A. Le Coq 69th Muhu Väina regatta sails downwind from Hiiumaa to Muhumaa

The second day of the 69th A. Le Coq Muhu Väina regatta offered sailors conditions rarely seen in Estonian waters. Sunny summer weather, calm seas, and a favorable tailwind for nearly the entire course transformed the Kärdla to Kuivastu leg into a true sailing pleasure. Spinnakers and gennakers remained aloft for much of the day, leading participants to describe it as genuine 'gentlemanly sailing.'

The ORC I–IV classes navigated a course of approximately 44.2 nautical miles from Hiiumaa to Muhumaa. The Folkboot class sailed 34.1 nautical miles, and the Dragon class covered 34.5 nautical miles. The leading yachts reached Kuivastu in just over five and a half hours, with most of the fleet finishing within six to seven hours.

In the Alexela ORC I class, the day's success belonged to SYLVIA (Grand Soleil 43 BC), skippered by Aare Kööp. The downwind conditions perfectly suited the large and powerful yacht, securing the team a clear stage victory in the ORC Weather Routing calculation. BERTA (Elan 380), led by Hando Sutter, took second place, followed by CLEAN ENERGY (E-44) with skipper Mati Sepp. Last day's winner, the Latvian yacht NICOLE (X-41), finished fourth.

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The downwind conditions suited our yacht very well. We have a large and heavy boat, and we move quickly in such conditions. Everything went well today.

"The downwind conditions suited our yacht very well. We have a large and heavy boat, and we move quickly in such conditions. Everything went well today," said SYLVIA's captain, Aare Kööp. In the Mount Gay ORC II class, LUMI (First 34.7) skippered by Mart Eensalu claimed the stage victory. Notably, the top three positions were occupied by yachts of the same type – the First 34.7. ADELE, skippered by Aleksandr Karboinov, secured second place, with Kristo Timberg's DOMINA finishing third. The gaps between the top three were just over a minute, highlighting the exceptionally close competition within the class.

For the LUMI crew, this marked their first stage victory in the Muhu Väina regatta. "This is our crew's first stage win in the Muhu Väina regatta, and we are very happy about it. We were very close to winning yesterday, but today we came to the start with a clear goal to take that final step. It succeeded, and the emotion is great," said LUMI captain Mart Eensalu. Meanwhile, in the ORC III class, BELLATRIX (X-99), skippered by Rauno Pielberg, continued its winning streak, securing a second consecutive stage victory and extending its lead in the Estonian championship standings. NEW DEAL (Maxi Mixer 35), led by Mallar Prandi, took second place, and FARO (Ridas 31) with skipper Neeme Küla finished third.

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This is our crew's first stage win in the Muhu Väina regatta, and we are very happy about it. We were very close to winning yesterday, but today we came to the start with a clear goal to take that final step. It succeeded, and the emotion is great.