Çeşme— The ARKAS Aegean Link Regatta 2024 launched today under excellent weather conditions at Çeşme Marina, marking the beginning of what promises to be an exhilarating competition. Following the success of last year's event, this regatta, organized by the Aegean Open Sea Yacht Club Çeşme Marina (EAYK Çeşme Marina) and ARKAS, in cooperation with Çeşme Marina, the Chamber of Shipping Izmir Branch, and Çeşme Municipality, saw sailors battling it out right from the start.
The competition kicked off at midday with the Cevher Cup, a single race from Çeşme to Alaçatı. Although the race began with a light 6-knot wind, it temporarily slowed down, making the efforts of the sailors very difficult for over a half of an hour. Fikret Oral, trimmer of the ARKAS BLUE MOON stated: ‘'Today's race was vast and a little tough because the wind condition was very light, so we stuck in the channel, but I think we did well, and we didn't make any mistakes ‘'.
The wind soon picked up again, allowing the race to continue with vigor. The battles were tight and following the example of the ARKAS BLUE MOON, all the yachts had to stay focused during the race and avoid any mistakes so they could keep their hopes high for the best possible result. In the IRC A.1 category, the crew of LAGERTHA, the team from Russia, won the race in a very tight battle with the MERSIN SAILING ACADEMY 2. In the IRC A.2, the HIT X took the first place and in the IRC A.3 the X-YACHTS won in a very close margin the ESHQUILA. Last but not least, the JUMBO JET won in the IRC A.4, the OZAY SAILING TEAM-PUPA won in the IRC A.5 and the ELISA won in the Support Category.
After coming back to Çeşme Marina, the sailing teams of first day's race gathered at Çeşme Municipality Terrace, for the Cevher Cup Award Ceremony. All the above-mentioned first place winners received their awards feeling relief after the long day in the Aegean Sea. In the award ceremony, the pitman of team LAGERTHA, Mischa Polyanskiy, said that they really enjoyed the race, even thought it was very competitive one and he also added: ‘'We decided to come this year to Çeşme to take part in the ARKAS Aegean Link Regatta, in a wonderful place with wonderful people, who take part and organize the event.''
The regatta festivities officially began on the 13th of August with an opening ceremony attended by notable figures from the Çeşme community. Çeşme District Governor Mehmet Maraşlı, expressed his pleasure in welcoming the athletes, highlighting Çeşme's year-round offerings, from tourism and entertainment to sports and gastronomy. He thanked Arkas and all participants, wishing them a successful and competitive race.
Çeşme Mayor, Lâl Denizli, emphasized the community's commitment to sports, recognizing the contributions of families to less-known sports. She reiterated the importance of promoting sailing among young people and committed to supporting the sport to create a more sports-oriented Çeşme.
Bernard Arkas, Vice President of Arkas Holding, expressed his gratitude to the Çeşme District Governor's Office, Çeşme Municipality, Çeçen Holding, and IC Çeşme Marina for their continued support. He thanked the sailors participating in the regatta, now in its eighth year, and wished them an enjoyable, windy, and fun race.
IC Çeşme Marina General Manager Toker Gürer, echoed the excitement, stating, “As IC Çeşme Marina, we are delighted to host the opening cocktail of the Arkas Aegean Link Regatta, which brings together friendship and competition in the beautiful waters of the Aegean.”
In a symbolic moment, last year's winners, the Borusan Crazy Sigma team, handed over the trophy to EAYK Commodore Ramazan Karakundakoğlu on behalf of the race committee. The winning boat of the ARKAS Aegean Link Regatta holds the trophy for one year, with the goal of becoming its permanent owner by winning five consecutive races.
On the second racing day, teams will compete in two races—Çeşme Buoy and Çeşme Geographical—battling for the Corendon Airlines Cup, big sponsor of second day's race at ARKAS Aegean Link Regatta 2024.
Text Credits: ICARUS Sports
Photo Credits: Emre Tazegül
Video Credits:ICARUS Sports
