470 Open European Trophy & Master's Cup 2026 - Overall
by International 470 Class Association 19 Sep 17:36 BST
14-19 September 2026
The 470 Open European Trophy & Master's Cup 2026 came to a spectacular final in Portorož, Slovenia, with three races held off the coast of Piran today in challenging north-easterly bora winds and a wavy race course.
After five days of intense racing, Switzerland's Julian Flessati and Stephan Ammann claimed victory in the overall standings, while also taking the Apprentice Masters title and the Joachim Hunger Trophy.
The final day saw a close battle between the Swiss team and local sailors Dušan Puh and Matjaž Puh. The Slovenian father-and-son team, with Dušan Puh the oldest skipper in the fleet, won the first two races of the day, putting significant pressure on the Swiss leaders and setting up a thrilling final race.
"It feels really good to be the winners! It was a fight until the end. On the second beat, we managed to get in front of the Slovenian guys. We knew that this was the win for us, and we tried to defend it until the end. We are really happy with the outcome", said Julian Flessati.
"They sailed very well in the first two races. We knew that in the last race we had to be in front of them, or at least make sure they did not win the race. In the end, we managed to stay in front and we are really happy with the result", he added.
Dušan Puh and Matjaž Puh finished second overall and took the Grand Masters title after an impressive final day, winning two races in a row. France's Bernard Boime and Gilles Espinasse completed the overall podium in third place and claimed victory in the Grand Grand Masters category. The Masters category was won by Slovenia's Miran Gustin and Ela Žagar, who finished fifth overall.
The 470 Open European Trophy & Master's Cup 2026 was also attended by Igor Marenic, President of the International 470 Class and Olympic champion from Rio 2016.
"The regatta, sailed over five days, went very well. It was the first Master Cup that I attended, and I have to say the level of the sailors was impressive. Sailors showed incredible skill and incredible fighting spirit. It was very nice, and even emotional, to see how hard they tried", said Igor Marenic.
"An event like this, like any other event we organise, would not be possible without the great support of the local authorities and organisers. I have to thank the Pirat Yacht Club and everybody who helped make such a wonderful event", he added.
And if you are still wondering whether you should compete in the 470 Master's Cup in 2027, here is one more good reason to join. This year, the award for the oldest boat still racing went to Claudio Cestari and Marianna Nocella, who sailed their 470 built in 1979 — proving that a good boat, just like a good sailor, only gets better with age.
And there was another special prize for the crew weighing more than 160 kg: Maike Mulser, Björn Blom,, because in the 470 Masters fleet, sometimes extra weight is not a disadvantage... it's a qualification!
The prizes were presented by Igor Marenic, President of the International 470 Class and Olympic champion, together with decorated Slovenian Olympians Tina Mrak and Mitja Margon.
See you at the 470 Master's Cup 2027!
Full results here