Report 44Cup Porto Cervo and C31 Porquerolles
RC44 Start of the season
With the decision not to start the season with the Black Star RC44 Team in the British Virgin Islands and to skip the 44Cup Nanny Cay, one thing was for sure: the 44Cup Porto Cervo would be the first real test of the season.
44Cup Porto Cervo
May 14–18, 2025, Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy
Thanks to close coordination with the class association, we were allowed two extra days of training within the strict regulations – which we planned to use intensively.
We launched the yacht in Olbia on the Saturday before the competition week and drew up a training plan based on the weather forecast. We set sail on Sunday and first sailed a few maneuvers in the Bay of Olbia to shake off the “winter rust.” Then we made our way to Porto Cervo. We sailed along the coast of Sardinia for around three hours. With ideal wind conditions, we covered the distance quickly, which gave us more time to refine our maneuvers and procedures at our destination.
After some fruitful training, we got off to a furious start in the regatta. Having familiarized ourselves with sailing in a tightly packed field during the practice races at the end of training, we were already ranked in the middle of the field.
In our “first race” of the season, we got off to such a good start that we were the first yacht to round the windward mark thanks to the tactically correct choice of side. We didn’t relinquish the lead until we crossed the finish line and were proud to start our 44Cup season with a race win. The following days went just as we had planned for this season: always in the middle of the field. This allowed us to maintain our podium position until the final day. Unfortunately, we made several minor mistakes on the final day, which meant that we finished the regatta in fifth place. Although not entirely satisfied with the result, we will take the positive moments with us to Sweden.
Find more photos from the regatta in our RC44 photo gallery.
Cape 31 Porquerolles Regatta
C31 Med Circuit 2025 | Round 2, May 28 – June 1, Porquerolles, France
Shortly afterwards, the next race in the Cape 31 class followed – with participation in the second round of the Med Circuit in Porquerolles. Most of the RC44 team took this opportunity to make a quick detour home before continuing on to the south of France.
The conditions were remarkable: not least, the logistics were a bit of a challenge – Porquerolles is a small island off Hyeres, a nature reserve and beautiful. One challenge was that the yacht had to be assembled in La Seyne-sur-Mer rather than Porquerolles, launched there, and then brought to Porquerolles. That meant a three-hour motor trip across the open sea.
The wind conditions were supposed to be good, with fairly light winds forecast. But on that particular day, the mistral was blowing at 25 knots, which meant we had to cross in waves up to four meters high.
The first comparison races with the other teams showed that we could keep up in terms of speed – but we weren’t faster than the competition. On the practice race day, the mistral died down slightly but remained strong enough to have a lot of fun under spinnaker.
The first day of the regatta began with lighter winds. We got off to a good start in the first race and finished in a solid fifth place. In the following races, however, we lost touch – the yacht never felt right, and we couldn’t find the optimal trim. Looking back, we realized that we weren’t sailing competitively enough during this phase. The rankings reflected this: Black Star finished in 15th place overall.
Despite the mixed results, Porquerolles was a valuable learning experience for us. Not only because we were able to compete with the best in the Cape 31 field for the first time, but also because we had the opportunity to test procedures, communication, and trim systems under real racing conditions.
You can find photos of the regatta in our Cape 31 picture gallery.
Next regattas
The shore team is currently setting up the RC44 yacht in Marstrand, Sweden. We are naturally hoping to build on our performance in Porto Cervo.
The Cape 31 will continue in Imperia in mid-July. Discussions will certainly be held in Marstrand about what we need to change so that we can better keep up with the other teams in the Cape 31 class. As a training platform, this boat class is a real asset to our program – but here too, the same applies: only with noticeable sporting progress will development be sustainable. And that is exactly what we will be working on.