and why the things that have stayed the same mean it is still loved today by the sailing elite.

It was supposed to be a heavyweight bout between Chris Bake’s Team Aqua and Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika.

If Charisma and Aleph were the stand-out teams yesterday, today, the penultimate day of the 44Cup Palma, belonged to Igor Lah's Team CEEREF.

Racing in Palma in November was always going to be challenging not just for crews but especially for race officials more used to racing here in summer, in a sea breeze you can set your watch by.

Winds gusting up to 40 knots and a heinous seastate out on the Bay of Palma, kept the 44Cup fleet at the dock on the opening day of the 44Cup Palma.

Starting tomorrow is the 44Cup Palma, concluding event of the 2019 44Cup where the overall winner will be decided.

The pressure is on for the 44Cup fleet going into next week’s grand final in Palma, Majorca, over the 13 – 17 November.

Whether it is in big waves or small, gale force or sub-10 winds, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua has shone this week.

The conditions placed a premium on crew work and it was easy even for the most polished teams to come unstuck.

A selection of the best shots from Pedro Martinez of Martinez Studio.

At the halfway stage of the 44Cup Cascais, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua has joined Nico Poons’ Charisma at the top of the leaderboard and is even ahead on countback.

Charisma showed the way around the race track on the opening day of the 44Cup Cascais, posting a most respectable 2-1-2.

The annual 44Cup pilgrimage to the Portugese sailing mecca of Cascais is taking place this week.

Firing up next week is the penultimate event of the 2019 RC44 season, the 44Cup Cascais, running over the 2^nd - 6^thOctober.

One of the never-ending attractions of racing on the 44 Cup, be it for pro or amateur crew, but especially for the owner-drivers, is the ability to learn and improve.

As a part of the collaboration, Pelle P are making 44Cup merchandise for all customers and fans.

Much like the dynamic duo of Batman and Robin, the 44Cup has Nico and Pedro Martinez.

Holding an eight point advantage going into the final day, and then doing enough to hang on, enabled Chris Bake’s Team Aqua to be crowned the 44Cup Marstrand World Champions for 2019.

After a marginal forecast left the nine strong 44Cup fleet parked at the dock until 1300, the Swedish wind gods came good allowing four races to be held in 8-12 knots on the penultimate day of the 44Cup Marstrand World Championship 2019.

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and unfortunately today was the latter for day two of the 44Cup Marstrand World Championship 2019.

The opening day of the 44Cup Marstrand World Championship 2019 was one of exceptional sailing conditions in 15 knot winds, under brilliant sunshine.

Highlight of the 44Cup season, the World Championship sets sail tomorrow in Marstrand, the sailing mecca on the west coast of Sweden.

Watch the 44Cup Marstrand over July 9 to 13, where the locals and sailing fans on this famous Swedish summer holiday hotspot will be rooting for Artemis Racing.

Next week nine RC44 teams, from six nations, will compete in the Swedish sailing mecca of Marstrand for the hotly-contested 2019 44Cup World Championship title.

This morning Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing scored their third bullet out of four races, increasing their five point lead at the day’s start to a massive 10.

What a sensational night for the Adris 44Cup Rovinj with dinner around the infinity pool and an open air Andrea Bocelli concert.

London-based Frenchman Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing was top scorer yesterday, but today she was runaway leader.

The sole constant is the resilient grip the local heroes from nearby Slovenia, Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF, hold on first place.

A difficult opening day of the Adris 44Cup Rovinj saw just one race completed and a worthy winner in Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF

This view – the Croatian tourist board’s top image illustrating ‘Istria’ - will form the backdrop to this week’s four days of 44Cup racing.

After a successful start to the 2019 44Cup last month in Porto Montenegro, the nine one-design RC44s have travelled 840km north up the Adriatic coast to Rovinj, Croatia, for event two: The Adris 44Cup Rovinj. over the 30 May– 2 June.

Australian Laser gold medallist turned America’s Cup sailor Tom Slingsby has returned to the 44Cup this season after a five year hiatus to join Team Nika as tactician for Vladimir Prosikhin.

The 44Cup crews were taken out of their comfort zone today for the 44Cup Porto Montenegro navigator’s race.

The Bay of Tivat came good for the final day of the 44Cup Porto Montenegro with three races held and a most worthy winner in Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF.

Dramatic cloud formations over the mountains surrounding the Bay of Tivat and an overcast sky suggested that 44Cup Porto Montenegro competitors would be in for another day of adrenalin-filled competition.

