MELGES 20 WORLD LEAGUE 2019: IT'S TIME TO START RACING IN EUROPE
Villasimius (Cagliari), 25 April 2019 - After the seasonal debut of the Melges 32 fleet, Italy and Villasimius will be again the hosts of the inaugural act of the European division of the 2019 Melges 20 World League.
Four out of fifteen Melges 20 World League events have already been competed worldwide (including the World Championship of Miami, won by the Italian crew of Stig by Alessandro Rombelli), but it’s time to start racing also in Europe.
The challenge now shifts to the Mediterranean, for an edition that promises to be one of the most spectacular and uncertain of all times, with the very high technical rate due to the presence of titled crews, all with the same and only objective.
With plenty of World and European Champions getting on the water, drawing up predictions on who’s going to win an event has never been so difficult so far: racing will start on Friday 26 April, for three consecutive days of regattas, on the spectacular race course of Villasimius.
On the starting line we will find the reigning World Champion Stig and the winner of the 2018 Melges World League, the Russian Nika of Vladimir Prosikhin. The presence of the winner of the European series and vice-champion of the 2018 Worlds Brontolo of the Italian Filippo Pacinotti is confirmed, as well as that of of the multi-awarded (Melges World League winner and Melges 20 European Champion) Russian Bogatyrs of Igor Rytov, and Fremito d'Arja (winner of the Gold Cup in 2012 and constantly at the top of the Class).
The list of candidates for the first stage and for the European circuit victory is wide and includes also the names, in example, of Raya by Matteo Marenghi Vaselli and Synergy by Valentin Zavadnikov (both bearing the colors of the Yacht Club de Monaco), as well as those of the Giannattasio family with father (Luigi) and son (Pierluigi) who will try to bring Boogie and Mendieta respectively to the top positions in the rankings. Another “family-duel” will be the one between Pietro Loro Piana (at the helm of Gone Squatching) and Franco Loro Piana (with Sease).
The Melges 20 World League European Division will see the fleet engaged over the next six months in six events: after Villasimius, the sailors will move to Puntaldia (24 - 26 May), to reach then Marina di Scarlino (24 - 26 June), Riva del Garda (12 - 14 July) and Malcesine, location of the double event with the Russian Open (7-8 September) and with the Melges 20 European Championship 2019 (10-14 September).
As for the Melges 32 World League, the European season of the Melges 20 Class is counting on the same organization as last year, with a successful format that keeps growing with the presence of a substantial pool of partners who are protagonists of the success of the continental series which, once again, spreads the message of One Ocean Foundation by adopting the Charta Smeralda.
In addition to the confirmed top partners North Sails, Helly Hansen, Tirrenia and Garmin, the continental events of Melges World League can count from this year, among the others, also on the support of Quantum Sails and La Thuile, the latter present with a double special prize for both winners both Melges 20 and Melges 32.
