Trieste to Host the 2025 Melges 24 World Championship

From September 20-27, 2025, the world’s top Melges 24 sailors will gather in Trieste, at the top of the Adriatic Sea, to compete for the coveted World Championship title.

17 September 2024—Trieste, Italy - The International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA) is thrilled to announce that Trieste, Italy, has been selected as the host city for the 2025 Melges 24 World Championship. A renowned sailing hub, Trieste has been a key location for Melges 24 events for many years, hosting numerous local regattas and rounds of the Melges 24 European Sailing Series. From September 20-27, 2025, the world’s top Melges 24 sailors will gather in Trieste, at the top of the Adriatic Sea, to compete for the coveted World Championship title.

Click on the image for the video highlights at the 2024 Melges 24 European Sailing Series event in Trieste © YCA

Melges 24 European Sailing Series 2024 event in Trieste © Alberto Lucchi

Melges 24 European Sailing Series 2024 event in Trieste © Alberto Lucchi

Laura Grondin, Chair of the IM24CA, shared her excitement: “We are delighted to announce Trieste as the host for the 2025 Melges 24 Worlds. We had two fantastic options: Trieste, Italy, and Portoroz, Slovenia. I’d like to extend our gratitude to Yacht Club Marina Portoroz and Yacht Club Adriaco for submitting strong bids. Congratulations to the Italian Melges 24 Class and Yacht Club Adriaco for winning the bid! We look forward to welcoming sailors worldwide to Italy for what promises to be a remarkable event.”

Trieste, located on Italy's northeastern coast, has a rich maritime history and is home to the famous Barcolana regatta, one of the largest and most prestigious sailing events globally. With its dynamic sailing scene and tradition of hosting high-level competitions, Trieste has become a natural gathering point for Melges 24 teams, attracting them for both local and regional races. Yacht clubs like the Società Triestina Sport del Mare and Yacht Club Adriaco have long organised such events, with many local sailors actively competing in the Melges 24 class.

Marcello Caldonazzo Arvedi, President of the Melges 24 Italian Class, commented: “We are thrilled and grateful for the trust placed in us to host the 2025 Melges 24 World Championship in Trieste, with Yacht Club Adriaco at the helm. The YCA is a fantastic, historic venue with a proven track record of organizing top-tier regattas, including numerous European Sailing Series events. We are confident that the 2025 Worlds will be a highlight for the class, and we look forward to welcoming a strong fleet to this beautiful city, which is home to the majority of our Italian fleet, thanks to the many local clubs that have adopted the Melges 24 as their club boat.

We welcome all Melges 24 sailors in Trieste, one of Italy’s hidden gems.”

Nicolò de Manzini, President of Yacht Club Adriaco, added: “It is an honor for both Yacht Club Adriaco and the city of Trieste to host the Melges 24 World Championship in 2025. We are working hard to ensure a world-class event for all participants. The Melges 24 class is iconic in one-design sailing, and we have had the pleasure of hosting numerous regattas for the class in the past. We are excited to take this to the next level with the World Championship and are confident that Trieste will shine on the global stage."

For the first time in history, the Melges 24 World Championship will take place in the Adriatic Sea, a significant milestone for the class. Trieste, with its favourable wind conditions, particularly the Bora, has long been a training ground for competitive sailors, making it an ideal location for this championship. The city’s location at the top of the Adriatic Sea also offers logistical convenience for crews from across Europe and beyond.

Tentative dates for the pre-Worlds in Trieste are set for September 5-7, 2025, giving sailors the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the waters ahead of the main event.

To learn more about Trieste and Yacht Club Adriaco, please visit the following links:
Discover Trieste
Yacht Club Adriaco

The 2025 Melges 24 World Championship will take place September 20-27 in Trieste, Italy, organized by the International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA) in partnership with the Yacht Club Adriaco and the Italian Melges 24 Class Association.

Following a successful 2024 Melges 24 Worlds at the San Francisco Yacht Club, the next major event for the Melges 24 Class will be the 2024 Melges 24 European Championship, hosted by the Sailing Club Split in Croatia, from September 27 to October 4.

Reigning Melges 24 European Sailing Series Champion, Akos Csolto's CHINOOK HUN850 sailing at the Melges 24 European Sailing Series 2024 event in Trieste © Giovanni Tesei