Sailors head to Lefkas, Greece for Vassiliki Watersports Festival

All set for the Vassiliki Watersports Festival © Wildwind

Starting next week the 5th annual Vassiliki International Sailing Regatta and Festival will be attended as always by a plethora of National & International sailing stars.

The event promises excitement and entertainment both on and off the water with a programme including Long Distance racing for Yachts and Catamarans on Thursday 28 June, course racing in Vassiliki bay for Lasers, Open Dinghy and Open Catamaran classes on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 June as well as windsurfing slalom races on both Friday and Saturday afternoons.There’s even a mountain bike race scheduled for the morning of 1 July.

New to the event and programmed for the Saturday afternoon is an innovative ‘Laser Slalom Knockout’ competition where the course will be set very close to the beach so that spectators can watch 2 boats on parallel courses battle it out to be the fastest and progress to the next round. Wildwind Holidays, key sponsor of the event over the past five years, are offering €500 prize money for the winner who will have to demonstrate his/her skills gybing on a short downwind course taking no more than 3 minutes to complete!

Attending the event this year are Greek Olympic medallists Virginia Kravarioti and Sofia Papadopoulou (Bronze in Bejing with Sofia Bekatorou in the Yngling class) and British Silver medallist Tony Morgan (81) who will be racing the long distance race with his son and grandson!

So far entries have also been received from teams from Australia, USA, UK, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Holland, France and of course, Greece.

The event in Vassiliki also includes an excellent social programme with beach parties and rock/funk bands performing at two of Vassiliki’s long established beach clubs on the evenings of Tuesday 26 and Friday 29 June, as well as Greek traditional entertainment in the village of Vassiliki at the official Opening Ceremony on Thursday 28 and at the final prizegiving on Saturday 30 June.

Vassiliki looks forward to welcoming competitors and spectators from all over to its showcase event of the summer. Even if you are not able to attend in person ERASPORT will be setting up a radio studio in Vassiliki’s town hall and 2 will be broadcasting live twice a day from the mayor’s office.

For more information, or photos, please contact Simon Morgan, Race Director, (30) 6979 110 665 or at

www.vassiliki-watersports-festival.com