Melges 24 World Championship 2025 - Epic conditions give Nika the first lead

25.09.2025

Trieste, September 24, 2025 – The 2025 Melges 24 World Championship delivered its first results on Day 2. Two races were held in the Gulf of Trieste, where the Bora – especially in the opening race – struck hard, creating significant problems for some of the top contenders.

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At the Yacht Club Adriaco, organizer of this record-breaking World Championship in collaboration with the International Melges 24 Class Association and with the support of the Italian Melges 24 Class, the long wait for the breeze to settle finally gave way to racing. The first race unfolded in increasing winds, with gusts approaching 30 knots at the first windward mark. The conditions caused dismastings for the Under-25s of Eutsy and the former Corinthian world champions Taki IV, backstay failure for the former world champions Altea, the loss of Ora d’Aria’s rudder, and a collision between Razjaren, on port tack, and Dark Energy, which left Laura Grondin’s boat with damage. Adding to the drama, Bogianen’s helmsman fell overboard but was promptly recovered uninjured by the media rib. Amid all this chaos, Geoff Fargo’s Sentinel stormed downwind at over 16 knots to claim a well-deserved victory, ahead of Vladimir Prosikhin’s Nika and Cuyler Morris’s Dark Horse, while the reigning Corinthian world champions Mataran 24 successfully defended their amateur lead.

Bora strikes on Day 2 in Trieste! - Melges 24 World Championship 2025

“In the first race we got off to a great start and managed to capitalize on that advantage as the race progressed, even though conditions were very challenging at times. In the second race, our start wasn’t ideal, and although we tried to recover, we were only partially successful, finishing a solid tenth. Tomorrow, we’ll be back on the water with the mindset that the best action is to avoid certain very crowded situations,” said Haydon Stapleton of Sentinel.

The Corinthian success of Ante Botica’s Mataran 24 continued in Race 2, which was won overall by fellow Croatians – the reigning European champions Razjaren of Ante Cesic – who skillfully recovered after retiring from Race 1 following their collision. Behind them finished Nika, Dark Horse, Peter Karrié’s Nefeli, and Michele Paoletti’s Strambapapà.

Based on today’s results, the early overall lead of the 2025 Melges 24 World Championship belongs to Nika, with four points, two ahead of Dark Horse. Nefeli sits third, just ahead of the Corinthian leader Mataran 24.

“Reflecting on performance and strategy at the end of such a weather-challenged day is almost an indulgence – after just two races at the Worlds, the fleet is so competitive that you live not day by day, but by each tack and gybe. Today we were both good and lucky; tomorrow, who knows? We will certainly do our best,” said Vladimir Prosikhin, owner of Nika and former RC44 World Champion.

“It was a truly difficult day, with gusts reaching 28 knots and boats – including one of our closest rivals – dismasting just a stone’s throw away. With that in mind, we chose to sail more conservatively, defending fourth place to the finish. In the second race, which was more tactical and manageable, we also did well, ending the day with 10 points overall. That’s an excellent position in the standings, but our focus is to keep concentration high, one day at a time,” commented Mario Škrilj of Mataran 24.

Racing at the 2025 Melges 24 World Championship will continue tomorrow. The Race Committee, aiming to complete three more races (which would bring the total to five and activate the discard), has scheduled the first warning signal for 11:30 a.m.

Racing can be followed live: streaming coverage is available on the social media channels of Yacht Club Adriaco and the International Melges 24 Class Association, with commentary by journalist Andrea Falcon and technical input from Mauro Melandri. Meta Sail live tracking will also be available.

We are using the Official App to make communication smooth and fast for everyone–sailors, teams, and fans. Sailors can access the Notice Board, receive instant RC & OA notifications, and submit protests or requests, while fans and followers can follow live results, news, and updates to stay close to the action wherever they are. Download the app.

The 2025 Melges 24 World Championship, organized by Yacht Club Adriaco in collaboration with the International Melges 24 Class Association and the Italian Melges 24 Class, is made possible thanks to the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Municipality of Trieste, Zaccanti, Richardson, Urban Hotel Design, Sirio Outfitting, Ocean Marine, Eataly, Gill, Cantina Produttori Cormons, Saiph, Impact Sportbusiness, and RAI.

Melges 24 World Championship 2025 - Top Ten after 2 races

  1. MON 860 – NIKA – Vladimir Prosikhin – 2-2 = 4 pts
  2. USA 870 – DARK HORSE – Cuyler Morris – 3-3 = 6 pts
  3. GER 673 – NEFELI – Peter David Karrié – 4-6 = 10 pts
  4. CRO 649 – MATARAN 24 – Ante Botica / Ivo Matic (Corinthian) – 6-4 = 10 pts
  5. ITA 689 – STRAMBAPAPÀ – Michele Paoletti – 5-5 = 10 pts
  6. USA 856 – SENTINEL – Geoff Fargo – 10-1 = 11 pts
  7. USA 841 – GAMECOCK – Peter McClennen – 8-8 = 16 pts
  8. GBR 694 – ZHIK RACE TEAM – Geoff Carveth / Miles Quinton (Corinthian) – 13-7 = 20 pts
  9. ITA 854 – MELGINA – Paolo Brescia – 11-9 = 20 pts
  10. CRO 803 – PANJIC – Luka Sangulin – 18-7 = 25 pts

Full results

#melges24 #melges24worlds 

How to follow the Melges 24 Worlds 2025 in Trieste:

Event website: https://2025worlds.melges24.com/en/default/races/race

Official Notice Board

Yacht Club Adriaco website: https://ycadriaco.it/ 
IM24CA website: https://www.melges24.com/  
ITA M24CA website: https://melges24.it/ 
Photo galleries: https://www.flickr.com/photos/melges24/albums/ 
Videos and interviews https://www.youtube.com/@IM24CA 
Tracking via Metasail: https://www.metasail.com/live/785/ 
Live Streaming: https://www.melges24.com/news/melges-24-worlds-2025-trieste-live-streaming-tracking-races 

Social Media 
Instagram accounts - IM24CA | ITA M24CA | Yacht Club Adriaco 
Facebook accounts - IM24CA | Yacht Club Adriaco

Event Press Officer: Mauro Melandri, Zerogradinord

For all 2025 Melges 24 Worlds-related questions, please reach out to the organising committee at worlds@melges24.com 

For venue-specific information about the Melges 24 World Championship 2025, please contact: 
Yacht Club Adriaco 
sport@ycadriaco.it 
Phone: +39 040 312797

For further information on the Melges 24 class-specific information and event media, please contact: 
Piret Salmistu 
International Melges 24 Class Association  
Administrator & Media Coordinator  
Mobile/WhatsApp: +372 507 7217