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Extremely light winds expected for the entire course of the race – Excellent Russian sailor Anton Sergeev joined Esimit Sailing Team for the first time in this season    

Today at 12:00 CEST, a fleet of more than 30 yachts from several European countries departed Palermo to contest at the 2012 Palermo – Monte Carlo regatta.  8^thedition of the Mediterranean classic runs 500-nautical miles from Palermo (Italy) to Monte Carlo  through the narrow straits between Sardinia and Corsica. The Esimit Sailing Team, stimulated by taking line honours at the inshore race and joined by excellent Russian sailor Anton Sergeev, will do its best to defend victories from the past two years.

“We are expecting a light breeze race. So the big question will be whether to go west of Sardinia-Corsica, or go on the east side, or even through the middle. There are a lot of strategic options. We are following the weather reports and how they will develop within the next hours. I would say that it will be very difficult for us to beat our own course record, which we hold for the past two years”, said Jochen Schümann, skipper of the Esimit Europa 2 yacht.

Palermo – Monte Carlo regatta is this season’s second big challenge for Igor Simčič’s European crew, which is participating the race with the major success at the Giraglia Rolex Cup, where Esimit Europa 2 smashed the race record by incredible 3 hours and 6 minutes. For the first time this season, excellent Russian sailor Anton Sergeev joined the team.

“I am very proud to be together with this outstanding international team of exceptional sailors for the first time this season. It is also an honour to contribute to the final success along with the biggest names in sailing, as Jochen Schümann, Juan Vila, and others. As the representative of the Russian Federation, I am proud that Esimit Europa 2 stands for cooperation among European Union and the Russian Federation. Each such initiative, especially if it’s related to professional sports, or more so sailing, brings opportunities for mutual cooperation, exchange of knowledge and experiences and foremost, achieving goals collectively. I am very much looking forward to this race and upcoming challenges”, stressed Anton Sergeev before the start of the race.

The Esimit Europa 2 yacht sails under the flag of the European Union, is registered on Cyprus, a member of Yacht Club de Monaco, competes for the Slovenian Sailing Federation and on board joins sailors from 7 different European countries. It is under the patronage of the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and endorsed by Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament. Its main sponsor is the global energy company Gazprom, while BMW is the official partner.

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