Moonsund regatta prizegiving ceremony | 21 Jul 20, sigrid.kahar

The award ceremony of the A. Le Coq 63rd Moonsund regatta was held on the Olympic flame arena in Tallinn Pirita. The finest were on the podium and Folkboots got their new Estonian champions.

The Moonsund regatta is the oldest regatta in Estonia with a long history. The regatta and summer are inseparable – no yachting enthusiast can imagine their summer season without it. This year the regatta hosted 109 yachts with nearly 700 sailors from Estonia, Finland and Latvia. They sailed through Pärnu Yacht Club, Kärdla harbour, Tallinn Haven Kakumäe and Kalev Yacht Club in Pirita.


This regatta was significant as the much more transparent and widely used ORC system for measuring results was adopted this year for yachts in all sizes and classes. All registered boats were divided in four groups and all these groups awarded both the best three and the Cruiser Division. In Folkboot group the best wooden boat was appreciated.


Perfect sailing weather and light winds


Wind conditions were quite modest during the entire regatta this year. The same persisted on the last racing day and start had to be postponed until later in the afternoon.


Only in ORC I everything was settled before the last race. Matilda 4 (Kalev Yacht Club) with skipper Mihkel Kosk won the regatta among the 26 yachts of the group. The team was new, but the expertise of the captain combined with the eagerness of the young sailors secured their dominance over the others. Last year’s winner Olympic from Yacht Club Dago with skipper Tiit Vihul at the helm won two races but had to settle with the second overall score. Kalev Yacht Club boat Forte with Jaak Jõgi at the helm were third.


Mihkel Kosk from Matilda 4 was happy with the chosen tactics and the team: “We managed to avoid mistakes and made some good decisions – this took us to victory. The speed of the boat helped too.”


The best boat on Cruiser Division was Berta from Kalev Yacht Club, skippered by Hando Sutter.


ORC II had 27 yachts competing against each other and Sugar with skipper Marjaliisa Umb from Pärnu Yacht Club (last year’s ORC world champion in group C) emerged victorious among them. They had three race wins and had to fight for their place until the very last moment, whereas Amserv Toyota ST and Margus Žuravljov’s team from Kalev Yacht Club did not make it easy for them. My-Car from Kalev Yacht Club with skipper Harles Liiv at the helm was third behind them.


Marjaliisa Umb: “Everything worked out well for us. We had a good team and one goal to strive to. It was a very enjoyable regatta!”


Tessa from Kalev Yacht Club and skipper Alar Ivanson were the best in Cruiser Division.


Piloilleri 3 with skipper Anne-Mari Luik and her all-female team (ROPK/Kalev Yacht Club) was the winner among the 19 yachts of ORC III, both overall and in Cruiser Division. They also had the privilege to host the President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid who raced the longest stage with them from Pärnu to Kärdla. Their main competitor during the entire regatta was Port Artur from Pärnu Yacht Club, skippered by Kristofer Ennok, who eventually had to settle with the second place. Celia from Yacht Club Dago and Rauno Pielberg were third.


ORC IV overall winner is Julechka with skipper Joel Kõiv from Toila Yacht Club. This was their third Moonsund regatta but, according to the captain, this time they were victorious because they were more concentrated on their performance than observing the competitors. Lagle III with skipper Ülari Velviste from Haapsalu Yacht Club was second and Imre Marmor’s Vesileenu from Kalev Yacht Club was third.


Folkboot group
was the only one to also announce the Estonian champions. The best boat to come out of the fierce competition was W-Lind with skipper Tiit Riisalo from Kalev Yacht Club. Bacchus and skipper Olev Oolup from Yacht Club Dago had to settle with the second place and the winner of the last race, Tee Chee with skipper Peeter Välkmann from Kalev Yacht Club, were third. The best wooden Folkboot was Tiina from Kalev Yacht Club (skipper Meelis Lindemann).

The winners of A. Le Coq 63rd Moonsund Regatta and the Estonian champions of Folboats  in 2020 are:

ORC I
1st place – Matilda 4, Mihkel Kosk, Kalevi Jahtklubi

2nd place – Olympic, Tiit Vihul, Jahtklubi Dago
3rd place – Forte, Jaak Jõgi, Kalevi Jahtklubi
Best boat in Cruisers Division – Berta, Hando Sutter, Kalevi Jahtklubi

ORC II
1st place – Sugar, Marjaliisa Umb, Pärnu Jahtklubi
2nd place – Amserv Toyota ST, Margus Žuravljov, Kalevi Jahtklubi
3rd place  – My-Car, Harles Liiv, Kalevi Jahtklubi
Best boat in Cruisers Division – Tessa, Alar Ivanson, Kalevi Jahtklubi

ORC III
1st place – Piloilleri 3, Anne-Mari Luik, ROPK/Kalevi Jahtklubi

2nd place – Port Artur, Kristofer Ennok, Pärnu Jahtklubi
3rd place – Celia, Rauno Pielberg, Jahtklubi Dago
Best boat in Cruisers Division – Piloilleri 3, Anne-Mari Luik, ROPK/Kalevi Jahtklubi

ORC IV
1st place – Julechka, Joel Kõiv, Toila Jahtklubi
2nd place – Lagle III, Ülari Velviste, Haapsalu Jahtklubi
3rd place – Vesileenu, Imre Marmor, Kalevi Jahtklubi

Folkboot – A. Le Coq 63. Muhu Väina regatt ja Eesti meistrivõistlused
1st place – W-Lind, Tiit Riisalo, Kalevi Jahtklubi

2nd place – Bacchus, Olev Oolup, Jahtklubi Dago
3rd place – Tee Chee, Peeter Välkmann, Kalevi Jahtklubi
Best wooden Folkboat – Tiina, Meelis Lindemann, Kelvingi Jahtklubi

All results from races and overall can be found on regatta official notice board.
Sorted by races all photos are here.
Interviews and videos.
All news in news site Postimees under the subsection Sailing (in Estonian)
The Moonsund Regatta 2020 blog in Postimees website (in Estonian): every day one of our competitors filled the blog with their emotions and fun facts from the boat and ashore. Our utmost respect and and deepest gratitude to all the teams who in the midst of competition found the time and sailed into our hearts: teams of sailing boats Jazz, Edelweiss, Piloilleri 3, Postimees, Port Artur and Forte.

Pictures of A. Le Coq 63rd Moonsund Regatta Olümpia 40 Tallinn circle and the prizegiving ceremony are here.
Regatta website: http://muhuvain.ee/   
Regatta Facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/muhuvainaregatt/   
Regatta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muhuvainaregatt/ 
You can follow all the races sailed here: http://www.sportrec.eu/?page_id=671

A. Le Coq 63. Moonsund Regatta is organized by Kalevi Yacht Club and Pärnu Yacht Club in cooperation with Estonian Yachting Union. The spornsors of the regatta are A. Le Coq, Helly Hansen/Sportland, DSV, Volvo Trucks Estonia, Amserv/Toyota, Alexela, Pro Marine, Alter Marine, Tactical Foodpack, Mubicipality of Hiiu, Hiiumaa Sadamad, Santa Maria, Rahva Raamat, Haven Kakumäe, city of Pärnu, city of Tallinn, Sportity, Liviko.