About the Tour

Launched in 2007, the RC44 Championship Tour fast established itself as one of the most competitive and respected events on the international yacht racing circuit.

The defining spirit of the Tour is bringing together superpowers from the worlds of both sailing and global business to enable amateur sailors to race alongside the biggest names in the sport on thoroughbred one-design racing machines at the best sailing venues on the planet.

Reading like a who’s who of sailing’s greatest achievers, from America’s Cup legends to Olympic champions and round-the-world stalwarts, the top names to have embraced the RC44 class in its first six years include:

Present
• Multiple World and European champion sailor Morgan Larson
• 2000 America’s Cup winner and 2011 RC44 Championship Tour winner Cameron Appleton
• Top French match race sailor and runner up in the 2007 and 2010 world match racing tour Mathieu Richard.
• Winner of the 2007 America’s Cup Ed Baird
• German match race titan Markus Wieser

Past
• 2010 America’s Cup winning skipper James Spithill
• American yachting titan Paul Cayard
• Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker
• US SAILING's 2008 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and TP52 World champion Terry Hutchinson

That's before we mention RC44 co-designer and four-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts.

The result?

A Tour in which no-one is prepared to concede an inch, with skippers pushing the boats and their crews to the boundaries of their extensive capabilities and events that are often not decided until supercharged final days of racing.

It is breathtaking to be a part of and a thrilling spectacle to witness.

As Russell Coutts says, “It has developed into a high-level racing circuit and the standard of competition has grown a lot year-on-year. Each regatta just gets more and more competitive. It is probably fair to say it’s exceeded my expectations and the potential is there to even improve things further.”

David Murphy, new to the class in 2011 with Ironbound, said: “It is a unique class, with certainly the highest level of competition in one-design sailing. For me the initial attraction was I was going to sail against the best sailors in the world.”

Chris Bake, owner of Team Aqua and winner of the 2011 and 2012 RC44 Championship Tour, added: "I think the class provides a winning formula. On a relative basis it's affordable for the level of sailing you are doing, the racing format is highly enjoyable, the members of the class make it a lot of fun. It’s a good class with great people and it’s very competitive so it's very challenging for anyone coming into the fleet."

My how you've grown!

In 2007 and the first ever RC44 Championship Tour event saw seven competing teams in the Slovenian port of Portorož. By the end of that inaugural season five more teams had joined the class.

Fast forward five years and the 2012 Championship Tour saw an impressive 16 boats competing at the Adris RC44 World Championship with class veterans Team Aqua dominating the leaderboard and taking the championship title for the second consecutive year. Moving on to 2013 and a change in rule opens the door for the first all female crew to join the 16 strong fleet of RC44's with the first event of the season making its debut in Muscat, Oman.

Such has been the success of the RC44 that the Championship circuit has expanded from Europe to include stops in the Middle East and made its debut on America’s West Coast when the 2011 Tour kicked-off in San Diego, California.

With world class competition the number one priority, the RC44 Championship Tour only visits world-renowned sailing venues where decent breeze is as good as guaranteed.

Getting even closer to the action

It is one thing experiencing the thrill of RC44 racing from the shore; it is entirely another being on the spot experiencing all the toil, the drama and the glory the crews are first-hand. These formidable sensations can be a reality for media, sponsors and VIPs who are invited to ride onboard with one of the teams during the regatta as the ninth man.

Not everyone will get the chance to join the crew but with spectator boats ensuring people can get to the heart of the show on the water and spectator vantage points a major consideration when choosing venues and plotting racecourses, the public can get heart-stoppingly close to the action.

With a media team that includes professional photographers and TV production recording every second of racing for the class and event websites and, with the racing featuring on Seamaster Series, Eurosport, Sailing Channel, CNN MainSail plus many more.

The RC44 Championship Tour Roll of Honour

2007 – Team Aqua
Owner: Chris Bake (GBR)
Professional Skipper: Cameron Appleton (NZL)

2008 - Team Banco Espirito Santo
Owner: Patrick de Barros  (POR)
Professional Skipper: Russell Coutts (NZL)

2009 – No Way Back
Owner: Pieter Heerema (NED)
Professional Skipper: Ray Davies (NZL)

2010 – BMW ORACLE Racing
Owner: Larry Ellison (USA)
Professional Skipper: Russell Coutts (NZL)

2011 - Team Aqua
Owner: Chris Bake (GBR)
Professional Skipper: Cameron Appleton (NZL)

2012 - Team Aqua
Owner: Chris Bake (GBR)
Professional Skipper: Cameron Appleton (NZL)