I Love Poland yacht third at the finish line of Mediterranean regatta

The yacht I Love Poland, promoting Poland, sailed third to the finish line of the 600-nautical-mile prestigious Mediterranean sailing regatta from Malta, around Sicily, Temistokles Brodowski of the Polish National Foundation said on Wednesday.

The race is underway and it is not yet known which place will ultimately be taken by the crew of the boat owned by the Polish National Foundation, after the results were adjusted for the size of the monohull yachts. There were two larger and faster boats,” Brodowski pointed out.

I Love Poland returned to Malta after three days, four hours, 50 minutes and 45 seconds after the start. The PFN yacht, captained by Grzegorz Baranowski, took off from the harbour in Malta’s capital Valletta at midday on Saturday. The 14-strong crew included graduates of the Polish National Foundation’s training courses for young sailors who want to sail on the world’s biggest racing yachts.

This year, in cooperation with the Polish Sailing Association, the crew also included four competitors from the Olympic 49er class and the silver medallist of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Agnieszka Skrzypulec.

In the 43rd edition of the classic Rolex Middle Sea Race, more than 100 yachts from all over the world started alongside the Polish unit, but due to poor winds many of them withdrew during the race. I Love Poland (Volvo Open 70) competed in the IRC/Class1 category along with a dozen other yachts. The smallest boats of the other classes have not yet sailed around Sicily.

The start and finish of the regatta is Malta. To circumnavigate Sicily, the participants passed through the Strait of Messina, which, as always, was a major challenge for crews, navigators and yachts. The boat then sailed around the island of Stromboli, to the north of Sicily, and passed between the islets of Marettimo and Favignana to its west, before heading south, but the route back to Malta, in accordance with the race regulations, necessitated passing the small islands close to Africa – Pantelleria and Lampedusa. From there, the Polish yacht sailed through the straits between Malta and the small island of Comino to finish the race in a bay near Valletta.

The President of the Polish National Foundation, Marcin Zarzecki, assessed that the use of an ocean-going regatta yacht to promote Poland is a challenging but also original undertaking.

– ‘It is part of a multifaceted strategy – to show Polish qualities and attitudes represented by the members of the Polish crew – discipline, valour and the ability to win,’ he said. – ‘It’s a training experiment which, judging by the Rolex Middle Sea Race, is starting to bring good results,’ he added.

I Love Poland skipper Grzegorz Baranowski recalled that the first recruitment for the PFN sailing project started in December 2019. Since then, almost 1,200 people have participated in the PFN training programme – out of 430 applications, the programme’s chapter selected finalists, 44 of whom went on to the practical stage and nine joined the permanent crew.

The vice-president of the Polish National Foundation, Michał Góras, said that the training formula of the I Love Poland project allows young Polish sailors to develop their unique skills.

– This brings excellent results and success during international regattas. It is an excellent tool for the development of Polish sport and, at the same time, an excellent promotion of Poland abroad,” he stressed.

The start in the regatta around Sicily in the ‘Rolex Middle Sea Race’ is one of several for the crew this year. Several other yachts under the Polish flag or with Poles on board are also taking part in the regatta.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday.

Source: PortalMorski.pl