It was close to 9 pm on Sunday, June 12 that Tallinn-Helsinki race finished in the capital of Finland. Group I leaders made 45 miles in little more than 8 hours, Group II finished couple of hours later.

The race started in Tallinn at 9.25 am with fine sunny weather and a moderate (10-15 knots) North wind. The yachts started for tacking concurrently with only Group I’s Damen coming back in order to cross the starting line again, this time cleanly. After two hours from the race’s start the groups still stayed close to each other: “Korushka” (Ust-Luga Co), “Loko” (Russian Railways) and “Olympic” (Eesti Raudtee) in the front, “Pegasus” (Rosterminalugol) and “Premium” (Anchor Logistic/Ultramar) – slightly to the right and Damen – to the West of main fleet. Average speed was 5 knots. “Victoria” (Boskalis) was in the front of Group II with the rest of the yachts following, PUL trans’ team being in the back of the flotilla.

Soon after Estonian shores disappeared from sight and Aegna cape was left behind, the yachts turned North North-East. At the same time the wind predictably moved towards the West and tactical maneuvering in rather broad corridor replaced tacking. Liebherr’s team was the farthest, making a considerable distance westwards.

PUL trans significantly improved it’s position and nearly equalled Boskalis at the middle-point. The contention between these two teams went from then onwards and ended at the finish only. Irina Gracheva and Thomas Malmquist’s team won, but the advantage against their rivals came short for victory using the Correction Time. Moreover, in the final protocol “Victoria” (Boskalis) became fourth, skipping PUL trans, Murmansk Commercial Sea Port and Morstroytechnology ahead. Andrey Petrov, “Solitaire”s (PUL trans) captain, noted after the race that “a bit of luck, a bit of mastership and big aspiration of the team” have become components of today’s victory. “For the second year the backbone of our team stays unaltered, the crew gets experience from one start to the next. I’m sure that in forthcoming races we will prove ourselves and will strive for prizes and victory. Especially if the wind is not very strong, which better suits our lighter yacht”.

Situation within Group I changed significantly on the route’s last segment, with West wind direction and vast calm areas close to Finland’s shores. “Loko”, sailing alongside “Korushka” the whole leg, slightly slowing down just before finish line, came first; Ust-Luga Co’s yacht got stuck in a calm zone. Three lighter X-41 yachts with Damen, Anchor Logistic/Ultramar and Eesti Raudtee teams arrived from South-West at this moment. They didn’t outrun “Korushka” but finished fairly close to her, getting higher positions in the Standings after recounting. Russian railmen kept their first place, the second went to their Estonian colleagues and the third – to Dutch shipbuilders of Damen. “We were second and third in Tallinn races, today we’re third again…well, in theory, we have only one option now: to win the race, which is our goal in this regatta! That’s why we don’t hang down our heads. We have a team of experienced yachtsmen, though we have not sailed as a crew before”, Dutch yacht’s skipper Jaap Gelling commented on the results of the completed leg.

Short races will take place in Helsinki tomorrow. They will bring new changes to the teams’ positions, which (positions, i.e.) are as follows upon completion of two legs:

Group I
1. Eesti Raudtee (“Olympic”) – 3 points
2. OAO Russian Railways (“Loko”) – 4
3. Damen (“Nicole”) – 5
4. OAO Anchor Logistic/Ultramar (“Premium”) – 8
5. OAO Ust-Luga Co (“Korushka”) – 10
6. OAO Rosterminalugol (“Pegasus”) – 13
7. Liebherr (“Victory”) – 13

Group II
1. OAO PUL trans (“Solitaire”) – 5
2. PAO Murmansk Commercial Sea Port (“Grace”) – 5
3. Ministry of Transport/Maritime Shipping Register (“Gloria”) – 6
4. Boscalis (“Victoria”) – 6
5. OOO Morstroytechnology (“Jessika”) – 8

Detailed results are published here http://www.ust-luga-cup-ru/results-2016