blu26 - International Class Association

The reliable Maloja wind and the unique location ensured that last weekend was again one of the blu26 season’s sailing pearls.  St. Moritz welcomed the 13 teams with wonderful sailing conditions during 19 action-packed races with stable winds of 3 to 4 bft. 

The late summer sun and the imposing mountain scenery offered a unique backdrop for this traditional Fleet Race Battle.  Team MaNaRiBe won this year’s blu26 Cup St. Moritz, closely followed by team Hazel and local team Giachen Ün. 

Last weekend 13 crews from Switzerland and Germany – including local heroes, expert sailors and blu26 newbies – came to St. Moritz to participate in the 8^thblu26 Fleet Race Battle Engadin. As usual, participants travel there comfortably light, as five well maintained blu26 boats are made available on site. The dynamic rotation mode of the event and the short up-and-down course present an attractive scheme for the participants as well as the spectators who can watch the action closely from the nearby shoreline.

The event kicked-off on Friday evening when Hotel Hauser, by tradition, welcomed the teams for a special Piöda dinner, before the racing began on Saturday morning.  The wind kicked in on-time and allowed for 15 exciting races on the first racing day.  The two jury boats needed to stay close to the pulse of what was going on on the course, as the teams opened the battle fairly, but daringly.  That evening’s spaghetti dinner and gathering allowed the most critical situations and tactics to be discussed among the teams in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

On Sunday - after a little bit of patience – the participants benefitted from a second perfect racing day with a steady Maloja wind and four thrilling races.  It was a very close battle between team MaNaRiBe and team Hazel for first place.  In the end, team MaNaRiBe, SIMPL, with skipper Matthias Kaufmann, won the blu26 Cup St. Moritz 2019, closely followed by team Hazel, Zürcher Yacht Club, with skipper Michael Klötzli and in third place, local team Giachen Ün, Segelclub St. Moritz, with skipper Fadri Baumann.

Heartfelt acknowledgements and thanks go to the regatta committee led by Marc Knöpfel, who did an outstanding job, to the on-water umpires, all the helpers onsite, the sponsors and especially the St. Moritz Sailing Club for their hospitality – which keeps us coming back!