Epicurios represents RMYS in the Goran Schildt Regatta, Dodecanese, Aegean Sea

Jane and I have been sailing Epicurios, our Sun Odyssey 469, in the Med since 2015. Since 2016, apart from the two years of COVID, we have been sailing the Aegean Sea hopping between Greece and Turkey and juggling the Schengen and Turkey visas stay limits of 90 days. Along the way we met West Australian couple John and Terri Boardman, Royal Perth Yacht Club members and owners of Qi, an Elan 450.

Apart from “racing” everything and anything within 2 nautical miles, we had never entered any formal regattas. Having said that, Epicurios and Qi sailed many a race with Qi proving to be well sailed and very fast, particularly upwind. John suggested this year that we join Qi and enter the Goran Schildt Regatta, scheduled over three days beginning on 26 September. The Goran Schildt Regatta is sponsored by the Nautical Club of Leros and the Friends of Villa Kolkis. The regatta is sailed between the northern Dodecanese Islands of Leros, Lipsi and Agathonisi.

The Friends of Villa Kolkis is a newly founded association aimed at promoting cultural interaction between the Nordic and the Mediterranean countries in the spirit of Göran Schildt, the Finnish author who spent many years exploring the Mediterranean on his sailing boat “Daphne”. Unfortunately, Goran passed away in 2009 and is survived by his wife Christine who is active in organising the regatta and other cultural events.

Twenty two yachts from 11 nations entered the regatta drawn from Scandinavian and central Europe countries, Greece and Australia. The fleet was divided into two divisions based on size and we were all assigned a bespoke measurement handicap. To the disgruntlement of their owners, Qi and Epicurios were handed the highest handicaps respectively. All the yachts were cruisers carrying various qualities of sails with most carrying an asymmetrical spinnaker. Epicurios has a 106% Dacron genoa and main plus a mylar Code 0.

For the regatta, Jane and I were joined by Portofino crew and RMYS members, Robyn Holdsworth and Deb Plueckhahn, meaning we were four in total. Although Epicurios was bought new in France, it is registered with RMYS and has the sail number of S431.

The first race started on Monday 26 September from Lakki harbour, Leros, to Lipsi, a distance of 15 nm. The start was delayed due to light winds and the ceremony to commemorate the sinking of the Greek warship Olga by the Germans in 1943 during World War two. Lakki is a magnificent natural harbour and has occupied a strategic role since Byzantium times. It was occupied by the Mussolini fascists in the early 20th Century and consequentially the town has a very art deco feel, a total contrast to other Greek island towns. The Greeks finally regained sovereignty in 1948. Today, Leros is home to two boatyards and two marinas catering to the 1500 odd yachts that winter here each season. Both Epicurios and Qi wintered on the hardstand at Atermis boatyard to the north of Leros.

The winds were light northerly and after leaving the harbour we had to turn north, facing a beat. Qi took off with its greater upwind speed while Epicurios headed west, looking for the wind turning more westerly with the hope of raising the Code 0. With the wind picking up to 7/8 kts we were able to unfurl the Code 0 and able to catch and pass the fleet, taking line honours with the Austrian boat Trinity, second and Qi third. Trinity is a Beneteau First 456 and skippered by Walter Kraher who turned out to be a very knowledgeable and cunning skipper.

That night crews enjoyed the delights of Lipsi cuisine and hospitality. The crew of Epicurios and Qi ended up at Minolis, which should be a candidate for a hatted restaurant. The harbour of Lipsi is enclosed by the classical whitewashed buildings with blue trimmings housing some 800 permanent residents. To get to Minolis we wandered through the narrow laneways, each designed to catch and direct the cool breezes. Of course, there is the church and of course the bells rang too early, but it is the way of the Greek islands.

