Karpo Sailing

WHEN THE ANCHOR DRAGS… ⚓️

Anchorage. 15–20 knots of wind.

A yacht slowly drifts past KARPO. The skipper casually waves, then goes back to whatever he’s doing at the stern.

Wait… does he really not realize the anchor isn’t holding?

I grabbed my phone and started recording. It was obvious something was about to happen. I started yelling to get attention from both sailboats. The crew on the properly anchored yacht reacted first and pushed the drifting boat away. A little chaos, fortunately no damage.

Moments like this make you wonder: how is this even possible?

If a skipper doesn’t notice a dragging anchor in broad daylight, what happens in the middle of the night?

Incidents like these give anchoring an undeserved bad reputation. In reality, an anchor is one of the safest and most useful pieces of equipment on a yacht—provided it’s used correctly.

Here are a few simple reminders:

1. Drop the anchor in sand. An anchor won’t reliably hold in seagrass unless there’s almost no wind. Besides, seagrass meadows are protected and should be avoided.
2. Use enough chain. The stronger the wind, the more chain you need. In no wind even a 2:1 scope may be enough. In stronger winds, use at least 5:1, and whenever possible extend to 7:1 or even 9:1.
3. Always test the anchor. Reverse gently while increasing engine RPM (up to around 2,000) to confirm the anchor has set. In stronger winds, nature often performs the test for you. Watch fixed landmarks or use your chartplotter to verify you’re not moving.
4. Turn on the anchor alarm. Every single time. Then make sure it’s working properly.
5. Practice anchoring. Experience is the best teacher. The more you anchor, the better you’ll recognize when conditions are suitable—and when it’s smarter to look for another place to spend the night.
6. Check the forecast. Choose an anchorage protected from the expected wind, with open sea behind you rather than in front of you.

Do you have a tip that has saved you more than once? Share it in the comments. Experience costs nothing when it’s shared.

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KO SIDRO SPUSTI … ⚓️

Sidrišče. Veter piha s 15–20 vozli.

Mimo Karpo začne počasi drseti druga jadrnica. Skiper zgolj pomaha in nadaljuje z opravili na krmi.

Čakaj … ali res ne opazi, da sidro sploh ne drži?

V rahlem šoku sem pograbil telefon in začel snemati, saj je bilo jasno, da bo slej ko prej prišlo do zapleta. Na moja opozorila so se najprej odzvali na jadrnici, ki je bila pravilno zasidrana, in uspeli odriniti nenadzorovano plovilo. Nekaj zmede, na srečo pa brez posledic.

Ob takšnih trenutkih se človek vpraša, kako je to sploh mogoče.

Če skiper sredi belega dne ne opazi, da sidro drsi, kaj se šele zgodi ponoči?

Prav zaradi takšnih situacij se sidranja drži slab sloves. Pa vendar je sidro eden najboljših in najvarnejših pripomočkov na jadrnici – če ga uporabljamo pravilno.

Na hitro nekaj napotkov:

1. Sidro spuščamo v pesek. V morski travi praviloma ne bo držalo, razen ob popolnem brezvetrju. Poleg tega je morska trava zaščitena.
2. Uporabimo dovolj verige. Močnejši kot je veter, daljša mora biti veriga. V bonaci zadostuje že razmerje 1 : 2. V močnem vetru uporabimo najmanj 1 : 5, še bolje pa 1 : 7 ali celo 1 : 9.
3. Vedno preverimo, ali je sidro prijelo. Počasi zapeljemo vzvratno in postopoma povečamo obrate motorja (vsaj do približno 2.000). Pri močnem vetru bo preizkus pogosto opravil že veter sam. Opazujmo orientirje ali položaj na ploterju.
4. Vedno vključimo sidrni alarm. Ob vsakem sidranju. In preverimo, da deluje pravilno.
5. Sidrajmo čim več. Le praksa nam da občutek, kdaj so razmere primerne za sidranje in kdaj je bolje poiskati drugo rešitev za prenočevanje.
6. Spremljajmo vremensko napoved. Sidrajmo v zavetrini otokov in izbirajmo sidrišča, kjer je odprto morje za nami, ne pred nami.

Imate še kakšen nasvet iz lastnih izkušenj? Zapišite ga v komentar. Izmenjava znanja je še vedno brezplačna.

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AEGEAN 600 Final post | 682 NM | 4 dni | 🥇 1. mesto ORC 2

Končano.

Po 4 dneh, 1 uri in 43 minutah jadranja ter 682 preplutih navtičnih miljah smo pod Pozejdonovim templjem pri rtu Sounion prečkali ciljno črto. Aegean 600 2026 je za nami.

