Sailing World Magazine’s annual Boat of the Year tests are conducted in Annapolis, Maryland, following the US Sailboat Show. With independent judges exhaustively inspecting the boats on land and putting them through their paces on the water, this year’s fleet of new performance-sailing boats spanned from small dinghies to high-tech bluewater catamarans. Here’s the best of the best from our 2022 Boat of the Year nominees »

Out yonder in the vast cornfields of Wisconsin, boatbuilders in Tyvek suits are infusing polyester glass hulls as fast as they can, buffing out one gleaming white dinghy nearly every 66 hours in a full-tilt routine to place the latest American-made dinghy into the hands of sailors clamoring to get a piece of the new great thing in small-craft sailing: the remarkably versatile Melges 15, our 2022 Boat of the Year. No longer shall youth and adult sailors be cast to their individual dinghy classes, and our judges agree. This one allows all ages to play together in one remarkable 15-footer.

“It’s stable, forgiving and accessible to a wide swath of physiques, a platform where you can learn to sail it and then transition quickly to racing,” says Eddie Cox, the youngster of Melges Performance Sailboats who’s been involved with the Melges 15’s development from inception to launch. “The boat fits a wide variety of sailors, and that’s what our goal was. It’s family-orientated sailing, which is important to us because that’s how Melges boats are.”

While the Reichel/Pugh-designed Melges 15 was originally introduced in May 2020, its BOTY appearance was delayed to 2021, and clearly neither the class nor the builder was waiting for its award. In less than a year, multiple fleets have been seeded and growing across the country, with more than 150 boats sailing and another 175 or so already on order as of October 2021. Demand is, of course, outpacing supply, but the folks out in Zenda don’t mind that one bit.

The most notable trait the judges noted as they observed the boat on land during October’s United States Sailboat Show is its deep cockpit, which puts the boat in a similar space as the Club 420. But that’s about where comparisons end. In fact, during post-sailing deliberations, the judges found it impossible to identify another doublehanded dinghy quite like it, aside from the 25-year-old RS200 class, which is only active in Europe. So, there’s a golden opportunity for the Melges crew in the non-skiff, doublehanded asymmetric-spinnaker market.

The Melges 15’s best trait under sail, however, is its stability. The hull’s wide after sections and sharp chines push a lot of buoyancy outboard, says Greg Stewart. Examine the hull profile from aside the boat on its dolly and it’s easy to see the rocker too, which encourages early planing and a smooth ride uphill while also making it responsive to crew-weight adjustments as wind conditions change.

On deck, the judges took note of the open foredeck, which allows you to safely and comfortably walk or crawl to the bow should you need to when landing or correcting the inevitable spinnaker snafu. Mounted on the foredeck is the asymmetric spinnaker turtle with a stainless-steel throat bar and aluminum retracting sprit. The single-line spinnaker hoist and retrieval system leads to a cam cleat near the mast base and runs aft to a turning block at the transom, so either the helmsman or crew can manage the hoist. Pin-stop adjustable jib tracks are mounted on the side tanks, and sheets lead to ratchet blocks with stand-up rubber boots to provide the appropriate cross-sheeting angles.

Here, in the crew’s playground, a lot of design focus went into the height, width and construction of the boat’s backbone, making it a comfortable seat to straddle in lighter winds. The aluminum-reinforced centerboard box, Cox says, also provides extra strength in the trunk and allows Melges to build the boat more economically. The trunk tapers downward sharply aft toward the floor to provide an anchor point for the mainsheet block. From there, it’s a clean run aft with only the skipper’s hiking straps.

While the trend in dinghy design has been toward open transoms, doing so requires raised floors in order to drain water. To maintain a deep cockpit, Melges instead opted for tried-and-true stainless-steel Elvström/Anderson Bailers, as well as flaps in the transom should the sleigh ride be especially wet and wild.

Aiming to keep the rig tuning quick and simple, the two-part tapered aluminum Selden rig has a single-length forestay and adjustable turnbuckles, while gross settings for varying crew combinations can be made with adjustable spreader brackets for rake and spreader length.

“Put a Loos tension gauge on the forestay, tune the rig up until you hit 19 on the gauge, and that’s your base setting,” Cox says. “When it gets windy, put on a few more turns at the shrouds and that’s how you get to 24, which is your heavy-air setting. It’s all pretty simple. The boom-top mounted vang is anchored on the mast with the sliding track on the boom, which is a clean solution to keep the crew’s runway clear and have a powerful tool to depower the rig (the cleat is on a mast-mounted swivel).

The centerboard and rudder are both aluminum with rubber end caps, which is the go-to solution for maintenance-free appendages these days—less time fairing and fussing means more time sailing, and this is especially true for boats destined for sailing and yacht-club fleets.

“Our goal is to help the sport grow and help racing grow,” Cox says. “We think one problem with American sailing is getting younger sailors out of high school or college sailing into their next race boat. Going fast and being able to go 20 knots downwind hooks people—we need to make sure we are making sailing fast, fun and exciting.”

