Sochi port «Imeretinsky» once again hosted the winter regatta from PROyachting. The first of six rounds of Sochi Winter Cup on GP26 monohulls was held here on November 3-5. Teams from ten Russian regions took part in the regatta.
By a lucky coincidence, the weather forecast, which promised calm weather, was wrong. Wind gusts reached 5 m/sec, which created perfect conditions for racing in the sea.
For many sailors it was their first experience of such competitions.
«Compared to the Moscow Water Stadium there is a completely new level of stress. But they are still pleasant, even exhilarating», - said the member of the newcomer team Yards - Vladimir Pistin.
The winner of the first stage of the regatta was the team «Gornosteil» from Yekaterinburg. According to Dmitry Sudakov, a member of the team, the outcome of the race was strongly affected by the current.
The local team Sea Wolves, familiar with the water area, became the silver medalist; the third position was taken by Sail.
The next stage of the competition will run from December 1 to 3 and the winner of the regatta will be decided on April 1, 2018, at the end of the sixth and final stage.
The winner will receive a challenge trophy - the Winter Racing Series Cup - as well as valuable prizes from the event partners.
PROyachting is holding the Sochi Winter Cup for the third year in a row. The regatta provides an opportunity for both experienced and novice yachtsmen to race on a budget within Russia, even when the season is closed in most parts of the country.