Regata se je začela točno tako, kot napoveduje njen sloves. Meltemi od 15 do 30 vozlov na startu, veliki valovi in popolnoma naložena jadrnica. Odločili smo se za jadranje brez krajšav, kar se je kasneje izkazalo za pravo odločitev pri dolgem jadranju z vetrom.

Hitro jadranje mimo Milosa in Santorinija je bilo nagrada za dobro pripravljeno jadrnico, nato pa je meltemi pokazal svoj pravi obraz. Pri Kasosu nam je odtrgalo genaker A2, ki je padel v morje in se ovil okoli krmilnega lista. Zaplet smo rešili v petnajstih minutah, dvignili manjši A4 in nadaljevali. Le dobro uro kasneje še en zaplet – slabo izveden obrat z vetrom in genaker okoli prednje pripone. Brez poškodb smo ga sneli in od tam naprej nadaljevali precej bolj konzervativno.

Pod Karpatosom je veter dosegal do 38 vozlov, pod Rodosom pa nas je čakalo popolno nasprotje – 12 ur brezvetrja, kjer so se razlike med ekipami skoraj izničile. Ko smo se končno prebili iz brezvetrja, nas je pri otoku Kos sredi noči znova presenetil meltemi. Iz napovedanih 15 vozlov je brez opozorila udaril s preko 33 vozli. Ekipa je ukrepala mirno in pravočasno: viharni flok, druga krajšava in brez poškodb.

Od Kosa naprej je regata postala predvsem psihološki maraton. Bonace, šibek veter, močan veter in znova bonace. Takšen je grški meltemi – enkrat ga je preveč, drugič si vzame odmor. Nikoli pa ne veš, kdaj pride kateri trenutek.

V zadnjem delu regate so številnim ekipam začele popuščati moči, koncentracija ali sreča in počasi smo jih prehitevali. Zadnja velika ovira je bila bonaca pri otoku Kea tik pred ciljem. Ko smo jo prebili, smo sprejeli še zadnjo pomembno odločitev – dvigniti A4 ali ostati konzervativni. Na koncu smo ga dvignili in v pravem ritmu prijadrali v cilj.

🥇 Rezultat:
• 1. mesto ORC 2 (13 jadrnic)
• 13. mesto ORC Overall
• 🥈 2. mesto IRC 2

Za nami je ostala popolnoma nova ORC optimizirana XR 41 Xcalibur. Z 17 let staro jadrnico Elan 450, izdelano v Begunjah, biti hitrejši od sodobne danske regatne jadrnice je nekaj posebnega. Tretjeuvrščena First 36 Be Calm pod češko zastavo pa je še en dokaz slovenskega navtičnega znanja.

Ključ do zmage? Pravočasne odločitve v najmočnejšem vetru, vztrajnost v vsakem brezvetrju in ekipa, ki ji tudi po štirih dneh ni zmanjkalo energije.

Takšne regate je nemogoče opisati z nekaj pridevniki. Polne so vzponov in padcev, viharjev in bonac. Ostanejo pa za vedno.

Zmagovalno ekipo so sestavljali: Aleš Petrič, Blaž Vončina, Erik Trkman, Jakob Jež, Jernej Poljanec, Luka Kurtnjak, Oton Hafner, Vojko Petrič ter skiperja Andrej Jereb in Maks Vrečko.

Hvala jadrnici Elan 450 Karpo, da je zdržala vse napore in nas pripeljala na oder za zmagovalce.

Hvala vsem, ki ste nas spremljali, navijali in bili z nami na tej poti.

Naslednji veliki izziv: Rolex Middle Sea Race. Oktober. Malta.

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AEGEAN 600 | 682 NM | 4 days | 🥇 1st Place ORC 2

Finished.

After 4 days, 1 hour and 43 minutes of racing and 682 nautical miles, we crossed the finish line beneath the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. Aegean 600 2026 is complete.

The race started exactly as expected: 15–30 knots of Meltemi, heavy seas and a fully loaded yacht. We chose to sail without reefing, a decision that later proved invaluable during the long downwind leg.

After a fast ride past Milos and Santorini, the Meltemi showed its true power. Near Kasos our A2 gennaker exploded, fell into the water and wrapped around the rudder. We cleared it within fifteen minutes, hoisted the smaller A4 and continued. Just over an hour later another mistake during a gybe wrapped the gennaker around the forestay. We recovered it undamaged and continued more conservatively.

Off Karpathos the wind reached 38 knots, while beneath Rhodes we encountered the exact opposite – 12 hours of drifting in calm conditions. The fleet compressed before we finally escaped back into clean breeze.

During the night off Kos the forecasted 15 knots suddenly turned into more than 33 knots. The crew reacted immediately: storm jib up, second reef in, no damage.

