2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series, Michele Paoletti’s Strambapapa Wins Season Opener in Opatija

The 2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series officially set sail this weekend with its season-opening event – Luki Baustoffe CRO Melges 24 Cup 2025 Opatija - in the scenic town of Opatija, Croatia. Hosted by Yacht Club Croatia at ACI Marina Ičići, and organized in partnership with the Croatian Melges 24 Class, the regatta welcomed 24 teams from six nations, including a strong lineup of returning champions and Corinthian contenders.

 Unfortunately, light conditions on the first two days and a strong Bora wind on the final day meant that only two races were completed. Still, those two races delivered tightly contested action and a strong signal of what’s to come in the 2025 season.

 Emerging on top was Michele Paoletti’s Strambapapa (ITA), with his veteran crew including Giovanna Micol – winner of the first edition of the Women’s America’s Cup in 2024 – Davide Bivi, Pietro Perelli, and Giulia Pignolo. The team, which previously won the 2022 Melges 24 European Championship in Genoa, returned to the fleet this year after a one-season break.

 “Really happy to return to my boat and the Melges 24 class,” said Michele Paoletti. “As you know, Strambapapa was raced by a youth team last year, but now we’re back with our usual crew. It’s been a tough weekend for wind, and it’s hard to have a proper ranking with only two races, but we’re happy to be on top.”

 Race 1, held on Friday morning, saw a bullet from Niccolò Bertola’s Taki 4 (ITA) — a four-time Corinthian World Champion making a return to the class after a year away, with Marco Zammarchi, Giacomo Fossati, Giovanni Bannetta and Lorenzo Di Carlo aboard. They were followed by Luka Šangulin’s Panjic (CRO) in the second and Strambapapa in the third.

 Race 2, sailed early on Saturday morning, was won by Strambapapa, followed by Miles Quinton’s Zhik Race Team (GBR) – a Corinthian team helmed by Geoff Carveth – and Ante Botica’s Mataran 24 (CRO) - two-time Corinthian World and European champion, in third.

 With no racing possible on Sunday due to gusts over 30 knots, the final overall standings after two races are:

 Overall Top 3

1.    Strambapapa ITA– Michele Paoletti – 4 pts

2.    Taki 4 ITA – Niccolò Bertola – 6 pts (Corinthian)

3.    Panjic CRO – Luka Šangulin – 8 pts

 Corinthian Top 3

1.    Taki 4 ITA– Niccolò Bertola – 6 pts

2.    Zhik Race Team GBR – Miles Quinton / Geoff Carveth – 11 pts

3.    Chinook HUN – Ákos Csoltó – 15 pts

 Despite the weather challenges, the regatta delivered a welcome reunion of top teams from the 2024 season. Notably, the Overall Top 5 and Corinthian Top 3 from last year’s European Sailing Series were all in attendance.

 The next event on the Melges 24 European Sailing Series calendar will be the Melges 24 Croatian Open Nationals, held from May 1 to 4, 2025, in Trogir, Croatia.