When the judges got their time in the boat with a fresh 15-knot northwest wind, they witnessed firsthand what Cox had promised. To prove a point of its versatility, veteran judge and college sailing coach Chuck Allen commandeered the 15 alone, set the red spinnaker, and was immediately a projectile—soon a red speck on the horizon.

“The stability of this really opens it to such a wide range of sailors,” Allen says. “The build quality is superb, and it is so clean. It’s classic Melges. They really took their time with it before putting it out there. Its stated purpose is right on target, the price point is good, and with that stability it sails incredibly well upwind and downwind.”

Once they were able to wrestle the tiller from Allen’s hands, fellow judges Greg Stewart and David Powlison, tipping the scales at 420 pounds combined, set off on a few speed burns of their own, climbing to windward in 12 knots of breeze at narrow angles, and effortlessly planing off downwind, knocking through jibes with ease after only a few minutes in the boat.

“Of all the boats we sailed, it was the one I really didn’t want to get off of,” Stewart says. “For me, selecting it as our Boat of the Year comes down to execution of the build and its performance. It’s exceptional in all ways. Everything is so well-integrated and clean. It starts with a good designer, and then it’s good product development and craftsmanship—there’s nothing on this boat that you don’t need.”

Powlison seconds Stewart’s praise for the boat, especially the part about how it serves such a wide variety of crew combinations. “It’s not just a race boat, but a boat to go sail and have fun with anyone, anytime.”

The post Sailing World’s 2022 Boat of the Year appeared first on Sailing World.

As the wind builds to 20 knots, eager crews on board 56 E Scows inch toward the starting line, sails flapping noisily. The race committee’s air horn sounds the start, and the fleet lurches forward, a densely packed swarm of white sails and low-slung surfboardlike hulls. But then there’s another horn. It’s a general recall, and the fleet returns to the line one by one. For its second attempt at a clean start, the race committee takes drastic action and hoists the dreaded black flag. Like scolded children, the fleet behaves, and five minutes later, 216 sailors shoot across the line toward the first mark of the course. New Jersey’s Little Egg Harbor is a choppy mess, which makes it tough-going on these flat-bottom scows. In less than two minutes, there’s a clear divide between the front and back half of the fleet. The faster teams surge into the lead, while the slower boats swiftly trail behind.

Among the front-runners in this race is 20-year-old Harry Melges IV, who had been penalized with a black-flag ­disqualification the previous day. Understandably, he is hoping for at least six races so he can discard his BFD score. Melges and his young crew of Kyle Navin, Finn Rowe and Ripley Shelley are sailing fast. They find a clean lane and round the first mark in third, setting the asymmetric spinnaker and accelerating down the run in a veil of spray. They pass one boat easily, but the race leader has a six-length lead. The wind is gusty, but Harry IV, as everyone calls him, maintains a precise angle of heel. His crew is constantly working the boat and its sails while the boat planes, skimming across the harbor.

Once they reach the leeward gate, Melges, whose sail number is “I1,” is in the lead. The unique sail number designates that the boat represents Lake Geneva YC. Young Harry inherited the designation from his father, Harry Melges III, who carried it forward from his grandfather, Harry “Buddy” Melges Jr.

Clearly, the Melges-family speed gene continues to be passed along from one ­generation to the next.

“I didn’t sail with him much, but I sailed with my dad a ton,” the youngster says of his ­grandfather. “He learned from his dad, and it was kind of the same thing. We strive for perfect racing all the time. Perfect boat handling. Perfect boatspeed.”

Speed is one thing, but Melges says the most important thing is that the crew get along like friends. “The smoother the racing can be and talking to each other, the better it is,” he says. “My crew are so good at their jobs. We are best friends, and we have been our whole lives.”

Melges’ parents are out watching the races too. Once ashore, I ask Harry III how he helps his son. “We emphasized performance boats like the scows and Melges 15 and Melges 20,” Harry III says. “We didn’t put him in an Optimist or Club 420 program because we wanted him to learn how to tune a boat.”

Later, when I ask the younger Melges for his insight on the E Scow, he tells me: “Clear lanes are really important in these boats. And good speed is super important. We adjust our sails differently for the chop to get a little more punch in the waves. In between races, we tune the rig and adjust shrouds. We don’t do it during the race because we are full-on.”

He says the competition in the E Scow is high at the top of the fleet. “It’s the best racing in North America in my opinion,” he says, all bias aside.

Harry III adds to the discussion by explaining what helped him grow as a sailor. “So many great people would come and stay at our house,” he says. “We’d learn from those people. I remember Ben Lexcen coming to our house before the America’s Cup in 1983 and talking about his new keel design. You look back now and think, ‘Wow, pretty cool.’”