The following day the race committee decided to change the course and instead of sailing eastward to the island of Agathonisi, it was decided to circumnavigate Lipsi in a clockwise direction; a distance of 17 nm. The wind had turned south, something that happens later in the season. The port of Agathonisi is exposed to the south and as I continually remind those interested in cruising, its not the sailing but the anchoring that makes or break a cruise. It was deemed too uncomfortable, and potentially unsafe, to anchor in Agathonisi harbour under those conditions.

The start was boisterous with skippers showing a real zeal to engage. One boat tried to lay their anchor on the stern of another. Another boat tried to push Epicurios up but to no avail. Meanwhile Qi took off and maintained a convincing dominance over the race. Epicurios had a tussle with a Beneteau First 44.7, much younger than Trinity and dressed up with race sails. In the end we crossed the line second, but our handicap position was 6th. Qi was 1st and Trinity 2nd, made all remarkable due to Walter’s crew which was made up of his young daughter and her girlfriend who had very little sailing experience.

That night the crews again enjoyed the food of Lipsi but thought had to be given to Agathonisi. A regatta of this size can be the make or break of some communities. The decision not to go to Agathonisi meant that those restaurants not only lost customers but had probably pre-ordered supplies and, with the population of Agathonisi being less than 200, our absence would impact dramatically on their bottom line.

Sailing in the Med is a delight but can also be confounding, frustrating and potentially dangerous. The presence of steep islands impacts on conditions. Waves will bounce and refract around the near vertical shores of islands that results in a cauldron of steep backless waves. Meanwhile the wind can shear or change directions around the mountainous terrain. It is not unusual to sail into a 30 degree shift. We have experienced 180 degree shifts!

Unlike Portofino, with its deeper and rocker shaped hull, the flat hulled Epicurios slaps into waves. In fact, we can go from 7 to 3 kts in a matter of seconds if we hit some steep waves upwind. Off the wind, though, Epicurios cranks up and is hard to beat.

Hence the third and last race presented a southerly of 14 to 18 kts and the course retraced the first day’s course south back to Lakki. The start was much cleaner than the previous day. Outside of Lipsi harbour are a chain of islands that provided protection from the southerly swell. Wind models were predicting a south easterly, but the question was whether the wind was going to tend more southerly later in the day. Qi headed west looking for more consistent winds and a potential wind shift, whereas Epicurios and Trinity headed south inside the lee of the islands. We gambled on getting less wave action and potentially more wind once we left the cover of the islands.

Trinity cut between the islands to capitalise on smooth waters and the vortex affect that occurs between islands. Despite being a navigational nightmare with rocks fringing the passage, they were able to enjoy speed and a lift to jump ahead of Epicurios. Qi with her superior speed held a dominant position to seaward. Meanwhile Epicurios wallowed in the lumpy sea due to the reflection of waves from Lipsi until we were able to tack to clear the islands and sail across the waves. We tacked again, this time to seek smoother waters in the lee of Leros, a strategy that proved to be beneficial. We had made significant ground on Qi and Trinity. Another tack out west and then south and it was a race to the finish. Qi found another gear with the experienced crew consisting of Royal Perth Yacht Club members, Past Commodore Denis Pearce and Flag Officer Rob Scharnell, and locals George and Poppi joining John and Terri. Qi crossed the line first and Epicurios was pipped by Trinity to cross 3rd.

That night at the presentation ceremony participants were treated to Greek food, too much wine and dancing under the eucalypts planted decades prior to combat malaria. The night was clear and barmy with Jupiter shining brightly above. Prizes were awarded and burgees were exchanged between Royal Perth Yacht Club, Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron and the Nautical Club of Leros. We all eventually wandered back to our respective boats to reminisce over a wonderful and challenging three days.

And the results were:

Handicap Overall: Trinity first, Qi second and Epicurios fourth.

Handicap Division A: Trinity first, Qi second and Epicurios third.

Further information and results can be found at: https://www.villakolkis.org/en/goran-schildt-regatta/gs-regatta.html

Past Commodore Stuart Tait