Simoneschi and Audi tron Claimed The Victory At The Portoroz Melges 24 Regatta
29 March 2015, Portoroz, Slovenia - The final day of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series 2015 first event in Portoroz started with the lack of wind and waiting ashore. After one and a half hour a sea-breeze was coming for a while allowing complete just one more race to complete the series of eight races. The Melges 24 2015 sailing season in Europe has been kicked off with this great event hosted by the Yachting Club Portoroz, Slovenia on the last weekend of March.
After having a wonderful dinner with awarding the best 2014 European teams both in open and Corinthian divisions Saturday night and the clocks being moved forward to the summer time, it seemed to be not so bad to stay ashore for a bit longer than planned. Getting finally to the Bay of Portoroz the crews had to meet the instability of a breeze that never exceeded 4 knots. Riccardo Simoneschi’s Audi tron (ITA-840) who has been for three years on the top of the Melges 24 European ranking list, won by 14 points margin triple Corinthian world champion Storm Capital Sail Racing (NOR-751) led by Peder Jahre, and by 17 points Austrians Four and a half men (AUT-681) with Franz Urlesberger in helm, finishing on the podium surprisingly. Being four points behind David Rowen’s Imagine (GBR-557) from Great Britain ended the regatta as fourth.
Top 3 Pro teams at the Portoroz Melges 24 Regatta - ©IM24CA/Zerogradinord
2014 best Pro Am (Corinthian) boat, Hungarian FGF Sailing Team (HUN-728) with Robert Bakoczy in helm retained its leadership in Pro Am division until the end of the regatta ending as fifth in overall. Nine points behind from the Pro Am leader Ukrainian team Marusia (UKR-819) with Oleg Dyvinets in helm managed to climb to the second position in Pro Am division being 10th in overall placing team Kesbeke/SIKA/Gill (NED-827) with Ronald Veraar to the third position with 3 points margin.
Top 3 Pro Am teams at the Portoroz Melges 24 Regatta - ©IM24CA/Zerogradinord
During the friendly prize giving ceremony at the Yachting Club Portoroz the organizers awarded the Norwegian team Blow Henry Lloyd (NOR-787) with a special prize for the longest drive of 2,223 km from Fredrikstad to Portoroz. Top three teams both in Pro and Pro Am division were awarded with the prizes of local glass art and the sailors had a nice farewell get-together with some local delicious snacks and drinks before leaving to home or to the next events' destinations.
Portoroz Melges 24 Regatta- ©IM24CA/Zerogradinord
The results for the Top 10 boats:
1. ITA 840 13 - Audi tron Riccardo Simoneschi 10,0 1 1 1 2 1 2 (3) 2
2. NOR 751 4 - Storm Capital Sail Racing Peder Jahre 24,0 4 4 4 (7) 3 3 1 5
3. AUT 681 6 - Four and a half men Franz Urlesberger 27,0 3 10 3 3 (bfd) 1 4 3
4. GBR 557 22 - Imagine David Rowen 31,0 2 8 2 6 5 (10) 2 6
5. HUN 728 8 - FGF Sailing Team Robert Bakoczy 43,0 5 2 8 12 4 4 (20) 8 – Pro Am
6. GBR 694 20 - Gill Race Team Geoff Carveth 48,0 11 5 (14) 4 2 9 13 4
7. NOR 787 10 - Blow Henry Lloyd Peder Nergaard 49,0 6 6 7 1 (bfd) 7 15 7
8. HUN 481 23 - Jedi Business Péter Czégai 62,0 12 (18) 13 10 7 5 6 9
9. NED 827 17 - Team Kesbeke/SIKA/Gill Ronald Veraar 66,0 13 3 5 5 (bfd) 6 16 18
10. UKR 819 1 - Marusia Oleg Dyvinets 66,0 8 9 6 8 8 (19) 12 15 – Pro Am
Photo gallery of the day by IM24CA/Zerogradinord
Event website www.ycp-klub.si
The latest news in Twitter @YCportoroz with a hashtag #M24ESS and in Facebook at www.facebook.com/Melges24Championships
The 2015 Melges 24 European Sailing Series will feature six major regattas across Europe - Open Slovenian National Championship in Yachting Club Portoroz, Slovenia; Melges 24 Regatta in Yacht Club Balatonfüred, Hungary; Audi tron Sailing Series Melges 24 Act 3 in Riva del Garda, Fraglia Vela Riva, Italy; Melges 24 Campione at Lugano Lake, Switzerland; Melges 24 World Championship in Middelfart, Denmark; Dutch Open Championship in Medemblik, Netherland.
For further information about the International Melges 24 Class and the Melges 24 European Sailing Series please visit www.melges24.com/europeansailingseries or contact IM24CA Administrator Piret Salmistu on E-mail piret@melges24.com
