Please select your home edition
Edition
Trinidad and Tobago - Sail Service Stay

Melges 24 European Championship 2024 in Split - Day 1

by International Melges 24 Class Association 1 Oct 03:02 PDT 27 September - 4 October 2024

The 2024 Melges 24 European Championship opened with light and unstable winds, challenging both sailors and the Race Committee. Hosted by the JK Split and the International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA), the event welcomed 41 boats from 10 nations.

After an unsuccessful first attempt by the Race Committee led by the PRO Marko Misura and IM24CA Championship Coordinator David Bartol on the Bravo course near Split's commercial harbour, the fleet moved to the Alfa race course, within the bay between Trogir and Split. The two races, characterised by tricky winds, saw success for Ante Cesic's Razjeren (CRO, 1-14) and Cuyler Morris' Dark Horse (USA, 7-1), the latter boat making its debut launched only a few days ago. Dark Horse's performance earned them the Boat of the Day title, giving them the provisional overall lead by one point ahead of Andrea Racchelli's Altea (ITA, 5-4), the former Melges 24 World Champion.

Cuyler Morris expressed his excitement, saying: "After two false starts, we moved to the Alfa course where we had a good breeze and completed two nice races. It was our first real chance to test the boat in a competitive fleet, and we couldn't be happier."

See the Facebook video interview

Former Finn class Olympian sailor Ivan Kljakovic Gašpic's Universitas Nova (CRO, 3-8) sits in third after a strong recovery in the second race, climbing from the back of the fleet to finish eighth. "The first upwind was challenging, but we finished strong thanks to good tactical choices," said Gašpic. While he was pleased with the first race, the second proved tricky due to shifting winds and a tough top mark rounding, though they made up ground on the downwind.

See the Facebook video interview

Rounding out the top five are Cro-A-Sail (CRO, 2-11), led by Matjia Reljanovic, and Razjaren, the winner of Race 1.

In the Corinthian division, Miles Quinton's Zhik Race Team (GBR, 6-18), with Geoff Carveth helming, and reigning Corinthian World Champion Mataran 24 (CRO, 12-3), helmed by Ante Botica, claimed victories as the Corinthian race winners. Mataran 24 leads the non-pro rankings with a nine-point advantage over Zhik Race Team, just one point ahead of Jonas Berntsson's SWE-715 (9-16).

Racing continues on Tuesday with at least two more races, which promises to be challenging in light wind. The warning signal is set for 12 p.m.

Top 10 boats (after 2 races, no discards):

1. DARK HORSE (USA 870) - Cuyler Morris, 8 points (7, 1)
2. ALTEA (ITA 722) - Andrea Racchelli, 9 points (5, 4)
3. UNIVERSITAS NOVA (CRO 760) - Ivan Kljakovic Gašpic, 11 points (3, 8)
4. CRO-A-SAIL (CRO 782) - Matija Reljanovic, 13 points (2, 11)
5. RAZJAREN (CRO 867) - Ante Cesic, 15 points (1, 14)
6. MATARAN 24 (CRO 649) - Ante Botica, 15 points (12, 3)
7. MAKAKO 24 (CRO 383) - Marko Matic, 18 points (16, 2)
8. CEZIBORDO (CRO 517) - Enia Nincevic, 19 points (4, 15)
9. YIKES (CRO 516) - Tonci Stipanovic, 21 points (14, 7)
10. MELGINA (ITA 854) - Paolo Brescia, 23 points (17, 6)

Top 3 Corinthian boats:

1. MATARAN 24 (CRO 649) - Ante Botica, 15 points (12, 3)
2. ZHIK RACE TEAM (GBR 694) - Geoff Carveth, 24 points (11, 13)
3. NN (SWE 715) - Jonas Berntsson, 25 points (9, 16)

Full results

Related Articles

Melges 24 European Championship overall
'Razjaren' and 'Mataran 24' crowned in Croatia Ante Cesic's Razjaren has taken the overall title, while Abte Botica's Mataran 24 claimed the Corinthian crown at the 2024 Melges 24 European Championship. This event featured over 40 boats racing in eight varied-weather races. Posted on 5 Oct
Melges 24 European Championship day 4
'razjeren' soars on the wings of Yugo The Yugo wind continued to blow across the Split racecourse, allowing three more races at the Melges 24 European Championship to be completed for the second consecutive day. With eight completed races and two remaining, Razjaren is in firm control. Posted on 3 Oct
Melges 24 European Championship day 3
Jugo wind boosts Croatian 'Razjaren' to the top of the rankings The 2024 Melges 24 European Championship saw a shift in leadership as the Jugo (South-East) wind provided challenging conditions. Ante Cesic's Razjaren (CRO, 1-5-2) now leads the provisional rankings. Posted on 2 Oct
Register Now for Charleston Race Week 2025
Launch and haul with free storage Event organizers of Charleston Race Week 2025 at Patriots Point cordially invite you to a bigger and better-than-ever regatta. Registration is now open — take advantage of early entry discounts! Posted on 1 Oct
Melges 24 European Championship day 2
No wind in Split, racing to resume tomorrow The second day of racing at the 2024 Melges 24 European Championship in Split, hosted by the JK Split in collaboration with the International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA), was postponed today due to lack of wind. Posted on 1 Oct
Croatia & Split ready to host Melges 24 Europeans
Another great story of the IM24CA is ready to be told Another great story of the IM24CA is ready to be told: the Melges 24 Croatian Class, which in just a few years has become an essential asset for the European movement, is about to host the first main event in its history. Posted on 26 Sep
M24 North American Series final event coming up
The entry list is building - let's go racing! Online registration is open for the final event of the 2024 North American Sailing Series, the famous Bushwhacker Cup hosted by the Pensacola Yacht Club on November 8-10 in Pensacola, Florida. Posted on 26 Sep
Split set to host two Melges 24 regattas
With the Croatian Melges 24 Cup followed by the Europeans Over the next two weeks, the Sailing club Split will welcome more than 40 boats and hundreds of sailors from 11 countries, including Croatia, the USA, Great Britain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Austria, Poland, and Hungary. Posted on 21 Sep
Trieste to host the 2025 Melges 24 Worlds
A renowned sailing hub, Trieste has been a key location for Melges 24 events for many years The International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA) is thrilled to announce that Trieste, Italy, has been selected as the host city for the 2025 Melges 24 World Championship. Posted on 18 Sep
Outstanding racing at 60th Rolex Big Boat Series
Breeze on conditions brought out the best skills and tactics for podium winners Breeze on conditions brought out the best skills and tactics for podium winners. Posted on 16 Sep
2024 fill-in (bottom)Henri-Lloyd - For the ObsessedC-Tech 2020 Tubes 728x90 BOTTOM