2020 Melges 24 European Sailing Series - Portoroz welcomes Melges 24 for third event of the series
by IM24CA 11 Sep 2020 15:44 BST
11-13 September 2020
2019 Melges 24 European Sailing Series in Portoroz, Slovenia © Andrea Carloni / ZGN
Melges 24 international fleet continues its path back to normality with Marina Portorož Melges 24 Regatta in Portorož, Slovenia this upcoming weekend on September 11-13.
After late start of the 2020 Melges 24 European Sailing Series' season in Torbole, Italy in August and having the second event of the series on Attersee in Austria at the end of August, Marina Portorož Melges 24 Regatta is the third event of the European series.
Regatta will be held in Marina Portoroz, hosted by the Yacht Club Marina Portorož in co-operation with the International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA) and Slovenian Melges 24 Class Association (SIMCA).
Miles Quinton, Vice Chair Europe of IM24CA is happy that against all odds the Melges 24 European Sailing Series is well under way.
"2020 will be an extraordinary year but IM24CA is doing everything we can to organise as much racing as possible with the support of the National Melges 24 Classes and clubs as every year. The 2020 Melges 24 European Sailing Series has had successful events in Torbole, Attersee and now Portoroz so we feel more confident we will have a series," he said.
"The scoring will remain as previous years but with a discard after every 4th race sailed and medals will be awarded on the final positions in the series. It is a credit to the local Melges 24 classes and clubs that we can run racing safely and competitively so we look forward to seeing as many Melges 24 sailors as possible in the events this year yet," is Miles Quinton grateful to the local hosts for running the events despite Covid-19 constraints.
On the entry list of Portoroz regatta are 15 teams from Germany, Italy, Austria, Great Britain, Ukraine and Slovenia. Due to the strengthened travelling restrictions team Seven-Five-Nine from Hungary had to cancel their attending just before the event. Three teams from Germany have managed to attend both previous events of the series in Italy and on Attersee. Two of them are on the starting line also in Portoroz: White Room of Michael Tarabochia with Luis Tarabaochia at the helm and Ace of Jannes Wiedemann. The class is happy to see in Portoroz the teams from Germany, Austria and Italy, who are for the first time participating at the European Sailing Series event and welcoming back all teams who haven't been able to attend the events of the series yet this year.
See the entry list here
In the overall ranking after two events White Room is on the leading position followed by Andrea Racchelli's Altea and Marco Zammarchi's Taki 4 with Niccolo Bertola at the helm. White Room is also the leader of the Corinthian ranking followed by Taki 4 (3rd in overall ranking) and Miles Quinton's Gill Race Team with Geoff Carveth at the helm, being 6th in overall ranking.
See the ranking results of the series after two events
Portoroz regatta organizer and IM24CA Chief Measurer Branko Parunov is happy to see six countries represented by 15 teams in these circumstances and is confident that the regatta will be a great traditional Melges 24 gathering in Portoroz. "Since 2014 Portoroz has been hosting the event of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series each year. This week would have been the week of the 2020 Melges 24 European Championship here as a credit to our efforts and passion for Melges 24 class. However, we will welcome you in a one-year time - on September 4-11 here for the 2021 Melges 24 Europeans!"
"Running an international event under Covid-19 constraints means we all have to learn to do things differently, however we are determined to familiarise with these new arrangements and will do our best to get as many Melges 24 teams sailing back to Portorož again," said Branko Parunov.
To keep the staff and sailors safe, the organizers will put in place some precautionary measures and adapt the registration and measurement procedures so as to respect physical distancing.
Organizers in Portoroz decided to utilise the online event management system called Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS). It's a regatta management application that allows to move away from paper-based systems and significantly reduce face-to-face interaction among people. This software contains event notices, crew substitutions forms, electronic protests, hearing schedules, submission and reply to online queries, results service and many other solutions.
Event's official notice board is here
Also, to comply with the National Institute of Public Health current guidelines, adjustments will be made to the awards ceremony.
On Friday the first signal of the day will be at mid-day and the following days at 11:00. Nine races are scheduled and three races are required to be completed to constitute a regatta. The discard of the worst score will apply after five or more races sailed.