Ten teams line up on the Solent for four days of racing, with GeMera Racing, Aleph Racing and Team Charisma separated by three points at the top of the 44Cup season standings.
Photo / Sailing Energy / 44Cup /
The 44Cup World Championship Cowes gets under way on the Solent today, with the first warning signal scheduled for 12:00. Ten RC44 teams will race through Sunday, September 27, for the class’s 16th world title. The Royal Yacht Squadron is hosting the event, which brings the circuit to Cowes for the third time.
© Sailing Energy
24 September, 2026
The championship also carries heavy weight in the season-long 44Cup. GeMera Racing, helmed by Markus Törnqvist with Francesco Bruni calling tactics, arrives as the circuit leader. Pietro Loro Piana’s Aleph Racing sits two points behind, and Nico Poons’ Team Charisma is one point further back.
“You can’t discard the points, so you need to go in with confidence and make sure you do well,” said Törnqvist, who will again race against his father, Torbjörn Törnqvist, helming Artemis Racing.
Nico Martínez / 44Cup
Poons, whose Team Charisma won the world title in 2022 and 2023, is keeping his expectations in check. “I don’t have that much expectation, because then the results are always better than when you go in with high expectations!” he said.
The fleet includes several former champions. Team Nika, helmed by Vladimir Prosikhin with Nic Asher as tactician, has won five world titles, most recently in 2024 and 2025. Team Aqua, owned by RC44 Class Association President Chris Bake, has won three.
Nico Martínez / 44Cup
Yesterday’s practice day doubled as the King’s Cup, sailed in RC44s for the first time at Bake’s initiative. Guest helms took the wheel for two charity races in aid of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and other Isle of Wight charities. Peter Morton steered Charisma to victory in the first race, and Royal Yacht Squadron Commodore Robert Bicket helmed Team Aqua to win the second. Team Aqua took the King’s Cup after finishing level on points with two other teams.
“It was really successful. Using the RC44s for this has been great. Bringing the communities together, as well as being able to help all the charities on the island feels really good,” Bake said.
