Nefeli Crowned World Champion in Trieste; Dark Energy and Zhik Race Team Deliver for U.S. and UK
27 September 2025 – Trieste, Italy – The 2025 Melges 24 World Championship came alive on the final day, as strong Bora winds allowed four races to be completed, bringing the regatta to seven total. After a week of weather delays and dramatic shifts, Germany’s Peter David Karrie at the helm of Nefeli rose to the top, becoming the first German team ever to claim the World Championship title.
For the U.S. fleet, there was plenty to celebrate. Laura Grondin’s Dark Energy, with Taylor Canfield calling tactics, staged an impressive comeback to finish second overall, just three points off the top after early-week setbacks. Cuyler Morris’s Dark Horse finished a strong sixth, while Geoff Fargo’s Sentinel—an early regatta leader—closed in eighth, and Peter McClennen’s Gamecock rounded out the overall top 10.
In the Corinthian division, the UK’s Zhik Race Team owned by Miles Quinton with Geoff Carveth on the helm secured the World Championship title, with Italy’s FoxyDry and Croatia’s Mataran 24 completing the amateur podium. FoxyDry also earned the new Next Gen Trophy as the best Under-25 team.
With new champions crowned and plenty of stories across both divisions, the curtain falls on Trieste. Next stop: the 2026 Melges 24 World Championship at Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs, Michigan, September 19–26.
The 2025 Melges 24 World Championship, organized by Yacht Club Adriaco in collaboration with the International Melges 24 Class Association and the Italian Melges 24 Class, is made possible thanks to the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Municipality of Trieste, Zaccanti, Richardson, Urban Hotel Design, Sirio Outfitting, Ocean Marine, Eataly, Gill, Cantina Produttori Cormons, Saiph, Impact Sportbusiness, and RAI.
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Top Ten Overall:
1.) (GER) Nefeli, Peter David Karrie
2.) (USA) Dark Energy, Laura Grondin
3.) (ITA) Strambapapa, Michele Paoletti
4.) (ITA) Melgina, Paolo Brescia
5.) (CRO) Razjaren, Ante Cesic
6.) (USA) Dark Horse, Cuyler Morris
7.) (MON) Nika, Vladmir Prosikhin
8.) (USA) Sentinel, Geoff Fargo
9.) (USA) Gamecock Sailing, Peter McClennen
10.) (GBR) Zhik Race Team, Miles Quinton
Top Five Overall:
1.) (GBR) Zhik Race Team, Miles Quinton
2.) (ITA) FoxyDry, Leonardo Centuoiri
3.) (CRO) Mataran, Ante Botica
4.) (ITA) Vertigo, Antonio Masoli
5.) (HUN) Chinook, Akos Csolto
Full Results: https://2025worlds.melges24.com/en/default/races/race-resultsall
How to follow the Melges 24 Worlds 2025 in Trieste:
Event website: https://2025worlds.melges24.com/en/default/races/race
Yacht Club Adriaco website: https://ycadriaco.it/
IM24CA website: https://www.melges24.com/
ITA M24CA website: https://melges24.it/
Photo galleries: https://www.flickr.com/photos/melges24/albums/
Videos and interviews https://www.youtube.com/@IM24CA
Social Media
Instagram accounts - IM24CA | ITA M24CA | Yacht Club Adriaco
Facebook accounts - IM24CA | Yacht Club Adriaco
Event Press Officer: Mauro Melandri, Zerogradinord