CRO M24 Cup Biograd: No racing off Biograd due to calm and fog
by Press Cro Melges 2 Mar 21:26 AEDT
27 February - 1 March 2026
For the first time in the six-year history of the CRO M24 Cup, not a single race was completed at an event. A respectable fleet of 19 crews gathered in Biograd for the opening regatta of this year's series, marking the start of the spring leg of the season, and all were eagerly anticipating the first racing of the year.
In addition to the leading Croatian teams, three international crews travelled to Biograd. Alongside the previously announced Norwegian team aboard Party Girl, the fleet included the Greek crew racing Feel Free and one of Italy's top Melges 24 teams, competing on Strambapapa.
Under the Notice of Race, a single completed race is sufficient for a CRO M24 Cup event to be considered valid. However, despite the goodwill of the sailors and the efforts of the organising authority, Sailing Club Briva, no races were sailed over the weekend.
Marko Mišura, Chairman of the Race Committee, commented: "There was absolutely no chance of completing even one race, as there was simply no wind during the two days of the regatta. The sea was like a mirror, and on Saturday thick fog completely covered the race area, which is unusual for this time of year and for our region in general. The Race Committee went afloat on Saturday and waited to see if any breeze would fill in, but nothing developed. On the second day we called the fleet of 19 Melges 24s to the starting area, as there were 3 to 4 knots of wind and we hoped we might manage to complete at least one race. However, the expected jugo (southeasterly) did not materialise, and we had no choice but to send the sailors back ashore. It's a pity, as everyone was truly eager to get back to racing after the winter break."
As a result, the CRO M24 Cup regatta in Biograd was abandoned due to lack of wind. Attention now turns to the next event of the series, scheduled for 13-15 March off Zadar, organised by Sailing Club Uskok. Nearly all crews that competed in Biograd have already confirmed their participation in Zadar.
All boats competing in Biograd were equipped with Vakaros RaceSense units to monitor individual recalls at the start. From this season onward, RaceSense is mandatory equipment at all CRO M24 Cup events, and it is encouraging that every team had the system installed already at the opening regatta of the year.
The CRO Melges 24 Cup is sailed in partnership with: Luki Baustoffe, Angelina Yacht Charter, Sailing Point Croatia, North Sails, One Sails, digital studio Akvarij, Raiser digital agency, ProMarine, Dustom Sails and Smartmotion.