Porto Montenegro presented a challenging second day of 44Cup racing, starting in 10 knots and building to 20 by the close of play mid-afternoon.

While the forecasts had looked glum and windless, the Bay of Kotor somehow allowed two races on the opening day of the 44Cup Porto Montenegro.

Racing gets underway tomorrow at the 44Cup Porto Montenegro, the opening event of the 2019 season for the high performance RC44 one designs.

Nine RC44 teams are set to make their debut on the beautiful waters of Kotor Bay.

Yacht racing can be a cruel sport, especially when the competition is as close it gets in the 44Cup.

None of the sailors have any previous experience of racing in Montenegro – making it the ultimate test of the team’s skill.

Witnessing how this Russian team in their unique royal blue 44 has developed over the years has been New Zealand America’s Cup veteran and match racer Cameron Dunn.

For its thirteenth season, the RC44 Championship Tour has been given a makeover and has been rechristened the 44Cup.

When it comes to racing conditions and the level of competition the final event of the 2018 RC44 season in Cascais delivered big. Watch all the highlights from the RC44 Cascais Cup to catch up with all the action from on the water. Enjoy!

Giant waves kicked up by an Atlantic gale oddly combined with no wind in the vicinity of Cascais resulted in racing being cancelled on the final day of the RC44 Cascais Cup.

How things can change. After two light days but with a comparatively large Atlantic swell running, an aggressive-looking cold front off the Portugese coast looked set to make racing impossible on the penultimate day of the RC44 Cascais Cup.

Class photographer Nico Martinez of Martinezstudios.es shares with us a special edit of the best photos from day 3 in Cascais.

At this half way stage of the RC44 Cascais Cup, Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika is the stand-out leader.

Despite being mid-November, Portugal laid on warm temperatures and light winds for the opening day of the RC44 Cascais Cup.

Traditionally the RC44 Championship goes to the wire in the final event of the season.

Next week the RC44 fleet will once again take to the waters of Cascais, Portugal, for the final showdown of the 2018 season, over the 14^th– 18^thNovember.

Among the RC44 class’ formidable roster of tacticians, one of the most accomplished is Ray Davies.

Team Nika becomes the first team ever to claim a hat trick of RC44 World Championship titles.

Another adrenalin-pumping, top of the range day off Cascais at the RC44 World Championship saw Igor Lah's Team CEEREF claim two bullets from three races.

Owner Chris Bake and tactician Cameron Appleton explain why the sustainability project is important to the team.

Day two of their 2018 World Championship will go down in RC44 history books with three races sailed at the top of the wind range.

After a day of strong conditions we asked our photographer Pedro Martinez of MartinezStudios.es to prepare something a little special.

Winning two out of today's three races made Bronenosec Sailing Team the stand-out performer on day one of the RC44 World Championship.

Cascais is a favourite venue for all sailors, but especially those in the RC44 class which has had the Portugese sailing Mecca as an annual fixture for the last seven years.

Make sure you don't miss a moment of the 2018 RC44 World Championship.

The highly anticipated 2018 RC44 World Championship runs next week in Cascais, Portugal, over 27^th– 30^th September.

While Team Aqua’s Cameron Appleton remains unchallenged as the RC44 class’ longest-serving crew, not far behind is the Netherland’s Dirk de Ridder.

Enjoy the best seat in the house with the Guest Sailor spot.

Watch the highlights from the RC44 Marstrand Cup as Dutchman Nico Poons and his crew on Charisma triumphed at the end of a thrilling final day.

Poons started the day in second place, two points behind overnight leader Torbjorn Tornqvist on Artemis Racing.

Torbjörn Törnqvist and his crew on Artemis Racing continued their progressive form on a closely-fought third day

Torbjorn Tornqvist’s dark blue RC44, Artemis Racing,was the top boat on the second day of the class’s Marstrand Cup.

Team Aqua has seen 23 young people over five years come through their youth programme, but Sophie is the first woman to take on the role. 

The super-competitive RC44 monohull class enjoyed a cracking day of light-airs racing with Igor Lah's Team CEEREF emerging as top boat.

The nine crews are looking forward to renewing rivalries after two successful opening regattas of the 2018 season.

Setting sail from the west coast of Sweden next week will be the RC44 Marstrand Cup.

Returning to the fleet after a year break in 2017 is Hugues Lepic and his team Aleph Racing.

While to race an RC44 successfully requires a team effort, the most vital position on any owner-driver yacht is the tactician.

A big part of every RC44 event is the guest programme. Each day the guests are invited to board the spectator boat and, if lucky, are transferred onto the back of the RC44.