Harry III has won the E Scow National Championship seven times, so he certainly knows how to get the most from the boat. “You have to have a good feel for it,” he says. “Angle of heel on an E Scow is probably more critical than on any other kind of boat. That was one thing Buddy drove home with us. Of course, there’s also getting the boat set up correctly and spending time with your team. You have to have confidence in your maneuvers around the racecourse.”

At Little Egg Harbor, Harry III is one of dozens of great sailors currently in the fleet. Class veterans include Brian Porter, the 2013 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and eight-time national champion. There’s also Russ Lucas, Rick Turner, 2010 National Champion Peter Hurley, Bobby Koar and Chad Hillyer.

With so much talent, it’s special to even win a race, let alone two. After the fourth race of the Little Egg Harbor championship, for example, Turner sails past the race-committee boat and announces that his second-place finish is his best score in the Nationals in 40 years. We all cheer for the accomplishment.

Porter, now 62, is still competitive and finishes fourth in this year’s championship. When asked how long he can keep going, he laughs and says, “I have my son RJ crewing for me. He is itching to take the helm away, but I am going to put it off as long as I can.”

Several sailors here were top collegiate sailors and are now racing their own boats, including Harvard All-Americans Vincent Porter and Clay Johnson, as well as 2017 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Erika Reineke, Kyle Rogachenko and Elizabeth Tell. It is worth noting as well that 29 women raced in the championship.

The E Scow is a cross-generational family boat that will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023. It is rare for a one-design class to endure for such an unprecedented run, but the E Scow came about as a compromise boat between the powerful and awesome A Scow, which was impractical to move around the country, and a smaller 20-foot scow that was better-suited for two crew. The letter “E” designation was available and assigned to the new craft. It is because of the philosophy of its class founders that the E has enjoyed such a long and vibrant existence; it’s a strict one-design class, but sailors are encouraged to experiment with new innovations. Some modern examples include changing to a fixed and stayed mast rather than a rotating mast, a larger rudder, acceptance of asymmetric spinnakers, a lever boom vang, flotation in the head of the mainsail, and retractable spinnaker socks that go down the middle of the boat. A shift from wood to fiberglass hulls years ago opened the door for many more sailors. While evolution is encouraged, it’s not an arms race. The class has a robust system to approve changes. “You can request to experiment,” Harry III says. “If the board approves it, you have to submit a report. About 90 percent of these experiments get approved, which has kept the boat relevant.”

During the regatta, several sailors tell me they expect to see carbon-fiber spars sometime in the near future.

I find the names of the boats interesting. There are several that play on the “E” theme, with colorful names like TipsE, SilkE, CrazE, BloodE and In the MunE. Then there are the speed-oriented names like Full Throttle, Full Send, Full Tilt, Fast Break and Wide Open. And not to be left out, there were plenty of humorous names: Jenny No More, Route 66, Might As Well and A Walk in the Park.

For Melges and his crew, it’s certainly not a walk in the park on their way to winning this particular championship. On the second day, they were hot with 1-3-1 finishes, but on the final day, they finished with a 15-8 to secure the win by exactly one point over Sam Rogers from Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. Jack Brown of Barnegat Bay, New Jersey’s Seaside Park YC finished third.

The next E Scow National Championship is scheduled to sail on Torch Lake, Michigan, in September. For the sailors headed there, Buddy Melges, who is now 91 years old and has an Olympic Gold Medal and an America’s Cup victory to go with his 60 world and national titles, shares his sage advice: “You have to present the boat to Mother Nature, use the wind to your advantage, and sail more quicklier than the other boats.”

“More quicklier?” I ask him. “Is that a word?”

“You bet it is,” he responds with his ­typical charm, “when you’re winning.”

The post The Enduring E Scow appeared first on Sailing World.

Greg Fisher joins the ATSW squad this week to explain how he coached a 13-boat fleet at the Melges IC37 Class Association Nationals, which raised the question: When and where did the term “schwable” come into sailing parlance? Plus, some sailing politics with Gary Jobson, Ed Baird goes racing, and Peter Isler gives us the course breakdown of his cool new Marine Weather University. Enjoy.

The post Around the Sailing World, Episode 20 appeared first on Sailing World.

In this week’s episode we get the first-ever virtual boat tour of the new Melges Performance Sailboats 15-footer with Andy Burdick and Eddie Cox, straight from the factory in Zenda. A perfect little ripper for doublehanded racing. Check it out. Happy sailing days ahead. Plus, the editor lays out a new course challenge for the summer.

The post Around the Sailing World, Episode 8 appeared first on Sailing World.

“The Melges 15 appeals to a wide range of skill levels and sailors while serving a variety of purposes,” introduced Harry Melges, CEO of Melges. “The Melges 15 creates a clear pathway for junior sailors to get started and stay excited about sailing while also being comfortable and accessible enough for adults to learn, race, or cross-train.”

With the main design goals focused on stability and performance in a variety of conditions, the boat features a narrow overall beam and a flat cross-section shape for stability, righting moment, and ease of planing. For a more forgiving feel upwind and to navigate larger sea states, the Melges 15 has just the right amount of fore and aft rocker.

For adults, the Melges 15 features a more ergonomic platform and a broader weight range for competitive racing. Melges conducted extensive research and product testing to produce this layout factoring in cockpit depth, backbone height, and floor plan. The result is a comfortable environment for both the skipper and crew. The deeper cockpit takes the load off the sailor’s knees helping them feel locked into the boat while the high boom and gnav vang system work together to make the boat easier to maneuver.

The asymmetric spinnaker offers an additional performance element while the single-pull launch and retrieval system makes handling the sail easy and fast. “This system is nothing new to small boats,” explained Melges. “We envision this boat being sailed by kids, couples, and families. By adding this setup to the Melges 15, it keeps the boat fun and easy for anyone to crew.”

The Melges 15 has an adaptable sail plan for both club use and one-design racing. The club setup features a main and jib and durable platform for daily use in sailing programs. The one-design rig adds the asymmetric spinnaker for advanced learning and club racing. The transition from club to one-design setup is a simple process to remove the spinnaker bag and bowsprit.

The new boat is already creating such a buzz that Melges is planning a winter series in Florida for 2021. More details on the winter series will be released in the Fall. Production is underway in Zenda, Wisconsin, for the first run of boats. “As we celebrate 75 years of business, we’re proud to start building these boats at our Wisconsin headquarters,” said Melges. “We use the same build processes on the Melges 15 that we use for many of our other boats and hold them to the same high standards.”

The post Melges Doubles Down With a New Dinghy appeared first on Sailing World.

A Board of Directors recommendation to select the RS:X as the Men’s and Women’s Windsurf Equipment was rejected meaning a new proposal will be required and the process on selecting the Equipment for the Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat was also confirmed.

Before Council made its decisions on the Paris 2024 Equipment, the Board of Directors updated Council on its current plans for the Olympic Classes Contract. This included the position on implementing World Sailing’s Olympic Equipment Strategy (FRAND) agreed by Council in November 2018. In order to provide certainty for MNAs, sailors and teams, the Board will engage in contractual discussions only until 1 August 2019. If by that time no agreement is reached, the Board will report to Council that no agreement has been concluded and Council will then have to select new Equipment for the relevant Event.

Ahead of the debate, 21 Council members voted in favor of all votes on the Olympic Equipment being held in secret with 20 against. As a result, every vote cast was secret.

Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy

The Laser was selected as the Paris 2024 Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy Equipment, subject to agreement of the Olympic Classes Contract for 2024, following a ballot vote. Under Regulation 21.1.3 (e), the decision on selecting the Equipment has to be made before 31 December 2019. Council members voted on deferring the selection of the Equipment to the 2019 Annual Conference but this was rejected meaning a decision had to be made in London.

The next step was to vote on the Equipment Committee recommendation to select the RS Aero. Their recommendation was rejected.

The process moved to a ballot and Council members were able to vote on the four boats that were part of the process – the D-Zero, Laser, Melges 14 and RS Aero.

The Laser won in the first round of votes. For the Men’s One Person Dinghy, 36 voted for the Laser and five voted for the RS Aero. The D-Zero and Melges 14 received zero votes and there was one abstention. For the Women’s One Person Dinghy, 37 voted for the Laser and four voted for the RS Aero. The D-Zero and Melges 14 received zero votes and there was one abstention.

Men’s and Women’s Windsurfer

As the Men’s and Women’s Windsurfer Equipment is under a re-evaluation procedure, World Sailing’s Board of Directors have authority on making recommendations to World Sailing’s Council. The Board of Directors recommendation was to select the RS:X as the Equipment. 19 Council members voted to accept the recommendation, 23 voted to reject and there were zero abstentions. As a result, the recommendation was rejected. The Board of Directors will now have to propose a new recommendation to the Council.

Mixed Kiteboard

The Equipment Committee recommended to Council that they should approve the IKA Formula Kite Class as the Equipment for the Mixed Kiteboard Event. Forty Council members voted to approve the recommendation subject to agreement of the Olympic Classes Contract for 2024. One member rejected and one abstained.

Mixed Two Person Dinghy

World Sailing’s Council approved the 470, subject to agreement of the Olympic Classes Contract for 2024, as the Equipment for the Mixed Two Person Dinghy following the recommendation from the Equipment Committee. 41 members voted in favor of the 470. One member was against the 470 and there were zero abstentions.

RELATED: Olympic Sailing Menu Changed for Paris 2024

Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat

Submission M01-19, which proposed a way forward with the procedure for selecting the Equipment, was put forward by the Board of Directors in advance of the Mid-Year Meeting and was approved by Council. 39 members were in favor with two rejecting and zero abstentions. The Submission proposed that World Sailing’s Council shall select a list of different Equipment which it considers to meet the key criteria of the event by December 2019 and then decide on the Equipment, selecting from the list no later than 31 December 2023. The Board agreed to amend the date to meet the key criteria of the event from 31 December 2019 to 31 December 2020 which Council approved.

MNAs, Classes and Manufacturers will now be invited to propose Equipment for the list. A Working Party with members from the Equipment Committee, Offshore Committee and Events Committee will evaluate the Equipment against the key criteria and present the recommended list for Council approval in November 2020.

The list will provide event organizers, MNAs and sailors with diverse opportunities to train and compete in Equipment that is tested, readily available and affordable in their continent. Postponing the decision of the Equipment that will be supplied at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition will also promote fair opportunities for all MNAs.

Any changes to the Regulations that Council makes must also be ratified by our Annual General Meeting in November.

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At the Lake Geneva Yacht Club on a mid‑June afternoon, Buddy is dressed in his usual khaki pants and nondescript polo shirt. Harry’s white T-shirt says “Melges‑Rowe” in bold black block print.

Buddy: Nice shirt! It’s fun to see what you and Finn are accomplishing. Those boats you’re sailing now, by God, it’s a little, narrow hull, and you’ve got these big wings and everything — that’s something else. How did you get started on all of this?

Harry: We won the E Scow Blue Chip about the same time Peter Burling and Blair Tuke started to get really dialed in the 49er. They were two years into the quad for the Rio games, and they’d won every single regatta they entered. Since this was an Olympic class, it was even more impressive. They are just crazy good sailors. Finn and I really looked up to them. We also thought that the 49er looked super fun, fast, just like the E, so we decided to work hard together to get into that class. We started with the 29er, learned how to sail that pretty well, then graduated up into the 49er, and it’s been going really well.

Buddy: And I heard that, for the first time, you felt confident in the boat, that the boat wasn’t going to rule you after all. Is that true?

Harry: Yeah. We’ve spent a lot of time in the boat, a lot of working on our techniques, on our tack and jibes. Now I can confidently say that we won’t tip over in anything up to 25 knots.

Buddy: That’s something.

Harry: I think sailing on Lake Geneva has been a huge help. We have big chop here, as well as really flat water, and it’s really great how shifty it is, especially for the 49er. With that boat, boatspeed is all about transitions in puffs and shifts, and this is the best place to train for that because of all the puffs and lulls and shifts.

Buddy: The thing is, it forces you to get your head out of the boat and work on presenting the boat to Mother Nature as she’s approaching.

Harry: We couldn’t sail the boat without looking around. If you have your heads down and looking at what you’re doing in the boat, it’ll tip over.

Buddy: I’ve been watching you and your crew put in monstrous hours. I think you’ve put in your time, and now you can begin to build from there.

Harry: Part of that building must have to do with your mindset. How was going into the Olympics different than, say, a world or European championship?

Buddy: You’re talking about the pinnacle of the sport, so I guess you would have to say that the Olympics are beyond a world championship. Even representing your country in a world championship, you could be one of five people in that event from your country, but when you’re in the Olympics, you’re the one, and it’s a special spot. And then when you do really well in the games, you win a medal, not just a bronze or a silver, but a gold, they play the national anthem, and you know you made that happen — boy, oh boy! If that doesn’t make the shivers go up your spine, I don’t know what will.

Harry: Is the preparation much different?

Buddy: In 1973, there were so many things happening in my class, the Soling, because the class was sort of new. If we go back to ’63, the Flying Dutchman was also sort of new. In both our Olympic efforts, my crew Bill Bentsen brought so much information to the table. He knew what all the other people were doing. Once we knew that, we could say, “OK, we’ve already been doing that — we’ve scuffed that out the back door.” We were also in the business of building sails, so that was a plus in our category. When push came to shove, the fact that we had people using our equipment, and winning, gave us a point of relaxation in regard to equipment — sails and other stuff. Going in, we knew that our equipment was as good or better than anybody’s. In the 49er, everything is supplied, right?

Harry: Yes, everything is the same.

Buddy: Then it falls more on your ­shoulders as far as where you’re placing the boat on the racecourse and how you place it there. And then, after you place it, you find all the opportunities available to you to get the maximum performance, not only from yourselves, you and Finn, so that maybe you can present the boat a little bit better than your competition, and that’s all you have to do. The rest of it is start first, increase your lead and finish first. It’s a mind-boggling situation for some, but you put the time in, and the results will come out.

In the second race in Japan, in the Dutchman, we’re leading pack and the rudder breaks. Looking back, it seemed like that was a good excuse, when, in fact, it wasn’t. We didn’t do the due diligence to make sure that our boat was 100 percent.

You have to press not only your ­equipment but your physical level too, so that it doesn’t let you down when it counts. If you’ve got a crew that gets tired, or you get tired, there’s no excuse for that. Train properly, and it all falls together, whether it’s the boat, the equipment, the conditioning. The better your physical conditioning, the clearer your thinking is. When you get to the Olympics, being too tired is no excuse.

