Melges 24 European Championship, prossima la chiusura delle iscrizioni
Melges 24Vela 2 Luglio 2009 Zerogradinord 1
[singlepic id=2806 w=300 h=204 float=left]Melges 24 European Championship – Hyeres – Si svolgerà tra il 21 e il 28 agosto il Campionato Europeo Melges 24 e le iscrizioni sono ormai prossime alla chiusura. Il Comitato Organizzatore, infatti, ha fissato a domani il termine ultime per effettuare la registrazione.
Chi non dovesse regolarizzare la propria posizione potrà farlo fino all’1 agosto con un sovrapprezzo del 30% sul prezzo base.
La regola vale tanto per gli equipaggi composti da professionisti, quanto per i Corinthian, che assieme ai documenti di iscrizione dovranno presentare i dettagli relativi alla classificazione degli atleti imbarcati.
Tra i protagonisti non mancherà certo il meglio della flotta italiana. Saranno della partita i vari All In di Pietro Sibello, Fantastica di Nicola Celon, che proprio a Hyeres vinse il Mondiale nel 2006, Pilot Italia di Alberto Bolzan e Michele Paoletti, Alina-Helly Hansen di Luca Valerio, i campioni del mondo di Uka Uka Racing e il team di Flavio Favini, impegnato come sempre su Blu Moon.
MELGES 24 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP, NEARLY THE DEADLINE FOR THE ENTRYES
[Melges 24 European Championship Press Release] As the entry deadline approaches for this summer’s Melges 24 European Championship in Hyeres, 2006 Melges 24 World Champion Nicola Celon remembers his 2006 Worlds victory at the venue and looks ahead to this year’s competition.
The entry deadline for the 2009 Melges 24 European Championship, being hosted by the COYCH in Hyeres, France from 21-28 August 2009, is this Friday 3 July 2009. Late entries for the event will be accepted until Saturday 1st August but will be subject to a 30% late entry surcharge.
Corinthian entries, from those teams wishing to compete in the all amateur crew competition held in tandem with the overall European Championship, are subject to the same entry deadlines and Corinthian competitors are reminded that they must have submitted their full crew lists including all ISAF sailor ID numbers, classifications and expiry dates by 1 August. No Corinthian entries will be accepted after that date.
Hyeres is a popular regatta venue and over the years has hosted major events for a wide range of classes including regular visits from the Olympic dinghy circus as part of the ISAF Sailing World Cup. The Melges 24 Class last raced for a championship here in 2006 when Italy’s Nico Celon won a breathtaking last race showdown with Frenchman Francois Brenac to be crowned World Champion. Celon recalls the conditions for that final race were extremely light and tricky and can remember having to play catch up after a poor start. ‘The conditions were very difficult and we had to pass a lot of boats to have a chance of winning. The only thing I can remember very clearly is the second beat when somehow we managed to cross the French guys.’
For the 2009 Europeans Celon will be sailing with a more pan-European team than when he won the Worlds. Italian sailors Raimondo Tonelli and Manuel Giubellini will trim and run the bow respectively but Celon has also brought in Austrian 49er sailors Nico Delle Karth (tactician) and Nico Resch to complete the crew. Three guys on the boat called Nico? Now that could really cause some issues! Celon’s tactician from 2006, Alberto Bolzan, has since established himself as a major force in the class in his own right. At last year’s Worlds in Porto Cervo he made much of the early running and Celon agrees that he will undoubtedly be a force to reckon with this time in Hyeres. ‘Albi is very good sailor and he was a big part of why we won the Worlds. For sure he will be one of the contenders for the European title.’
Understandably Hyeres is one of Celon’s favourite places to race, but not just because of his world title victory. He is a regular visitor and earlier this year was back to race in a Star Class regatta. For him the attraction comes from a combination of factors. ‘First of all ashore the place is very beautiful and there are great bars and restaurants to relax in. The race organisation here is always the best and you can be assured of great racing. Finally there is the weather. You can get light winds in Hyeres just like anywhere else but when the Mistral comes there is nowhere better that Hyeres for racing a Melges 24.’
Certainly Hyeres has everything which the Melges 24 fleet expect of a major championship venue. A large rigging area makes boat preparation straightforward and allows the scrutineering process to be simply managed. Once launched, the fleet is docked together directly adjacent to the marina’s restaurants and bars, meaning that both your breakfast and morning coffee as well as your post racing beers can be consumed only yards away from your boat. Without a doubt, the unofficial focal point for the regatta will be a bar called ‘Le Sax’. It is located close to the berthing area and Melges 24 sailors just seem to gravitate there after racing to compare notes over a cold beer. Out on the water at Hyeres the large bay could accommodate several large regatta fleets. Indeed for the 2006 Worlds, it coped comfortably with two fifty plus boat race areas. I can recall some spectacular downwind sailing back in 2006 when the offshore wind built to over thirty knots but produced only minimal wave action. European lake sailors will be pleased to know that the general consensus is that tide has little direct bearing on the racing in Hyeres.
It remains to be seen whether this year’s European Championship will produce the last day drama of the 2006 Worlds or the spectacular conditions which resulted when the Mistral arrived. It is certain however that competitors at the 2009 Melges 24 European Championship will be able to avail themselves of some of the finest yacht racing facilities in Europe backed up by a slick and highly experienced regatta team. With all of this laid on, the only thing left for the sailors is to enjoy the racing and have some fun!
The Notice of Race, Entry Form, accommodation and logistical information are all available from the official event web site www.m24european2009.com.
