13:00, Monday 30th March 2026, N.C.Kalamaki, Alimos Marina, Greece.
The 53rd edition of Hydra Race organised by Hellenic Offshore Racing Club took place on the long weekend in 27-29/3/2026. Leg 1 start on Friday at 12:00 from Faliro to Hydra island provided grey skies, variable southerly winds up to 28 knots, rain squalls and mainly upwind sailing for the 50+ participating yacht teams. Leg 2 start on Sunday at 10:30 from Hydra back to Faliro was raced in sunny, partially cloudy skies and very light winds from all over the horizon. Both Legs tested the patience and fighting spirit of the crews on board and the Saturday stay in Hydra was pleasant and cheerful as always. OPTIMUM Sailing Academy’s Dehler 30od OPTIMUM 4 supported by PERFORMANCE Technologies competed with a mix of old and young Team OPTIMUM members plus a 16-year old first timer who enthusiastically joined in.
“I am an IQ Foil Windsurf athlete and wanted to get a first taste of offshore sailing. Team OPTIMUM and their O.S.A. program provided me a great hands on experience and I kept myself busy on board learning to trim the main, steering and getting a thorough glimpse of multi crew boat handling choreography. Nikos, Vasilis, Manos and Periklis were very supportive and shared as much as possible and made clear to me that sailing has so many different aspects to explore. Offshore sailing is a huge chapter to dig in and can feed one’s passion for the sea for decades for sure”, suggested newcomer young foiler sailor Vaggelis Giannakopoulos.
OPTIMUM 4 crew scored 9th in Leg 1 and 14th in Leg 2, and ended up in 12th place overall in the Performance category out of 25 entries. The season is on and we are looking for more action and more young guys to join our O.S.A. program.