The sailboats that left the sea area of Vouliagmeni set sail for Andros Island with a south-westerly wind of 7-8 nautical miles, while the boats that started from Chios are traveling towards the “captain of the Cyclades” with a north-westerly wind of 14-17 nautical miles, in a nice slope that will help them cover a large part of the distance before darkness “falls”.
The start from Vouliagmeni was given by the Deputy Minister of Sports Giannis Vroutsis and the Olympic polo champion Stathis Kalogeropoulos.
“This is a historic match. The boats that left Vouliagmeni will pass through the straits of Kafirea, on a route that will highlight the seamanship of the crews. We gave the start with the Olympic polo champion Stathis Kalogeropoulos, sending everywhere the strong messages of sports and, especially, of sea sports, which are of particular importance for our country which is inextricably linked to the sea”, underlined the Deputy Minister of Sports Yannis Vroutsis.
The organizing groups, the Nautical Club of Andros and the Nautical Club of Greece, chose in the person of the pole vaulter Stathis Kalogeropoulos to honor the sportsmen and women of athletics for their amazing performances at the Paris Olympic Games. “I would like to thank for the honor. In the fleet of 57u The Andros International Sailing Race is attended by Olympians, world and European champions, as well as people who love the liquid element and have distinguished themselves in open sea races”, said Olympic polo champion Stathis Kalogeropoulos.
The launch from Vouliagmeni was also attended by Theofanis Mylonas, Head of Wealth Management at Eurobank and George Ertzhan, Head of Group Private Banking at Eurobank. According to meteorological forecasts, the gale is expected to hamper the efforts of the crews who are expected to reach the Kafirea strait late at night, which is located between Evia and Andros and since ancient times has been considered one of the most dangerous passages in the Aegean .
The distance, both from Vouliagmeni to Chora and from Chios to Chora Andros, is 72 nautical miles, which helped to make two launches. This is the first time that something like this has taken place in the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Gold Sponsor of the match is the Group Private Banking of Eurobank. THE Eurobank Group supports this year, for the 7th consecutive time the eventhaving been inextricably linked to sailing through the extremely successful sponsorship of sportsmen and women who have managed to win the highest honors in the sport at a global level. It should be noted that the Group Private Banking of Eurobank has been the sponsor of the boat “Velos” for the last few years, of the Olympians Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kayali.
Sponsors of the event are also OTESAT MARITEL, CHAMBER OF MARINES GREECE, L. PAPAPHILIPPOU & CO LLC, PORSCHE, MOTODYNAMIKI, KOYRTESIS WINE ESTATE ANDROS, ALINA & LEONIDAS POLEMIS, LEONIDAS VRONTISIS, RIVE RENTALS, GOLDEN VISTA SUITES and PANTAZIS. Sponsors of the race are YARDTECH, ZARBIS, SYMBEEOSIS, BOUTARIS KYR YIANNI, ANDROP, EY ANDROS LEMONI ANDROU, LASKARIS, DANS, DEL ARTE, ANDRUS BEER, EVANDROS, VASILI & ELIZAS GOULANDRI FOUNDATION, TANIA DIMITRAKOPOULOU, NISSOS BEER. Travel sponsors: GOLDEN STAR FERRIES and FAST FERRIES. Communication sponsor is SKAI and communication supporters are ANDRIAKI, EVANDROS, EN ANDROS, PERIGYROS, ASTERAS, ANDROS LIVADIA.
The Andros International Sailing Race was held for the first time in 1967, thanks to the efforts of Ioannis V. Goulandris.
The photos are by Nikos Alevromytis
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
