Team Nika one point off podium at Cowes

Vladimir Prosikhin finished 4^th in the RC44 World Championship after four days of racing on the Solent. Competing in Cowes, the Yacht Club de Monaco member and Team Nika were in the vanguard of the fleet to the end, finishing just one point shy of the podium. Two other YCM members were also competing, Torbjörn Törnqvist (Artemis Racing) who came 6^th, and Nico Poons (Team Charisma) who finished 8^th.

Vladimir Prosikhin finishes 4th in the RC44 World Championship one point shy of the podium

Team Nika got off to the best possible start at the championship. The World Champion title holder Vladimir Prosikhin won the first race after making an excellent start. The boat quickly found its rhythm and pulled away from the fleet. The rest of the first day proved less favourable, as the team had to constantly contend with the Solent’s shifting winds and current.

There was little respite on offer over the week. Unstable winds, shifting currents and light airs followed by stronger conditions saw this famous British race venue constantly reshuffle the rankings.

On Saturday, currents up to 3 knots complicated the starts. Team Nika was recalled after being over the line in the first race but managed to recover quickly.

At the front, the battle between Aleph Racing and Team Aqua intensified, while the gaps remained narrower further back in the fleet.

Three races to get back to the podium

Vladimir Prosikhin saved his best for last. On Sunday in a shifty southerly building breeze from 10 to 20 knots saw Team Nika post a 1-3-1 set of results, a performance that put them back into contention for the podium after ten races.

In the end they fell just short. Had Team Nika gained one place up in the day’s second race, they would have made the podium, a fact the reigning World Champion himself acknowledged at the finish. Vladimir Prosikhin finished 4^th in the RC44 World Championship, just one point behind GeMera Racing. Torbjörn Törnqvist and Artemis Racing followed in 6^th place, the Swede having excelled the previous day by clinching 2^nd place in a race after steadily working his way up through the fleet. Meanwhile, Nico Poons wrapped up the championship in 8^th place with Team Charisma.