With the Thousand Islands Race from Rijeka to Tivat and back, the weeklong sailing festivities in the picturesque Adriatic sea have just begun. 18 out of 20 participating yachts from 14 countries have gathered in the Croatian maritime city of Rijeka for the start of this unique race, which will take the yachts on the course of 277 nautical miles in each direction, along which they have to navigate among more than thousand islands in the Adriatic Sea. Two yachts will later join the race on their way back from Porto Montenegro.
The race started at noon in very light wind of 2-3 knots of speed, in front of the historic harbour city of Rijeka in Croatia, leaving on the starboard side the islands Unije, Susak, Premuda, Dugi Otok, Kornat, Vis, Lastovo and St. Andrija, before finishing in front of the Porto Montenegro marina in Tivat. With light winds predicted along the way, the Esimit Europa 2 yacht is expected at the finish line tomorrow late afternoon. The return race starts on September 25 at noon from Porto Montenegro and takes the same route back.
This unique race, which connects two ports in two countries – Rijeka, with its historic harbour, in Croatia and Tivat, with Porto Montenegro, in Montenegro, is organized by the Sailing Club of Rijeka in cooperation with the Porto Montenegro Yacht Club and is held under the auspices of the Croatian president Ivo Josipovic. The current record was set in the first edition of this race with 28:41:06 hours in the first leg and 46:02:37 hours in the second leg.
The multinational Esimit Sailing Team, lead by Jochen Schümann at this race, also welcomes for the first time at the helm Robert Stanjek from Germany, Star class world champion with big boat racing experience, and Tom Addis from Australia, who has won Sidney to Hobart and Transpac races, as the navigator. And after he returns from Santander where he is competing in Finn Class at the World Championship, Ivan Kljaković-Gašpić will also join the team, as a tactician and an expert on local conditions.
Esimit Europa 2 is competing at the race for the first time and it will be the yacht’s first participation in a race in the Republic of Croatia as well as in Montenegro. Esimit Europa project was previously involved in sailing endeavors in Croatia by being a partner of Croatia’s biggest regatta – Fiumanka, and of the European Youth Laser Radial Championship in Split. Also, in 2012, the multinational Esimit Sailing Team welcomed among them one of Croatia’s best sailors Ivan Kljaković Gašpić, European and World Champion in various sailing classes. The project has also received official support from the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, dr. Vesna Pusić, in which she recognized its endeavors of connecting the European nations based on trust, mutual respect and dialogue.
Race tracking link
