Why do we love regattas so much!

A Regatta is like a rally. Its only purpose is emotion, adrenaline and happiness

2y ago
337.3K

Of course, I love cars more than anything. And maybe this post seems to be out of topic. But I was born in Greece, not in Finland. First I learned swimming and later walking. I feel the sea like my endless home. Living in a country with 6.000 islands and islets is inevitable to know how to sail, how to paddle, how to use a boat. So, the next step is to love boats, especially the sailboats. In Greece, there are many traditional wooden boats with must and sail, called "Kaikia" and are handmade by old Greek shipwrecks.

Sailing is about to feel the wind on your body, to understand the sea, to decode hidden messages carried by the waves. Now, if you love sailing among with speed, then sailboat races are the event you have to participate. The world-famous regattas! You can choose whatever you like. A classic yacht regatta or a modern racing yacht regatta. Every regatta is terrific because you can enjoy the landscape, the boats, the sails, the sea, the wind, the crews working like an oiled machine, running from the one side to the other while the boom is travelling oppositely. The regatta is a lifetime experience which you want to feel again and again. Trust me, regattas are highly addictive.

A regatta for a skipper is a challenge. His chance to prove his abilities. As for the shipowner (if he is not the skipper) is his chance to prove that the boat that owns, maintains and set up works properly and can withstand the regatta's demanding conditions. The crew has a chance to prove that all the preparation paid off and of course the team is pointing to the podium! But in the meantime, everyone wants to breathe in the clear fresh breeze, to feel the adrenaline, to get wet while the bow is riding the wave.

And after all, is that wonderful terminology. The bow, the stern, the boom, the mainsail, the jib, the genoa, the spinnaker, the deck, the winch, the sheet, the tack, the helm, the telltales, the closehaul and so many other strange words. A new fantastic naval language which you need to know if you aim to win this race. Every second matters. When the tactician says "Tack" then it means that the helmsman has to turn the boat to the wind and some of the crew has to free the sheet which is blocked in the winch on the one side and the rest have to winch the other sheet as fast as they can, so the tack will be successful before the wind changes its mind again.

The last Regatta I took part was the Spetses Classic Yacht Regatta (SCYR) 2019, which takes place every June at Spetses Island in Greece. This year the participants were more than any other year braking a record for SCYR. This regatta was unforgettable! Three days in the Aegean sea with these marvellous classic boats powered by the "Meltemi", the famous summer north wind of Aegean sea. For more information about this unique regatta, you can have a look here: spetsesclassicregatta.gr/ . I suggest you visit Greece and join the Spetses Classic Yacht Race once. You will enjoy summer in Greece and these special regattas much more than you can imagine. And after that, you can follow the Aegean Rally Regatta travelling in the Cyclades!

As I said, all regattas are tremendous, and every regatta is different. But the Greek regattas are special. After all, it is different to travel the seas of Poseidon, the god of the sea. It is different to sail using the power of Aeolus, the god of the winds. You can feel the hospitality of Zeus Xenios, the god of the sky, the lightning, the thunder, the god who rules the other gods! Welcome to Greece! Welcome on board! Enjoy the trip!

The G[r]eek

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Comments (5)

  • EH....... well we love cars....

    perhaps car vs boat races ( do you member?)

    just kidding nice post

      2 years ago
  • In my experience if someone shouts "Tack!", That means take a deep breath for I am about to be tossed into the sea.

      2 years ago
  • The appeal I think is twofold: a really good display of mastering the wind and water, and a celebration of boats as one of the first vehicles that took humans further.

      2 years ago
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