Törnqvist wins 44Cup Baiona 2024

The second event of the 2024 44CUP season attracted nine teams to Spain for racing on May 8-12 in Baiona. At the Atlantic Ocean venue, Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing won five races out of nine for a six point winning margin.

“I am absolutely delighted,” said Törnqvist. “I think it was 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.

“We have also changed a few things and Hamish [Pepper, tactician] has been on a winning boat for the past two seasons. You improve all the time and all the team learn from each other which results in a class which is at the highest level that’s possible in sailing.”

Artemis Racing first joined the RC44s in 2008 but remarkably this is the first time since 2016 that they have won a regatta. Clearly a major part of their turnaround has come from Pepper having won the last two seasons with Nico Poons’ Charisma.

“For this event, they also had two stand-in crew in Brad Ferrand on the bow and Luke Muller as offside trimmer/grinder which may have additionally helped change the dynamic on board. “They fitted in the team really well – it really came together,” admitted Pepper.

A worthy second was Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika. Remarkably, while Artemis Racing scored five bullets, Team Nika won no races but had only two results deeper than fourth, to end the event six points adrift of the winner. Their performance here also breaks ‘the curse of the golden wheels’ (the 44Cup’s equivalent of the yellow jersey in cycling) in retaining their position as 2024 44Cup season leaders.

“We are happy with the week – second is very good in this class,” admitted Prosikhin, whose team, like Artemis Racing seems also to be strongly on the ascent. “I hope it is coming together – you never know. I keep my fingers crossed. Artemis’ result is probably the best result ever.

“Maybe we were a bit lucky because it was a very tricky course and you cannot guarantee you’ll be in front. In Lanzarote we had very good speed. Here we had to fight and it was very different – the course is not uniform. In one race we were first…first…first and then they got huge pressure on the right and some lift and then we were second…third…fourth and ended up ninth! But what can you do? Artemis’ result is very well deserved. Torbjörn does so much for the class and he has made some very good changes.”

The next event on the 2024 44Cup will be the third in Marstrand on June 19-23 followed by two more new venues for the 44Cup – Brunnen, Switzerland for the RC44 World Championship on August 21-25, and the season concluding at Nanny Cay, Tortola in the BVI over November 20-24.

Details: 44Cup information – Event details – Facebook

2024 44Cup Schedule
February 28-March 3 – 44Cup Calero Marinas, Canary Islands
May 8-12 – 44Cup Baiona, Spain
June 19-23 – 44Cup Marstrand, Sweden
August 21-25 – RC44 World Championship Brunnen, Switzerland
November 20-24 – 44Cup Tortola, British Virgin Islands

About the RC44 boat
Five-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts conceived the design of the light-displacement, high-performance one-design RC44 with naval architect Andrej Justin in 2005.

Created for top level one design racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules, the concept and design features of the RC44 are aimed at the amateur helmsmen with professional crews. For its thirteenth season in 2019, the RC44 Championship Tour was rebranded the 44Cup. https://www.44cup.org/

Source: 44Cup