Diverse international fleet for 5th edition Aegean 600
by Hellenic Offshore Racing Club 5 Jun 19:03 BST
6-12 July 2025
AEGEAN 600 © Nikos Alevromytis & Vagelis Fragoulis
In a sign that this newest of the world's 600-mile classic offshore races has reached maturity, organizers from the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC) are pleased to announce yet another large international fleet will be assembled for its 5th edition of the Aegean 600.
This annual race is co-organized by Olympic Marine. Rolex is once again supporting the event as the Official Timepiece.
The race start is a little over 1 month away, and on Sunday July 6th the fleet will set off at Cape Sounion under the ancient Temple of Poseidon, complete the race course in 2-6 days and re-assemble at Olympic Marine for the awards ceremony held on Saturday July 12th in Lavrion.
A total of 19 nations from Europe, Asia and the Americas will be represented among 60 competing teams that will be racing monohulls and multihulls that range in size and speed from Elisabetta Maffei's Mini 6.50 25NODI from Italy to Adrian Keller's 84-foot Nigel Irens catamaran ALLEGRA from Switzerland. A complete list of current entries can be found here.
As a sailing event, the Aegean 600 has an enduring lure for offshore sailors by uniquely weaving together the very best of the modern and the ancient. For example, before and after the race the fleet will be assembled at the new world-class marina facilities at Olympic Marine in Lavrion, where there is full support facilities available for visiting teams and their friends and families.
Another nod towards modern racing is the Warm-up Race held on Friday July 4th on an inshore race course set up east of Olympic Marine. This short day race attracts a subset of the fleet out for some fun but competitive sailing designed to give teams a chance to test the teamwork they will need during the Aegean odyssey that lies just a few days ahead in the main event.
After the spectacular start held before the crowds assembled at the ancient Temple of Poseidon on Sunday, the crews will then be like their ancient sailing predecessors who were on their own to face the winds and seas of Greek myth and legend while passing some of the Aegean's most famous islands.
These include Milos - the island of Aphrodite - before passing through the caldera at Santorini with its dramatic beauty before arriving at the southernmost Aegean islands of Kasos and Karpathos where the prevailing Meltemi winds can peak at gale-force strength. From there the race passes Rhodes - the island home of the Knights of St John - before pushing northward to pass Kos - the home of Hippocrates - and Patmos, the island of the Apocalypse of John the Evangelist.
Then comes the Icarian Sea, known for its unpredictable winds and challenging conditions, before traversing the exhilarating straits between Mykonos and Delos, the sacred birthplace of Artemis and Apollo. Then it's on to the finish at Sounion where famous Greek hospitality awaits the teams on their return to Olympic Marine.
It's no wonder that there are many entries returning from past editions of this race, eager to return to this place of legends. One is Carlo Alessandro Puri Negri, owner of the Farr 70 Atalanta II who set the monohull course record of 2 days 23 hours 54 minutes in the first edition of the race in 2021.
"I know that race record is now very much different," he said, "but I am really looking forward to being back in Lavrion. I have wonderful memories of passing Santorini at sunrise with no wind at all - but enjoying a good coffee. Another day we passed Mikonos at sunrise - both unforgettable moments. Throughout we experienced such a good level of hospitality, and I remember organizers and the event team being so professional and so friendly at the same time."
The first Multihull record was set in 2022 at 2 days 5 hours 36 minutes 2 seconds by Allegra, who is also back again to compete in this year's edition. For comparison, the current multihull record of 1 day 13 hours 18 minutes 52 seconds was set last year by Erik Maris's MOD70 Zoulou, and the current Monohull record of 1 day 21 hours 5 minutes 25 seconds was set in 2023 by Chris Sherlock's team on the Farr 100 Leopard 3.
Among the new teams to this year's race is also the furthest-travelled of all the entries: US-based Chris Hemans and his mixed team of Italian and US sailors on his Cookson 50 Varuna. Hemans is a veteran Southern California offshore race competitor and organizer of numerous editions of the Transpac, the 2225-mile biennial race from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Hemans visited last year's race as a spectator and was impressed with what he saw.
"I came to visit with my daughters and was very impressed with everything: the impressive setting, the high caliber of the venue and the events, the incredible hospitality, this is really a world-class place. We bought our Cookson 50 in Italy last year and wanted to make this our first long offshore race, so there's been a lot of preparation. We have a great team assembled and very much look forward to it."
Among numerous pre- and post-race activities - the complete schedule can be found here - is an important new preparation event: an Offshore Personal Safety Seminar that allow participants to comply with Article 6.1.1 of Appendix G of the World Sailing Offshore Safety Regulations.
This will take place on both Wednesday and Thursday, July 2-3rd at Olympic Marine.
Registration and more information will be available to all participating boats by the Secretariat.
"We are very happy to see the teams that have come from far and wide to enter this year's race," said Ioannis Maragkoudakis, President of the Aegean 600 Organizing Committee and Commodore of HORC. "It's always a pleasure to see the interest and enthusiasm others have to come visit us here in the Aegean. It is a very special place and we look forward to sharing this experience with them in our 5th edition of this great race."
Information on how to enter the race, a complete list of entries, and the official Notice Board can be found at aegean600.com.
High resolution photos from past editions of the Aegean 600 are found at bit.ly/AEGEAN600-2024photos.