Sochi hosted the second leg of the Sochi Winter Cup by PROyachting

The second stage of PROyachting winter racing series took place on December 2-4. The races were held on GP 26 mono-types and were hosted by the modern yacht port «Imeretinskiy».

Friday's training was held in the normal mode - two races were held at the wind of 5-7 knots. A storm warning was announced for Saturday in Sochi.

Rampant weather is nothing new for Sochi - as a rule, at this time of year there is a critical winter storm. But the city has not seen a storm of such force for five years.

Gusts of wind reached 30 m/c, wave height was 6-7 meters.

On Sunday there was still a standing order to stay out at sea. The storm had abated, but its effects (strong gusts with hail, high waves) were still felt and the race on the high seas was not safe.

The organizers decided to hold the regatta in the bay on the course «two loops». The port itself «Imeretinsky» is protected by a breakwater, and the elements had no impact on its work.

The main difficulty for the racers on the closed course is unpredictability. Such water area requires extraordinary concentration.

Yachtsmen have to catch changing winds and make quick decisions and timely maneuvers.

Vyacheslav Sivenkov, skipper of the team «Sail», said that his team immediately adapted to such conditions and made mistakes, they managed to get accustomed only to the second race, which, of course, affected the results.

«The races are hard, but they have to be. Such format makes you practice all the necessary elements and it is especially useful for beginners. It is very similar to Moscow conditions," said Alexei Kapustin of the Right tack team. - Pure lottery; some were lucky, some were not».

However, this team was lucky to get the lucky ticket. As a result of two difficult races they took first place. M1 Cloud team came second and Skolkovo 2 was third.

The next leg of the regatta will be held from January 6 to 8. The reservations are already open.

The PROyachting project came up with the idea to organise winter races in Russia a year ago. The concept of the regatta is affordable racing and professional organization. The company prepared package offers including accommodation in 4* hotel, training programme and evening activities. If a team of 4 persons decides to participate in the regatta, the participation fee is 30 000 roubles per person.

The regatta is intended both for experienced yachtsmen, who need to keep in shape all year round, and for beginners, who are just getting acquainted with sailing.