The Beautiful Island of Hvar Hosts Melges 24 Showdown: Epic Finale of the Season 2024
30 October 2024 - Hvar, Croatia - The Croatian Melges 24 Open Championship is being sailed as part of the Winds of Hvar project, initiated by the first Hvar Olympian, Filip Jurišić.
The grand finale of this year's CRO Melges 24 Cup will be sailed from October 31st to November 2nd in Hvar as part of the Winds of Hvar initiative. The sunniest Adriatic island will host the Croatian Open Championship in the Melges 24 class, where numerous medal winners will compete. The impressive fleet is led by the crews of Razjaren and Mataran 24, who won European Overall and Croatian gold in Split a month ago. Ivan Kljaković Gašpić, Karlo Kuret, Enia Ninčević Dujmović, Tomislav Bašić, Luka Šangulin, and others will also be on the starting list in Hvar.
The Hvar regatta in the Melges 24 class carries enormous stakes. In addition to deciding the Croatian champion, the overall winner of the CRO Melges 24 Cup 2024 will be determined in the next three days. This year's most substantial Croatian sailing series visited Biograd, Zadar, Opatija, Trogir, and Split.
With every point crucial, the top contenders are locked in a fierce battle to claim the CRO Melges 24 Cup title. The competition is fierce, with European champions Razjaren holding a narrow lead. They're closely followed by two-time European and world Corinthian champions Mataran 24, and two-time CRO Melges 24 Cup winners Panjić.
"After winning gold at the European Championship in Split, we come to Hvar full of confidence and desire to round off the season in the best possible way. We are currently leading the CRO Melges 24 Cup, but we are aware that we face tough competition. It is precisely these battles that motivate us to give our best and achieve another remarkable result," announced the helmsman of the Razjaren crew, Ante Ćesić.
The Croatian Open Championship in the Melges 24 class is being sailed as part of the Winds of Hvar project, which the first Hvar Olympian, Filip Jurišić, initiated with the support of the City of Hvar and the Hvar Tourist Board. In addition to top-level regattas, the project aims to popularize sailing, expand the base of sailors, and present Hvar as a great sailing destination.
"In the past month that the project has been running, a lot of young people have had the opportunity to sail on serious regatta boats. I was particularly delighted that we hosted an entire first-grade class from OŠ Hvar. The Open Championship in the Melges 24 class is the icing on the cake of the entire Winds of Hvar project because the best Croatian sailors, European and world champions, are coming to our island. I am particularly emotionally attached to the CRO Melges 24 Cup because I was one of the initiators of this beautiful sailing story. I am happy that the class has become one of the best in the world, and it will be a great pleasure to watch them in front of my Hvar," emphasized Filip Jurišić.
The Croatian Open Championship in the Melges 24 class is supported as partners by the City of Hvar and the Hvar Tourist Board, Angelina Yacht Charter, Sailing Point Hrvatska, North Sails, One Sails, digital studio Akvarij, regate.com.hr, Raiser digital agency, Dustom Sails, and EmergenSea.
