J/111 silvers in the Aegean 600 Race
by J/Boats 10 Jul 22:42 PDT
Aegean 600 © Nikos Alevromytis / AleN
On Sunday, 4th of July in Greece, starting in front of the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio, an international fleet of forty-three teams hailing from 16 countries started the Aegean 600 Race.
This 600.0nm tour of the spectacular Aegean Sea was hosted by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC). With an interesting course that has the fleet passing 15 islands, it is the famous Aegean itself that draws participants from around the world to enjoy the same superb sailing conditions and stunning scenery that has been inspiring mariners near and far for centuries.
The route was designed by a team of sailors from HORC who know the expectations of their fellow sailors in a race of this level. As a result, the competitors will enjoy a wide array of scenic passages and crossings, such as that through the Caldera of Santorini, but also some quite difficult routes through the straits of Kos and Mykonos-Delos where the prevailing Meltemi can be strong or extremely shifty.
End in the end, the two J/Teams sailed well, as they are very experienced offshore teams. Peter Gustafsson's J/111 BLUR.SE and his Swedish team sailed a very strong race, taking the silver in the ORC Division and fourth place in the IRC Division. On a boat-for-boat basis, they consistently sailed around 7th overall until the final sprint to the finish when a few 45 to 60 footers finally passed them! It was a very challenging race, with a lot of "stop & go" driving, requiring lots of sail changes and adjustments to maintain speed. Incredibly, the smallest boat around them at the finish were XP 44s and the largest was a Swan 65!! The J/11S Aiolia sailed by Spyros Papantoniou from Greece finished 9th in ORC and 13th in IRC Divisions.
For more about Aegean 600 Race visit aegean600.com.