A LONG TIME COMING – 44CUP CALERO MARINAS VICTORY FOR PENINSULA RACING
John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing came out on top at the conclusion today of the 44Cup Calero Marinas in Lanzarote. They won by five points from the newest team, Markus Törnqvist’s GeMera Racing, in turn tied on points with, and winning on countback from, RC44 veterans Team Aqua of RC44 class president Chris Bake. Peninsula Racing has been competing on the 44Cup since 2010 and while enjoying success early on, including winning the RC44 World Championship in 2012, today’s victory was their first in a 44Cup event since 2017 (when they also won here in Lanzarote).
“It was a long time coming, but it’s amazing. I’m feeling great,” commented a beaming Bassadone of his first win in nine years. “The first two races – obviously it helped when you get a good start and you’re ahead. Everything was very calm. We sailed fast. Sailed well. The team did a fantastic job trimming the boat. Conditions were tough, with loads of shifts and Vasco [Vascotto, tactician] did a fantastic job, together with Jordi [Calafat – main trimmer], to get the most out of it. I am so happy for the crew. I pretty much rock up, but they work so hard at regattas and between regattas.”
Additional were German Panei, Jose Manuel, Matthew Barber, Juan Pablo Marcos, Julia Minana and Gonzalo Morales plus coach Gustavo Martinez Doreste and Gonzalo Perez de Guzman and Oliver Gongoran on the shore team with Panei.
Peninsula Racing has definitely gained some speed. Across 12 races most teams had some deep results, but equally all but one boat won a race. Peninsula Racing never finished lower than sixth and won today’s first race. “Before it just felt that we were losing one metre here, one metre there and that made the whole difference,” mused Bassadone. “Now we feel that we can sail at the same speed, that makes the tactics a lot easier.”
Vascotto shared his opinion of their win: “I think now we are a little more consistent in terms of speed and everything. We’ve worked on the sails so that everybody is now sailing more or less in the same condition, which gives me more possibilities to make some good calls.”
Going into today, Peninsula Racing was lying in second, one point behind Team Aqua. This swapped when the Gibraltar team won today’s first race with Team Aqua second (and GeMera finished a lowly seventh). In the second race their lead built, scoring a third to Team Aqua’s fifth and in the final race, just to push the point home they crossed the course on the final run to cover their opponent, with the result that GeMera Racing – which won the final race – drew level on points with Team Aqua, beating her on countback to secure second overall.
“The conditions were very challenging today, as usual when there is a land breeze,” said Vascotto. “We sailed quite nicely the first two races, and then the last one was a sort of match race to control Aqua. Everything was on our side and it was okay.”
Markus Törnqvist’s GeMera Racing had a week of mixed fortunes, but was the only team to win three races, including the last. “It’s been a very interesting week,” commented tactician Francesco Bruni. “We definitely didn’t deliver a good performance today, but we’re happy with how we sailed through the week and happy to be on the podium. The last race was very intense. We were very close. On the first downwind, everything was happening. We managed to stay ahead around at the gate and keep the lead. It was a good race but difficult. There were 40˚ shifts from 310˚ to 350˚ and some parts got up to 11 knots and down to six knots as well.”
For a second day running Aleph Racing was the lowest scoring boat posting, a 5-1-2, but some deep results earlier in the event left them five points shy of the podium.
“Today maybe I was a little bit in the upper part of my energy, but we just kept chipping away. It was fantastic,” commented Pietro Loro Piana, who is steering Aleph Racing this season in place of Hugues Lepic. “Unfortunately, a couple of races did not go our way today. Today Charisma did an amazing job. They had a nice header and were able to go very low. We went on a big, big puff, but it was a little bit in the wrong direction and then the wind died for us as Charisma just took off.”
Charisma was the only boat this week not to score a bullet but equally, like the overall winner, had no result lower than sixth. With owner Nico Poons benched as he recovers from surgery, old friend and fellow Dutch sailor Carlo Vroon was standing in. Vroon comes from a highly respected Dutch yacht racing family – his father Pete raced at a top level from the late 1950s only hanging up his seaboots in 2015, aged 85. During this time his numerous yachts won many top regattas including the 2001 Rolex Fastnet Race. Carlo competed very often on board with his father as did others in the 44Cup fleet, notably Aleph Racing’s Paul Willcox.
“It was wonderful, beautiful, very exciting, very, very competitive sailing,” said Vroon of the 44Cup racing. “It is very, very well organised. The people in the class are fantastic sailors and make it a lot of fun. I’d love to come back.”
The 44Cup decamps now back to the Mediterranean and a new venue – Puntaldia, Sardinia, over 22-26 April.
