(Sevastopol, Crimea)- The second stage of the Premier Division of the
Russian J/70 Sailing League was just completed off the gorgeous seaport
of Sevastopol on the southwest corner of the Crimean peninsula. In the regatta were seven teams from Sochi, Moscow, Tuapse and Sevastopol. Those crews were KOREG Sailing Team (Artem Avetisyan); QPRO Sailing Team (Sergey Avdonin); Calypso (Vladimir Shishkin); Neptune (Yuri Bozhedomov); PAKETA Team (Tatyana Timokhova); Varvara Team (Ilina Sventonovskaya); and the AYA team (Valeria Zubkova).
Over
the three-day event, fifteen races races were held. The winners were
the “local heroes” on the Sevastopol team "Neptune" with helmsman Yuri
Bozhedomov. They won eight races on their way to a convincing victory
over their rivals with just 26 pts total. It was an amazing performance
for a team that had only practiced twice before the regatta and was
learning how to make the J/70 go faster every race! Having some local
knowledge helped overcome their initial deficit, but Yuri and his crew
were quick learners!Taking second place was Moscow's QPRO Sailing Team led by skipper Sergei Avdonin. They posted five 2nds in their scoreline and won the final race, accumulating 44 pts overall.
The battle for third place on the final day was between another Sevastopol team- AYA skippered by Valeria Zubkova and the KOREG Sailing Team skippered by Artem Avetisyan. Both teams traded off 2nd and 4th places just about every race. However, in the end, it was Zubkova’s AYA team that took the bronze with 53 pts, while the KOREG team settled for 4th place with 59 pts. Rounding out the top five was PAKETA team skippered by Tatyana Timokhova.
"The
format of the races is such that teams are constantly chasing different
boats,” explained the Chief Judge of the competition, Eduard
Yurchenko. “The format is attractive and judging the competitions is a
pleasure. Plus, in Sevastopol the large, enclosed bay is a very
convenient sailing area, and the weather allows sailors to race in
different conditions. We had a good combination of stormy winds and
light to moderate breezes with chop over the weekend. Plus, the racing
was so close to shore, we had a lot of spectators!”"At this regatta, we were chasing well-trained crews around the race course. It was very interesting for us to keep pace and learn fast,” said Neptune’s helmsman, Yuri Bozhedomov. “Yes, we were lucky with the weather. In short, the best impressions all around for our first regatta! We will strive to continue to participate in the Premier League stages and hope to make it to Moscow!"
"I am participating for the first time in the National Sailing League," explained Valeria Zubkova, the helm for Team AYA. “It's super, it's a fun time sailing the J/70s! Great boats! I think that everything was successful. All the participants liked sailing in Sevastopol Bay. We know it from growing up here in our childhood! That helped a lot for our tactics and strategies. We hope to be able to compete in Moscow along with the other teams, too!”
"Our problem was that at first, we did not decide who would be steering," said the coach of the KOREG Sailing Team - Mushegh Garibyan. “We are still learning, gaining experience. The weather was magnificent, the rivals are good, the battles around the course were terrific. The experience gained is priceless! We look forward to sailing again!”
"We
looked at Yuri Bozhedomov, who knows Sevastopol’s bay better than
anyone else. He showed everyone a master class,” says the helmsman of
KOREG Sailing Team- Artem Avetisyan. "We gained a lot of experience and
will apply it in the future. We will do everything to get to the Higher
League. In terms of weather and competition in Sevastopol, it was very
interesting. Even more interesting than in Sochi. The city itself and
its people have very high spirits. On Friday, I was steering. Frankly, I
was disappointed in our first few races. But, then we pulled ourselves
together and started to catch up with everyone. In Moscow, we promise to
show our best results!”The third stage of the Premier Division of the National Sailing League will be held in Moscow on May 25th to 28th at the Royal YC Moscow.
The general partner of the League is United Shipbuilding Corporation JSC. Official partners are Gazprom and Nord Stream Ag. Fitness partner- the federal network of fitness clubs- X-Fit. Technological partner- the company InterProCom. General information partner- the channel "Match!". The general radio partner- Radio MAXIMUM. The information partners- the newspaper Sovetsky Sport, Maxim magazine, Forbes.Life, Sport FM, Yachting magazine. Regional information partner- Radio MAXIMUM Crimea.
Russian Sailing League on National TV Sports Channel (like ESPN) Facebook video of Russian patrol boat Russian Sailing League Facebook page Russian Sailing Federation Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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