Zuxu EST-791 Wins Finnish Ranking 1

Incredible weekend behind! The 10th Finnish Melges 24 ranking season started in style. A record breaking 18 boats were competing in Naantali (south western Finland). Naantali is known as the sunny town and no the city didn´t give a disappointment. Two days - sunshine from a blue sky but the turn side was that the wind was really shifty and with a velocity of 2 to 10 knots.

In the morning before the skippers meeting a 1 minute silence was held memoring Risto Alho. All boats were handed a black ribbon to be held for the weekend. Also "Risto Alho memorial trophy" was announced. The idea is to award the winning boat´s crew number 2 (from the bow) in the first ranking event of the year. This trophy will be circulating for ever.

The conditions were extremely tricky through out the day - sunshine from a blue sky and wind from NE to SE. Velocity variying from 0 to 10 knots.  After two tricky races Zuxu (EST-791), helmed by Peter Saraskin, was leading the fleet from Midnight Sun Sailing One (FIN-529), helmed by Sami Ekblad, with Midnight Sun Sailing Two (FIN-214), helmed by Esa Harjulahti, in third place.

The racing on Sunday was a copy of Saturday. Overnight leader Zuxu(EST-791), helmed by Peter Saraskin, continued their impressive sailing in the really extreme conditions taking two third places. Midnight Sun Sailing One (FIN-529), helmed by Sami Ekblad gave a good fight against Zuxu but a small error in the last race snatched their ranking win. MSS One crossed fifth the finishing line in the last race. This meant that Zuxu and MSS One had a tie. Zuxu having two wins against MSS One´s one and the result was that honours went to Zuxu.

Behind the two leading boats Miinakissa IV (FIN-434) helmed by Sami Tamminen and MSS Two (FIN-214) helmed by Esa Harjulahti had their own fight for bronze. Miinakissa took bronze with a really good series (5,9,2,2).   

Risto Alho Memoria Trophy was awarded to Zuxu´s Kalev Tanner. The Trophy will be awarded the next time after the first event in 2010.  

Full results - click here.

Some pictures by fleet coach Arto Kiiski - click here

Six days and next ranking event this time in Helsinki. It looks that we will have a new record - 19 boats on the line ! ! !