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Quattro giorni di regate, sei prove di flotta e due giorni di match race, a bordo dei nuovi RC44, progettati da Russell Coutts e dallo sloveno Andrej Justin.

Three hours training on his RC44 and an hour of interviews and photos on board of his yacht: this is Russel Coutts first day in Trieste for the first edition of the Alfa Spider Match Cup, the race involving, for the first time ever, five one-design yachts RC44 created and designed by Coutts himself together with Slovenian Andrej Justin.

'I’m very happy that the first race with Rc44 will take place in Trieste during the Barcolana week which is first of all a great sailing festival – said the three times America’s Cup winner.

'I’m very excited to see the Rc44 at the start line at last – said Coutts – we built a one-design boat containing the greatest number of features typical to high-performance yachts, in order to create a type of boat at the top of yachting excellence and at the same time very fast and spectacular'.

Coutts, besides being the creator and protagonist of the Alfa Spider Match Cup, will also be the star of the Barcolana at 08 October. Russell Coutts is the star of the Barcolana, the great champion who decided to bring to Trieste the first race of the new RC44 class. Its name is Alfa Spider match cup, and will take place just off San Giusto Basin (very close to the boats tied up, waiting for the Barcolana) from 4 to 7 October.

Five boat owners: besides Coutts himself, the Punto Scotta sailing team of Trieste (with Gabriele Benussi at the helm), the team lead by Vincenzo Onorato (boat owner of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team), a Croatian team and a Japanese one will challenge each other for the first time in a race on board of their new monotypes.

The event is attracting technicians’ attention because Coutts wants to burst onto the international market of sailing races with this monotype class, a very important sector of yachting. Trieste is the first real chance for technicians from all over Europe and Shipyard observers to understand how these boats race, their performance potential and their public appeal.

The programme consists of 4 days of races (two fleet races and two match races) enabling spectators ashore to view the teams’ performances: if the wind permits, the races will be held inside San Giusto Basin. Race courses have been planned by two local technicians: the sport director of the Yacht club Adriaco, Giancarlo Crevatin, and the Triestine sailmaker Roberto Vencato, as well as E20 Explorando, the company marketing the Barcolana.

The formula, instead, has been created by Coutts himself: two days of fleet races (on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 October) and two of match races (on Friday 6 and Saturday 7).

The Alfa Spider Match is the acid test for RC44 boats: they raced for the very first time in Dubai some months ago and their European debut will take place in Trieste, Europe’s eastern gateway.