(Limassol, Cyprus)- Club SailFirst is a unique organization located in the easternmost parts of the Mediterranean. It is a club that has a fleet of ten J/80 one-design class sailboats. Since 2012, they have been organizing many regattas on that fleet of J/80s, both for yacht clubs across Europe as well as corporate sponsors wishing for fun outings for their employees.
This year they have organized a fun winter/spring series called the “J/80 Cyprus Championship”. It has been a very successful gathering of international crews flying down to the island to participate in each event.
SailFirst’s club and program are located in a particularly attractive part of the Mediterranean. Their sailing area sits further east of Malta and enjoys abundant sunshine and warm waters- key ingredients for sailors currently sitting under grey cold skies across Europe!
The J/80 Cyprus Championship is an annual series of four regattas hosted by SailFirst Sailing Club at St Raphael Marina in Limassol, Cyprus. Participation is open for both experienced sailors and novices, as well as for existing crews or individuals.
The four events are January 20th to 21st, February 17th to 18th, March 24th to 25th, and a Championship Finale with dates t.b.d. in April.
For each weekend regatta, a minimum of three races is planned. The racing includes three windward-leeward courses up to 3.0nm each, plus a “coastal fun race” of 10-15nm (weather permitting) to give the fleet a broader experience for sailing.
The costs are simple enough. In fact, it’s incredibly compelling for anyone wishing a “fun-in-the-sun” break. For a single crew, it’s 70 EUR per regatta. For a skipper, it’s 150 EUR per regatta (e.g. wishes to be the “captain”). And, for an entire “crew” (4-5 crew total, skipper and all) it’s 350 EUR. For everyone, that includes one training day, the J/80 charter, organization & racing fee, refereeing on the water, and boat maintenance.
In other words, fly in, go sailing, leave! That is an AMAZING deal to sail in some of the most spectacular waters of the Mediterranean.
So, how are things progressing so far for Stage I that recently took place from January 20th to 21st? After six races, it was a “dead heat” for the top of the leaderboard.
Starting out fast with three straight bullets was Andrey Klochko’s crew from Ukraine. However, they closed with a 2-3-2 for 7 pts net. How can you possibly lose with such a great record?? Well, flip-flop that tally completely! In a simply astonishing turnabout of events, it was Evgeniy Nikiforov’s crew from Russia that started out with a 3-2-2, but closed with three bullets to win a tie-breaker on 7 pts net each! Ohhh, what heartbreak for Klochko’s crew, yet champagne celebrations for Nikiforov’s team.
Ironically, a very similar scenario played out for the balance of the podium. Who was going to get the Bronze? That, too, was determined by a tie-breaker at 16 pts each. Leading at first was Dmitry Narozhenko’s Russian crew with a 2-3-4-3. But, a closing tally of a 5-4 meant they fell into a tie-breaker with Turovskiy’s team. They had started off slowly with a 4-5-3-4, and then closed with a 2-3 to secure a surprising tie with Narozhenko’s team. In the end, it was Turovskiy’s team winning that tie-break on countback for 16 pts net each. Rounding out the top five was Alexander Balanyuk’s Ukrainian crew with 27 pts net.
Please contact Club SAILFIRST President Anatolios Spyrlidis for more information- email- info@sailfirst.com or Phone +35-799-494241. For more SAILFIRST J/80 Cyprus Championship sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
|
