Team Aqua of Britain's Chris Bake has been proclaimed winner of the RC44' Puerto Calero in both the match race competition, which was held last Wednesday, and the fleet races, in the last four days. Second place went to the French Aleph of Hughes Lepic, achieving his best classification since competing in this class, and third place went to the Swedish Artemis of Torbjorn Torqvist. John Bassadone's Peninsula Petroleum finished fourth and Daniel Calero's Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, eighth.
The last day was very complicated due to the low intensity of the wind. This caused a delay of about two hours on land and once in the water the wind did not blow with sufficient intensity, between 6 and 8 knots, until after two in the afternoon, at which time the Committee was able to start a single race and which would end up winning the AEZ of the Austrian René Mangold, a boat that would thus move up two places to finish fifth. Fourth place overall went to Peninsula Petroleum, who had a good race finishing fifth, but it was not enough to attack the final podium, as they did three months ago in these same waters when they finished third in the 2011 World Championship. The Islas Canarias Puerto Calero also did not change its position in the general after this day, although finally it made a partial of a ninth; the Canarian boat finished the competition in eighth position in the general classification.
John Bassadone explained upon arrival at port that "finally it could not be, the penultimate day was fatal for us and although in this last one we have made a fifth, we have not been able to climb any position and we have been at the gates". The Gibraltarian owner commented that "we are happy because we start in a great position in the circuit, fourth, and we can face the next race in Cascais with a good position".
Daniel Calero was resigned "it has not been a good week for us and although we have made a couple of good partials, finally we have not been able to be close to the podium that was our final goal".
The RC44' Puerto Calero Cup has inaugurated the RC44' Championship Tour 2012, the next event will be at the end of March in the town of Cascais (Portugal).
FINAL CLASSIFICATION
1 Aqua (GBR), 10-1-13-4-1-3-1-1-2, 36
2 Aleph (FRA), 2-3-1-9-2-4-11-7-7, 46 points
3 Artemis (SWE), 3-4-12-3-9-2-10-2-4, 49 points
4 Peninsula Petroleum (GBR), 5-2-4-1-12-6-9-10-5, 54 points
5 AEZ (AUT), 8-10-11-11-5-1-8-3-1, 58 points
6 Ceeref (SLO), 7-8-9-13-3-5-4-5-11, 65 points
7 Nika (RUS), 4-12-5-2-4-13-3-13-12, 68 points
8 Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), 6-14-10-6-7-11-2-4-9, 69 points
9 No Way Back (NED), 1-9-3-7-8-9-13-11-14, 75 points
10 Katusha (RUS), 12-13-2-5-14-7-5-12-6, 76 points
12 AFX Capital (ITA), 12-13-2-5-14-7-5-12-8, 78 points
12 Ironbound (USA), 14-5-6-10-10-12-15-8-3, 83 points
13 Synergy (RUS), 13-11-15-15-6-8-7-6-10, 91 points
14 RUS7 (RUS), 11-6-7-12-11-14-12-14-100, 100 points