From Kos onwards the race became a mental marathon. Calm after calm, light air, strong wind and calm again. That is the character of the Greek Meltemi.

In the final stages many teams began losing speed, focus or luck, while we kept moving forward. The last challenge came in the calm off Kea, just before the finish. Once clear, we made one final decision—whether to hoist the A4. We did, and carried it all the way to the finish.

🥇 Results:
• 1st place ORC 2 (13 yachts)
• 13th Overall ORC
• 🥈 2nd place IRC 2

Finishing ahead of the brand-new ORC-optimised XR 41 Xcalibur with our 17-year-old Slovenian-built Elan 450 made this victory even more special.

The keys to victory were simple: making the right decisions in the strongest winds, never giving up in the calms and a crew that was still pushing at full intensity after four demanding days.

Some races simply stay with you forever.

Thank you to everyone who followed and supported us.

Next challenge: Rolex Middle Sea Race. October. Malta.

KARPO Race

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🏁 Regata je zaključena, znani pa so tudi vsi dobitniki KARPO Race majic!

Karpo je v prvih 24 urah regate preplul 206 NM in dosegel najvišjo hitrost 15,2 kt. Na koncu pa smo ciljno črto prečkali ob 15:37. ⛵

Hvala vsem, ki ste sodelovali v naši nagradni igri in oddali svoje napovedi! 🙌

🏆 Najbližje razdalji v prvih 24 urah je bil Matej Franič na Facebooku, ki je napovedal 209 NM.

🏆 Najbližje najvišji hitrosti je bil na Instagramu , ki je napovedal 17,7 kt.

🏆 Najbližje času prihoda v cilj pa je bil Matic Vrečko, sin našega skiperja Maksa, ki je napovedal prihod ob 15:30. Končni čas prihoda je bil 15:37, zato je bil res izjemno blizu! 👏

🎁 Vsi nagrajenci nam prosim pošljite zasebno sporočilo z:
• imenom in priimkom,
• naslovom za pošiljanje,
• velikostjo majice.

Še enkrat iskrene čestitke vsem nagrajencem in velika hvala vsem, ki ste sodelovali ter ves čas spremljali Karpo na regati! 💙

KARPO Race
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🏁 The regatta is over, and all KARPO Race T-shirt winners have now been confirmed!

During the first 24 hours, Karpo sailed 206 NM and reached a top speed of 15.2 knots. In the end, we crossed the finish line at 15:37. ⛵

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in our prediction challenge! 🙌

🏆 Closest prediction for the 24-hour distance was Matej Franič on Facebook, who guessed 209 NM.

🏆 Closest prediction for the highest speed was Brlogar on Instagram, who guessed 17.7 knots.

🏆 Closest prediction for our finishing time was Matic Vrečko, the son of our skipper Maks, who predicted 15:30. Our actual finishing time was 15:37, making his guess incredibly close! 👏

🎁 To all winners: please send us a private message with:
• your full name,
• your shipping address,
• your T-shirt size.

Congratulations once again to all the winners, and thank you to everyone who joined the challenge and followed Karpo throughout the race! 💙

KARPO Race
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🌊 4. dan regate Aegean 600 ⛵️

Tudi četrti dan nam ni prizanesel. Ponovno smo padli v vetrovno luknjo, kjer so nas valovi občasno potiskali celo nekoliko vzvratno. V takšnih trenutkih hitrost ni več pomembna – odločata potrpežljivost in psihološka stabilnost.

Zanimivo je, da smo v tej bonaci uspeli prehiteti celo hitrejšo francosko jadrnico, ki je v tistem trenutku obstala skoraj povsem na mestu. Okoli nje se je namreč odprl pas vetra, po katerem smo lahko odjadrali mimo. 🌬️

V nekaj 100metrih oziroma uro, dve kasneje pa popolnoma druga zgodba. Iz skoraj popolne bonace smo prišli v skoraj orkanski veter in visoke valove, ki so nas ponesli proti zadnjim miljam do cilja. 💨🌊

Prehod ciljne črte bomo prenašali v živo na našem kanalu. Pridružite se nam! 🎥

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🌊 Day 4 of the Aegean 600 ⛵️

Day four tested us once again. We found ourselves trapped in another wind hole, where the waves occasionally pushed the boat slightly backwards. In moments like these, speed no longer matters – patience and mental strength become the key.

