Sailing Excellence of Superyachts Shines at the First Cyclades Cup in Antiparos

17 June 2024 - Antiparos, Greece - After three extremely full days that included superyacht racing by day and drinks and dinners at spectacular venues by night, the first superyacht regatta in Greece, the Cyclades Cup Antiparos came to its conclusion with a prize giving ceremony to remember at the Antiparos primary school yard.

The Grand Prize, a replica Cycladic head, formed of brilliant Parian white marble, from the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, was given to the “Head of the Fleet” the Yacht “Tawera” of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron owned by Mike Mahoney for winning both his racing division and winning by the biggest cumulative margin in corrected time.

Racing was separated into three racing divisions, Apollo, Skyphians, and Meltemi class, each named after a feature of Greek Mythology that represented best the yachts in each division.

The Apollo class of yachts was comprised of grand, beautiful yachts over 30 meters, worthy of Apollo, the ancient Greek god of beauty. 

The Skyphian class, named after the Poseidon’s horse, was made up of yachts over 80feet that are versatile and swift. 

The Meltemi class encompassed the performance sloops of unrivalled speed that feel most at home with a brisk “meltemi”, the etesian wind of the Aegean, on their swart sails.

The full winners list:

Apollo Division

1. Seabiscuit - Stelios Kyriakidis
2. Almyra II - Nikolas Rigas
3. Sea Joy - George Prokopiou

Meltemi Division

1. WinWin - Kim Schindelhauer
2. Wally B. - Titina Patera

Skyphian Division

1. Tawera - Mike Mahoney

Special Prizes

• Best Owner/Driver - Wally B Olivier Demont
• Crew of Distinction - La Belle Marco Terzopoulos
• Sportsmanship - Aliki Martinou
• Best Starter - Barong D - Andre Rossigneau
• Youngest Driver - Almyra II - Nikolas Rigas

A collaboration between the newly formed Cyclades Cup and the venerable Yacht Club of Greece, this unique form of yacht racing, is being tested out for the first time in the heart of the Aegean Sea with the aim to bring the world of yachting to one of the last untouched races courses in the Mediterranean.

Ilia Rigas, principal of Cyclades Cup said “The 1st Cyclades cup was a dream that we shared with Stratis from the Yacht Club of Greece that came true .

Our simple dream was to bring the grandest yachts of the world to Antiparos, creating a fresh venue for superyacht racing. Our aim was to bring together wonderful people from around the world to this tiny island to share the love of sailing, the sea, the natural beauty of the island, and the warmth of Greek hospitality. We wanted to have a nice balance of competitive sailing in Corinthian spirit together with the social programme that only a simple but chic unpretentious Greek island can offer

We have now demonstrated that Antiparos has the potential to be one of the best destinations for superyacht racing worldwide.”

Stratis Andreadis, Race Chairman from the Yacht Club of Greece said: “We had two days of great racing testing out the race courses for next years’ cup. The first day was quite difficult as we had to construct a course for a very unusual and shifty wind direction. In the end we finished a light air race in three hours and everyone went home happy. The second day, I believe, will stay in everyone’s mind forever. We designed a course through the channel of of Despotiko with a moderate northerly and ended up with some of the most beautiful images yacht racing has seen in a long while. On to next year, with more courses, more days, more unforgettable memories”

Mike Mahoney, from Tawera, said: “Without doubt the best regatta we have attended. Venue, hospitality,management , race courses, safety protocols etc

Ilia and Mathios wanted the focus on corinthian spirit and they achieved that with style and grace . Nice As an owner , not to have to accommodate and feed race crew, no optimising gear/ crazy weight reductions etc- we only had 4 people on board who had sailed aboard priorvto event!-it was just turn up and enjoy the purity of sailing

I have no doubt Cyclades Cup will be the foremost regatta on the circuit in years to come.”

Stathis Topouzoglou, who chartered Seabisquit said: “When Ilia and Mathios told me about their plans to organize the first-ever superyacht regatta in Greece, which was to take place in Antiparos, I had no second thoughts! After 17 years of knowing them, I had no doubts about the success of the event.

I only had one problem to solve in order to participate, as I am not a superyacht sailing boat owner , i did not own a sailing boat !!!! After thorough research, I found one of the best boats available for charter, 'the SeabisCuit,' along with its very experienced captain and racing crew! What an experience - three magical days, an extremely well-organized event, fabulous people, wonderful venues, and so many nice gifts we received from the sponsors. We loved them all.

Antiparos is an ideal place, well-chosen, and I have no doubts that the Cyclades Cup has already been established as one of the most popular superyacht regattas of the year. We won first place in our category (beginner's luck), not that it matters, as the last three days will always be remembered for life!”

The Cyclades Cup, Antiparos is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors. A heartfelt thank you to our Platinum sponsor, UBS, Gold sponsors, IYC - The International Yacht Company and Perini Navi, and Silver sponsor Jaquet Droz, whose commitment to excellence mirrors our own dedication to this event. We also extend our gratitude to our Bronze sponsors, Pantaenius and PERGA, for their valued contributions.

Generous local support was provided by Navi Oceandis, Blue and Blue, Sun of A Beach, North Sails Apparel, Blue Star Ferries, Agrilia Organic Olive Oil, Salty Bag, and Trinity Wines, promoting the spirit of sailing and camaraderie.

A big thank you to our International Media partner BOAT International and our local Media partner Skipper On Deck.

For media inquiries and event updates, please contact:

Iliariga@ilmaryachting.com