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Race Report 1: Fluky Winds and Bold Moves


Posted on: 26.09.16

Frustrating calms and light fluky headwinds will have meant that Captains, navigators and crews will have been working hard all last night in order to make the small amount of headway that they have achieved towards the finish line off Varna.

The majority of Captains have been coaxing their vessels up the rhumb line (the most direct course) but Mir (Russia) has decided on a more radical strategy by going well north in order to seek more wind, with Adornate (Romania) taking another bold move by heading south to do the same. Which strategy is going to pay off?

The forecast over the next 24 hours is for similar frustrating conditions before the wind is expected to become a more favourable north west breeze.

Current POSITIONS

Positions as at the morning communications schedule 05:00 UTC.

Class A

  1. Mir (Russia)
  2. Pogoria (Poland) (pictured at the race start with Kaliakra)
  3. Kurzenshtern (Russia)

Combined Classes B and c

  1. Akela (Russia) and 1st overall
  2. Adornate (Romania)
  3. Atyla (Vanuatu)

With the fleet following very different strategies, the on-board tracking system, YB, makes very interesting viewing. You can track the ships using on your mobile, tablet or computer to watch their progress, with live updates every 15 minutes.

You can find out more about Varna on our port page, and about the SCF Black Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2016 on our event page. Don’t forget to check out our blog for the latest from the event.

You can also find lots more pictures on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Sovcomflot

PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) is one of the world’s leading shipping companies, specialising in the transportation of crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied gas, as well as servicing offshore upstream oil and gas installations and equipment.

The Group’s fleet comprises 148 vessels with a total deadweight of over 12.8 million tonnes. The company is registered in St Petersburg with offices in Moscow, Novorossiysk, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, London, Limassol, and Dubai.

The Group offers a wide range of vessels in the market segments most demanded by major Russian oil and gas companies. With its own technical development and unique approach to advanced technologies, Sovcomflot has the ability to meet the most demanding customer requirements, providing effective transportation for oil and gas companies.

The Group is the title sponsor of SCF Black Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2016. Previously, it was also the title sponsor of the similar event held in 2014, as well as a presenting partner of the Tall Ships Races 2009.