OPTIMUM 3-ASPIDA-SAXOBANK left Kalamaki home port on her 500+ mile non-stop delivery trip to Malta. The delivery crew of nine guys plans to arrive in Valetta, Malta at early Monday morning. Four of them will catch the direct flight to Athens the same afternoon and the remaining guys will prepare the boat for the Saturday 18th start of the 606 mile 35th Rolex Middle Sea Race. The rest of the racing crew of ten guys arrives a day earlier, and the plan is to go out for a short 2-hour training session to pull the ropes as we like to say.
“I am so excited to be part of the delivery crew to Malta. I am in my first year in OPTIMUM Yacht Racing Team and I couldn’t do the race due to my job but arranged to skip Monday from work and go for the passage. I have never sailed that far at one go and arrive in another country by boat. The weather forecast promises a quiet and easygoing passage but then one need to always remember that is just a forecast and being alert gets you on the safe side. We have lots to eat and drink and we will opt for three 4-hour shifts of 3 guys each. We selected to round Peloponnese instead of going through the Corinth Canal and then straight to Malta. OPTIMUM 3 and five veteran guys have done the passage few times before so I shouldn’t worry. Or should I worry?” questions grinder George Kyragiannis with a smile all over his face.
The delivery crew for the Athens-Malta passage compromises by Optimum crew members Alexandros Sofroniadis, George Kyragiannis, Gerasimos Petratos, Nikos Apostolakis, Alexandros Marougkas and Periklis Livas and three special visitors that was very keen to join. Alexia Despotopoulou, regular crew of yacht ALTER EGO and approved by Stelios Bonas for the passage, plus Evi Delidou and Roberto Rodrigues graduates of Baxevanis Sailing School and approved by Thanassis Baxevanis himself. Team Optimum is open to anyone keen to put the time and effort, and a 500+ passage on OPTIMUM 3 is a challenging proposition. So, we welcome Alexia, Evi and Roberto and we hope to live up on their expectations.
Let the journey begin….
Consider this article as Malta news-story No.3, and watch this page for more soon enough…