The twenty year old RC44 class, conceived by Russell Coutts as a strict one design, able to race well in anything from five to 25 knots received two brand new RC44 boats in 2024.
John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing (#29) and his own Team Aqua (#28) – receiving brand new RC44 boats from Pauger Carbon Composites in Hungary. A third new RC44 is currently in build and will join the fleet in 2025.
Conceived by Russell Coutts in 2005 the robustly built carbon fibre RC44 has proved itself an enduring ‘modern classic’. Because of this, and their removable/sacrificial bow and stern, the boats themselves are in very good shape and can still maintain full rig tension, etc while being rigorously kept in one design trim.
The previous Peninsula Racing and Team Aqua boats are now available as turnkey, ready-to-race projects enabling any new owners to join the 44Cup at a moment’s notice. “It would be great to see two new owners on board,” says Class Association President Chris Bake.
Their longevity is best demonstrated by Team Nika and Team CEEREF Vaider topping the 2024 44Cup leaderboard despite being the two oldest boats in the fleet, both launched in 2008.
During 2024, the 44Cup continued its ‘black boat’ program, that has allowed teams to try out and see if they liked the 44Cup and its owner-driver one design racing – that provides yacht racing at the very highest level for a fraction of the cost of box rule classes.
The 2025 season starts off with a return to the BVI and Nanny Cay – 12 to 16 February – and perhaps developing the earlier race schedule some more. One idea is to finish a race off the notorious Willy T’s floating bar off Norman Island.
Back in Europe, racing resumes in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, another of sailing’s greatest venues, before heading north to Marstrand and then back down to the Netherlands World Championship 27 to 31 August, with racing on the North Sea, before concluding the season in the Canary Islands.
Meanwhile the 44Cup owners continue to enjoy it, most now very old friends.
As Bake puts it: “I’ve known Vladimir [Prosikhin, Team Nika’s owner] since 2009. I have seen his kids grown up.” And this is much the case between them all, with newer faces such as Pietro Loro Piana and Christian Zuerrer fitting right in too.
2025 will mark the 17th season for the RC44 one designs. “Overall, the RC44 class is in decent shape,” Bake concludes.
For the new season, the 44Cup will comprise five events, including an official World Sailing-endorsed World Championship providing a fine blend of the highest quality, owner-driver keelboat competition, in some of the world’s finest sailing venues and the best après-sail.
