2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series Overall
by International Melges 24 Class Association 5 May 2025 08:44 UTC
May 1–4, 2025
The curtain came down on a thrilling weekend of Melges 24 racing in Trogir as Ante Cesic's Razjaren claimed victory at the second event of the 2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series and was officially crowned the Melges 24 Croatian Champion 2025. Meanwhile, Luka Šangulin's Panjic clinched the overall win in the 2025 Luki Baustoffe CRO Melges 24 Cup, capping off a fiercely contested four-event national series.
The final day of racing once again began with a wait for breeze. But unlike Saturday, the light winds filled earlier — between 2 and 3 PM — allowing PRO Marko Mišura and his race committee team to deliver two more races in challenging conditions to round out the six-race series.
In Race 5, the provisional top three teams swapped spots: Panjic led the fleet, followed by Peter Karrié's Nefeli and Razjaren. With the title on the line, Race 6 was all about closing the deal — and Ante Botica's Mataran 24 did just that, winning the race in front of their home crowd. Corinthian team Little A, helmed by Stjepan Cesic, delivered a brilliant second-place finish, while the event leader, Razjaren, finished third.
With a scoreline of 2-1-(3)-1-3-3, the reigning European Champion Razjaren secured overall victory in the event with 10 points. Lukasz Podniesinski's team was led by Ante Cesic, along with Tonci Knezovic, Andela De Micheli Vitturi, and Ljubo Jercic.
Nefeli finished second overall with 15 points, showcasing consistency throughout the regatta, and Panjic completed the podium in third with 20 points. Mataran 24 just missed the podium by three points, finishing fourth ahead of Karlo Kuret's One 4 Fun in fifth.
Special mention goes to the U24 team Cro-A-Sail, skippered by Matija Reljanovic, who finished sixth overall and recorded a top-three finish in Race 5 — a strong statement from the next generation of Croatian sailors.
In the Corinthian division, Blue Label, led by Hrvoje Petrovic, claimed the top amateur honors, boosted by their win in Race 3. Little A took the silver in the Corinthian fleet, while Miles Quinton's Zhik Race Team, helmed by Geoff Carveth, rounded out the Corinthian podium in third.
Miles Quinton of Zhik Race Team emphasized, "For me, Trogir in May is simply the ultimate sailing destination. The warmth and hospitality we experience there are truly exceptional and always leave a lasting impression. Furthermore, Croatian regattas are renowned for their outstanding organization, and the strong competition within the fleet makes for fantastic racing."
2025 Luki Baustoffe CRO Melges 24 Cup Winners awarded
The Trogir regatta also marked the finale of the 2025 Luki Baustoffe CRO Melges 24 Cup, a four-stage series that began in Biograd and continued through Zadar and Opatija. With one discard allowed and the best three results to count, the battle for the Cup came down to the wire.
With 55 points, Panjic (JK Briva, Biograd) clinched the overall victory, narrowly beating Mataran 24 (JK Trogir) by a single point despite their strong home finish. Notably, this is Panjic's third overall title within the last five years. Razjaren (JK Split), took third overall with 50 points. They also secured their third consecutive Croatian national championship.
"The most significant challenge is maintaining persistence and consistency throughout the season," stated Luka Sangulin, the President of the Croatian Melges 24 Class Association. "This year, sailing with a four-person crew proved to be a successful strategy for us. We were one of the lighter teams, which turned out to be advantageous in the Adriatic's prevailing lighter winds. Plus, having a bit more space in the cockpit was certainly a bonus. The competition this year was fantastic, and as the President of the class, I'm incredibly proud to see the Melges 24 fleet in Croatia continuing to grow, attracting a significant number of international teams to our regattas. Our class in Croatia has a very open and collaborative spirit; we readily share information, and it's great to see new teams quickly getting up to speed. We're excited for the next CRO Melges 24 Cup and the World Championship in Trieste, where Croatian teams have the potential to achieve great things."
In the Corinthian division, Little A (JK Zvir, Hvar), claimed the season title with 29 points. Zen (JK Spinut, Split) secured second place with 15 points, while Spooky (JK Samobor) rounded out the Corinthian season podium in third with 12 points.
"Last year in Hvar, we secured the Croatian National Championship title in the Corinthian division and finished second overall in the CRO Melges 24 Cup standings," emphasised Stjepan Cesic, the helmsman of the Little A crew. "This year in Trogir, we stepped up, taking second in the championship and ultimately winning the overall title in the Luka Baustoffe CRO Melges 24 Cup, so we've definitely shown progress. The entire season presented its challenges, with the regatta in Trogir being particularly demanding. We are incredibly proud of our owner, Domagoj Jaklin, and our young talents onboard who did an outstanding job throughout this year's season."
Strong Organisation and Support in Trogir
This event was organized by the Trogir Sailing Club as part of the Trogir Outdoor Festival, in cooperation with the Croatian Melges 24 Class Association. With racing set directly in front of the iconic Kamerlengo Fortress, the venue once again delivered a world-class atmosphere for sailors and spectators alike.
The Luki Baustoffe CRO Melges 24 Cup was made possible thanks to its dedicated partners and sponsors: Luki Baustoffe, Angelina Yacht Charter, Sailing Point Hrvatska, North Sails, One Sails, Digital studio Akvarij, regate.com.hr, Raiser digital agency, ProMarine, EmergenSea, and Dustom Sails.
Next Stop: Italy
From Croatia, the Melges 24 European Sailing Series continues with its third event: the Italian National Championship in Riva del Garda, May 23-25. With teams now fully in race mode, the countdown continues toward the 2025 Melges 24 World Championship in Trieste this September.
Trogir Regatta Overall Results: (top ten, 6 races)
1. Razjaren (CRO 867) - Ante Cesic - 2, 1, (3), 1, 3, 3 - 10 pts
2. Nefeli (GER 673) - Peter Karrié - 4, 2, 2, (5), 2, 5 - 15 pts
3. Panjic (CRO 803) - Luka Šangulin - 1, 8, 6, 4, 1, (12) - 20 pts
4. Mataran 24 (CRO 649) - Ante Botica - 6, 5, 5, (11), 6, 1 - 23 pts
5. One 4 Fun (CRO 383) - Karlo Kuret - 7, (12), 7, 2, 4, 11 - 31 pts
6. Cro-A-Sail (CRO 782) - Matija Reljanovic - 11, 3, 10, 8, 5, (14) - 37 pts
7. Daito Nano (ITA 748) - Dino Orioli - 5, 11, 4, (16), 14, 6 - 40 pts
8. Fjonda (CRO 742) - Goran Ivankovic - 9, 7, (13), 7, 10, 10 - 43 pts
9. Blue Label (CRO 827, Corinthian) - Hrvoje Petrovic - 12, 10, 1, (15), 13, 8 - 44 pts
10. Palminanova (CRO 567) - Marko Matic - 8, 6, 14, 12, (16), 4 - 44 pts
Trogir Regatta Corinthian Results: (top three, 6 races)
1. Blue Label (CRO 827) - Hrvoje Petrovic - 12, 10, 1, (15), 13, 8 - 44 pts
2. Little A (CRO 728) - Stjepan Cesic - 16, 14, (18), 6, 15, 2 - 53 pts
3. Zhik Race Team (GBR 694) - Geoff Carveth - 3-16-15-9-11-(21 DNS) - 54 pts
Quick Links
More details of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series available at: www.melges24.com/europeansailingseries