A Magnificent Victory for Esimit Europa 2 Yacht at Giraglia Race

Esimit Europa 2 (www.esimit.com) has taken line honours in the Giraglia Race after it majestically crossed the finish line in San Remo at 11:05 in the morning. Owner Igor Simcic and his European crew onboard the 100-foot canting keel maxi yacht completed the 241 nautical mile course in just over 23 hours.

The fleet of 220 yachts left the Bay of St Tropez at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday in a south-east breeze of 8-10 knots. As the afternoon went on and the wind speed increased to 20 knots, Esimit Europa 2 pulled ahead swiftly, leaving Shockwave (NZL), Container (GER) and Alegre (GBR) behind. However, during the night the wind speed dropped and with only 3-5 knots of breeze this morning it made for a slow arrival into San Remo.

As the first yacht to round the famous Giraglia 'rock' off the tip of Corsica on the evening of June 16 at 10:25 p.m. CET, Esimit Europa 2, sponsored by Gazprom, will also collect the Beppe Croce trophy at the award ceremony on Saturday, 19 June in San Remo.

"It was an amazing race. The crew did an excellent job, particularly given that this was our first offshore regatta. I am so proud of them and of our main sponsor, Gazprom, who believe in this amazing project. This is a victory for all of us and for all European citizens," said the yacht owner Igor Simcic. "We'll have a full team debrief today and celebrate our victory. We have learned a great deal from this event and will now shift our focus to the next regatta," he added.

Commenting on the team's first win the boat skipper Flavio Favini said: "The conditions were well suited to Esimit Europa 2. It wasn't long before we broke away from the fleet as we sailed upwind to the mark at La Fourmique, then headed downwind to the Giraglia. The wind died down almost completely as we rounded the Rock and it took us almost 12 hours to reach San Remo. There is always the concern that the fleet can close in on you when the wind dies, but Esimit Europa 2 is so fast that we stayed clear ahead. It's an honour to have been first over the line and I congratulate the whole crew for their commitment to the race and the project."

The next stop on the racing programme of Esimit Europa 2 is the Palermo - Monte Carlo regatta, which starts on 18 August.

Please visit the online Esimit Europa Press Center, where you can access current information and view and download related images and videos.

Additional information:

Esimit Europa:

Gorazd Mauri, Public Relations Manager

Address: Stara cesta 23, 1360 Vrhnika, Slovenia

Telephone: +386 1 750 21 32

Mobile: +386 41 876 427