ITSI-BITSI Dominates Danish Championship as European Sailing Series Reaches Halfway Point
Jun 22, 2026 - Struer, Denmark - The Danish Melges 24 fleet celebrated Midsummer with two days of close racing in Struer, where 12 teams contested the 2026 Danish Melges 24 Championship, hosted by Struer Sejlklub on 20–21 June. The regatta also counted as the fifth event of the 2026 Melges 24 European Sailing Series, bringing the international circuit to its halfway stage.
A full schedule of nine races was completed, allowing competitors to discard their worst result.
From the very first start, ITSI-BITSI (DEN 701), helmed by Torben Mauritzen with renowned Danish sailor Michael Hestbaek calling tactics, proved to be in a class of their own. The Hellerup Sejlklub team won the opening four races before adding two more victories on Sunday. An eighth place in Race 5 became their discard, leaving an impressive scoreline of 1-1-1-1-(8)-2-1-1-2 and only 10 net points from nine races.
Behind the runaway winners, the fight for the remaining podium places remained wide open throughout the championship.
TEAM JUDAS (DEN 536), led by Mathias Degn, never finished outside the top seven and combined consistent top-three finishes with a race victory to secure the silver medal on 23 net points.
Just four points further back, FRØKEN MARIE (DEN 755) by Kristian Juel Thomsen, helmed by Peter Havn, completed a remarkably consistent regatta of their own. Finishing every counted race between second and fourth place, they claimed bronze with 27 net points, despite never winning an individual race.
The battle for fourth was equally competitive. TEAM MÆLKES (DEN 683) recovered well after an early ninth-place finish to finish fourth overall on 32 points, while RATTLE & HUM (DEN 205) rounded out the top five with 40 points.
Top 5 – 2026 Danish Melges 24 Championship
1. ITSI-BITSI (DEN 701) – 10 pts
Torben Mauritzen (Skipper), Michael Hestbaek, Kristian Kvid Sørensen, Matus Bojnansky, Rasmus Nergaard Jacobsen
2. TEAM JUDAS (DEN 536) – 23 pts
Mathias Degn (Skipper), Mathias Skovby, Kristian Præst, Troels Meldgaard, Asger Christiansen
3. FRØKEN MARIE (DEN 755) – 27 pts
Kristian Juel Thomsen (Skipper), Peter Havn, Michael Bernfeld, Nicolai Wantzin
4. TEAM MÆLKES (DEN 683) – 32 pts
Andreas Wissing (Skipper), Alexander Nissen, Mikkel Petersen, Jakob Lejbølle
5. RATTLE & HUM (DEN 205) – 40 pts
Ulrik Kähler (Skipper), Jonatan Slotsgaard, Leon Nyborg, Jim Hansen
The Danish Championship marks the fifth stop of the 2026 Melges 24 European Sailing Series, which has now visited Croatia, Italy, Austria, Norway and Denmark. With half of the Series now completed, every championship is becoming increasingly significant in the race for the overall European Sailing Series title.
Next stop - Melges 24 Nordic Championship at Hankø Race Week, Norway from June 24 to 28.