Headed by “Boating Club” Riva di Traiano, the Italian gulet Santa Lucia will challenge Turkish and international professional sailors
Bodrum, October 19, 2015 – A crowded briefing took place this morning at Era Bodrum Sailing Club, the oldest organiser of the Bodrum Cup, since 1986. Seasonal party for all gulets, “King of the Seas”, are attracting tourists attention around Turkey and Greece Islands. Now, they are ready to start the regatta, forgetting holidays. It’s time to focus on the race! What unforgettable show! The starting boats will be 71, only 21 “Gulette” class, included the italian gulet Santa Lucia, headed by “Boating Club” Riva di Traiano and 7 “Gulette XL” class. Many other hull are going to take part in the show: catamarans, vintage boats, cruise and others will be the guest stars. Tomorrow, first step from Bodrum to Gumusluk. Starting at 11.00 a.m. sailing 28 miles with a 5-knots winds out of the southeast, probably blowing up to 10.
The following days the weather is going to change and this make them fully focus on the race. “We are here for learning – Michele Alfredo Paese, the shipowner of Santa Lucia, says – because this is a challenge for all professional sailors, who are sailing on board this boats all year. There are a lot of hardened competitors; we realised it today during the briefing. There is a warm and beautiful atmosphere and we are proud of it. We will try to do our best”. Santa Lucia is a “Bodrum Gulet” 26 meters long built in 2006. It get a sail area of about 273 square meters and two steel masts with two different spreaders: “Genoa jib overlapping”; mainsail and procuress sail with lazy jack. On board the boat, there will be the shipowner Michele Alfredo Paese, the Captain Felice Calabrese, the Captain Giorgio Papini ( tactical ), Gianni Lombardi ( mainsail ), Stefano Gregni ( taylor ), Mauro Astore ( taylor ), Francesco Esposito ( bowman ), Mustafà Kemal ( bowman ), Letizia Gregni ( rigging ), Paola Gregni ( rigging ).
The Bodrum Cup is an annual race managed by Era Bodrum Sailing Club in order to promote somone’s interest to Bodrum charter fleet and testing skipper’s abilities on board the gulets who will need to sail safely on board this beautiful boats, the symbol of the nautical turism in Turkey. The event is also a friend-way for skippers to meet eachother, drinking and chatting together. Since 1989 the Bodrum Cup was planned for the third week in October. The following years, even private gulets or for vessels flying flags from other countries had been able to take part in the event. See them hanging out and fun, it is unforgettable. What a wonderful race!
