Another spectacular day on the Adriatic delivered three more races for the Melges 24 European Sailing Series fleet in Trieste, where Yacht Club Adriaco and the Italian Melges 24 Class continue to host the second event of the European season and the opening stage of the Melges 24 Italian Trofeo Gaudì.

Following Friday’s strong opening, sailors returned to the racecourse under sunny skies and classic thermal conditions. Light winds between 7 and 8 knots from west to west-southwest once again produced tactical racing, with shifting breeze lines and pressure differences constantly reshuffling positions across the fleet.

With seven races now completed, the discard came into play for the first time, bringing a significant reshuffle to the overall standings and rewarding consistency throughout the opening two days.

taly’s TAKI 4, helmed by Niccolò Bertola, delivered a commanding performance on Saturday, winning all three races and extending its lead to nine points ahead of Paolo Brescia’s MELGINA. Hungary’s CHINOOK by Akos Csolto remains firmly in contention in third overall, just one point behind MELGINA.

The impressive performance by TAKI 4 was built on clean starts, strong speed and excellent teamwork throughout the day.

“I don’t remember the last time it felt this easy,” said tactician Andrea Trani after returning ashore. “But this time it was very easy because of the good crew. The feeling with the guys was perfect. We started all three races very, very well; we had good speed, and it seems we managed the wind shifts consistently together with the boat speed. The boat is very, very fast thanks to Niccolò’s helming.”

While TAKI 4 strengthened its position at the top, the battle behind remained extremely close and highly competitive.

The reigning Melges 24 Corinthian World Champions, ZHIK RACE TEAM (GBR), continued their steady performance in the challenging conditions and currently sit seventh overall.

“We’re having a fantastic time in Trieste,” said owner Miles Quinton. “It’s wonderful to be back again after the Worlds and after our success. But it doesn’t get any easier. The conditions are very challenging with a shifty wind, the competition is fierce, and the race committee is doing a really good job. Vakaros RaceSense is also making it much easier to get the starts away, so we have managed to complete plenty of racing.”

Quinton also reflected on the realities of defending a World Championship title in the highly competitive Melges 24 fleet.

“In the end, people are happy to shake your hand because you became World Champion, but nobody gives you anything because of that. You still have to fight in exactly the same way, and that’s how it should be. We set high standards for ourselves and follow our process. Seventh place is okay for now, but we still have work to do.”

The Corinthian division continues to provide some of the closest racing in Trieste. MELGINA currently leads the all-amateur standings ahead of CHINOOK, while AKUA (ITA), with Sergio Caramel at the helm, German WHITE ROOM of Michael Tarabochia, and the reigning Corinthian World Champions ZHIK RACE TEAM remain well within reach heading into the final day.

The international and family-oriented spirit of the Melges 24 Class was perfectly represented by Germany’s MOJITO, where Elena Rixner races together with her father, Florian and close friends.

“I’m sailing the Melges 24 with my dad, Florian, and my good friends,” said Elena Rixner. “The class is super tough because the racing is always so close, and everyone is sailing at such a high level. But that’s also what makes it so enjoyable. Everyone in the class is lovely, and we really enjoy being part of it.”

Rixner already has her eyes on the next event on the European calendar.

“There’s definitely room for improvement, and hopefully we can do even better tomorrow. Austria will be our next event – the green kite will fly in Austria.”

The successful use of the Vakaros RaceSense system once again contributed to efficient race management and smooth starting procedures throughout the day, allowing the race committee to complete all scheduled races without delay.

With one final day remaining in Trieste and one more race day scheduled for Sunday, the battle for podium positions remains wide open behind TAKI 4’s commanding lead.

Top 10 after 7 races (one discard)

TAKI 4, ITA 778, Marco Zammarchi, 9 pts (1-1-4-10-1-1-1)
MELGINA (C), ITA 854, Paolo Brescia, 19 pts (5-3-1-4-3-7-3)
CHINOOK (C), HUN 850, Akos Csolto, 20 pts (2-9-5-1-4-2-6)
AKUA (C), ITA 767, Mirco Pittarello, 33 pts (9-2-3-11-16-6-2)
WHITE ROOM (C), GER 677, Michael Tarabochia, 35 pts (3-4-10-3-8-12-7)
DAITO NANO, ITA 748, Dino Orioli, 37 pts (8-7-12-2-2-9-9)
ZHIK RACE TEAM (C), GBR 694, Miles Quinton, 37 pts (12-8-2-7-5-3-14)
CRO-A-SAIL (U), CRO 782, Miroslav Reljanovic, 41 pts (6-6-9-5-11-4-11)
ESSETIVI (C), ITA 392, Triestina della Vela ASD, 53 pts (15-5-15-6-7-17-5)
NEVER 2 LATE (C), ITA 590, Enrico Michel, 57 pts (10-17-11-12-12-8-4)