The other thing is, every opportunity that you get to race, to sail in different wind conditions. The last couple of days have been pretty light, and no one sails. Today is lovely, and everybody goes out. But you’ve got to be ready to sail in all conditions to do well. Think about the conditions as another opponent you’re trying to rule over. The more experience you get in your boat, jibing and tacking in the range of conditions, all the better. I would never go out for a sail. I’d go out for a training session. And it led me to good results.

Harry: The Olympics must have made a pretty big impact on your life.

Buddy: In a lot of ways. First of all, I was going to make damn sure I was never going to let it affect the friendships I had with my competitors, regardless of their rank in the pecking order. And I wanted to make sure I could talk with young people like yourself, as they asked questions about sailing and how to approach it. And I shared as much as I possibly could with my competitors. I also always thought I could learn from something they might say, even though I had achieved things in the sport that many of them hadn’t. They might not even know what they’re saying or why they’re saying it — how they’re handling their boat and stuff like that — but it might suddenly hit home to me, like a brick on your head, and it would be useful.

Harry: Both boats you sailed were crewed. What should the goal be there?

Buddy: Your crew is so important. You have to become one in all your movements and stuff like that. Sometimes, the more time you spend together, the more little individual mannerisms become a problem, but you have to overlook those. You have to look at what the crew is bringing to the table. If you feel he could do more, well, I would certainly talk to him about that. But I would never stop short of figuring that he was 100 percent in about what our goal was.

Harry: What do you remember most about either the trials or the Olympics?

Buddy: The Soling trials were in San Francisco, in the Berkeley Circle, and we were over early in the first race. But we clawed back and ended up fifth. That was all right, and it told us we had good speed. The next race, it’s really smokin’, and we go around the windward mark in first place, set the kite, and I’m not sure — maybe the backstay had unraveled or something — and boom! The mast breaks. We were in first place, and now we’re drifting down San Francisco Bay, getting a DNF. We go in, and darn if we don’t find a mast that meets Soling standards. We rig it up on our way and go back out there. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were faster than ever. We sort of stumbled through the first race with the new mast and still got a second, and then came back and won three in a row. That was the trials that took us to the games. It’s all about overcoming obstacles.

So, when we got to Germany, talk about feeling cocky. But you have to keep that within your own self, never verbalize it. But you feel it. When you feel you’re ready, it’s up here [pointing to his head]. It’s like, “OK, I’ve done everything I can possibly do,” and then you still run through the ­checklist — sails, rig, boat, hull form. Is it the best bottom finish that’s on the market? Stuff like that.

In Germany, we were so fast that we won the first race by seven and a half minutes. We just blew them away. We were using Triton X-100, which was a soap, on the bottom. It was completely legal. Our competitors had their people out, trying to find out what we were doing. And they did. So, if you think you’re going to pull the wool over somebody’s eyes, Harry, it ain’t gonna happen. I mean, everyone knows what you’re doing, they know how you’re doing it, and if you’ve got something going, they’re going to try to duplicate it or improve on it.

We had a one, two, three, four in the first races, then there were the Munich ­shootings, which put everything on hold. After that, we won the next race, and everything was in hand. We didn’t have to sail the last race, but we did anyway and won that. We were so relaxed and having fun: “Oh, look at that puff! I think we ought to tack, don’t you? OK, let’s tack.”

If you could sail every race with the ­attitude we had on that boat in that race, nobody would beat you.

Buddy: What does your coach help you with most?

Harry: At regattas, probably the biggest thing is being a tender boat, having food, water and everything while racing because we burn so many calories on the water. It’s really important to fuel up and hydrate, since we’re often doing seven hours a day, which is a lot. But the biggest thing, especially since we’re so new to the class, is that he takes a bunch of videos of us at events and of the top guys to really scope out what they’re doing differently and how we can match them and improve on what they’re doing. Whenever we’re with him, we improve a lot.

Buddy: That’s good because he is able to see the little things. There might be a new thing about where you put your left foot every time you start a tack, and in that boat, it seems like it’s critical to get that little extra shot you’re looking for coming out of a tack, because the boats ­probably lose more than a keelboat would on a tack. To be able to go in and come out fast without slamming the boat crossways on the water. Theoretically, a tack is in increments, squeezing, going through the eye of the wind, and then going down, and the same time, the sails are coming in and going out. As I said before, and always stress, the more time you spend in the boat, the less thinking has to go in about the boat, and all of a sudden, your mind is out in front of the boat and you’re always presenting it to Mother Nature, and when you do that ­properly, she’s good to you.

Here’s a general rule. When you go east, you find out who’s fast, and you go with him. And when you go west, you find out who’s fast, and then you go with him. And then, in both places, on the final leg, you try to beat his ass.

Dave Powlison traveled to Fontana, Wisconsin, to compete in the 2018 Melges 14 U.S. Nationals, where he recorded this fascinating intergenerational exchange inside the Buddy Melges Sailing Center. The younger Melges sailed away with the Melges 14 title after winning five of nine races in a fleet of 34 competitors. Look for Powlison’s account of the regatta in a future issue.

The post Olympic 49er Hopeful Harry Melges IV Now Carries the Family Name appeared first on Sailing World.

In its rich sailing history, Newport, R.I. has played host to just about every famous sailboat race on the planet: the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and countless grand prix World Championship events, not to mention a long and distinguished bucket list of ocean races that every sailor dreams of.

In just a few days, the International Melges 20 Class Association (IM20CA) will add to that list. It will cap off a long and awesome season with the commencement of the 2017 World Championship hosted by the New York Yacht Club. With an impressive fleet of 40 teams from four continents, representing nine nations, sailors, friends and families alike will be treated to Newport’s best conditions for a full on experience of this iconic sailing venue.

After a season full of tropical storm action, it appears it has left in its wake idyllic fall sailing conditions and most likely, any threat of a Newport nor’easter will be avoided. Rain is in the forecast for only one day early in the week, the remaining days anticipate seasonably warm, crisp conditions with a good chance for a legendary Newport seabreeze. With the incomparable Peter “Luigi” Reggio at the helm as PRO, all signs are pointing towards an extremely competitive, hard fought, ten race series. Leading up to the Worlds, both the North American and European fleets have been battling it out in their respective League Divisions in preparation for winning the ultimate prize, a World Championship title.

In North America, Drew Freides’ PACIFIC YANKEE currently leads the ranking, and all season long has been letting everyone around him know that his second place finish in Scarlino, Italy at the 2016 Worlds was no fluke. He is excited about putting on the finishing touches this year.

“As an east coaster at heart (The Yankee portion of PACIFIC YANKEE), Newport has always been a special place, having raced many regattas here over the past 35 years. It would be great to perform well in my old stomping grounds. Some might disagree, but I still consider it the home of U.S. yacht racing.”

With a host of other teams to keep an eye on, Freides is among those favored to do well. Other teams expected to be in the limelight include double World Champion John Kilroy Jr. at the helm of SAMBA PA TI, his son Liam Kilroy on WILDMAN, Jim Wilson’s OLEANDER, Daniel Thielman’s KUAI and Rob Wilber’s CINGHIALE.

Arriving from Europe in fine form is none other than Achille Onorato’s MASCALZONE LATINO, JR., former Melges 20 Gold Cup Champions Dario Levi sailing FREMITO D’ARJA, and now big name Melges 40 owner Alessandro Rombelli at the helm of STIG, Oleg Evdokimenko’s KOTYARA, and Vladimir Proshikin’s NIKA are primed and ready to take on the new North American competition. And more than poised to conquer the season is 2017 World League European Division winner and Euro Champion Igor Rytov aboard RUSSIAN BOGATYRS. He currently leads the overall 2017 World League Ranking.

The Corinthian Division will prove to be the most intense ever as it features big competition. 2016 North American Champion Justin Quigg on CHARACTER 2.0 from Canada and 2014 U.S. National Champ Cesar Gomes Neto sailing PORTOBELLO are in attendance. Pair up these teams with Monaco Winter Series Corinthian winner Johannes Lind Widestram on INTERMEZZO, John Murphy’s SOLAS and Ben Wilkinson on SINFUL OPPORTUNITY and you’ve got the recipe for great fun and top notch, all-amatuer racing.

The fleet is excited to welcome a number of newcomers to the 2017 World League realm – Guido Belgiorno-Nettis sailing ANGOPHORA, Caleb Armstrong at the helm of MOBY, Eduardo Souza Ramos on ONDA, August Schram’s BUDS TO BLOSSOMS and local Newport favorite Ben Wilkinson.

Adding more fun and camaraderie to a week long schedule of racing, every day is packed with after-race socials and dinner events.

Tuesday, October 3rd is set aside for final measurement checks at Sail Newport, Pre-World Championship races and opening ceremonies at NYYC. Racing commences on Wednesday, October 4 with an 11.00 warning. The Championship will conclude on Saturday, October 7 with an awards ceremony at Sail Newport.

Melges will take over the Sailing World Instagram with exclusive content, videos and interviews with competitors. Follow along on Instagram @sailingworldmag.

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Richard Swaney leans his motorcycle toward the weathered corrugated-metal building on Zenda Road, the one with the big, curvy, faded Melges Boat Works logo on its side. It’s the very same building he rolled up to on his bike in September of 1980, while rambling around in search of a job. He knew nothing of fiberglass or sailboats at the time, but today, he’s behind every single boat that’s pushed out the door and into daylight. And when the Wisconsin sun hits that hull, you better believe it shines to the moon.

Swaney, 57, is one of three Melges employees with more than three decades at the company, and it’s in his dust-caked corner of the factory that the magic happens. Before a new boat gets its hardware mounted, it’s Swaney who works methodically throughout the boat, inside and out, fairing, sanding and polishing until it meets the standards of his impeccable, bespectacled eyes.

“I can paint good, I can sand really good, and I can make it shine,” says Swaney. “Those are the most important things in my job.”

