Melges 24 Europeans Open in Neustadt

At the Melges 24 European Championship, being run in association with Rolex Baltic Week in Neustadt, Germany, the 79 competing teams from 14 nations have spent the last two days completing registration, measurement and scrutineering. Registration closes at noon and the first race of the championship is scheduled to start at 1400 tomorrow.

This is the largest fleet of Melges 24s assembled for a European Championship and it’s also the largest fleet of Melges 24s to ever race on the Baltic. The European fleet has been rapidly expanding in recent years and this week the class welcomes sailors from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.

As always competition is expected to be close with more than a dozen boats capable to taking the title. Italy is fielding one of the strongest squads including reigning Melges 24 World Champion Nicola Celon helming Ezio Amadori’s Bete Bossini and Italian National Champion and 2007 Volvo Cup Series winner Furio Patrizio Monaco, sailing Billo Baccani. New to the Italian Melges fleet but none the less a crew to watch out for are the Uka Uka team of Lorenzo Santini which is helmed by 2005 IMS 600 World Champion Lorenzo Bressani. Bressani won his IMS title right here at Rolex Baltic Race Week last year and no doubt the local knowledge gained then will put him in good stead this time out.

Italian America’s Cup helm and 2001 Melges 24 World Champion Flavio Favini is making a welcome return to the class and having won the recent Torbole Melges Week against a 75 strong fleet he is clearly back in flying form. Flavio will be helming for Switzerland’s Franco Rossini with whom he won the World title in 2001.

The 16 boat German team is the largest competing and includes reigning Corinthian (all amateur) European Champion Alba Batzill with Eddy Eich’s No Woman No Cry (pictured above on their way to Corinthian victory in 2005). One of Germany’s most successful and experienced sailors Alba has his sights set on overall victory this time around as well as hoping to retain his Corinthian title.

Two other teams with designs on the Giorgio Zuccoli Trophy for the Corinthian European Championship, which is only open to non-professional teams, are joint reigning Corinthian World Champions, Jean Francois Cruette, sailing Encore for Cedric de Kervenoael of France, and Estonian Olympic 470 bronze medallists (Barcelona, 1992) Tonu and Toomas Toniste and their team aboard Lenny.

French teams worth watching out for in the coming days include Christophe Barrue with Denis Infante’s Euro Voiles from Hyeres and Maxime Paul’s Big Ship crew from Marseille, who lead the eight boat French fleet and are always good contenders on the international scene. From Britain John Pollard sailing Excellent, Jamie Lea sailing Stuart Simpson’s Barbarians, British Olympic hopefully John Gimson helming High Maintenance for Eamonn O’Nolan, and Rob Lark, helming in his first Melges 24 European Championship for Miles Quinton in Natural Mojo, all have outstanding teams and are very much in with a chance.

Among the relatively new faces in the fleet is double Fireball European Champion Thomas Musil from the Czech Republic sailing Margarita. Having also made the top six at no less than four Fireball Worlds and won numerous national and regional titles in a variety of boats Musil is clearly keen to make his mark in the Melges 24 as well.

Tonight, as we look forward to six days of highly competitive racing, the crews are enjoying a glorious sunset Opening Ceremony generously hosted by event title sponsor Rolex at the waterside race village. Tomorrow battle will commence and we’ll bring you all the news and results as they happen.

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Full results, daily reports and photos will be available from WWW.MELGES24.COM.