Greece is the land of the sea, wind and sun, the trio of happiness for sailors. This country with its countless islands is renowned for its heavenly anchorages in the heart of an immense cultural heritage. Since ancient times, it has been a great nation of sailors, and Homer would not deny us pas?!
But Greece is also a country of sailors capable of shining in the Olympic Games (Mantis and Kagialis, bronze in 470 in 2016) or in offshore racing (Team Optimum 3, winner in 2018 of the Rolex Middle Sea Race in IRC 2)
And frankly, when you think about it, it's not so unpleasant to race when the weather is nice, hot and immersed in a landscape dotted with islands.
So, when we know that the kingdom of Aeolus, Poseidon, and Helios is only 3 hours flight from Paris, it would be a shame to deprive ourselves of such an experience.
At the end of March, the beginning of the summer season, the temperature easily reaches 20 degrees during the day and yet in the distance, you can still see the snow-covered mountains.
Two historic regattas
The Hydra regatta takes place twice a year, on the occasion of the two Greek national holidays, at the end of October and the end of March.
Since 1976, the Hellenic Offshore Sailing Club - Athens' famous yacht club - has been celebrating the start of the racing season with the Hydra regatta, always around the national holiday of March 25.
And at the end of October, it is the turn of the Greek Yacht Club to organize the other edition of the Hydra Regatta, always near the other national holiday, that of 28 October.
These two events attract a growing number of sailors. We can see that coastal regattas are gaining in popularity all over Europe, this is a very good example.
A cosmopolitan atmosphere
The first regatta of the season is called the "Greek Revolution" in honour of the national holiday.
This year out of the 66 yachts registered we were 8 foreign boats. And yet on the pontoons, in taverns and restaurants, the atmosphere is cosmopolitan. An increasing number of team members come from different European countries, both for the race and for the festivities.
We are participating in this regatta aboard a Pogo12.50 chartered by Fastsailing as part of an advanced offshore racing course. After a week of training to sail the Aegean Sea, our very "melting pot" crew (English, Russian, German, Belgian and French) is ready to race.
A simple route, but beware of the traps
These 2 regattas have the same course: departure from the foot of the Greek Yacht Club towards the island of Hydra, and arrival just in front of the port. And as we know how to live well in Greece, if the arrival is at night, the restaurants know it and remain open until 2 am to welcome the crew.
The return journey is simply the opposite. But be careful, the road is clearly full of obstacles and traps, in the form of islands and mountains. On such a body of water, with very pronounced coastal effects, mountains can channel or stop the wind.
It is necessary to be attentive to the effects of sites and not to hesitate to reread everything J. Y. Bernot.
Surfing at 20kt
It is March and yet, it is sunny, hot and the sea spray makes us happy.
Our crew has only one week of experience on the Pogo 12.50, but we have been training for more than 600 minutes. So when we were told a strong breeze downwind the excitement was at its height.
At first, around us, there was sometimes a massacre. Boats would sail by luff or surge in the powerful gusts that raced down the mountains overlooking Athens.
Indeed, a N-N-E wind of 25/30 knots propelled the entire fleet at high speed towards the shores of Hydra. Under medium spinnaker, we enjoyed ourselves, sometimes pushed to nearly 20 knots in gusts reaching 35 knots.
The winner in real time, a GP42, completed the course in just 3 hours.
After a good series of gybes, we leave behind the other two boats we've been training with during the week, and it's already a small victory.
And finally with our Pogo12.50, we crossed the finish line in 7th position.
Of course, there are some extremely sharp racing boats like the GP42, a Swan 45 OD, Farr 40, IMX 43.
But as in many club regattas, on the starting line, there are mostly conventional boats. The 66 competitors are divided into two categories, performance and cruising.
An off day to discover Hydra
After a beautiful day of sports sailing, in the evening the many bars and restaurants welcome almost 500 team members and skippers in a very festive and friendly atmosphere.
The Pirate Bar is one of those island institutions that make sailors' evenings a joy. Opened in 1976, this tavern is located on the quays of the small port. During the day, you can relax on the terrace and at night, you can rush to the bar, which is full of customers.
The off day allows some to recover from the excesses of the previous day and others to go for a walk.
Hydra is a sublime island in the Saronic Gulf. The village is built on the slopes of a hill around a small and crowded port for this regatta.
The particularity of Hydra Island is the prohibition of cars and other motor vehicles throughout the island. All transport is therefore done on foot, by boat or by donkey. It is a kind of Greek Saint-Tropez where many celebrities live. Many hiking trails allow you to discover the treasures of this island.
A comeback in the doldrums
The start of the return leg takes place in front of the port under the admiring gaze of the tourists who crowd along the promontories.
The 4 mile corridor separating the island from the mainland channels a wind that is barely blowing at 8 knots. We play the site effects to the full by turning each time at the foot of the cliffs.
Once out of this channel, the wind exhausts and gradually ends up leaving us without speed on a body of water that seems definitively static.
Thus the return will be less amusing, for lack of wind we withdraw from the race at mid-course to reach the port of Lavrio with the engine.
For its charm and authenticity, the Hydra Race is worth a visit to Athens. In addition to the sporting aspect, racing in Greece is an aesthetic, cultural and gastronomic pleasure.
How participer??
In low season, a ticket to Athens will probably cost you less than 250 ?.
You can rent a regatta boat with or without a skipper from Fast Sailing. They have X-Yachts, Solaris, and a complete fleet of Pogo (50,12 .50, 36, 30).
Teams like Team Optimum with their Farr52 give the opportunity to participate as a team member on pure racing yachts.
If you are not very attached to performance, you can also rent a traditional cruise boat from major charter companies such as Moorings and Sunsail.
We advise you to call on a local skipper who will be able to avoid the weather traps.
