International Melges 32 Class Blog

The opening three races at the 2010 Melges 32 World Championship in San Francisco produced some spectacular action with breezes building steadily throughout the day from around twelve knots to well over twenty by the third race.

Always a difficult regatta to predict, day one saw three different race winners.  Class newcomers Tirade (Stefan Goldwater NZL) took the first in spectacular style, leading from the off, they blitzed away from the fleet on the first downwind leg and were never seriously challenged again. The second race was won by another team new to the class – William Douglass (USA) on Goombay Smash, who looked totally in control for the entire race. The third race saw the Italian Luca Lalli on B-Lin Sailing return to form with a win after an otherwise lacklustre performance in the previous two races.

It is Andy Lovell (USA) on Rougarou who leads at the end of day one, after an impressively consistent performance which saw them clock up a 2,4,3, scoreline. Second is the Kiwi crew on Tirade and third is Alex Jackson (USA) on Leenabarca.

Here is the best of the action as we saw it: