Melges 24 Family Gathers in Tønsberg for the 2026 European Championship
From 29 August to 4 September, Tønsberg Seilforening, in cooperation with the Norwegian Melges 24 Class Association and the International Melges 24 Class Association, will host the 2026 Melges 24 European Championship. It will be the second time Norway has hosted the championship and the 17th edition of the continental event.
On the eve of the championship’s official opening, Norway awoke to the deeply sad news of the passing of His Majesty King Harald V. National flags were lowered to half-mast as the country mourned a beloved King and the sailing community mourned one of its greatest ambassadors.
Guro Steine, President of the Norwegian Sailing Federation, commented: “Throughout his long life, King Harald was an accomplished sailor, with a true passion for the sport that inspired generations. For those of us in the sailing community, he was not only our King; he was one of our own.”
Several members of the Norwegian Melges 24 community had the privilege of sailing in King Harald’s crews. King Harald was also an Honorary Member of Tønsberg Seilforening, where the Norwegian flag was lowered to half-mast on Friday morning as the club continued its final preparations for the championship.
Erik Virik Fusdahl, Event Chair and Club Manager, shared the following message with the championship’s competitors: “King Harald was an Honorary Member of Tønsberg Sailing Club and enjoyed a very special place in the Norwegian and international sailing community. During a long life as a keen sailor, three-time Olympian and strong supporter of the sailing community, he inspired generations of Norwegian sailors.
“We remember King Harald with respect and gratitude. Our thoughts go to Queen Sonja and the Royal Family. Rest in peace.”
The Melges 24 family arrives in Tønsberg
In this reflective atmosphere, preparations for the European Championship continue. The event will bring together 42 teams representing 11 nations: Austria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Monaco, the Netherlands, Sweden and host nation Norway.
Teams have been arriving at Tønsberg Seilforening throughout the week, and the club’s brand-new clubhouse is ready to welcome sailors from across Europe and overseas.
Official registration, boat measurement and sail inspection begin on Saturday, 29 August, and will continue through the weekend. IM24CA Chief Measurer Branko Parunov will oversee the procedures, ensuring that the boats and sails comply with the Melges 24 one-design class rules.
On Sunday afternoon, the teams and Race Committee will have their first opportunity to test the local waters during the practice race.
The Race Committee will be led by IM24CA Championship Coordinator and Principal Race Officer David Bartol, supported by Eirik Brekke, whose local knowledge will be an important asset throughout the week.
For the first time at a Melges 24 European Championship, Vakaros RaceSense technology will support the management of starts and finishes. Live tracking will also allow followers to watch the racing both from the clubhouse and online.
Two new Melges 24s ready for their first championship
The weekend will also mark the christening of the two newest boats in the fleet: hull number 878, the Italian TAKI 5, and hull number 879, the Dutch VIVA.
The christenings will be hosted with the Hein Ruyten One Design, the Melges 24 representative in Europe, together with the respective owners. Similar celebrations have become a welcome championship tradition following new-boat christenings at the 2024 Europeans in Split and the 2025 World Championship in Trieste.
TAKI is already one of the best-known names in the international Melges 24 community. The campaign of Marco Zammarchi, with Niccolò Bertola at the helm and a long-established core crew, has won four Corinthian World Championship titles and one Corinthian European Championship. The team now moves from TAKI 4, hull number 778, to the newly launched TAKI 5, hull number 878.
Hull number 879 will bring Dutch class stalwart Carlo Vroon back to the Melges 24 fleet. The 2011 Dutch Melges 24 Champion returns after an absence of approximately ten years, now accompanied by a young and enthusiastic team racing under the name VIVA.
Championship racing schedule
The championship series will be sailed over five days:The championship series will be raced from Monday, 31 August, to Friday, 4 September, with competitors’ briefings and racing scheduled each day. Exact briefing times and first warning signals will be communicated through the official event channels.
The championship will conclude on Friday evening with the awards ceremony and banquet at 19:00.
The entry list includes the reigning Melges 24 European Champions from Croatia: overall champion Razjaren, helmed by Ante Cesic, and Corinthian champion Mataran 24, helmed by Ante Botica. They will be joined by experienced international champions, ambitious Corinthian campaigns, strong Scandinavian teams and a new generation of Melges 24 sailors – all seeking to add their names to the championship’s distinguished roll of honour.
A closer look at the participating teams and names to watch will follow in the next championship announcement.
Beyond the racing, competitors can expect the warm and welcoming atmosphere for which Norway and the Melges 24 community are known. From the historic waterfront of Tønsberg—Norway’s oldest city – to the post-race gatherings at the yacht club, the championship will bring the international Melges 24 family together both on and off the water.
This week, that family gathers in Tønsberg, anticipating the competition ahead, but also united in respect and remembrance for a King whose lifelong love of sailing touched generations.