Ironically, we even managed to overtake a faster French yacht, which had come to a complete stop while a narrow lane of wind opened up around us, allowing us to sail straight past. 🌬️

Just over an hour later, the conditions changed completely. We went from almost total calm to storm-force winds and large waves, giving us the final push towards the finish line. 💨🌊

We’ll be broadcasting our finish live on our channel. Join us! 🎥

KARPO Race

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🌊 3. dan regate Aegean 600 ⛵️

Burna noč pri otoku Kos

Po 12 urah brezvetrja pod Rodosom smo celo popoldne jadrali v veter. Meltemi je pihal od 13 do 20 vozlov, kar je bilo prijetno jadranje, a sredi noči pod Kosom se je vse spremenilo.

Veter se je okrepil na več kot 30 vozlov, kar je bilo bistveno preveč za polno glavno jadro in J2. Krajšanje glavnega jadra je šlo hitro, večji izziv pa je bilo sneti J2 s premca. Erik in Andrej sta se izkazala – jadro smo nepoškodovano sneli in ga nadomestili z viharnim flokom, ki pa smo ga morali namestiti kar dvakrat, saj smo ga prvič napačno zmontirali, kar je bilo glede na resne viharne razmere normalno - napako smo hitro odpravili.💪

Dobro uro smo jadrali v viharnih razmerah, sunki so segali do 34 vozlov, dokler nismo prišli do konca otoka in obrnili proti severu. Tam nas je pričakal popolnoma drugačen svet. Veter je začel ugašati in v kratkem smo iz druge krajšave prešli na prvo, nato na polno glavno jadro, spredaj pa najprej na J3 in nato na J2.

Bili smo previdni, a veter je padal in se na koncu ustalil pri 6 do 8 vozlih. Le nekaj milj razlike med viharjem in bonaco – Egejsko morje zna presenetiti. 🌬️➡️🌊

Na tem mestu smo imeli pred seboj pravo uganko: zmeden veter, valove iz vseh smeri in morski tok. Rešili smo jo dobro ter prehiteli Mary S z večinsko slovensko posadko in še dve drugi jadrnici.

Sledilo je celodnevno jadranje proti severu do Agatonisija, kjer smo zavili levo proti Atenam.

Zadnja stranica bo zahtevna. Meltemi je precej prestreljen in do cilja bo treba ohraniti koncentracijo in voljo do samega konca. 🤞

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🌊 Day 3 of the Aegean 600 ⛵️

A rough night off the island of Kos

After 12 hours of calm winds south of Rhodes, we spent the afternoon sailing upwind in a pleasant 13–20 knots of Meltemi. But around midnight, everything changed.

The wind increased to over 30 knots, far too much for a full mainsail and J2. Reefing the mainsail went quickly, but taking the J2 down from the bow was the real challenge. Erik and Andrej did a great job, and we managed to recover it without damage before hoisting the storm jib. 💪

For more than an hour we sailed in storm conditions with gusts reaching 34 knots, until we rounded the island and turned north. There, everything changed again. The wind quickly faded, forcing us to shake out the reefs, return to a full mainsail, and change from J3 back to J2.

We stayed cautious, but the wind kept dropping until it settled at just 6–8 knots. Only a few miles separated storm conditions from complete calm – the Aegean Sea never stops surprising. 🌬️➡️🌊

Ahead of us was a real tactical puzzle: unstable wind, waves from every direction and current. We solved it well, overtaking Mary S, crewed mostly by Slovenians, along with two other boats.

We then spent the day sailing north towards Agathonisi before turning left towards Athens.

The final leg will be demanding. The Meltemi remains patchy, and we’ll need to stay focused and determined all the way to the finish. 🤞

KARPO Race

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DAN 2 regate Aegean 600 ⛵️

Od močnega vetra in velikih valov na odprtem morju včeraj popoldne do skoraj 12-urne borbe z bonaco pod Rodosom.

Prav v takšnih trenutkih offshore regate pokažejo svoj pravi obraz. Taktične odločitve postanejo ključne. Včasih se izidejo, včasih ne. Borba z živci je na vrhuncu. 💨🌊

Smo nekje na polovici regate. Za Rodosom bomo zavili levo ob turški meji in začeli dolgo pot nazaj proti cilju. 💪

Več o dogajanju na krovu pa izveste v videu, kjer svoje vtise delijo skiperji in člani posadke.

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🌊 Day 2 of the Aegean 600 ⛵️

From strong winds and big waves offshore yesterday afternoon to an almost 12-hour battle with calm winds south of Rhodes.

This is where offshore racing reveals its true nature. Tactical decisions become everything. Sometimes they pay off, sometimes they don’t. The mental battle is just as demanding as the sailing itself. 💨🌊

We’re now roughly halfway through the race. After rounding Rhodes, we’ll turn left along the Turkish coast and begin the long journey back towards the finish line. 💪

Watch the video to hear the latest updates and impressions directly from our skipper and crew.

KARPO Race

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