Cape Sounio, Sunday July 28, 2019.
The final leg of the 56th Aegean Rally from Milos island to Cape Sounio concluded in medium to very light winds and Optimum 3 crossed the finish finish line at 01:30 early Sunday, scoring a 2nd place for race 6 That was a sweet reward for the Optimum crew after tearing apart a spinnaker and the mainsail in race 3 and competing in race 4 and 5 with the trysail instead of a mainsail. As such, with the scoreline reading 6-5-3-6-6-2, OPIMUM Yacht Racing Team managed a 5th place overall out of nine very competitive boats in the performance category.
“As soon as our replacement mainsail arrived in Milos, the team got back to racing mode. After sailing 115 miles with the trysail, sailing and tuning the mast for a full size mainsail brought all smiles aboard. Charis returned for the final leg as planned, timed the start perfectly and Periklis crossed the line at full speed and at the best spot, leaving no doubt that we were back on track for real. The leg was tricky enough with the wind dropping along with the sun and shifting continuously and unpredictable. We tried to cover all corners but TP52 BULLET was also on fire and didn’t let go, so we had to settle for 2nd, our best score in this year’s Aegean Rally. We did not made it to the podium but we sailed smart and effectively given the circumstances. Our investment in young blood on board will hopefully keep the Optimum spirit alive in many years to come. Last year we celebrated 25 years of Team OPTIMUM, this year we celebrate our 25th participation in the Aegean Rally because we have missed the one in 1996 when we were in Palma, in Copa Del Rey Sailing Week for the Mumm 36 European circuit…., time flies fast” says co-owner/skipper Nikos Lazos with a full smiling face.
See you all on Monday in the spectacular prize giving ceremony to cheer for the worthy winners of the Naval academy officers sailing on PEGA, a well presented X-362 Sport.