Preparations are complete for the start of the 25th Aegean Regatta on August 22, with sailing crews preparing to navigate a route across the eastern Aegean islands from Chios to Samos.
The 2026 edition of the annual sailing competition will launch from Limnia, the port of Volissos on Chios, before heading to Fournoi, Agathonisi, and Marathokampos on Samos.
Konstantinos Kalogeropoulos, president of the Offshore Committee of the Hellenic Sailing Federation, welcomed participating crews ahead of the start of the race. Kalogeropoulos said the voyage across the Aegean would continue this year with stops at Chios, Fournoi, Agathonisi, and Samos.
Island route and organizers
Kalogeropoulos described the event as a regatta full of memories, honoring those who have passed away as well as sailors who continue the journey across time, places, and the sea. He said the competition brings together memories of the past with the momentum of the future.
Describing the event as the Regatta of the Aegean, the Regatta of the Balkans, and a regatta close to their hearts, Kalogeropoulos said the Offshore Committee welcomed fellow sailors to a competition worthy of its history and importance.
The 2026 regatta is organized by the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy, part of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, in cooperation with the Offshore Committee of the Hellenic Sailing Federation.
Several local nautical clubs are involved in running the event, including A.S.I.A.TH. Rhodes, the Mytilene Sailing Club, L.O.I.A.TH. Mytilene, the Samos Nautical Club, and the Chios Nautical Club. PEKEV Chios serves as the coordinating club for 2026.
Aegean sailing tradition
The Aegean Regatta is a major annual offshore sailing event in Greece, drawing crews from across the Balkan region and the eastern Mediterranean. The competition shifts its course each year to showcase different island communities across the Aegean Sea.
Chios, where the race begins, is an island in the eastern Aegean Sea known for its maritime history. Limnia is the coastal port serving the northwestern village of Volissos. From Chios, the fleet moves south to Fournoi, a small island complex located between Samos and Ikaria, and Agathonisi, the northernmost island of the Dodecanese archipelago, before finishing at Marathokampos on the island of Samos.
