Artie III, skippered by Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard, is set to make yachting history as the first Maltese boat to compete in the upcoming Aegean 600 offshore race this July, according to the start lists available at the time of publication.
The 600 nautical mile race course for the AEGEAN 600 sees a start and finish located at the ancient Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion and transits past 23 scenic islands in the Aegean Sea.
Organized by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club, the fourth edition of the Aegean 600 has demonstrated its appeal with a fleet of approximately 70 boats, representing 25 countries. Notably, the crew of Artie III are familiar with many of the participating boats.
Skippers Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard are veterans of the locally hosted Rolex Middle Sea Race, with Satariano having 15 races under his belt and Ripard having 33 to his name. Previous versions of Artie, skippered by Satariano and Ripard won the Rolex Middle Sea Race twice – in 2011 and 2014.
The remaining crew members of Artie III also have considerable offshore racing experience and most of them have been racing on the new Artie III – an HH42 -for several years. Added to their offshore racing CV is participation in the 2023 ORC European Championships hosted in Malta and more recently the Palermo to Montecarlo Race in August 2023.
This experience honed from years of offshore racing in the Mediterranean, will serve the Artie III crew well, as they are expected to encounter the “Meltemi,” the strong winds characteristic of the Aegean during the race period. Known for starting suddenly, the Meltemi can blow for days.
“As of today, Artie III is the only Maltese boat to take part in this up and coming race in which there are many familiar boats and crews to us. This race will serve us well as we prepare for the 2024 Rolex Middle Sea Race in October” remarked Lee Satariano, Artie III Skipper.
The Aegean 600 will start on the 7th July and the crew is currently undertaking the final preparations before setting sail for Greece in the coming days.
“We are very much looking forward to this race and we cannot but thank our sponsor Jeep Malta as well as other supporting organisations including Elmo Insurance, Manoel Island Yacht Yard, Marina di Valletta, and RLR Yachting Malta who will make our participation in this race possible” concluded Satariano.
Artie III’s crew for the Aegean 600 will consist of Lee Satariano and Christian Ripard (Co-skippers), Justin Busuttil, Nicky Fenech, Tim Davis, Simon De Gendt, Koen De Smedt, Jake Satariano and Toon Van Caneghem.
