Peter the Great Bay Cup 2023 Kicks Off Amid Typhoon Threat: Highlights from Vladivostok’s Toughest Sailing Regatta

One of the most difficult sailing regattas in the country, the Peter the Great Bay Cup, has started in Vladivostok, along with which the Russian Championship in the class of cruising yachts “Conrad 25P” is also being held. In a week, participants have to complete seven races from Vladivostok to Nakhodka and Trinity Bay, but for now the forecast says that another typhoon will come to the shores of Primorye.

The regatta was officially opened with a ceremony on Friday, August 23, and at the same time the winners of the “Wednesday races” – Vladivostok City Cup regatta, which raced during the season in the waters of the Bay Amur – to give.

And on Saturday, August 24, the impressive fleet entered the water again. A total of 50 boats will participate in the regatta: 25 in the KZPV and 25 in the Russian Championship. This is more than 300 people from Primorye, Khabarovsk Territory, Amur, Sakhalin regions, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow, St. Petersburg. Many come who are not for the first time, hoping one day to rise to the podium.

The Peter the Great Bay Cup is held for the 37th time. In the Russian Championship class, competitions for the “Conrad 25R” have been held since 2003.

On the first day the races were short for the participants – two different distances for the Conrads and everyone else. For ORC yachts, the distance in Amur Bay was 7 miles, for Quarter Toners 5 miles, for Conrad 25R – 4 miles.

The forecast of the wind did not inspire the hope of the day before; But, fortunately, it was not justified. By 11am, the time of the first start, a steady north-easterly wind of about 10 knots was blowing on the course. His direction was held throughout the day.

The first start was given on time, and the big yachts entered the race, however, without running. The yacht Time Machine, captain Mikhail Ermakov, was in the lead. The “Quarter Tonners” were led by “Master” Igor Popov.

Yachts of different classes in the final schedule do not have to end up in the place they arrived. After the races are completed, their results are recalculated using a formula, reducing the data to a “common denominator”. However, boats of the same group still have something to strive for: the bigger the gap from their competitors, the higher the chance of getting a better place on the board.

But in the Conrad 25R class the counting system is linear, that is, where it came from. They also start as a group – all 25 yachts at the same time. Already before the start, battles are opening for the most successful position. And this struggle does not stop throughout the whole race. The current Russian champions, the yacht “Alice” of Vladimir Ermakov, immediately decided to prove leadership this year. They were joined by “Foxtrot” by Igor Soloveichik, the 2022 champions, and “Fakt” by Sergei Ivanov, a yacht from Slavyanka. The rest of the fleet, 20-odd yachts, sailed within a few meters of each other during the race.

Within an hour, the first yachts began to arrive. In a long time, Time Machine came first. In the “Conrad 25R” class, “Alice” remained the leader, “Foxtrot” finished second, and Garik Stepanyan’s “Condor” closed the top three – all experienced crews from Vladivostok.

The second start of the day did not have to wait long, although the wind at this time had become a little less, 6-7 knots, but this allowed us to start the race as well. The start of every group started a little more nervously, but still without false starts and, most importantly, without damage. In the ORC group, “Time Machine” went ahead again with a large margin. In the Konrad 25R class, Alisa was again in the lead, but her competitors were not inferior. On the first bend, Konstantin Litvintsev “Malena” almost caught up with them. “Fakt” and “Poet” from Nakhodka were also not behind. On the second loop, the director caught up with “Rock and Roll” Alexei Voloshenko.

However, no one managed to beat “Alice”; the result of the day was two first victories for the current champions of Russia. “Rock-n-Roll” finished second in the No. 2 race, and “Fakt” finished a few lengths behind.

Sailors now have time to prepare for the first long race, “Vostok Bay” – from Vladivostok through the Amur Strait to Vostok Bay, and then back to Vladivostok via Stenina Island or Lion’s Stone. This race is approximately 150 miles long over the entire course. As expected, the wind promises to be strong and the race will be difficult. The first group is expected to start tomorrow, August 25, at 11:00 am.

And next week there will be two more long races at the gates. One of them, Amur Bay, will start around Tuesday. Here the yachts must pass the islands of Antipenko, Gerasimov, Kozlov, reach Vladivostok to Brick Factory Bay and from there to the finish line at the Seven Feet Yacht Club.

The second long, most difficult and unpredictable race is “Cape Gamow”. From Vladivostok the fleet will go straight through Gamow to Trinity Bay, then, circling Stenina Island, back to the border. By this time, Typhoon SHANSHAN may approach Primorye. So far, forecasts do not predict the direct impact of the disaster on the region, but everyone is following the reports – both racers and the racing committee. According to the Chief Judge of the regatta, Evgeniy Khromchenko, there will be no races during the storm.