Record-breaking CRO Melges 24 Cup regatta in Opatija with 25 crews
by Press CRO Melges 1 Apr 2023 09:44 NZDT
1-2 April 2023
Opatija CRO Melges 24 Cup is part of the 'Alpe-Adria Cup' series of regattas © Hrvoje Duvancic / regate.com.hr
25 crews from Croatia, Italy, Slovenia and Hungary on the record-breaking CRO Melges 24 Cup regatta in Opatija!
A real sailing spectacle is being prepared in Opatija this weekend (April 1 and 2). The Opatija CRO Melges 24 Cup, organized by the Yacht Club Croatia, is one of the strongest and most numerous one-design regattas that have ever been sailed in Kvarner, where 25 sailboats with over 100 sailors from Croatia, Italy, Hungary, and Slovenia entered.
Along with top Croatian sailors and former and current Olympians such as Karlo Kuret, Enia Nincevic, Tomislav Bašic, the current European Corinthian champion in Melges 24 - Mataran 24 from Trogir with helmsman Ante Botica and the current Corinthian winner of the European Sailing Series in Melges 24, the Hungarian Chinook of Akos Csolto will be at the start of the Opatija regatta.
"The third edition of the Opatija CRO Melges 24 Cup, with 25 registered sailboats, apart from breaking the record for the number of Croatian Cup regattas, does another great thing. This regatta brings together two of the most numerous Melges 24 European nations, Italy and Croatia!
By maintaining long-term good relations with the Trieste owners of Melges 24, we managed to include our Opatija regatta in the 'Alpe-Adria Cup' series of regattas that are sailed in Italy and Slovenia, and now also in Croatia. The result is the arrival of 9 Italian crews to compete with the best Croatian sailors. With the Hungarians and Slovenians, who also come, we have become a real international regatta, a real 'League of Champions' as the Croatian Melges regatta is often called.
Thank you to ACI, Liburnija Riviera Hotels, the city of Opatija, the Tourist Board of Icici, the Tourist Board of the City of Opatija, the Tourist Board of Kvarner, the Sports Association of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Sports Association of the City of Opatija, Rogi Ribar and everyone else who gave to us in any way support," said Petar Smojver, one of the organizers from YC Croatia.
With more than 20 active crews, the Croatian Melges 24 fleet is currently one of the most numerous in the world, and the CRO Melges 24 Cup attracts many top sailors who enjoy top racing on sailboats with the same technical characteristics.
"A few years ago, the figure of 25 registered crews at the one-design regatta in Croatia would have sounded like a good April Fool's joke, but now it is a beautiful reality. It is a pleasure to sail against young lions, and I think that many Croatian sailors have found in Melges 24 a class in which they can sail at the world level. An indicator of this is the arrival of an increasing number of foreign crews in the Adriatic who want to compete in top competition," explained Karlo Kuret, one of the legends of Croatian sailing.
The sailing serenade in Opatija is the third stop of this year's season of the CRO Melges 24 Cup, which is held with the partnership of Angelina Yacht Charter, Sailing Point, North Sails, One Sails, digital studio Akvarij, digital agency Raiser, regate.com.hr and EmergenSea.