Pete Symth's Searcher crew from the Royal Irish Yacht Club are leading in IRC One and lying third overall after the first night at sea in the Aegean 600 Race.
As Afloat reported earlier, Searcher, a Ker 46 that was second in the 2024 Round Ireland Race, is crewed by Maurice "Prof" O'Connell, Jake Mealy, Barry Byrne, Nick Smyth (Skipper), Dave Cotter, Tim Greenwood, Pete Smyth, Andrew Smith, Kevin Johnson and Jamie Smyth.
Searcher has covered 80 miles in the past 24 hours during the 600-mile race, and her current positions are fifth in Line Honours Monohull, third in IRC Overall, first in IRC One, second in ORC Overall, and second in ORC One.
At the very southern tip of the Greek mainland, near Cape Sounion in Attica, the start of the fifth edition of the AEGEAN 600 unfolded in perfect fashion: cloudless blue skies, crystal-clear waters, and a steady 12–15 knots of northerly wind to propel the fleet on their upcoming 605-mile odyssey through the Aegean Sea.
Race managers from the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club set the fleet off in three waves: 8 Multihulls, 4 Maxis, and then the remaining 46 Monohulls, scored under IRC and ORC. All yachts passed along the cliffside shoreline in front of the 2,500-year-old ruins of the Ancient Temple of Poseidon, where spectators enjoyed an aerial view as the teams left the Rolex buoy to starboard before bearing off, hoisting spinnakers, and surging south toward Milos, the first of 23 islands they will pass on this legendary course.
The fastest boats – George Procopiou’s Volvo 70 AIOLOS (GRE) in the Maxi Monohull class and Adrian Keller’s 86-foot (25-meter) catamaran ALLEGRA (SUI) in the Multihull division – quickly surged to the front of the fleet, clocking double-digit speeds, with the remainder of the fleet giving chase.
Yet by sunset, the conditions had already begun to change. The glorious northerly breeze that defined the start and afternoon began to fade and shift westward, ushering in a light-air evening with wind speeds dropping into low single digits. This marks the first challenge in what has always been a race filled with demanding elements of offshore competition: sail trim, seamanship, navigation, and tactics.
The current forecast predicts the light winds will shift again later tonight and throughout Monday, as the fleet sails southeast past Milos toward the iconic volcanic caldera of Santorini. From there, the course continues southeast toward Kassos, the next island near the southern end of the route.
Interestingly, the forecast calls for westerly winds in this section of the course at a comfortable 15–20 knots, a welcome change from the gale-force northerlies and high seas often seen in previous editions. Tracker here
