44Cup Nanny Cay - Overall
by 44Cup 17 Feb 09:08 UTC
12-16 February 2025
In perfect conditions, brilliant sunshine and a 15-18 knot easterly to take the edge off the Caribbean heat, the final day of racing at the 44Cup Nanny Cay, run by PRO Maria Torrijo and the Royal BVI Yacht Club team, was also one of perfect symmetry.
This started with Hugues Lepic's Aleph Racing, the defending Nanny Cay champions, topping the leaderboard with Nico Poons' Charisma, the 2022-23 44Cup champion.
Out on Sir Francis Drake Channel in conditions lighter than the preceding days, Aleph Racing won the first race but with Charisma second, the points separation increased only to a point. Inevitably in the second Charisma came out top with Aleph Racing second, leaving the two teams level pegging once again going into the final race. 15 points clear of Vladimir Prosikhin's third-placed Team Nika, Aleph Racing and Charisma were in no danger of being usurped...but who would come out on top?
In the pre-start the crews, led by tactician Andy Horton on Charisma and Michele Ivaldi on Aleph Racing, dusted off their match racing playbooks and engaged down by the pin. With Charisma to leeward, both came within a whisker of being OCS but slow compared to the opposition. Slightly behind, Aleph was forced to tack losing further ground as she took transoms, but once into clear air, and with just Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team for company out to the right, began her recovery. Tacking back from the right Charisma and Team Nika on port crossed just ahead of her. At the top mark Team Nika led Charisma with Aleph third, overlapped with Igor Lah's Team Ceeref Vaider.
Of the lead trio Charisma was first to gybe, resulting in her leading into the port gate mark as Aleph led Nika into the starboard one. With the latter looking in better shape, Charisma soon tacked. The key moment of the race occurred when she and Aleph came together: Charisma tacked ahead of Aleph which was forced to tack back to the right where she then got stuck in traffic. At the top mark Charisma continued to lead but Aleph had dropped to fifth, her fate sealed.
Thus Charisma won the 44Cup Nanny Cay, with Aleph Racing second. In a further example of symmetry these results were the opposite of 2024's final event on these waters last November
After taking the traditional victor's plunge, Poons commented: "Last time Aleph was first and now it's the other way around - that feels good. We made some small changes this year and it's working well. I have a good feeling for the season. This event has been very nice, especially this time of the year."
At the prize-giving in Nanny Cay's Peg Leg Landing, Poons added: "I'd like to thank the Royal BVI Yacht Club for their help and effort to organise this. And I'd like to thank Aleph who let me win this time! Thank you to my team for all their efforts."
Aleph Racing ultimately finished four points astern of Charisma."It was very close - a lot of fun, and we are very happy to be second," mused Hugues Lepic. "It would have been better to be first, but it was still super enjoyable. It was close right up until the last beat - that's what makes RC44 racing so exciting: It's all about little instances and eventually somebody wins."
Charisma's tactician Andy Horton explained their match racing: "We were trying to be to leeward of them off the line and jam them into the pack." After the split on the second upwind, Charisma's leebow tack on Aleph Racing sealed the deal. "It helped us that they were fighting each other just behind - we tried to get them behind that pack."
This pack he refers to was the match race between Team Ceeref Vaider and Team Nika for third. In this Nika had led on to the first downwind but then gybed too late: at the leeward gate they rounded simultaneously with Ceeref going left and Nika right. Up the second beat Nika also planted a leebow tack on Ceeref, bouncing her off and by the top mark was up to second, rounding astern of Charisma with Ceeref third, positions that held to the finish.
In third Team Nika finished 12 points behind Aleph Racing, largely thanks to a man overboard in the second race. Similarly Team Ceeref Vaider scored deeply in today's first race after getting stuck in traffic on the second upwind.
The two new teams, GeMera and Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team, filled the bottom of the leaderboard, but their crews were looking forward to racing their new boats at the next event.
"It has been super difficult, but I'm trying to be positive and make the best of it," commented Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team's helmsman Daniel Calero. "I hope that once we have our own boat and the crew has more experience, including myself of course, we can be more competitive. Also the strong conditions this week have made it very hard for a new team."
Racing in the 44Cup continues in Porto Cervo, Sardinia over 15-18 May.
44Cup Nanny Cay Results:
(After nine races)
1. Charisma - 1 3 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 - 20
2. Aleph Racing - 5 1 1 2 4 3 1 2 5 - 24
3. Team Nika - 4 6 2 1 1 8 4 8 2 - 36
4. Team CEEREF Vaider - 3 2 5 5 7 1 8 3 3 - 37
5. Team Aqua - 2 7 3 6 6 7 5 5 7 - 48
6. Artemis Racing - 6 9 7 4 2 5 9 4 4 - 50
7. Peninsula Racing - 7 5 6 7 8 6 3 6 6 - 54
8. GeMera - 8 4 8 10DNS 5 4 6 7 8 - 60
9. Calero Sailing Team - 9 8 9 8 9 10DNF 7 9 9 - 78