RC44 Cup 2019: an unexpected outcome

November 19, 20193min read

The victory of the Slovenian Ceeref on 17 November ended on the thirteenth season of the monotype class RC44 – 44Cup. To claim victory in the season “Nika” of Vladimir Prosikhin be content with the bronze, and “Battleship” spent the best phase of the year.

The laws of the genre, the final stage 44Cup, which was held 13-17 November in Palma de Mallorca, pleased with the incredible tension and unpredictable results. Ingredients became difficult weather and uncharacteristic for the veterans of the class errors, which, in turn, was the main cause of displacements in the standings.

From the first glance at the results shows that all nine participants simply did not have enough time to put everything in its place. In the final table 44Cup Palma from three tie-breaks, as at the top and in the middle of the fleet. The first day of racing was lost due to the storm and in the days that followed, the unstable wind is not allowed through hoops. In the end, the stage on the palm has become the most “unproductive” for the entire season is only eight races in the championship, without the possibility of release of these results from the final table of the season.

For three days when the teams were on the water three times followed the leader, and before the final day, seven of the nine teams could claim medals.

To start 44Cup Palma three times world Champions “nick” and the world Champions, veterans class Team Aqua in the lead in the season standings with a difference of one point, while future winners Ceeref was behind by five points. But the experience and composure of the winners of the seasons 2016 and 2017 Ceeref helped the team after a bad start to align the results and with four wins in stage to beat the competition on the way to the gold season.

Passionate about his duel, “Aqua” and “nick’s” other rivals have put aside and lost. Both teams had very bad stage, and, more importantly, scored the same number of points, sharing sixth place. Accordingly, in the table of the season the teams were on a tie-break, and the advantage was the British team that had two victories on stages of the season, and which got the silver, while “nick” was satisfied with a bronze.

“Turned out, of course, interesting regatta, but not for us. For us it was the most difficult for the last five years, says the steering “Niki” Vladimir Prosikhin. – All the problems that could happen, happened: we were wrong, picked the wrong sails, the wind came not in our favor. And, though it should probably be glad that we were on the podium with a medal at the end of the season”.

In turn, “Battleship”, according to the steering Kirill Frolov, the palm had the best phase of this complex for the team of the season. “Good speed, good starts and exit at the first mark, – said Frolov. – But trouble was also. Two penalty points in the first day after a collision with Artemis, and today in the first race when it was in the top five, washed tank overboard – while you were raised, came last.”

Unlike the previous stages, “Battleship” showed nearly consistent five finishes in the top three in eight races. It is not surprising that the team stayed in the leading group throughout the days 44Cup Palma, but lost the medal of the Swedish Artemis on a tie-break.

Tavatuy Pavel Kuznetsov held the stage on the palm unstable, with four wards in the top five. Twice the team was close to victory, but lack of experience prevented to realize potentially profitable situation.

The press service of the Yacht club of Saint-Petersburg