Eight teams compete for 2024 44Cup podium in BVI, with Turkish Team entering the season’s final event
by 44Cup Nov 20 16:40 PST
November 20-24, 2024
2024 44Cup © Nico Martinez
Racing kicks off Thursday from Nanny Cay, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands for the last event of the 2024 44Cup season. Currently, the title fight appears to be between Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika and Igor Lah’s Team Ceeref Vaider, who are positioned first and second.
Team Nika claimed victory in the season’s opener in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, as well as the 2024 44Cup World Championship in stunning Brunnen, Switzerland at the end of August, while Lah’s Slovenian team has consistently achieved top results.
The genuine competition is about who will make it to the podium, with eight of the nine competing RC44s still having a realistic chance to secure a third-place finish. They range from Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing in third place with 11 points (a previous winner during the RC44s’ last visit to the Virgin Islands in 2015) to John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing in eighth, only three points behind Artemis Racing at 14.
Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team currently holds sixth place and is just two points away from the podium. “Nothing is straightforward in this class – reaching the podium is possible, but so is the opposite,” remarks Zuerrer, who organized the last event, the 44Cup World Championship on Lake Brunnen in Switzerland. “Racing will be intense and tight. Let’s hope we can perform well.”
This marks Zuerrer’s first time sailing in the Caribbean, where he is experiencing one of the world’s top sailing destinations. The 44Cup fleet is centered in Nanny Cay, Tortola, with races held in St Francis Drake Channel between Tortola and the nearby islands known as ‘the Little Sisters.’ “It’s fantastic here – certainly a lovely spot to close the season and look ahead to 2025,” adds Zuerrer. “Forecast indicates winds of 9-15 knots with potential for stronger gusts on Sunday. But as I always say, the weather affects everyone equally, and we need to make the best of it. Depending on wind direction, there should be flat waters, but certain conditions may bring waves.”
RC44 Class Association President Chris Bake, whose Team Aqua is in seventh, concurs. “Sailing in the turquoise waters in November is something special. This is the best time of year – absolutely stunning, incredible weather, great breezes, and excellent sailing. It’s snowing back home, so everyone is envious of us!”
This year, Team Aqua has been becoming familiar with their new RC44, hull #28, but they did end August’s 44Cup World Championship by winning the final race. “She feels great,” remarks Bake about his new vessel. “It’s been well set up, and we’ve resolved many of the initial issues.” Regarding their chances this season, Bake concludes: “We’ll see. We need to tighten things up a bit. This year was a challenge for us, trying to connect everything. It would be nice to perform well here.”
Making their 44Cup debut in Tortola is a new Turkish team called Wow!, led by Mehmet Taki and featuring Spain’s double Olympic gold medallist in 49er sailing, Iker Martinez, as tactician.
Istanbul’s Taki has been racing for a decade, recently spending a season and a half with a ClubSwan 36 and then sailing PalmaVela on a ClubSwan 50. He has campaigned various boats, including a Bolt 37. Although he has only experienced the RC44 for two days, he’s impressed: “I’ve never sailed a better boat in my life. The helm is exceptional. I can’t speak for the rest of the crew – they’re still figuring it out, but it’s a fantastic boat.” Reflecting on practice racing so far, Taki admits: “I was nervous yesterday racing so close to others! I’m relying on my crew and my insurance! If I look around, I might panic!”
He is thoroughly enjoying the BVI, as visiting has long been a dream. “This was my father’s dream vacation spot, but he never took me when I was younger! I’ve always been intrigued to see it.”
Astonishingly, despite his extensive sailing experience, Iker Martinez is about to compete in his first-ever RC44 regatta. He guided Taki through ClubSwan classes, but that ended in 2022. “I didn’t have any expectations, but I like the boat,” says Martinez regarding the RC44. Recently, he has been involved with Sebastien Simon’s Groupe Dubreuil IMOCA campaign, positioned second in the Vendée Globe. Martinez joins several Olympic medallists in the 44Cup, including Artemis Racing’s Iain Percy (with 2 golds and 1 silver). “We’ve come here to test the boat and also to connect with the fleet and the people. The competition is intense, but can we succeed with our team?”
Racing begins Thursday with the first warning signal at 12:00 Atlantic Standard Time (UTC -4).
2024 44Cup Overall Ranking: (after four events with one discard)
1. Team Nika – 1 2 7 1 – 4pts
2. Team CEEREF Vaider – 2 4 6 2 – 8pts
3. Artemis Racing – 8 1 2 8 – 11pts
4. Aleph Racing – 5 5 3 4 – 12pts
5. Charisma – 6 7 1 5 – 12pts
6. Black Star Sailing Team – 7 3 8 3 – 13pts
7. Team Aqua – 4 8 4 6 – 14pts
8. Peninsula Racing – 3 6 5 7 – 15pts
9. Calero Sailing Team – 9 9 10 9 – 27pts
