Piraeus, Sunday, September 13th , 2015, 23:30.
The “2015 National Offshore Sailing Championship” is over and the winner is the Greek Offshore Sailing Community. Event organizers Piraeus Sailing Club and Hellenic Sailing Federation hosted a real Championship that went all the way to the wire. One should mention that both presidents of the organizing bodies were every single day with a rib out on the race course watching the ongoing battles that kept us all on our toes. The Race Committee managed to complete the full schedule of nine races including two coastal and seven Windward/Leeward courses. In Day 3, Saturday, only one race was completed due to variable wind conditions, but Day 4, today was a perfect finale. Three thrilling W/L races in perfect sunny conditions and northerly winds 14-18 knots of strength were completed and after every finish the overall results were changing. OPTIMUM 3-ASPIDA-SAXOBANK posted a worthy 4thplace in Day 3 and 3, 7, 8 on Day 4 managing a final 6th place for the championshipwith a score line of 8, 6, 5, 2, 8, 4, 3, 7, 8.
“The turning point proved to be race 7 of Day 4 that we managed 3rd. That result combined with what the other boats scored lifted Team OPTIMUM in 3rd place overall. We knew that the conditions would stay the same for the remaining races and we were fast and confident. We beat comfortably the TP52s and we were only 17 and 9 seconds behind at corrected time after one hour of racing from the 40-footers that finished 1st and 2nd respectively. We only had to score no less than 4thand climb on the podium. We didn’t. In race 8, we made a couple of costly crew errors and scored 7th. We got our act together for the final race 9, nailed the start and even led more than any other race the first upwind leg to mark 1 in front of both the faster TP52s, but only managed 8th in the end. That’s sport. Although we did not reach the podium in this regatta, I have to confess that it was the most competitive and enjoyable of the whole 2015 season. The OPTIMUM spirit was at its best, we felt and fought like a team, we acted as a team and when things turned bad for us in race 8, all the team was like a fist and dealt with the situation with great camaraderie and support. I am proud of my team and happy to be a long standing Team OPTIMUM member along with the rest of the guys, congratulations to all!” declared loyal trimmer Alexis Chrysochoides just after the Prize giving ceremony.
OPTIMUM 3 sponsored by ASPIDA Maritime Security and SAXO BANK will have an exclusive outing next weekend, where sponsors, crew family members, friends and OPTIMUM fan club members are invited for first time ever to live the experience of what is like to be on board a thoroughbred carbon 52 feet racing yacht guided by OPTIMUM international sailors. If you are not invited and you wish to be part of the event, please contact us through our fb page and try your luck. Love you all out there!