Artemis (NOR 57 Kristian Nergaard, Trond Solli- Saether, Anders Pedersen) secured victory in the 5.5 Metre Alpen Cup at Riva after completing two final races on Saturday afternoon, concluding a perfect event on Lake Garda.
The team aboard Aspire (POL 17, Przemek Gacek, Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Kilian Weiss) claimed second place, while Marie-Françoise XXII (SUI 233, Jurg Menzi, Jurgen Eiermann, Kim Chabani) took third position. The final two races saw wins for Marie-Françoise XXII and Caracole (SUI 214, Bernard Haissley, Nicolas Berthoud, Daniel Stampfli).
The day commenced with shifty breezes that affected the racing strategy. An initial attempt at Race 7 was abandoned due to a significant left shift, with conditions varying from 8 to 23 knots during both races. Teams faced uncharacteristic challenges, requiring more tacks than usual, particularly during tight roundings.
At the restart, Marie-Françoise XXII performed well, leading to victory in their second race of the event, followed by Shaolin (SUI 226, Flavio Marazzi, Andreas Kindlimann, Hans von Werdt) and Artemis.
The final race was tumultuous. In a bid for victory, Aspire needed to secure a win but faced a poor start and navigational errors that left them trailing early on. Artemis also struggled, having started poorly and miscalculated their course at times, yet managed to secure a position within the top three at one point. In contrast, Caracole sailed smoothly, adeptly avoiding trouble spots and eventually taking the lead back during the final downwind leg to win the race. With Aspire finishing third, the title was awarded to Artemis for the 2026 Alpen Cup.
Nergaard remarked, “Today was a tough last day. The breeze was nice at times and slightly from the left. We found ourselves back in the pack during the first race but managed to come in third. With the Polish team behind us, we had enough points cushion to drop the last race even though things became chaotic during it.”
This year’s Alpen Cup marks the 20th anniversary of the event, which has become a prestigious regional competition since its inception. The trophy, a heavy silver tray, was presented by Jürg Menzi in 2006 to establish an annual sailing event on Lake Garda. The event originally started at Circolo Vela Torbole before relocating to Fraglia Vela Riva three years ago.
Menzi won the initial event in 2006, marking the beginning of a history that includes multiple victories by notable sailors such as Kristian Nergaard, Flavio Marazzi, Gavin McKinney, and Mateusz Kusnierewicz, who participated this year. The event has recently seen domination by Peter Morton, whose team has won five times from 2019 to 2025, although he was absent this year.
Thanks to Menzi’s initiative, the Alpen Cup has established itself as the traditional European season opener, attracting top competitors in the class to Lake Garda. The Alpen Cup also serves as the first event in the 2026 5-Nations Cup circuit, which will continue with the North American Championship currently taking place in Galveston, Texas, followed by events in Cowes, UK, and the German Open on Chiemsee in August, concluding with the World Championship in Lavrion, Athens, Greece in September.
2026 promises to be another busy year for the 5.5 Metre class, featuring several exciting venues and competitions. More details about upcoming events are available at: 5.5class.org/regattas/calendar.
Final results after 8 races:
1 Artemis (NOR 57 Kristian Nergaard, Trond Solli- Saether, Anders Pedersen) 17
2 Aspire (POL 17 Przemek Gacek, Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Kilian Weiss) 19
3 Marie-Françoise XXII (SUI 233, Jurg Menzi, Jurgen Eiermann, Kim Chabani) 24
4 Shaolin (SUI 226, Flavio Marazzi, Andreas Kindlimann, Hans von Werdt) 27
5 John B (BAH 24 Kristoffer Spone, Mathias Dahlman, Lars Horn Johannessen) 31
Event site and full results: https://www.racingrulesofsailing.org/documents/14324/event
Gallery from Day 3:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fivepointfivemetre/albums/72177720333307175 .
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