SCF Black Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2016 Sochi: Saying Farewell to Russia and Racing to Bulgaria

Race Three of the SCF Black Sea Tall Ships Regatta got

were light and variable, making the race start challenging and exciting.

The

race start conditions made it difficult for captains, and for the Race

Committee to establish a sensible race start line. Nevertheless, the

race started successfully and the fleet is now on its way to the final

port of this Regatta.

The start line was easily viable from shore,

which will have delighted the many people who turned out to watch.

Making a remarkable start, the first vessel over the line was Royal Helena (Bulgaria), followed by Russian ships Kruzenshtern and then Mir. For the Class Bs and Cs, Akela (Russia) was first across the line in light winds.

äóìThe

wind started from the south-east, came right around to the north, and

then back to the south-east in the course of two hours. Class A ships

lined up to be well-positioned for a good start, before the wind went

very light, some 30 minutes before the start. The Class A fleet all

started closely together, making a glorious sight, with the sun shining

on their sails and a backdrop of black storm clouds.äó

äóìRoyal Helena had a good start, but once over the line Mir

closed in on her and with her much larger sail area, blanketed Royal

Helena’ wind, leaving it difficult her to manoeuvre. In this close

group, Nadezhda then closed in on both Royal Helena and Pogoria,

which resulted in both captains deciding to put on the engines for a

number of minutes to ensure safety at the start. That was approved by

the Race Committee and allowed under the racing rules, which are there

to ensure safety and good seamanship. The Race Committee will look at

this particular scenario to decide whether they will add any time or

deem it an unfair advantage. äóì

Paul Bishop, Sail Training International Race Director.

äóìIt was a slow start for what will hopefully be a spectacular race. We hope for fair winds and good sailing conditions.äó

Robin Snouk Hurgronje, Sail Training International Race Chairman.

Kaliakra, Pogoria and Mir crossing the start line.

Line Orders

Class As crossed in the following order:

1. Royal Helena (Bulgaria), closely followed by Khersones (Russia), who isn’t racing.
2. Kruzenshtern (Russia)
3. Mir (Russia)
4. Pogoria (Poland)
5. Kaliakra (Bulgaria)
6. Nadezhda (Russia)

Line order for the combined Class B/C vessels: