20:00, Monday 25th March 2024, Alimos, Greece.
The 36-mile race to picturesque Hydra Island and back, over the Greek Revolution Day of 25th March, organized by H.O.R.C, marks the start of the offshore racing season in Greece. Team OPTIMUM-Samos Steamship started their 31st season and 4th decade with a convincing overall victory and Class 1 win in the ORC Performance category with 32 entries, including most of the top national teams. In particular, OPTIMUM S managed a 2nd place on the light wind Leg 1 race to Hydra, followed by a 1st place and line honors win on the windy Leg 2 return race to Athens. We dedicate our victory to our patron Samos Steamship of the Inglessis family for enthusiastically extending their support for another year, and to all Team OPTIMUM members who put a lot of time and work over the winter after our return from ROLEX Middle Sea Race in Malta to maintain and prepare OPTIMUM S for a full-on season.
“Professional sports teams call it “team culture” and is the substance that dictates the evolvement of teams over time. In our amateur sailing world of offshore sailing, Team OPTIMUM has thrived over time by a flourishing “OPTIMUM spirit” orchestrated by Team OPTIMUM Principals Periklis Livas and Nikos Lazos, the sailing duo that goes back to 1981. It is the OPTIMUM spirit that drives us all Team OPTIMUM members to voluntarily put the time and effort on never ending maintenance and improvement checklists, tough technical issues, moving-battening-bagging-washing sails, splicing ropes, wiring electronics, maintaining our media, arranging the container, you name it tasks, that affect team performance. And then the season commences, and out of 46 members registered in OPTIMUM WhatsApp, much less than half actually will be among the 13 onboard OPTIMUM S races due to personal issues, and they know it, but they still help on job lists or are glued on Marine Traffic when we race and send support messages every time the team races or make themselves available to jump on board as last minute alternates. Offshore sailing can be slow, frustrating, wet, tiring, nerve cracking, risky, even masochistic at times but creates moments of fun and achievements that fuel our passion again and again. For example, Hydra Race Leg 2 offered high adrenaline doses to all of us surfing at 23,6 knots in 28 TWS flying our new A2+ Quantum spinnaker in full control and full-on smiles, leaving everybody else far back in our wake”, says enthusiastically Team OPTIMUM trimmer Giannis Kapos.
In addition, OPTIMUM Sailing Academy’s Dehler 30od LAVORO III participated in Hydra Race, supported by LALIZAS S.A. and PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGIES again this season. LAVORO III managed 11th place overall in the ORC Performance category and 3rd place in Class 3. It should be noted that LAVORO III was the only boat to threaten OPTIMUM S win in Leg 2, finally settling in 2nd place, allowing Team OPTIMUM and O.S.A. to claim 1st and 2nd in LEG 2, which underwrites a promising OPTIMUM season.