Epic Start for the Melges 15 in Cascais

The Melges 15 debuted in Cascais with the the Portuguese Champions Regatta, an invitational trophy organised by SailCascais and Clube Naval de Cascais, that gathered the Portuguese National Champions from different classes and some local legends.

From Optimist to ORC the Portuguese Champions made it to Cascais this weekend, as well as some World (ORC & 420) and Europen Champions (Dragon & J70) and other sailors with top honors in major events.

After 7 races sailed over two days, Afonso Domingos (3x Olympian, 2x Star Barcardi winner, ORC World Champion) and Diana Neves, from Cascais, were the big winners (3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 3, 7). Despite the impressive scores, Henrique Brites and Luis Pinheiro (SB20 and Snipe Portuguese Champions) kept the pressure until the end (5, 2, 2, 2, 4, 1, 4), as there was no discard, and the last race counted double, to eventually tie the winners at the top, only to lose on the number of first places. The 1996 420 World Champion Martinho Fortunato sailing with his son Manuel, from Clube de Vela de Lagos, closed the podium (1, 3, 10, 3, 1, 11, 1).

It was a great weekend of sailing in Cascais with wind mostly from the South at 4-15 knots, that brought some swell into the bay. The Melges 15 provided by the organisers, proved to be a great choice for the event as they are easy to sail and they love these conditions.

The event had a solid representation with top sailors from the most active classes in Portuguese sailing, ranging from 14 to 59 years old, from the North to the South of Portugal and from the Azores and Madeira Islands.

Congratulations to Clube Naval de Cascais for the organization and to everyone taking part and especially to the winners.