21 Crews Vie for Melges 24 Cup Glory in Zadar: YC Uskok Ready to Welcome Best of the Croatian Sailing
15 March 2024 - Biograd, Croatia - More than twenty registered crews became the standard for the regattas of the strongest Croatian sailing competition - the CRO Melges 24 Cup. After the opening of the new season in Biograd, where 20 teams competed, this weekend (March 16-17) the Zadar CRO Melges 24 Cup, organized by the Uskok Sailing Club, sees 21 entries.
Free practice sessions started already on Thursday when the crews took advantage of the good weather and good wind in the Zadar racing area to do 'fine tuning' before the start of the regatta. The large number of participants especially pleased the organizers from JK Uskok, who hosted the Melges 24 Croatian Open Championship two years ago.
"Uskok is a club that has a great passion for top-class regatta sailing. That is why we are especially looking forward to the fact that the best Croatian sailors and the impressive fleet of Melges 24, which includes two of our club crews - Tutta Forza and Hakuna Matata, are coming to Zadar again. From ideal racecourse conditions to our renowned post-race camaraderie, we'll ensure an unforgettable experience for sailors at the Zadar CRO Melges 24 Cup," emphasized the president of the organizing committee from JK Uskok, Jakov Šokota.
The first regatta of this year in Biograd was decided in the last race by the victory of Mataran 24, Melges 24 Corinthian World and European champions, but the minor point differences between the best Croatian crews promise an uncertain regatta in Zadar.
"Some of the world's best crews are currently sailing in the CRO Melges 24 Cup. A large number of quality sailors and one-design sailboats are a guarantee of top races. This was also shown by the first regatta of the season, where the first five crews ‘squeezed’ to only eight points apart," emphasized Stjepan Vitaljić, who sails in the PointOne crew with the celebrated Karlo Kuret, and added:
"In the winter transition period, we strengthened ourselves with Pave Pleslić, a top sailor who has passed numerous classes and regattas in the strongest competition such as RC44, ClubSwan, Wally... We sailed great in Biograd on Sunday when we won the boat of the day title. However, as a sailor, I feel that we are still missing those few steps to the best crews, but Zadar is an opportunity to reduce the gap further,"
CRO Melges 24 Cup is organized in partnership with Angelina Yacht Charter, Sailing Point, North Sails, One Sails, digital studio Akvarij, regate.com.hr, Raiser digital agency, EmergenSea, and Dustom Sails.
Zadar CRO Melges 24 Cup entry list: Hakuna Matata, Ćuf-Ćuf, Obi-Wan Metre, Amor, Cezibordo, Spooky, SHE, Palmina, Tutta Forza, Mataran 24, Little A, Panjić, Fjonda, Zen, Universitas Nova, Cro- a-Sail, Joyrunner, PointOne, Blue Label, Sugar Daddy, Razjaren.
