ODESA, JULY 23rd, 2012, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE ― International Sailing Regatta Odesa ― Batumi ― Odesa commenced 21 July, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

The chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the Regatta Stanislav Trinza informed today, 23 July.

According to Mr Trizna, hundreds of Odesa citizens were seeing the athletes off to the sea who will compete for prizes representing the ‘Black Sea Riviera’ and the Turkish company Pupa Yachting.

22 athletes on four boats participate in the regatta ― Agate (Mykolaiv), Albatross (Odesa, Miass), Granat (Odesa National Maritime Academy), Mercury (Mykolaiv, Chernihiv). The second stage is expected to be joined by another Ukrainian yacht.

“For comparison, we can say that in the recent Ukrainian sailing Championship, which programme included the race in a relatively short distance, in 6-7 groups (cruising yacht, equipped for multi-day transition), there were 10 teams, and at the start of the Volvo Round the World popular Open Race in 2011 six yachts succeeded”, said the organizer.

“The thousand-mile race is not an easy test, and held it with support yachting enthusiasts. The preferences of Odesa citizens, who sincerely wished good luck to the participants of the race, could be felt even in small things. For example, on the day of the start border guards, who worked on the formalities for the yachts to be let out into the sea, came to work in white dress uniform”, they added at the organizing committee.