For the first time in its history, a Russian team won the prestigious Giraglia Rolex Cup sailing race which took place from June 9 to 17.
Vadim Yakimenko's TP52 Freccia Rossa team beat the 209 crews who started the 241 nautical mile offshore race from Saint-Tropez (France) to Genoa (Italy) via the Giraglia Rock off the north coast of Corsica.
Freccia Rossa reached Genoa early Friday morning and was the fifth yacht to finish. The corrected time of 38 hours and 48 minutes and 11 seconds places Freccia Rossa at the top of the ranking.
The race was held in low wind conditions, especially from Giralya Rock to the finish line, which dashed the hopes of the other competitors who had been at sea for quite some time. Most of the boats didn't reach the finish line until Saturday, after spending about 60 hours at sea. As a result, Freccia Rossa's victory was confirmed.
«Winning here is an extraordinary feeling," said Yakimenko before the awards ceremony. - There are so many boats, teams from all over the world. I am very proud of my crew, which includes both professionals and amateurs. It is always a pleasure to race together».
The Giraglia Rolex Cup, one of the Mediterranean's premier regattas, is held annually in June. The first edition took place in 1953. There were 22 yachts on start. Today's regattas have a full schedule, starting with a warm-up race from Saint-Remont to Saint-Tropez, followed by a series of short races in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and finishing with the race from Saint-Tropez to Genoa, the turning-point of which is the Girallia Rock on the north coast of Corsica, which gave the Cup its name. The race is organised by the Italian Yacht Club, the Saint-Tropez Maritime Association and the French Yacht Club.
