The 25th MAPFRE Euromed International Regatta, held in conjunction with the 3rd Europa Cup for the ILCA Class, came to a close on Sunday following four days of high-quality racing in Mellieħa Bay. The event, hosted by the Malta Young Sailors Club between 18 and 21 December, once again confirmed its status as a key fixture on the international youth sailing calendar.
This landmark edition attracted sailors from 39 countries, with participants travelling from as far as Singapore, Australia and Argentina, alongside a strong European presence. The fleets featured several sailors with experience at major international events, including the Optimist World Championships, further enhancing the regatta’s competitive level and prestige.
Local participation was also strong, with all Maltese sailing clubs represented. Maltese sailors delivered a series of encouraging performances, featuring prominently across the fleets and achieving podium finishes in every class.
Racing on the final day was abandoned due to heavy rain and very light winds, but the races completed earlier in the week provided sufficient results to finalise the standings. Following the resolution of several protests, minor amendments were made to Saturday’s provisional classifications, resulting in some adjustments to the final results.
In the Optimist Class, Slovenia’s Mihael Zobec lived up to pre-regatta expectations by claiming overall victory, finishing ahead of Italy’s Andrea Demurtas. Malta’s Nathan Montebello produced a strong late surge to secure third place, completing the podium ahead of Margeaux Nguyen Minh of Hong Kong and Denmark’s Carl Bigersson.
The Optimist Beginners’ Class was won by Switzerland’s Lea Salikova, who climbed steadily through the rankings during the regatta. She finished ahead of Malta’s Thomas Zapucioiu, while Aidan Saliba claimed third place after edging out Liam John Gaskell.
In the ILCA 4 Class, the podium remained unchanged, with Tiago Cheng De Villemor Salgado of Hong Kong securing a comfortable overall win. Malta Young Sailors Club sailor Timothy De Cesare finished second, just one point ahead of Oleksandr Bolsunovskyi of Cyprus. Malta’s Emily Fenech placed fourth overall and topped the female rankings, ahead of Mila Krum of Lithuania and Zixi Huang of Hong Kong.
The ILCA 6 fleet also saw stable podium positions, with Britain’s Carys Attwell claiming victory ahead of Italy’s Pietro Colazzo. Malta’s Timmy Vassallo secured third place overall, while the female podium was completed by Thyra Westbom of Sweden, Elspeth Simms of Canada and Hanne Jansch of Germany.
In the ILCA 7 Class, Malta-based sailor Tomek Vaccaro (MDA) delivered one of the standout performances of the regatta, moving into first place on Saturday after overtaking early leader Fiachra McDonnell of Ireland. Jeremy Moutout of Monaco retained third place overall, while Matthew Flores finished sixth and emerged as the top-placed Maltese sailor in the fleet.
Reflecting on the event, Christian Bajada, Commodore of the Malta Young Sailors Club, praised the continued growth and quality of the regatta.
“This has been another very successful edition of the MAPFRE Euromed International Regatta. The standard of competition continues to rise each year, with a diverse mix of international and high-profile sailors taking part. It provides an excellent opportunity for Maltese sailors to compete at home against some of the best young talent in the world. I would like to thank our volunteers, race officials and sponsors, whose commitment and support are essential to the success of this event,” Bajada said.
The 25th MAPFRE Euromed International Regatta was supported by MAPFRE and VisitMalta, with additional backing from S&D Yachts / Rooster, F. Busuttil & Sons Marketing, and Victor Azzopardi Jewellers, the event’s official timekeeper.
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