2017 Melges 24 European Sailing Series - Ready to Rock in Riva
May 18, 2017 - Riva del Garda, Italy - Melges 24 fleet comes back to the Wind Factory, where on Friday the second event of 2017 Melges 24 European Sailing Series, also valid as Melges 24 Italian Tour and Italian Open Nationals is going to begin and to be held over the weekend of May 19-21.
After the success of the first event of the season, held in Portoroz from April 21st to 23rd, a copious international fleet will race in the clear waters of Garda Lake: forty one entries, in representation of thirteen nations, will be hosted by Fraglia della Vela Riva in association with the Italian Melges 24 Class Association and International Melges 24 Class Association in the upcoming weekend, that shows all the prerequisites for some exciting sailing.
See the entry list
In this highly competitive fleet there will be many familiar and well known faces that marked the history of Melges 24 Class: the winner of the event of Portoroz and current holder of the 2016 Melges 24 European Sailing Series title, Andrea Racchelli, will be present aboard Claudio Ceradini's Altea (ITA722), while Carlo Fracassoli, World Champion in 2012 and World' second 2016, will be at the helm of Gianluca Perego's Maidollis (ITA854).
Strong competition is expected also in the Corinthian division, where the winners of the recent Miami Melges 24 World Championship will be racing, on board of the Italian entry, Marco Zammarchi's Taki 4 (ITA778), helmed by Niccolò Bertola. The Olympian sailor and Melges 24 Corinthian World Champion Tõnu Tõniste on Lenny (EST790) won't be missing, either.
From U.S. Melges 24 fleet two teams - Bruce Ayres' Monsoon USA851 and Travis Weisleder's Lucky Dog / Gill Race Team USA848 are in Europe, both from the Top Ten of the 2016 Worlds (4th and 9th respectiely), and will learn the European fleet to be well prepared for the 2017 Melges 24 main title event in Helsinki, Finland.
Andrea Racchelli, the President of the Melges 24 Italian Class is happy to welcome Melges 24 fleet in Riva del Garda. "From the very beginning of Melges 24 life we strongly believed that the northern part of Lake Garda was the ideal area for our awesome boat. The history has proved we were right. More than 40 boats entered the regatta in Riva del Garda where Fraglia della Vela Yacht Club, which has been hosting this prestigious regatta for several years, is ready to arrange another great event for Melges 24 sailors. This is not only a spot event, but the start of a long run which will take the Melges 24 movement to a new renaissance in this part of Europe. New structures, events and technical supports will bring everyone to have a great time enjoying our warm country and good sailing, focusing on the next top event, the European Championship in Riva del Garda in August 2018."
There will be one more official preparation event as part of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series - Swedish and Nordic Championship in Marstrand - after Riva del Garda and before the 2017 World Championship. The Worlds 2017 will be this year hosted in Europe, in the Nordic Waters of Helsinki: more than 70 boats are expected in that occasion, and some of them have decided to join already the European fleet, also from overseas, to be in top shape for the most important event of the season.
First warning signal for the second event of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series 2017 is scheduled for Friday, May 19th, at 12.00. A maximum of nine races - three per day - will be sailed and a discard will be computed after race number five.
SCHEDULE OF THE EVENT
Thursday May 18
09:00-17:30 Registrations, weighing, measurements checks.
Friday May 19
08:00-10:00 Registration, weighing, measurements checks
10:30 Opening Ceremony-Skippers Meeting
12:00 First Warning Signal and Races
Saturday May 20 - Races
Sunday May 21 - Races and Prize giving
MELGES 24 MEDIA
Real-time racing updates from Riva will be delivered to you across the IM24CA social media.Each day, the IM24CA and Zerogradinord will work hard to bring you mark-to-mark action and updates via video, photos and text. Zerogradinord represented by Mauro Melandri and Silvia Gallegatti will push hard to deliver wonderful photos and footage to you daily. You can follow all the latest actions and coverage of the event at the official IM24CA Facebook Page.
For media photos please contact:
Piret Salmistu
IM24CA Administrator & Media Coordinator
+372 507 7217
piret@melges24.com
2017 Melges 24 European Sailing Series consists of the six events altogether. The first event was held in Portoroz in April. The second regatta will be sailed in Riva del Garda in Italy in May; the points for the third event will be collected during the Swedish and Nordic Melges 24 Championship in Marstrand, Sweden in June; the most significant Melges 24 event of the season which is also the fourth event of the series, will be held in July-August in Helsinki, Finland, where the World Champion will be awarded; the fifth event will head to Medemblik in the Netherlands and the series will conclude with the sixth event in Luino, Italy in October.
Read for more about the series at melges24.com/europeansailingseries
Event in Facebook
International Melges 24 Class Association
Melges 24 Italian Class
Fraglia della Vela Yacht Club
Instagram
Twitter
Flickr
Any queries regarding the Riva event can be directed to:
Melges 24 Italian Class Association
Andrea Racchelli
racchelliandrea@gmail.com
and
Luca Babini
segreteria@melges24.it
For further information on the Melges 24 European Sailing Series 2017, please contact:
Piret Salmistu
IM24CA Administrator & Media Coordinator
+372 507 7217
piret@melges24.com
