SAINT-TROPEZ, June 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - After a spectacular fireworks display in the bay of Sanremo, at the stroke of midnight 12:01:00 for the IRC class and 0:31:00 for the ORC class the fleet of about 90 yachts headed downwind in a north-easterly wind with a speed of 10-15 knots towards Saint-Tropez on the 60 nautical mile long offshore race. The wind speed later decreased to 10 knots along the course and became very light in the gulf of Saint-Tropez.
The skipper of Esimit Europa 2, Jochen Schümann, said that the night-time start was also something new for him, which made it an exciting race, especially with so many boats on the starting line. In this race, one of the world's leading navigators and weather routers Adrienne Cahalan joined the Esimit Sailing Team, making her also the first woman to be part of the crew of Esimit Europa 2.
"This was a good race in terms of a very good start on a crowded start line, and in terms of a night start which can be quite hard, as you have to rely mostly on the electronics. Speed never really dropped during the race, we did not get parked, but it was also a tricky race – we had to do a lot of manoeuvres, a lot of jibes and we had a lot of sail changes to make the maximum of the conditions we had. All in all this was a very good race, without rest, we were just a bit too fast for the sunrise finish in the beautiful port of Saint-Tropez," she said after the victorious finish.
Esimit Europa 2 took the lead soon after the start and thanks to the right tactical decisions the team managed to stay with the wind all the way, which enabled them to cross the finish line in an elapsed time of 4 hours and 51 minutes.
This young offshore race was organised for the sixth time as a kick off to the Giraglia Rolex Cup to enhance the spirit of friendship between the neighbouring states, Italy and France, and the co-organising of yachts clubs on both sides: Yacht Club Sanremo, Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, Yacht Club Italiano and Yacht Club de France. The participating yachts are now looking forward to three days of inshore racing before the start of the offshore Giraglia Rolex Cup Race next Wednesday, 17 June in the 63rd edition of this Mediterranean classic, where 248 yachts are expected at the start.
About:
For already 20 years the Esimit Europa project has been successfully uniting sport with diplomacy, social responsibility, culture and business. It is represented by one of the fastest and technologically most advanced sailing yachts in the world, Esimit Europa 2, and the Esimit Sailing Team composed of 18 top sailors from 11 different nations who inspire the sailing values of teamwork, solidarity, innovation and collaboration. The yacht's main sponsor is Gazprom and official partner is BMW.
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. Earlier this year, the year in which the project celebrates its 20th anniversary, the message of friendship and collaboration achieved a worldwide dimension with recognition from Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Mr Ban Ki-moon.
Photo credits: ©Esimit Europa – Manuel Kovsca
Eldina Knez, Public Relations Consultant
E: eldina(dot)knez(at)esimit(dot)com
GSM: +39 337 1093756
http://www.esimit.com
This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/esimit_europa/san_remo/prweb12787344.htm