A record fleet of 71 teams from 21 nations is set to start the 6th edition of the Aegean 600, organised by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC). The race begins just south of Cape Sounion, Greece, where the 2500-year-old Ancient Temple of Poseidon overlooks the starting line.
The 605-mile course winds throughout the Aegean Sea, with teams departing from Olympic Marine in Lavrion. The starting line and the finish are set at the same iconic location beneath the sea cliffs.
Pre-race activities included the Attica Warm-up Race, a 7.7-mile course sailed in 5-10 knot northeasterly conditions east of Olympic Marine. A Skipper’s Meeting and Welcome Reception followed, giving teams a final chance to socialise and prepare before Sunday’s start.
The fleet spans boats from 30 to 90 feet, with crew sizes ranging from two in the Double Handed division to well over a dozen on the Maxis.
Stratis Andreadis is racing his Garcia 86 Maxi MELITI. He is enthusiastic about the event and the waters it covers.
“Some of the last unexplored race courses in the Mediterranean lie in the Aegean, so it’s great to take part. The AEGEAN 600 can become one of the great races, if it’s not already. It’s a tactical race testing all points of sail, with strong winds and parking lots. It is a great race where great sailors, tacticians and navigators find their legs.”
Among the Double Handed entries is BELLEROPHON (USA), a Pegasus 50 skippered by Leslie Moeller, racing alongside British shorthanded offshore racing legend Pip Hare. Both are competing in the Aegean 600 for the first time.
“Ever since the AEGEAN 600 started, I knew it was one of the 600 mile races I really wanted to do,” said Hare. “It’s such a challenging course in a beautiful place.”
“After I bought this boat in Slovenia, I was looking for races to do and this one looked really good,” said Moeller. “Lots of wind and then maybe no wind, but lots of fun I hope.”
The double-handed format adds particular complexity. Moeller noted the experience deficit heading in. “Since this is our first race, we’ll be racing people who have had this experience a lot of times. So we’re interviewing as many people as possible.”
Hare is focused on managing energy across the course. “It’s all about wind shadows, big gusts in the channels, more wind shadows. I think for us we need to be careful not to change sails too much because for a double handed team this can quickly exhaust you.”
Another team new to the race is PROSECCO DOC SHOCKWAVE 3 (ITA), Claudio Demartis’s Reichel/Pugh 90. Tactician Andrea Michal explained why the race appealed to the crew.
“Many people on board our boat have been taking part in this race before,” he said. “So I’ve heard many good stories and a lot of adventures and I’m very much looking forward it.”
Michal has also drawn on local knowledge. “Luckily, I have many Greek friends, which I’ve been interviewing before. The tricky part is that [this race] is very variable, meaning that it’s not something that you can actually plan before. I’ve been told that the race should be split in different races one by one. And this is very challenging for a boat the size of ours, for example, which needs [a lot of] planning action to be made at the right moment.”
Despite speculation that PROSECCO DOC SHOCKWAVE 3 is a strong line honours contender, Michal is measured in his expectations.
“I don’t like to think we are the most favored to win,” he said. “On the contrary, we are not trained with this boat in as much breeze as we will see at the start or the first part of the race. So we are just focusing on making things right. And even though our boat is the biggest, it’s not [necessarily] the fastest. Many boats are made for downwind and reaching, and it will be very tricky to keep them behind. But we’ll do our best to stay ahead of the competitors and make the most of the race.”
Michal also emphasised the importance of keeping the boat and crew intact throughout the course.
“I like to think that to finish first, first you have to finish,” he said. “So we have to minimize the breakages and concentrate on the reliability of the boat and the crew. So it’s really a matter of teamwork and preparation before the race, this is our goal. We’ve been training a lot for this race and I hope everything will be okay.”
Originally published by Aegean 600.
