Corfu' Challenge, Day Three

The third day of the 2017 Corfu Challenge - with Rolex as the official timepiece - proved to be yet another superb day of racing for Maxi 72s. Teams left Marina Gouvia with flat, calm sapphire blue water and were delighted to rendezvous in a fully white capped race area. Sailors are all enjoying the intellectual and physically challenging venue, especially unique because of the shifty conditions and lack of boat traffic. Two races were completed, each one in a north-west breeze ranging from low to upper teens. For spectators, today was a dream because all teams remained exceptionally close upwind, and then blasted down along the coast of Corfu. 

Race one rewarded those who choose the left side up the first beat. It was George Sakellaris and team PROTEUS who proved to be flawless with two bullets; Sam Loughborough described the performance: “The team is racing with a quiet confidence; the back of the boat is starting well and everybody on the team is doing their job.” Both waves and wind built throughout the day, a spectacular sight! After 4 races, PROTEUS tops the overall rankings followed by MOMO and BELLA MENTE.

Corfu is well known for its musical scene, and tonight sailors were treated with a grand performance from the islands most well-known: the "Corfu Philharmonic Orchestra", which was originally formed in 1840. The orchestra played at the opening ceremony of the first Olympic games, and today over 3,000 youth receive a free musical education! The night’s performance was set right over the water and included Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Memory as well as Mission Impossible Theme by Lalo Schifrin. The evening finished up with a delicious dinner at "En Plo", right under the clear moonlight sky.

For photos, results and more visit: www.corfuchallenge.com