Please select your home edition
Edition
PredictWind - GPS 728x90 TOP

Melges 24 European Championship - Fracassoli and Toniste victorious

by Justin Chisholm on 29 Jul 2011
Böklunder Melges 24 European Championship 2011 Day 5 Pierrick Contin www.pierrickcontin.com
Böklunder International Melges 24 European Championship 2011 took place in Aarhus, Denmark. Racing began Sunday 24th July and the ten race series concluded today, Thursday 28 July.

Day five of the championship saw the regatta series come to a close with the final two races completed in breezes ranging from six to ten knots. Overnight leader Carlo Fracassoli on ITA 803 Gullisara, who went into the day with a 22 point advantage, finished the regatta in style with a hard fought win in the first race of the day. Fracassoli's race win initially appeared far from assured however. Rounding the first windward mark in sixth place he clawed his way up to third by the leeward gate before playing the shifty second beat to perfection to take the lead at the second windward mark. Once in front he was totally in control and on the final run to the finish he cruised home to take his third race win of the championship. This result sealed Fracassoli's championship victory with a race to spare and unsurprisingly he and his Italian crew immediately headed for the harbour to begin their victory celebrations.

Meanwhile the battle for the order of the remaining podium positions was still a close one. Flavio Favini on SUI 782 Blu Moon had gone into the final day in third place, just a single point behind second placed Alberto Bolzan on ITA 716 Saetta. A sixth in the first race for Favini with Bolzan two places back in eighth, handed the advantage to Favini and set up an exciting final race showdown. With Christoffer Sunby on NOR 697 on his way to a comfortable race win, the first windward mark of the five leg last race saw Favini and Bolzan locked together in sixth and seventh place, with Favini ahead and keeping a close cover on Bolzan on the first downwind leg. By the first leeward gate however, Bolzan had sneaked through to third with Favini now back in fifth. On a somewhat one sided second beat the roles were reversed, with Favini moving up to third and Bolzan dropping to seventh. The final beat presented few opportunities for changing places and Favini was able to finish in third to secure second place overall. Bolzan came home in sixth to claim the final overall podium position.


A final day 9,6 scoreline from Petr Fiala on CZE 716 Aloha enabled him to lock down the fourth place which he had looked good for all week. Fiala and his young crew on Aloha had impressed a lot of people with their speed and boat handling during this championship and for sure this is a team with great potential for the future. Having lain in second place early on in this championship, Andrea Racchelli on ITA 735 Altea hit a sticky patch in the middle of the series which dropped him out of contention for the podium. An 11,5 score today however, brought them back up to fifth in the overall standings.


Despite a difficult final day which tumbled him three places in the main fleet order to eighth overall, Tonu Toniste on EST 790 Lenny, was ultimately able to able to maintain his advantage over Oyvind Peder Jahre on NOR 751 Storm Capital Sail Racing in the all amateur Corinthian Division. Jahre certainly took the fight to Toniste in the first race today, chalking up a second in the overall fleet as well as a Corinthian race win, whilst Toniste only managed Corinthian twelfth. The final race saw the two Corinthian leaders finish deep in the main fleet, with Toniste four places ahead, closing out his Corinthian Melges 24 European Championship victory. A lacklustre performance compared to normal on the last day saw Tiit Vihul on EST 761 Rock City unable to challenge either Jahre or Toniste, but it was still good enough for him to lock down third in the final Corinthian standings.

International Melges 24 Class Chairman Riccardo Simoneschi, who finished the regatta in seventh place aboard ITA 819 Audi, had this to say about the success of this year's European Championship. 'With 80 boats from 16 nations competing this week, the size and the quality of fleet here in Aarhus is a real testimony to the strength of the Melges 24 Class. It is also encouraging to see so many Corinthians and young teams racing here this week. For sure the standard of racing was fantastic and confirms my belief that this class has the highest quality racing outside of the Olympics.

The 2012 Melges 24 World Championship will take place in Italy and the 2012 North American Championship will take place in San Francisco, CA. More details available on the Melges 24 website

Final Results after 10 Races:

Overall

1st Carlo Fracassoli ITA 803 Gullisara 34 points
2nd Flavio Favini SUI 782 Blu Moon 52 points
3rd Alberto Bolzan ITA 716 Saetta 56 points
4th Petr Fiala CZE 752 Aloha 66 points
5th Andrea Racchelli ITA 735 91 points

Corinthian Division:
1st Tonu Toniste EST 790 Lenny 29 points
2nd Oyvind Peder Jahre NOR 751 Storm Capital Sail Racing 33 points
3rd Tiit Vihul EST 761 Rock City 48 points





Böklunder Melges 24 European Championship website

Exposure MarineRooster 2025Vaikobi 2024 December

Related Articles

2025 Rolex Middle Sea Race preview
To date, yachts representing ten nations have confirmed their participation There has been an encouraging early wave of entries for the 46th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, set to commence on Saturday, October 18, 2025.
Posted on 20 May
IMA Maxi Europeans Inshore Series Day 2
Bella Mente wins on corrected time in the coastal race The second day of inshore racing at the IMA Maxi European Championship delivered another spectacular show in the Gulf of Naples, with breathtaking scenery and challenging weather conditions.
Posted on 20 May
52 Super Series fleet is out into the Atlantic
11-strong fleet is now mustering in Galicia Following the successful shipping of most of the TP52s from Nice in the Mediterranean out into the Atlantic and to Vigo on rugged northwest of Spain, the race fleet is now mustering in Galicia ahead of the GALICIA 52 SUPER SERIES Royal Cup.
Posted on 20 May
RORC Myth of Malham preview
Part of IRC Two-Handed National Championship and Cowes Offshore Racing Series The 2025 RORC Myth of Malham Race is set to be a thrilling chapter in offshore sailing, marking the sixth event in the RORC Season's Points Championship—the world's largest offshore racing series.
Posted on 20 May
Puget Sound sailing, Etchells, J/70s, Cup news
Seeking Goldilocks conditions on Puget Sound, Etchells NAs, J/70 U.S. Nationals, AC38 news As the saying goes, 'you don't know unless you go'. While I've mostly heard this phrase applied to climbing, skiing, and mountaineering, four late-winter and springtime races on Puget Sound this year exemplified the fact that this line.
Posted on 20 May
2025 edition of fivepointfive magazine published
5.5 Metre Class now off to Poland for the first time The 2025 edition of fivepointfive Magazine was launched during the recent Alpen Cup at Riva and is now available to read online and download.
Posted on 20 May
Henri-Lloyd supports Jazz Turner's challenge
GBR para-athlete overcomes fears in attempt to break record For a young woman with multiple and complex health issues, Jazz Turner is remarkable calm as she faces her imminent departure on her around Great Britain sailing challenge.
Posted on 20 May
Cape 31 Circuit round 2 at the Royal Southern
Jiraffe wins during North Sails May Regatta Round Two of the Cape 31 Race Circuit took place this weekend at the Royal Southern Yacht Club's North Sails May Regatta, delivering three days of high-level racing despite challenging North-Easterly conditions.
Posted on 20 May
A new IMOCA for Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia
Three teams have joined forces to build three new boats Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia announces the build of a new IMOCA racing yacht and with it, an unprecedented collaboration.
Posted on 20 May
VX One Class forms Int. Class Assoc.
Significant new chapter begins for VX One sailors with formation of an Int Class Assoc. A significant new chapter has just begun for VX One sailors worldwide with the formation of the VX One International Class Association
Posted on 20 May