Dalmatia is famous for its fantastic beauty of the sea and the many islands scattered across the water area. This year, the MBY Cup was held for the seventh time by the efforts of the team of MBY magazine and Nord Star Yachting, the official dealer of Princess motor yachts in the North-West of Russia, and gathered a record 22 crews.
Some call this sailing regatta the open championship of St. Petersburg in the Hanse class, since most of the sailors come from the Northern capital. But there were also crews from Moscow, Murmansk, Perm, Sochi and even Estonia. Traditionally, the fleet consists of two divisions. The first one is the one-design Hanse 445 yachts provided by the charter company Vyshe Radugi Yachting. For those who wish to race with a little more comfort (due to the automatic staysail), the organizers form the Gran Turismo division (Hanse 455).
The fleet is divided into two divisions, but yachts start at the same time, which adds spice and entertainment
Competitions are held annually in one region, which imposes a certain responsibility on the organizers: how to avoid repetitions? This time, the 125-mile route looked like this: Split (Kastela) – Maslinitsa – Vis – Komiza – Rogoznica – Trogir – Split (Kastela).
Colorful Fleet MBY Cup 2019
Elena and Yuri Basov (yacht Gde)
For us, this regatta was not a simple competition, because we met two years ago at the MBY Cup, being rivals. This time we decided that we would go in the same carriage only if we get married … And now we are in the same team, and even on a honeymoon trip! And it was a success (there were even two Glories in the team)! An excellent understanding crew, endless humor, beautiful places, sea and sun made our trip unforgettable. Success in the regatta played a significant role in this: the victory cup was the fruit of the captain’s calmness and endurance, and well-coordinated teamwork. Thank you all for your good mood and competitive spirit!
Similar in design and capabilities, the boats of both divisions started at the same time, which added the severity of the struggle and the entertainment of the races. The joint start and the handicap allowed for the general classification, the winner of which takes home the main trophy – the Motor Boat & Yachting Challenge Cup.
Like last fall, the weather forecast for the whole week was very alarming for the organizers: there was almost no wind. And in this situation, the head judge Mirko Ukas faced a difficult task, who caught the local breeze and gave the race a start at the slightest opportunity.
Nadezhda Barinova, MEDALL Team (yacht Veni Vidi Vixi)
It was the number one regatta in my life! This will no longer be. There will be others, others. But it was a dream, which I uncorked like a bottle of Croatian spicy nut liqueur “Orahovac” … Two years ago I paid for my skipper training, but due to stupidity I did not go to school. And then fate brought me to the regatta, made me understand that you can enter from the other side. And it was oh how right! The dream came true, and in addition I met the coolest people. Our team is fire: strong personalities and funny guys!
The MBY Cup has a good reputation for amateur racing for friends. But this year the fight at a distance was more intense than ever. Strong crews alternately got into the first lines of the tournament table. In both divisions, the fate of the medals was decided in the final race, moreover – in the “calm” division of Gran Turismo, only seven seconds were decisive!
Taking into account the handicap, the main prize of the regatta – the MBY Cup – went to the team from St. Petersburg under the leadership of the experienced captain Vyacheslav Ivanov (yacht Gde), which took first place in the Monoflot division. The team members of Roman Gorev (Deep Need, St. Petersburg) were awarded silver medals, and the bronze in the Monoflot division was won by the crew of the Sidit yacht Dmitry Ovsyannikov (also from St. Petersburg).
Chief Justice Mirko Ukas
For me, this is already the third MBY Cup regatta, and as a host country, I can note that the number of participants increases from year to year, the level of athletes and the races themselves grows, which requires increased responsibility from us. Much is done even before the arrival of the guests, but the lion’s share of the worries falls on the working team precisely at the distance … We are grateful to the participants for their careful attitude to the fleet – for us this is another indicator of qualification and discipline in the crews … See you!
The regular partner of the regatta in Croatia is Vishe Radugi Yachting
In the Gran Turismo division, the team Maxine of Alexander Kulikov from St. Petersburg won, the crew of Aleksey Alekseev’s Kullfoldy Panna (St. Petersburg) won silver medals, and the top three were won by the Lanas yacht, led by the famous Moscow yachtsman Vladimir Chirkov, who led, again, the St. Petersburg team. …
The participants of the regatta appreciated all the advantages of the route leading to the remote corner of Croatia – the island of Vis. The traditional shortage of berths near the embankment of the old town and mooring on buoys made the captains a little nervous, but the reserved nature of the island, its mountains covered with coniferous forest and narrow medieval streets were able to conquer the hearts of everyone without exception.
Regatta is not only racing, but also visiting interesting places along the route
The real gem of the route turned out to be the Blue Grotto, one of the main attractions of the Adriatic, located in the Balun bay on the eastern side of the island of Bisevo. Under the arches of the ancient cave, dozens of cameras tried to capture an amazing natural phenomenon, when sunlight, breaking through the water column, paints the walls in amazing shades of ultramarine. The ancient Dalmatian cities of Komiza and Trogir were no less interesting stops along the route.
The sailing week flew by in one breath and ended with a festive dinner in Split, where the winners were honored, hot moments at the distance were discussed, and prizes were drawn from the partner of the regatta, the brand of yacht fabrics Sunbrella.
The past September in Croatia once again gave yachtsmen a wonderful opportunity to return to summer, well, and the organizers do not waste time and are starting to prepare the MBY Cup 2020! The exact dates and route will be announced by the organizing committee on the official website and in social networks. See you at MBY Cup 2020!
Text
Yan Yadchenko
Photo
Mikhail Smotrov, Vladimir Drozdin
Chief Editor
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