2026 Melges 24 European Championship in Tønsberg - Opening Ceremony
by International Melges 24 Class Association 30 Aug 23:37 BST
29 August - 4 September 2026
From Barcelona in 1996 to Tønsberg in 2026, three decades of Melges 24 European Championship history came together on Sunday evening as the international Melges 24 family gathered at Tønsberg Seilforening for the Opening Ceremony of the championship's 17th edition, to be hosted from 29 August to 4 September by Tønsberg Seilforening, in cooperation with the Norwegian Melges 24 Class Association and the International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA).
A fleet of 42 teams from 11 nations, representing Europe and Canada, is ready to compete for two of the class's most prestigious titles, and the opportunity to have their names engraved on the Giorgio Zuccoli Trophy and the Menno Meyer Corinthian European Trophy.
Two days of preparations are now complete. Registration, measurement and equipment inspection kept the sailors, organisers and technical teams busy throughout the weekend. By 1800 hrs on Sunday, the boats and sails had been inspected, and the fleet was afloat, ready for the first official racing day.
On Sunday afternoon, the Practice Race gave the teams and Race Committee an important opportunity to test the racecourse and procedures, experience the local conditions and come into sync ahead of Monday's opening championship races.
The championship officially opens
The Opening Ceremony was held on Sunday evening at Tønsberg Seilforening, formally welcoming the international Melges 24 family to Norway.
The sailors, officials, volunteers and guests were welcomed by:
- Ulf Lundvall, Chairman of the Board of Tønsberg Seilforening
- Vemund Gransæther, representing the Norwegian Melges 24 Class Association
- Paolo Brescia (ITA), IM24CA Vice Chair Europe
- Arto Kiiski (FIN), International Jury Chair and IM24CA Technical Committee member
- David Bartol (SLO), Principal Race Officer and IM24CA Championship Coordinator, together with local race-management expert Eirik Brekke
- Branko Parunov (SLO), IM24CA Chief Measurer and Chair of the Event Technical Committee
Following the official ceremony, the Melges 24 family gathered at the dock to christen the two newest boats in the fleet: the Italian TAKI 5, hull #878, and the Dutch VIVA, hull #879. Together with the owners, crews and Hein Ruyten One Design, the fleet celebrated a new chapter for the four-time Corinthian World Champion TAKI campaign and welcomed former Dutch Champion Carlo Vroon back to the class with his young VIVA team.
Tapas and bubbly were served in the clubhouse as the familiar warmth and camaraderie of the Melges 24 community filled the marina. Down at the dock, the punch machine was in full swing as Carlo Vroon shared the joy of launching his new VIVA with the Melges 24 family. It was a lively and memorable conclusion to the preparation weekend before attention turned to the more serious business of championship racing.
Racing begins on Monday
The Skippers' Briefing is scheduled for 09:30 on Monday morning, with the first warning signal at 12:30.
Two races are scheduled on each of the five racing days, creating a planned ten-race championship series. The fleet will use Vakaros RaceSense technology to support the management of starts and finishes, while live tracking will allow supporters to follow the racing online and from the clubhouse.
Teams and names to watch
The championship brings together experienced title winners, ambitious Corinthian campaigns, strong Scandinavian teams and a new generation of Melges 24 sailors - all seeking to add their names to a European Championship legacy that began in Barcelona three decades ago.
Among the most decorated campaigns is TAKI 5, ITA 878, with Marco Zammarchi, Niccolò Bertola, Pietro Seghezza, Giovanni Bannetta and Giacomo Fossati. Four Corinthian World titles and the 2018 Corinthian European crown make TAKI one of the clear benchmarks in the Corinthian fleet. The team also arrives with current form, having won the 2026 European Sailing Series event in Trieste in May.
NIKA, MON 860, led by Vladimir Prosikhin, is another international campaign to watch. NIKA finished seventh at the 2025 World Championship, where Prosikhin received the top rookie-owner award, and has already recorded strong results in the competitive Bacardi Invitational fleet.
The team now includes three members of Peter Karrie's NEFELI, the 2025 Melges 24 World Champions crowned in Trieste: Slovenian Karlo Hmeljak and Italians Niccolò Bianchi and Alessandro Franci. Complemented by Filippo Amonti, this world championship-winning experience gives NIKA considerable strength as the team continues its rapid progress in the class.
The Norwegian challenge is headed on recent form by BLOW, NOR 787. Peder Nergaard, Petrus Eide, Morten Helgesen and Fabian Spone won the 2026 Norwegian Championship and followed that result with victory in the Melges 24 division at the Marstrand Big Boat Race.
Norway also fields some of the most experienced Corinthian campaigns in the championship. STORM CAPITAL, NOR 751, includes Peder Jahre, whose record features Corinthian World titles in 2008, 2010 and 2012, further World Championship podiums and numerous Norwegian titles. Storm Capital finished second at the 2026 Norwegian Championship, confirming that the long-established team remains a current contender.
On Team Bagdad-Helly Hansen, NOR 724, Kristian Nergaard brings one of the most distinguished records in Norwegian Melges 24 sailing. The class's first Corinthian World Champion in 1998, Nergaard also finished second overall at the 2010 Melges 24 World Championship. Beyond the class, he is a 5.5 Metre World Champion. Racing alongside Karl Kristian Nergaard adds a strong family and multi-generational dimension to the campaign.
The rest of the Norwegian fleet has considerable depth. Kristoffer Spone's Helly Hansen II Lisa, NOR 697, finished third at this year's Norwegian Championship, followed by Stian Ness Rørvik's Rett Rundt Hjørnet, NOR 732, and KABOOM, NOR 706, by Gisle Bø. All three have shown that they can race at the front of the domestic fleet and will be looking to use their local knowledge in Tønsberg.
Adriatic strength and Scandinavian form
The reigning European Champions, Razjaren, CRO 867, return to defend the title they won in Split in 2024. The Croatian team by Lukasz Podniesinski, helmed by Ante Cesic, has also demonstrated consistent European Sailing Series form, including victory in Riva del Garda in 2024 and second place there in 2025.
Fellow Croatian campaign PANJIC, CRO 803, brings another experienced crew led by Luka Sangulin and Tomislav Basic, while reigning Corinthian European Champion Mataran 24, CRO 649, by Ivo Matic, with Ante Botica at the helm, adds further strength to the Croatian challenge.
Italy's Melgina, ITA 854, is another team capable of featuring near the front. Paolo Brescia's campaign won the Italian national title in both 2024 and 2025 and finished third overall at the 2025 European Sailing Series event in Riva del Garda.
Recent results also point to a strong Scandinavian contest. Sweden's SWE 715, led by two-time Swedish Champion Jonas Berntsson, finished second at the 2026 Marstrand Big Boat Race, while Carl Åkerson's Sitting Duck, SWE 508, took third.
The Danish entry Itsi-Bitsi, DEN 701, includes three-time Olympian Michael Hestbæk and established Melges 24 campaigner Torben Mauritzen. Austria's ELA, AUT 607, by Rene Noack, also brings Olympic experience through Nikolaus Resch, a three-time 49er Olympian, former world number one and fourth-place finisher at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
With proven champions, Olympic-level experience, home-water specialists and several generations of Melges 24 sailors assembled in one fleet, the ingredients are in place for a compelling championship.
On Monday, the preparations end, and the contest for the 2026 Melges 24 European titles begins.