Col comes out on top

On the final day of the Melges 24 World Championship

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The 2004 Melges 24 World came to a spectacular close today with a final race in perfect sailing conditions. Frenchman Sebastien Col and his P&P crew of owner Phillip Ligot, tactician Christian Ponthieu, Thomas Allin and William Thomas, took second in race ten, beating overnight leader Maurizio Abba of Italy by sufficient places to win the World Championship.

Abba's ninth place secured him second overall while Flavio Favini, helming Blu Moon for Switzerland's Franco Rossini, took third with Stuart Rix, helming Gill for Englishman Quentin Strauss, fourth and Norway’s Eivind Melleby fifth.

2003 World Champion Shark Kahn, who turned 15 the week before the championship, had a mixed regatta but finished in sixth overall just ahead of Luca Santella, helming Joe Fly for Giovani Maspero.

In the Corinthian World Championship, for amateur helms and crews, the title goes for a record third time to Finland's Kenneth Thelen, sailing with Henrik Thelen, Jolle Blassar and Jari Bremer. Thelen dominated the Corinthian division this week and finished 14th overall in the open championship.

The final race was without doubt the most exciting of the regatta with the wind at last filling in at 15-16 knots from the northeast. The fleet got away at the third attempt with only Jakob Gustafsson being black-flagged.

In the pre-start Col and Abba jostled for position at the centre of the line. Abba got the best start while Col was forced to tack off early and take transoms out to the right. The shift gods were obviously smiling on Col today and by halfway up the beat it was clear he was well ahead of his rival.

At the first weather mark Rob Smith, helming for Stuart Simpson, took the lead for the first time in the championship, closely followed by Carolina Toll who was also putting in her first appearance at the front of the fleet along with Christoff Nielsen. Shark Kahn rounded fourth from Zanchi Guilio, Jean Francois Cruette, helming for Cedric de Kervenael and Michael Schineis in seventh. Col slotted into eighth while Abba rounded 14th.

With Col needing a five-boat lead to win the Championship he was looking good but there was a lot of racing still to come. On the first run Smith held his lead as Shark Kahn pulled up into second and Cruette into third and Toll dropped to fourth just ahead of Col who had gained four places. Abba meanwhile lost out on the first run and rounded in the low teens.

The second beat was a French benefit and Cruette led Col at the weather mark from Shark Kahn and Smith. There was then a gap back to the pack led by Toll, Nielson and Guilio and where Abba had worked hard to pull himself back up to ninth. The early gybe definitely paid down the second run and Col and Shark Kahn took full advantage of this to round the second leeward mark first and second and start what was to become a spectacular duel to the finish. Behind them Smith and Cruette were battling equally hard for third with Toll and the pack chasing them.

On the last beat Col and Shark Kahn had the spectators on the edges of their seats as they traded tacks every few seconds. At the same time as watching a thrilling dog fight all eyes were also on Abba as he did his utmost to pull back to within five places of Col. At the finish it was outgoing World Champion Shark Kahn who took the gun just ahead of Col with Smith third, Cruette fourth and Toll fifth. Abba had to settle for ninth and second overall in the championship.

Phillip Ligot's P&P Team with helm Sebastien Col have been strong supporters of the Melges 24 Class since its arrival in Europe and they are popular and deserving winners. The 81-boat fleet has had some outstanding sailing, some outrageous partying and some excellent fun. The week also demonstrated that the Melges 24 is a boat for all ages with the youngest competitor being the 12 year old Philipp Schineis, sailing for Austria with his father Michael, and the oldest being over 70. There were a total of 15 nations from two continents racing and seven nations were represented in the top ten.

Thanks must go to the MSS who have hosted the championship, the Swedish Melges 24 Class and all the volunteers and supporters who worked so hard to make this event possible.

The 2005 Melges 24 World Championship will take place at The Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida, USA from 12-16 December 2005.

Results:

