Three exciting races kicked off the 44Cup season in the waters of Puerto Calero.
The 44Cup Calero Marinas officially started this Wednesday morning with the thrilling competition of the first three races. The majestic black sails once again dominated the horizon on the racecourse, located just meters from Puerto Calero. Team Nika concluded the first day as the leader of the competition. From early hours, preparations for the RC44s’ action could be felt in Puerto Calero, with crews eager to start the season in the same place where they finished the previous one. After a brief briefing led by Marco Mercuriali and María Torrijo, addressing technical aspects of the competition, all teams and the race committee moved onto the water to start the first day of this event. At 11:00 a.m., the first race began with strong winds exceeding 21 knots, indicating it wouldn’t be a calm day of racing. Charisma took the lead after the first turn at the windward mark, maintaining its position at the end of the first lap, followed by Ceeref and Peninsula Racing. In the second turn, Charisma extended its lead at the front, with Team Nika reaching the second position, while Peninsula Racing stayed in third place. Charisma managed to maintain its leadership until the finish line, although the fight for second and third place was exciting until the last moment, with Team Nika securing the second place closely followed by Peninsula Racing, which outpaced Aleph Racing by just seven seconds. The second race of the day started with greater equality, showing that the teams had acquired the rhythm of competition and were determined to avoid the mistakes of the inaugural race. Peninsula Racing led after passing the windward mark, followed by Team Nika and Team Ceeref Vaider. The three maintained their lead during the first lap, distancing themselves from the second group of the RC44 fleet. In the second pass through the windward mark, Team Nika took the lead after a bad manoeuvre by Peninsula Racing on the downwind leg, finally securing the victory in this race, followed by Team Ceeref Vaider and Peninsula Racing. The third and final race of the day began with great excitement, as all teams sought to improve their position in the last battle of the day. A great spectacle was witnessed with numerous position changes throughout the race. Charisma took the lead after the first turn at the windward mark, followed by Team Aqua and Calero Sailing Team, which had an outstanding performance on this day. Team Aqua led in the first lap, closely followed by Team Ceeref Vaider and Black Star Sailing Team. In the last pass through the windward mark, Team Ceeref Vaider took the lead followed by Team Aqua and Team Nika. Team Ceeref Vaider claimed victory in this last race of the day, while the most intense battle took place between Team Aqua and Team Nika, with the latter winning by just two seconds over its rival.
With the results obtained on this day of the 44Cup Calero Marinas, the overall standings leave Team Nika (6) in first position, followed by Team Ceeref Vaider (8), Peninsula Racing (14), Charisma (15), Team Aqua (15), Aleph Team (16), Black Star Sailing Team (19), Calero Sailing Team (20), and Artemis Racing (22). Noteworthy is the performance of the Calero Sailing Team, which in its debut in this competition achieved eighth, seventh, and fifth place respectively, showing a high level of competitiveness throughout the day. The second day of the competition will take place this Friday, with the first race starting at 09:30 a.m. The 44 Cup Calero Marinas is sponsored by the Government of the Canary Islands, the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism within the Next Generation EU Funds, through the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, Canary Islands Latitude of Life, the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Turismo Lanzarote, Lanzarote European Sport Destination, Yaiza City Council, and its Sports area, with the collaboration of the Cicar group and the Arrecife Yacht Club.