Joe Fly victorious

Melges 24 Europeans goes to Italian team

A jubilant Luca Santella with his Joe Fly Team of owner Giovanni Maspero, tactician Morgan Larsen, trimmer Federico Michetti and bow Camilla Bert confirmed they are worthy winners of the 2003 Melges 24 European Title taking a second place in the final race of the championship in Helsinki today.

Today’s tenth race saw a slight drop in wind which varied from around 12 to 15 knots giving the crews a welcome respite from the windier conditions of the last four days. After a general recall racing got underway with a clean start at the second attempt and off the line it was Santella who got a great start in the middle of the line. Unfortunately it was those on the right who were in the money and at the weather mark it was Jamie Lea and the Black Seal team who led the fleet. Behind him Christophe Barrue, helming Denis Infante’s Eurovoiles, came in on starboard forcing Morgan Reeser in Philippe Ligot’s P&P to duck before tacking into third. Santella slotted into fourth from Micke Lindqvist, helming Lek for Trond Solli-Saether and Flavio Favini.

Down the first run Lea held his lead whilst Barrue and Reeser duelled all the way with Barrue just in front at the mark. Andrea Racchelli had a great run to pull up from the late teens to fourth from Santella, Lindqvist and Favini with home boy Kenneth Thelen in Suunto in eighth. At the leeward gate the fleet split with Lea, Reeser, Racchelli and Favini going for the right side and Barreu, Favini, Lindqvist and Thelen going left. Left turned out to be the smart option and by the second weather mark Barreu had taken a 40 second lead from Santella with Lea back in third, Lindqvist fourth and Thelen fifth. Egidio Babbi in Citta’ Di Cesena also took advantage of the shift to pull up to sixth in front of Reeser with Mark Rushall, helming Proctor Winning Masts for Quentin Struass, in seventh and Favini eighth. On the final lap Barreu opened up his lead still further to win by over a minute from Santella, Lea and Thelen. Babbi pulled up to fifth whilst Jean Francois Cruette, helming Scutum for Cedric de Kervenoael, sailed both smart and fast to come from tenth to sixth with Rushall seventh and Reeser eighth.

Overall Luca Santella and Team Joe Fly took the championship by 23 points from Luca Valerio in Maurizio Abba’s Alina. Morgan Reeser and the P&P Team took third with Kenneth Thelen and Suunto coming in fourth and first Finnish boat. 2001 Melges 24 World Champion Flavio Favini, helming Franco Rossini’s Blu Moon, had to be content with fifth. In the Corinthian competition for all amateur crews the title goes to Kenneth Thelen and Team Suunto with Kristoffer Spone helming Fruen Maren for Nils Hauff second and Egidio Babbi in Citta’ di Cesena third.

For Luca Santella and Federico Michetti this win was particularly emotional as they were both great friends and regular sailing companions of the legendary Giorgio Zuccoli, to whom the Melges 24 European Championship trophy is dedicated. Before his death in March 2001 Giorgio won both the Melges 24 European and the World titles with Federico in his crew and it was Giorgio who first introduced Luca to the joys of Melges sailing. “We had good luck in the Championship and we had good speed and have improved a lot down wind and we were consistent.” commented Luca Santella after sailing. “To win Giorgio’s trophy is unbelievable, we sailed together and against each other for many years and it is so special to feel so close to him again.”

It has been a fantastic championship with great racing, great weather and a great atmosphere. The Finnish Melges 24 fleet and the Helsingfors Arbetare Segelklubb have made an enormous effort to ensure all the Melges 24 crews are going home very happy and our special thanks go to event sponsors Jacob’s Creek, 3M and Scandic Hotels.

Results:

Pos	Boat	Sail No	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Tot
1	Joe Fly	ITA550	10	4	2	1	1	9	2	3	1	2	25
2	Alina	ITA409	2	12	3	7	12	1	6	2	3	DNF	48
3	P&P Sailing Team	FRA475	5	8	12	6	6	7	10	1	BFD	8	63
4	Suunto	FIN236	11	6	17	12	5	2	7	8	8	4	63
5	Blu Moon	ITA489	4	7	6	38	15	13	4	5	2	11	67
6	Altea	ITA438	12	1	18	8	9	DSQ	9	6	7	14	84
7	Fruen Maren	NOR249	13	2	9	11	7	17	11	17	9	10	89
8	Black Seal	GBR437	8	17	8	3	4	27	3	20	BFD	3	93
9	Citta' Di Cesena	ITA421	9	3	RDG(6)	10	16	26	8	11	BFD	5	94
10	Eurovoiles	FRA461	3	11	1	2	OCS	5	5	15	BFD	1	95
11	Devotissimo	ITA561	1	9	5	14	2	DNF	BFD	4	5	29	121
12	Marinel PaTu	FIN289	6	5	35	9	20	3	27	23	18	13	124
13	Helmüt Rises Again	GBR546	27	21	7	4	13	4	BFD	21	17	16	130
14	Marinel Mastervolt	FIN529	17	16	4	16	17	OCS	21	12	10	19	132
15	Scutum	FRA321	15	13	RAF	5	14	OCS	1	16	11	6	133
16	Barbarians	GBR484	7	DSQ	28	26	18	12	18	10	6	15	140
17	Sail is Fun	ITA490	14	40	14	21	10	15	15	26	13	12	140
18	Lek	NOR506	16	20	16	18	3	32	31	13	20	9	146
19	Seawind	FIN262	20	26	11	13	21	6	12	19	19	DSQ	147
20	Vito	GER507	18	22	23	22	11	10	25	18	4	21	149
21	Sogeti	MON429	44	19	10	15	8	OCS	14	9	12	34	165
22	Proctor Winning Masts	GBR564	35	25	13	27	26	16	19	7	BFD	7	175
23	Ale Ali	ITA139	25	15	15	OCS	OCS	8	16	14	16	28	189
24	The Muts Nuts	GBR405	28	24	38	29	19	25	20	24	RDG(7)	17	193
25	Chiquita	FIN476	23	10	DNF	24	25	35	24	22	22	20	205
26	Liros Nantes St Nazaire	FRA422	19	28	22	25	23	24	17	25	26	26	207
27	Pohjola - Fonecta Finder	FIN434	36	41	26	17	30	22	36	29	25	18	239
28	3 to 6 Happy Hour	GBR326	37	35	21	20	22	38	13	35	23	36	242
29	Mustgo	GBR359	OCS	23	41	19	27	34	33	31	24	22	254
30	Team SBAB	SWE532	22	DSQ	33	35	29	19	BFD	32	14	27	263
31	Maski M	GER537	OCS	14	20	23	DSQ	OCS	28	30	15	33	267
32	Siste Stein	NOR366	30	32	39	34	38	11	BFD	38	21	30	273
33	Comfortably Numb	GBR527	34	34	25	36	28	21	32	43	36	38	284
34	Hydroll	FIN316	24	31	40	DNF	DNS	14	22	28	DNF	25	288
35	Sampo	FIN253	29	37	31	28	31	37	26	27	BFD	42	288
36	WKD	GBR496	31	33	36	33	35	28	39	37	27	39	299
37	Transtec	SUI382	26	18	37	39	OCS	29	23	40	BFD	37	301
38	Sitting Duck	SWE508	OCS	29	27	37	32	23	37	34	BFD	32	303
39	Marinel MaxPower	FIN214	21	27	19	30	34	OCS	DNF	33	BFD	41	309
40	Marella V	NOR279	45	38	34	40	24	33	DNF	42	32	35	323
41	Jacuzzi	SWE172	39	39	32	32	37	36	43	41	34	40	330
42	Nava Eclipse	FRA459	38	44	42	OCS	36	31	BFD	36	28	24	331
43	Razzle Dazzle	NED112	32	48	29	46	39	20	29	DNF	DNS	44	339
44	FIN425	FIN425	43	43	43	43	40	40	38	46	31	23	344
45	piceng.se	SWE283	41	RDG(36)	30	41	OCS	OCS	41	44	29	31	345
46	Ryck	SWE282	OCS	30	46	31	OCS	30	34	47	33	43	346
47	Big Game	SWE454	42	42	24	45	41	OCS	30	48	30	45	347
48	Blue Peter	FIN227	33	46	DNF	42	33	18	35	39	BFD	DNF	350
49	Valecrin	FRA503	47	47	44	44	RAF	OCS	40	45	35	DNS	406
50	Fennia	FIN319	40	45	45	DNS	DNS	39	42	49	DNS	DNS	416
51	www.formulacars.co.uk	GBR233	46	49	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNS	DNF	DNS	DNS	459