Pos	Boat Name	Sail No	Helm	R1*	R2*	R3	R4	R5	R6*	R7	R8	R9	R10	Tot
1	Partner & Partners	FRA571	Sébastien Col	1	5	2	14	10	10	14	6	3	2	53
2	Alina	ITA409	Maurizio Abbà	7	7	7	5	3	1	10	7	14	9	56
3	Blu Moon	SUI521	Flavio Favini	8	1	16	2	9	22	56	5	2	16	81
4	Gill	GBR431	Stuart Rix	12.1	10	12	11	32	3	5	2	11	21	87.1
5	Siste Stein	NOR366	Eivind Melleby	7	17.9	1	1	6	8	29	19	BFD	6	94.9
6	Pegasus	USA590	Samuel Kahn	20.6	20.6	10	4	24	BFD	18	16	8	1	122.3
7	Joe Fly	ITA550	Luca Santella	17.9	17.9	3	3	7	53	28	3	24	22	125.8
8	Daucy	FRA472	Bruno Jourdren	15	20.1	8	22	68	2	12	13	7	34	133.1
9	Rett Rund Hjörnet	NOR418	Herman Horn-Johannessen	13	17.9	11	32	5	17	17	29	12	25	146.9
10	Maski	GER537	Dietrich Scheder	16	6	39	7	8	BFD	19	39	6	11	151
11	No Women No Cry	GER582	Albert Batzill	5	9	29	26	13	13	31	28	16	15	154
12	Team Barbarians	GBR406	Rob Smith	25	2	5	16	47	37	9	22	BFD	3	166
13	Scutum	FRA321	Jean Francois Cruette	26.4	13	19	23	15	BFD	4	41	21	4	166.4
14	Suunto	FIN236	Kenneth Thelen*	23	4	4	44	44	34	23	25	4	13	174
15	Fua 3	NOR374	Bjorn Mörland Pedersen	17	24.1	15	37	4	26	1	31	19	67	174.1
16	Altea	ITA438	Andrea Racchelli	24	12	47	31	33	7	33	9	13	31	193
17	Lek	NOR506	Geir Dahl Andersen	29	11	44	55	50	23	27	4	1	17	206
18	AleAli	ITA139	Nicola Celon	6	7	22	BFD	39	6	BFD	18	17	12	211
19	Pohjola - Fonecta Finder	FIN434	Petri Karto	18	14	35	8	53	28	15	38.0 37.0	23	216
20	Euro - Voiles	FRA461	Christoffer Barrue	9	25	34	28	19	27	25	30	23	30	216
21	Mas Amantes Inga Lease	ITA581	Luca Stefanini	30	30	27	19	1	BFD	46	10	20	33	216
22	Baghdad	NOR560	Kristian Nergaard	14	20	36	17	46	14	37	59	15	32	231
23		FRA375	Francois Le Bourdais	21	25	43	40	41	24	62	14	22	8	238
24	Frauen Maren	NOR249	Kristoffer Spone	2	32.4	20	6	35	44	63	24	BFD	14	240.4
25	Mustgo	GBR359	Keith Musto	4	29	18	BFD	2	SCP	8	34	63	41	252
26	Côtes d'Armor 2	FRA470	Sebastian Renault	69	33.7	38	41	43	12	11	35	27	27	267.7
27	The Badger	GBR589	Robert Greenhalgh	3	35.6	21	27	14	56	BFD	11	BFD	20	271.6
28	Sail is Fun hagar	ITA490	Gianni Giordo	11	36	32	BFD	72	11	35	46	9	24	276
29	525	USA525	Tim Fay	20	31	26	34	23	45	26	42	35	39	276
30	J'Gaulo	FRA252	Pierre Yves Lambert	45	3	67	12	64	30	52	12	5	55	278
31		NOR343	Terje Kjaer	19	15	6	43	60	32	65	55	10	44	284
32	Douarn	FRA387	Vincent Sauleau	34	28	17	30	36	BFD	38	48	36	18	285
33	Côtes d'Armor 1	FRA193	Ronan Treussart	22	37	58	29	49	BFD	22	23	26	28	294
34		FIN316	Johan Neovius*	39	8	33	46	27	38	50	37	41	37	306
35	Pegasus	USA588	Philippe Kahn	28	36	54	70	25	39.6	DSQ	1	29	26	308.6
36	Liros - Nantes - ST Nazaire	FRA422	Rémy Arnaud	42	16	50	42	28	BFD	2	33	65	35	313
37	Celerant Consulting	FRA369	Jerome Aubert	33	23	55	45	11	46	53	56	25	29	320
38		FIN425	Samuel Thesleff*	43	40.6	30	52	16	29	21	54	50	70	335.6
39	Aile / Transtec	SUI382	Michael Good	36	40.8	69	33	31	19	39	50	42	48	338.8
40		FIN529	Sami Ekblad*	26	21	52	53	38	59	34	36	34	45	339
41	Sogeti ISG	MON429	Antoine Frickey	32	33	68	35	56	51	7.0 3	2	30	DNF	344
42	Etabeta Naftalina	ITA475	Jean Francois Cutugno	31	43.4	61	61	DNF	31	58	27	28	10	350.4
43		GER465	Christoff Nielsen	60	43.9	75	BFD	17	61	6.0 4	7	38	7	354.9
44	SeaWind	FIN262	Tobias Niemi	47	35	49	24	37	15	57	52	BFD	42	358
45	Edelweiss	AUT531	Michael Schineis	51	44.7	77	48	70	55	3	8	52	38	369.7
46	White Rabbit	GBR340	Michael Henning	71	43	72	13	20	42	64	65	18	36	372
47	New Deal	NOR402	Jörgen G Heje	58	45.7	45	36	55	5.0 4	3.0 2	6	BFD	59	372.7
48	Transtec I	SUI336	Jürgen Wittich	10	42	40	57	51	BFD	24	43	8	51	376
49		NOR40	Carolina Toll	27	45.2	64	51	30	60	54	68	48	5	384.2
50	SBAB	SWE532	Ingemar Sundstedt	46	32	46	49	77	39	BFD	15	32	49	385