ISTANBUL EUROPA RACE - Regatta Europa 2009 www.istanbuleuroparace.com 29 August 2009 ISTANBUL EUROPA RACE The weather was beautiful and sunny with a wind of 6 to 8 knots blowing from the west when the sailors started racing after one week of enjoying the Turkish lifestyle. On the eve of the race, event organizer Cumali Varer had put together a memorable gala dinner that Michel Desjoyeaux described as "something to make the absents jealous”.Desjoyeaux was also the fastest at the beginning while the crew of Paprec-Virbac 2 protested against a controversial move from 1876. The panel of judges will have to take a decision about the incident at the finish of stage 2 in Nice. Foto: Jaques Vapillon Going out of the Bosphorus, Desjoyeaux's Foncia led the fleet ahead of 1876, Veolia Environnement, DCNS, Paprec-Virbac 2 while Groupe Bel was waiting for the right time to take the commands of the race, which happened after five hours of racing. They were expected to pass the Dardanelles Strait around midnight local time. Leaving the Turkish waters will mark the beginning of a new battle. "We have opted for a wise start”, said skipper Roland Jourdain suggesting that he keeps offensive strategies for later. Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE