Fierce battle at the top on the starting race day of Leg 4 of Tenzor International Cup Winter Series
2026-02-20 17:01
The first racing day of Leg 4 of Tenzor International Cup – J/70 Open Winter Series 2025/2026 delivered unpredictable competition, the return of favorites, and tight results at the top of the leaderboard.
Competitive J/70 fleet of 14 teams took to the start line in Aspat Bay in favorable wind conditions of 10-15 kts.
The intrigue was heightened from the very beginning. Experienced Turkish crews immediately made their ambitions clear. In the first race of the day, won by the Russian Tenzor Team led by Andrey Pushkin, four Turkish teams – IVEDI, Happyhour, Orient Express and Nautique Yachting stormed into the top-5.
The second race was claimed by Gaswar skippered by Alexander Romanov, who finished ahead of Bars Sailing Team and Nautique Yachting. However, the final word on the first day belonged to the local favorites: the third race was confidently won by team IVEDI skippered by Yigit Eroglu.
After three intense races, the top three was formed, consisting of two Turkish teams — IVEDI and Nautique Yachting — and the Russian Tenzor Team.
"Today was a good day for our team: excellent racing conditions, good wind, good waves. We did a lot of surfing on the waves. We're very happy to have won the last race. We'll continue in the same spirit. I'm sure we can do even better. We trained for three days before the regatta, got our communication sorted", - commented Mikhail Yatsun, IVEDI team member.
"It was forecasted really strong, but the wind didn't arrive too much, so we were able to do three races, three good races in tough conditions. And the fleet is really good, so even the wind doesn't matter for the quality of the races. So it was a perfect day for us. We had a new crew member this leg, so we were trying to get familiar with our positions and stuff. So it was a good day, but however, we need to train and improve our results for the next days. We are happy to be here - beautiful marina, and the organization is really good both on and off the water", - added Doga Aribas, tactician of Nautique Yachting team.
The strongest rivals finished the day just few points behind the leaders. Bogatyrs team helmed by Igor Rytov was unlucky with tactics in all three races, but managed to keep a good 4th position ahead of Bars Sailing Team (5th) and Gaswar team (6th).
"It was very unusual day in the sense that usually from this wind direction, the right side was winning and everyone go over there. But today, the wind worked in different way and we were unlucky to catch it. But despite that, the team worked superbly, and we finished well. The mood is great because ther is no one leader, everything is still ahead. We'll see what happens next", - summarized Konstantin Besputin, tactician of “Bogatyrs”.
The sporting program of the day received high praise from the organizers. The regatta's Principal Race Officer, Can Giray, summarized the first day: "Leg 4 of Tenzor International Cup Winter Series got off to a good start with favorable winds 10 to 15 knots. Everything went to plan, and the races started right on time. The Vakaros system has been used to create a very technical infrastructure for this Series. After three quick races, the teams went back to shore with good impressions. The real adventure is going to happen tomorrow. Reports are beginning to indicate heavy rain and strong winds. As the Race Committee, we have made our plans and are getting ready for what tomorrow may bring."
The second racing day of the regatta is promising to be a true test for the teams.
Results after 3 races (top-10):
1. IVEDI 9.0 2. Nautique Yachting 10.0 3. Tenzor Team 12.0 4. Russian Bogatyrs 14.0 5. Bars Sailing Team 15.0 6. Gaswar 20.0 7. Happyhour JR 25.0 8. Orient Express 26.0 9. Ayaz JR 26.0 10. Ptichki Sailing Team 27.0