Peder Jahre and his Storm Capital crew have won the 2026 Melges 24 Nordic Championship at Hankø Race Week, topping a 25-boat fleet after eight races of superb competition in classic Norwegian sailing conditions. Hosted by Kongelig Norsk Seilforening from June 24 to 28, the championship drew teams from Norway, Denmark and Sweden for three days of racing that ranged from light and tactical to fresh sea-breeze conditions at one of Scandinavia’s most celebrated sailing venues.
Storm Capital (NOR 751), helmed by Jahre and crewed by Pål Tønneson, Lillan Agerup, Marius Falch Orvin and Sivert Denneche, finished on 21 points. The team’s blend of consistency and raw speed proved too strong for the rest of the fleet, earning them another major Melges 24 title.
Second place went to Rett Rundt Hjørnet (NOR 732) on 26 points, with Herman Horn-Johannessen joined by Malin Rørvik-Sundelin, Jan Frederik Dyvi, Jan Borø and Stian Ness Rørvik after a strong push on the final day. Completing the podium was Helly Hansen II Lisa (NOR 697) on 32 points, sailed by Kristoffer Spone, Christen Horn Johannessen, Børre Hekk Paulsen and Sigurd Hekk Paulsen.
Danish champions Itsi-Bitsi (DEN 701), helmed by Torben Mauritzen with Michael Hestbaek, Kristian Kvid Sørensen, Maud Kerstholt and Rasmus Nergaard Jacobsen, missed the podium by a single point, finishing fourth on 33. Recently crowned Norwegian champions Blow (NOR 787), with Peder Nergaard, Fabian Spone, Petrus Eide and Morten Helgesen, rounded out the top five on 39 points.
With 25 boats on the start line, the regatta was the largest Melges 24 event held in Norway this season. Two Danish teams and one Swedish entry joined a strong Norwegian contingent, highlighting the growing depth of Nordic Melges 24 sailing.
Attention now shifts to the next stop on the 2026 Melges 24 European Sailing Series as the fleet heads south to Riva del Garda, Italy, for the Melges 24 Italian Championship and Trofeo Gaudi on 3–5 July. After a busy summer of racing across Europe, many Nordic contenders will return home for the season’s headline event, the 2026 Melges 24 European Championship, hosted by Tønsberg Seilforening in Tønsberg from 29 August to 4 September, where Europe’s best teams will battle for the continental title.
The Nordic Championship will move to Denmark in 2027, where a new champion will be crowned.
