CRO Melges 24 Cup Zadar: Cesic and Paoletti decide the winner in a Match Race duel
by Press Cro Melges 16 Mar 12:48 GMT
13-15 March 2026
As many as 19 crews gathered for the second regatta of this year's CRO Melges 24 Cup in Zadar. Racing took place in ideal conditions, and in the end victory went to the Split-based crew on the Melges Razjaren.
After no racing was held at the opening event of this year's CRO Melges 24 Cup in Biograd, everything fell into place last weekend at the regatta in Zadar. The entry list once again featured 19 boats, which came as a pleasant surprise for the organisers. Conditions were perfect this time, with a steady southeasterly (jugo) breeze of 15 to 20 knots blowing on both days. In these ideal conditions, all six scheduled races were completed.
The racing was intense and closely contested. The level of competition was high, as expected, with top Italian crews competing on the Melges Melgina and Strambapapa. Among the international teams, an Italian crew on Daito Nano and a Norwegian crew on Party Girl also raced in Zadar.
The winner of the Zadar regatta was decided in the final race, where the crews led by Ante Cesic (Razjaren) and Michele Paoletti (Strambapapa) went head-to-head. In that decisive race, Paoletti and Cesic entered into a match-race style duel. Cesic eventually managed to break clear from the situation and cross the finish line in fourth place, which proved just enough to secure overall victory. The two teams finished the regatta with the same number of points, but the crew of Razjaren had two race wins and was therefore declared the overall winner in Zadar. Third place went to the crew helmed by Paolo Brescia on Melgina.
In the Corinthian category, the best result was achieved by the crew of Little A., sailing under the burgee of the Hvar-based club Zvir and led by Stjepan Cesic. They finished the regatta in 8th place overall.
It is also worth noting that three junior (U25) crews competed off Zadar. The best performance among them came from the crew of Cro-a-sail, helmed by Miroslav Reljanovic. This young team was strengthened by two highly experienced sailors - Stjepan Vitaljic and Zvonko Jelacic. Jelacic is a four-time world champion and the most successful sailor of all time in the IOM class.
The regatta also marked the debut appearance off Zadar of the U25 crew sailing Otavic, helmed by Edo Fike. Although they were racing on by far the oldest boat in the fleet, hull number 166, the young crew from the sailing club Galeb in Kostrena performed solidly throughout all six races. They showed they could compete with Croatia's top sailors, remaining within reach of the fleet and eventually finishing the regatta in 16th place.
The Zadar regatta also saw the first use of the Vakaros RaceSense system for detecting premature starts. The system proved its value: across six races there was only one individual recall and no general recalls. The RaceSense system will be used at all future events of the CRO Melges 24 Cup. Smartmark "smart buoys" were also deployed in Zadar, further contributing to smooth race management on the water.
The next regatta of the CRO Melges 24 Cup will take place in Opatija from April 9 to 12. This event will also mark the opening regatta of the European Series, and a large number of international crews is expected. Italian teams sailing Strambapapa and Melgina have already confirmed their participation, while the organisers hope additional crews will arrive from nearby Trieste, the largest base of the Italian Melges 24 fleet. Several Slovenian, Austrian and other Central and Northern European crews are also expected.
Another factor likely to attract international teams is that the Melges 24 World Championship will be held in Pula next year, making this season's regattas an excellent opportunity for preparation.
The CRO Melges 24 Cup is organised in partnership with the companies: Luki Baustoffe, Angelina Yacht Charter, Sailing Point Hrvatska, North Sails, One Sails, digital studio Akvarij, Raiser digital agency, ProMarine, Dustom Sails and Smartmotion.