A foggy morning gave way to sunshine and a successful opening day at the 2026 Melges 24 European Championship, where two races were completed on schedule for the 42-boat international fleet.

The day began with a comprehensive Skippers’ Briefing, covering the race-management, jury and technical procedures needed to keep the focus on fair racing and enjoyment on the water.

By the scheduled first warning signal at 12:30, the fog had lifted, and the fleet was assembled on the racecourse. Light winds, an unusual swell and significant current created a tactical opening test for the teams.

Race Committee finds its rhythm

Following lessons learned during Sunday’s Practice Race, the Race Committee was well prepared for the opening championship races.

“We learned quite a lot from the Practice Race, so today we were much better prepared and were out on the course early,” said local race officer Eirik Brekke.

“The wind was quite light, but there were surprisingly large waves and a significant current. For the first race, the course was set at approximately one nautical mile, with the wind around 190 degrees. We planned for close to one hour of racing, and the timing was very close to that.

“The boats spread across the racecourse and chose different sides through the gate, which gave us confidence that the course was fair. When the wind increased slightly for the second race, we extended the course to 1.2 nautical miles and completed it in around 55 minutes.”

The first championship day also provided an encouraging demonstration of the Vakaros RaceSense starting system. Around six boats were over the line early in each race, but all received the signal, returned and cleared themselves correctly, leaving no OCS scores on the results sheet.

“For me as a race officer, this is the future,” Brekke added. “When the line is correct, the course is correct, and the technology works, it provides fair sailing.”

Two race winners and two consistent Norwegian teams

Sweden’s Jonas Berntsson and SWE 715 claimed the first race victory of the championship, leading an all-Corinthian podium. They were followed by two Norwegian teams: Kristoffer Spone’s Helly Hansen II Lisa, NOR 697, in second and Tomas Mathisen’s Bagdad Prospects, NOR 600, in third.

In the second race, reigning European Champion Razjaren, CRO 867, found its pace. Ante Cesic and his Croatian crew took the victory ahead of Helly Hansen II Lisa, with Bagdad Prospects Youth, NOR 152, by Anders Hylen Klippenberg, finishing third.

While Sweden and Croatia shared the race wins, consistency put two Norwegian teams at the top of the overall standings.

With two second-place finishes, Kristoffer Spone and Helly Hansen II Lisa lead the championship on four points. Tomas Mathisen’s Bagdad Prospects posted a 3-4 scoreline to hold second overall with seven points.

Razjaren’s 9-1 results place the defending European Champions third on ten points, while the experienced Corinthian campaign Storm Capital, NOR 751, with Peder Jahre at the helm, is fourth after scores of 8-5.

A newcomer to the Melges 24 fleet, Ireland’s Darren Wright and Adrenaline, GBR 822, made an immediate impression with fifth and eleventh places to finish the opening day fifth overall.

Itsi-Bitsi, DEN 701, is sixth, followed by Bagdad Prospects Youth in seventh and Paolo Brescia's Melgina, ITA 854, in eighth. Inge Salvesen’s Spica, NOR 585, and Kristian Nergaard’s Team Bagdad-Helly Hansen, NOR 724, complete the provisional top ten.

Five nations–Norway, Croatia, Ireland, Denmark and Italy–are represented inside the top ten after the opening day.

Spone makes home waters count

Kristoffer Spone credited local knowledge, good starts and strong boatspeed for his team’s remarkably consistent opening day.

“We didn’t have much time before the first start, so we relied on our local knowledge,” said Spone. “This is my hometown. I grew up here, and in these conditions, the right side normally pays. The line looked slightly favoured at the committee boat, so we started there, got a great start and tacked to the right. We worked the shifts on that side and finished second, so we were very pleased with the race.

“In the second race, we took a slightly more conservative approach and started just above the middle of the line. We were able to tack quite early and get away. We had good speed and used a new jib, which worked really well in the swell with some chop on top.

“We think we are fast, and we’re very pleased with the day.”

With a 2-2 record, Helly Hansen II Lisa leads both the overall and Corinthian standings.

Bagdad Prospects rediscovers its speed

Tomas Mathisen was equally pleased after Bagdad Prospects opened its championship with two top-four finishes.

“We had a lovely day here in Tønsberg with two races,” said Mathisen. “We played the right-hand side well today and managed to pull off two top-four places. “We had some issues with boatspeed earlier this season, but we finally found it today, so we are really happy. All the best for tomorrow.”

Norwegian teams dominate the Corinthian standings

The home teams made an especially strong start in the Corinthian division, occupying the first six positions after two races.

Helly Hansen II Lisa leads Bagdad Prospects, with Peder Jahre’s Storm Capital in third. Bagdad Prospects Youth is fourth, followed by Inge Salvesen’s Spica and Kristian Nergaard’s Team Bagdad–Helly Hansen.

Canada’s EuroSurprise, CAN 672, is the highest-placed international Corinthian team in seventh. The opening-race winner SWE 715 is eighth, Italy’s TAKI 5, ITA 878, is ninth and reigning Corinthian European Champion Mataran 24, CRO 649, completes the Corinthian top ten.

With only two of the ten scheduled races completed, the championship remains wide open. The first discard will come into effect after five races, leaving plenty of opportunity for the order to change as the week progresses.

The forecast is not expected to allow an early start on Tuesday. The Competitors’ Briefing is scheduled for 12:00, with the first warning signal at 14:30.

Two races are scheduled for Tuesday as the contests for the Giorgio Zuccoli Trophy and Menno Meyer Corinthian European Trophy continue in Tønsberg.

Top 10 Overall After Two Races

NOR 697 Helly Hansen II Lisa (COR) – Kristoffer Spone – 4 points
NOR 600 Bagdad Prospects (COR) – Tomas Mathisen – 7 points
CRO 867 Razjaren – Ante Cesic – 10 points
NOR 751 Storm Capital (COR) – Peder Jahre – 13 points
GBR 822 Adrenaline – Darren Wright – 16 points
DEN 701 Itsi-Bitsi – Torben Mauritzen – 18 points
NOR 152 Bagdad Prospects Youth (COR) – Anders Hylen Klippenberg – 20 points
ITA 854 Melgina – Paolo Brescia – 20 points
NOR 585 Spica (COR) – Inge Salvesen – 20 points
NOR 724 Team Bagdad–Helly Hansen (COR) – Kristian Nergaard – 20 points

Melges 24 European Championship is 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).