Irish entries Darkwood and Xcalibur Team HYC remain in the hunt at the Aegean 600 as the race leaders complete the 605-nautical-mile offshore classic in Greece.
At the 12.15 pm race update on Tuesday, 8 July, Darkwood had 162 nautical miles remaining and was averaging 7.3 knots, with an estimated finish at 1.20 am on 9 July. Xcalibur Team HYC, skippered by Darren Wright and crewed by sailors from Howth Yacht Club, had 147 miles left to sail at 6.8 knots, with an estimated finish at 7.28 am on Wednesday.
As reported by afloat. the Irish crew aboard Xcalibur Team HYC includes Michael Wright, Jett Wright, Conor Fogarty, Aodhan Malone, Rocco Wright, Brian Turvey, former Howth sailor Bill Heffernan, navigator Tom Chaney and Grace Murray.
Meanwhile, the first boats have crossed the finish line off Cape Sounion beneath the Temple of Poseidon after fast conditions driven by the Aegean's Meltemi winds.
Italy's Claudio Demartis steered the Reichel/Pugh 90 Prosecco DOC Shockwave 3 to line honours in an elapsed time of 2 days, 8 minutes and 27 seconds, just three hours outside the course record set in 2023.
Finish Line Fizz: The crew of Prosecco DOC Shockwave 3 celebrates after claiming line honours in the 2026 Aegean 600, completing the 605-nautical-mile offshore race in 2 days, 8 minutes and 27 seconds. Photo: Deea Buzdugan
Only two minutes later, George Procopiou's Volvo 70 Aiolos finished after a close duel throughout the race.
Andrea Micalli, tactician aboard Shockwave 3, described the race as "a fantastic experience". "There are many memories coming from this race, but I should say that during the first night getting a gust of 30-35+ knots and still having a gennaker up with the waves breaking and surfing the boat was fantastic – very scary at the time, but fantastic once we are talking about it now," he said.
Helmsman Lorenzo Bressani added, "This race was the fifth time for me. It is unique because the downwind portion of the first leg is very exciting, especially in this boat, which is very fast downwind. We broke the top speed record of this boat at over 30 knots."
Procopiou praised the event, saying: "The race every year is better in terms of organisation and participation. The conditions were excellent and challenging, with a lot of wind and a lot of waves."
France's Antoine Magre guided the Mach 50 Palanad 4 home ahead of Frederic Puzin's Carkeek 54 Daguet 5 after the pair battled closely over the final 100 miles. "This was my first race in the Mediterranean," Magre said. "It was a great race, very different from what I've seen in the Atlantic, and very fun. Everyone is very happy to finish because this was very tiring."
Closing Charge: France's Palanad 4 powers through the Aegean on the final stages of the race before securing a strong corrected-time position after an intense battle with Daguet 5. Photo: Deea Buzdugan
In the corrected standings, Palanad 4 continues to lead IRC overall ahead of Daguet 5 and Aiolos. In ORC, Pavel Stole's Mary S remains in front, while Patrick and Vincent Harris's Mowgli of Portsmouth has moved into second.
More finishers are expected throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday as the remainder of the fleet, including the two Irish entries, works its way around the demanding Aegean course.