His co-workers describe him as a quiet guy with a strong work ethic. There’s a rhythm to how he works with each boat, whether it be a scow, a sportboat, or anything else that lands in his space. He has a process he’s perfected over years of laminating, building molds, and doing every possible job at the shop. But finishing is most satisfying. Back when Buddy Melges was in charge, he says, Melges would never let them use power tools. “It was all handwork,” says Swaney. “That got me good at using a sanding block.”

On this day in June, he has a bare E Scow before him as he rhythmically slides sandpaper back and forth in small strokes across the rail. The radio (he alternates between country and rock) is barely audible over whirring saws, compressors and drills.

“I get it to the point where it looks finished, but it’s really not,” he says. “It takes me five days to block the entire boat.”

This year he changed his technique. He used to block the hull with 220, 400, 600 and then 800, but he felt he was always taking off the gelcoat. Now he inks the boat and takes his time with the 400. “It takes me a couple of days, and then I’ll scribble on it with pencil and go at it with the DA (dual-action sander) with 800-grit.”

Before he hits it with wax, he buffs twice with coarse, twice with medium, and once with Finesse-it. All told, this E will have 120 to 130 of Swaney’s elbow-hours in it before it gets fitted with hardware.

“My part is making [the boats] look good,” he says. “Buddy was good at making them fast and getting them out the door, but Harry (Melges’ son) is more critical about making them fast and perfect, so that’s what we do — make Harry happy.”

At the end of the workday, Swaney cleans up, clocks out, and mounts his motorcycle, handlebars pointed toward his home in nearby Walworth. While sanding away “in the zone,” he’s been thinking about finishing the oil change on his son’s Harley. He’ll be back tomorrow, no doubt, and for at least another 10 years, he says, because “they’ve always been good to me, and this place feels like home.”

There’s that, and there are more boats that need his gifted hands.

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Melges 40

The Melges 40 “Re-Evolution” concept released today. What is it? Well, for starters it’s grand-prix 40-footer for grand-prix exclusive programs. It won’t pretend to be anything less. For Melges, with its roots deep into scows fleets and its upper branches reaching to the high altitudes of professional sailing, its new canting keel one-design sportboat — now in the infancy of construction— is all stuff of DNA. They don’t introduce new boats for the sake of adding another to the line. They’re a small company with big clout, and they’re calculated when launching such projects. The 40, with certainty, will take them a rung higher into the European grand-prix sailing market than they have with the Melges 32 or 20. Top programs from these classes, should they ever upgrade, will feel right at home with the family.

The boat is technical, yes, for it will be all carbon and epoxy, with a canting keel and yards of sail area aloft, but it also comes with a class-management plan that’s founded upon delivering a turnkey experience for owners. That’ll include class management, dedicated race officers, and assistance with logistics. The pay-to-play cost is not yet known, nor is the total cost of the boat (update: Andy Burdick at Melges informs us that the base price is $650,00o. Options, sails, etc., in addition to that), which Premiere Composite Technologies will build in Dubai. PCT also builds the Farr 280, our 2015 Boat of the Year, and its reputation is outstanding. Boats are only a fraction of their production—so there’s no reason to doubt the build will be top shelf.

A cursory look at the Melges 40’s promotional material reveals that class stakeholders—most likely owners and investors—broke ground on the class rules, listing limited days of training, a controlled sail inventory, and a restriction on 20-foot cube container per team. The later simplifies European gear shipping and minimizes the footprint at racing venues, which are reported to be Dubai, France, Italy and Spain—all the regular stops on a Med circuit today. A schedule has the first boat launched in September and the inaugural event in March 2017.

Eight to nine is the given number of pro crew required to race the boat, designed by Botin Partners. The pedestal is at the back of the bus so the hardware and the big-armed grinders are aft when the boat takes off downwind at 17.15 knots (its downwind polar at 20 knots true wind speed). Runners, a big square top main, and a broad-shouldered 200-square-meter spinnaker will keep the trimmers busy, as will the adjustability of the two-piece rig at the forestay and mast butt. Then there’s carbon fin keel that electrically cants to 45 degrees, twin rudders, a big canard, and a retractable bowsprit, all of which is excellent job security for a good boat captain.

“I am certain it will be a great class for private owners and professional sailors,” writes Botin’s Adolfo Carrau. “Everyone will learn new tricks and enjoy racing hard against each other.” There is no pretense here that the Melges 40 is a boat for the Average Joe. With a Melges, there’s always going to be easy access to hard racing and the gathering of knowledge. But what an owner gets is plug-and-play, pay-to-play experience of an all-pro Mediterranean racing circuit. “The Melges 40 racing experience is about lifestyle,” says the sales pitch, “and living it to the maximum possibility.”

Zenda is buzzing today, says Burdick, and a guest appearance for for the sporty forty somewhere in Florida next winter is the goal.

Click over to melges40.com for more.

The workshop

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