Siemens to fight in Athens for third victory in the 2006 Breitling MedCup

[Source: Siemens Sailing Team] The Siemens team of Eamon Connelly, helmed by Ian Walker, is ready to race in the Athens Trophy, fifth and penultimate event in the 2006 Breitling MedCup, starting tomorrow Monday and finishing on Saturday, 26 August.

The team from Mallorca is among the most prominent in 2006. After winning the Rolex World TP52 Championship last March, they have proven their potential in the first four events of the Breitling MedCup.

The team lead by Pedro Perelló has been the only one to win two events of the 2006 Breitling MedCup, first the Trofeo Ciudad de Castellón last June and then in August the Copa del Rey-Agua Brava-Camper, probably the most prestigious of the season's regattas. As a result, the Siemens team look forward to their third victory in the Greek capital.

The Athens Trophy will undoubtedly be the toughest of the season's races, given the extremely difficult and shifty wind patterns in the bay of Athens, where the much-feared Meltemi, northeastern wind that can reach 30 knots in July and Augst, will prove to be a headache for navigators and tacticians. The Meltemi usually makes itself be felt during 1 to 3 days, although it can sometimes blow during a whole week. For these reasons Siemens decided to incorporate in their crew, Sofia Bekatorou, one of Greece's prominent sailors, multiple Olympics medalist and with a unequaled knowledge of local weather and winds.

The race committee has scheduled two windward-leeward races for Monday, 21 August.

Sixteen out of the 22 boats of the Mediterranean TP52 fleet will take part in the Athens Trophy. Siemens is placed fourth overall in the 2006 Breitling MedCup leaderboard and starting Monday they will fight to get positioned for a podium place when the 2006 season ends next month in Ibiza.

Siemens leading the coastal race at the Copa del Rey. Palma, 2 August 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing