Croatian Melges 24 National Championship at Uskok Sailing Club
by Croatian Melges Press 28 Nov 2022 08:50 PST
25-27 November 2022
Trogir's Mataran 24 (Ante Botica, Ivo Matic, Mario Škrlj, Damir Civadelic and Bruna Princivali) is the winner of the Croatian Nationals in the Melges 24 class, which was sailed from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th November in Zadar, organized by the Uskok Sailing Club and with the partnership of Medico Special Hospital, OneSails, Sailing Point, Digital Aquarium, Urban Ideas and the Zadar Tourist Board.
A total of 21 crews with 93 sailors from Croatia and Ukraine took part in the Zadar CRO Melges 24 Cup, and after seven races Mataran 24, European Corinthian champions from Genoa, won the gold in this competitive one-design class ahead of the Razjaren and Strilica Zuxu. Apart the winners, it's important to underline that six different teams were the winners of the seven races of the event in Zadar archipelago.
"At the beginning of the year when we started the Melges 24 project, we were a group of friends who wanted to sail and have a good time at regattas, and at the end of the season, we return home with our hands full of trophies. Of course, we are happy because of all the titles we have won, but we are also tired because all these successes raise adrenaline and stress at the same time. The regatta in Zadar was completely uncertain until the very end, we fought with several crews for the title. Ante Cesic, Filip Jurišic and Ivan Kljakovic Gašpic could have reached the gold, but in the end, several small nuances decided that Mataran 24 climbed to the highest step on the podium," said Mario Škrlj, tactician of the Trogir crew.
Former junior world champion in the 470 class Ante Cesic stayed in the game for the title until the very end. In seven races, his worst ranking was seventh place, and at the end, he was four points behind the Mataran 24.
"Silver is a great success for the Razjaren. Altogether we have 25 days in the boat, so the podium in this kind of competition is a great result. The top regatta organized by Uskok was a sailing holiday," explained Ante Cesic.
Filip Jurišic and Strilica Zuxu finished the first day of the competition as the leader. Then on Sunday, with the victory in the sixth race, they came within a point of Mataran 24, but in the last race of the championship in which the 'winner took all,' they reached the finish line as 11th.
"We had a very high-quality regatta, uncertain until the very end. It is a real fact for my crew and me that without any preparation and training, we were in the fight for the gold until the very end and that is the reason to be very satisfied with the result. The competition was significantly better compared to last year's championship, and this is a confirmation that the Melges24 class is developing in the right direction," emphasized Filip Jurišic, winner of the world bronze and European silver in the ILCA7 class.
Zadar was also the last stop of the CRO Melges 24 Cup series, which had seven regattas in the calendar this year (Dubrovnik, Biograd, Opatija, Rovinj, Split (two events) and Zadar). The winner of this prestigious title is the Universitas Nova (Ivan Kljakovic Gašpic, Marin Golem, Filip Miroic, Šime Markic and Mia Kljakovic Gašpic), while in the Corinthian competition another gold was won by Mataran 24.
"We deservedly won the title, we had constant sailing throughout the season, the only regret is that we did not win a medal at the Croatian Nationals in Zadar. This is our challenge for next year. As for the whole series, I am very happy that we gathered a lot of sailors, from the youngest to the oldest, who regularly sail the Melges regattas. In my opinion, this is the greatest value of the entire project. CRO Melges 24 united all sailing enthusiasts who enjoy the knightly battle at sea," commented Ivan Kljakovic Gašpic, former Croatian Olympian in the Finn class.
The CRO Melges 24 Cup in a short time became the most numerous and strongest sailing series, gathering the best of the best in sailing. Currently the fleet on the Eastern Adriatic is the world's third largest with more than 20 boats. With top sailors like Šime and Mihovil Fantela, Tonci Stipanovic, Karlo Kuret, Tomislav Bašic, Ivan Kljakovic Gašpic, Filip Jurišic, Stjepan Vitaljic...in local sailing circles, the CRO Melges 24 Cup has earned the nickname 'Champions League'.
Overall Results: (seven races)
1. Mataran 24 17pts
2. Razjaren 21pts
3. Strilica Zuxu 23pts
4. Universitas Nova 23pts
5. Panjic 30pts
6. Fjonda 31pts
7. PointOne 40pts
8. Amor Wave 49pts
9. Obi-Wan 54pts
10. Blue Label 56pts
11. Joyrunner 60pts
12. Yikes 65pts
13. Cezibordo 68pts
14. Tutta Forza 73pts
15. Iggy 74pts
16. Barmaley 83pts
17. Zen 84pts
18. ONA 98pts
19. Lero 103pts
20. Palmina 113pts
21. Orage 115pts
Corinthian Results: (top three)
1. Mataran 24
2. Iggy
3. Zen
Full results here...