GAETA, May 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Esimit Europa 2 was the first yacht to cross the finish line of the scenic Volcano race at 10:37:24 CEST this morning. With an elapsed time of 1 day, 21 hours and 2 minutes to navigate the 391 nautical miles of this renowned offshore race, Esimit Europa 2 returned across the Tyrrhenian Sea from the Aeolian Islands to Gaeta to take its 36th consecutive line honours win.
The fleet consisting of nine Maxis, ranging in size from 60ft to 100ft, set sail at 13:35 CEST on 20 May from the waters of Gaeta, located about half-way between Rome and Naples. Esimit Europa 2 led all the way from the starting point, reaching the waypoint at the island of Alicudi in the early hours of the following morning. This gave the crew the opportunity to sail around the famous volcanic archipelago during daylight, rounding the active volcano of Stromboli and Strombolicchio before tea time. In a stretch of along upwind sailing, the team headed back north towards the island of Capri, which they passed before dawn to reach the finish line at Gaeta in the morning of 22 May at 10:37:24 CEST.
The skipper of Esimit Europa 2, Jochen Schümann, said: "This was a beautiful season opener for us. We had a really good start but then we were a little bit too fast for the front, so we had to keep moving west to catch it again, that slowed us down a little bit compared to others. At the first volcano we got parked for some time, but the rest of them went really smoothly. We changed a lot of sails during this race, we had about 20 to 30 changes. The boat performed good, we also have some new crew members that were integrated into the team and performed very well. The race is very well organized, great hospitality from the yacht club and I must say that Gaeta is a great starting and finishing point for the Volcano race."
The founder of the Esimit Europa project, Igor Simčič commented: "I am very proud of this great performance by our team and our yacht, especially because this win is also the season opener of our very special season. Namely, this year marks the 20th anniversary of our project, an occasion we will celebrate on 29 August in Monte Carlo, at our home yacht club, the Yacht Club de Monaco."
The Volcano race is one of the most scenic offshore races in the Mediterranean and this year marks the fifth running of the race, an event, which aims to grow as one of the best long distance races in the yachting calendar. This is already the second time that Esimit Europa 2 has taken part in this spectacular race in which she took the line honours in last year's edition.
To warm up for the race, five of the nine participating yachts took part in a practice race on May 19, a day prior to the start of the offshore race itself. It was set in a windward/leeward course just off the Punta dello Stendardo. The eight-nautical-mile practice race started at 14:05 in a southerly wind of about 12 knots. This slowly died down, becoming very light toward the end of the race. Esmit Europa 2 won the practice event, crossing the finish line first at 15:07:30 CEST.
The Volcano race is organized by the International Maxi Association, in collaboration with the Yacht Club Gaeta E.V.S. and the Base Nautica Flavio Gioia.
About:
The Esimit Europa project, which successfully unites sports with diplomacy, social responsibility, culture and business, has represented a strong symbol of unity and collaboration on the ocean waves for the past 20 years. It is today represented by the Esimit Europa 2 yacht, with its main sponsor Gazprom and official partner BMW, and the Esimit Sailing Team composed of 18 highly skilled sailors from 11 different nations who inspire the sailing values of teamwork, solidarity, innovation and collaboration. The Esimit Europa project is under the patronage of the President of the European Commission and has the official support of the President of the European Parliament, which allows the yacht to officially fly the European flag. In 2015, the year when the Esimit Europa project celebrates its 20th anniversary, the message of friendship and collaboration was extended beyond European Union borders, achieving a worldwide dimension with recognition by Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Mr Ban Ki-moon.
Eldina Knez, Public Relations Consultant
E: eldina.knez(at)esimit.com
GSM: +39 337 1093756
http://www.esimit.com
Photo credits: ©Esimit Europa – Manuel Kovsca
©IMA – Gianluca Di Fazio
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