International Melges 32 Class Blog

080, 1.75nm – Course 5

The fleet is off to a clean start! Swing with a great start shooting out almost a boat length ahead as the fleet heads upwind and left for pressure!

Newport, R.I. – An impressive 15 Melges 32 teams will compete in Newport, R.I. at the 2010 USA Sailing Series Event No. 6, Northeast Regatta hosted by Sail Newport on June 25-27, exceeding previous attendance expectations. Weigh-in and registration will take place on Thursday, June 24 with racing scheduled to start Friday and run through Sunday.

Top teams are in attendance including 2009 World Champion Pieter Taselaar (Jeremy Wilmot, tactician) on Bliksem. This supercharged team of youth and enthusiasm look to further their warm-up as they prepare to aggressively defend their Worlds title. Miami Grand Prix second place finisher John Porter (Jonathan McKee, tactician) on Full Throttle returns to the scene with aspirations of getting his team completely in victory mode. Jim Swartz and tactician Gavin Brady reunite after a short fleet hiatus on Q. Ryan Devos on Volpe carries a team packed with power lead by none other than the remarkable Ed Baird. International Melges 32 Class Chairman, Jeff Ecklund on STAR brings on the heat and energy with Bill Hardesty as tactician, also aboard is Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Bora Gulari.

This is an international class and the Northeast Regatta roster supports this concept with the inclusion of Italy’s Carlo Perrone (Lorenzo Bodoni, tactician) on Atlantica 19 and from Japan, Takashi Okura (Tony Rey, tactician) on SLED will compete for the very first time

Newport is the perfect venue for the Northeast Regatta. As of late, it has become a genuine hotbed for Melges 32 activity and interest. In the process it has spawned a spectacular array of home-based, high-powered talent and fleet newcomers. Just in the last year, the Melges 32 has grown tremendously within the New England sector with Phil Lotz (Rick Merriman, tactician) on Arethusa, Malcolm Gefter (John Mollicone, tactician) on Celeritas and Michael Dominguez (Anthony Kotoun, tactician) on Bronco setting the pace. At the East Coast Championship, these three native boats put the fleet on notice, especially Lotz with an incredible second place finish overall. Dominguez enjoyed a fine fourth after having competed in the fleet for less than six months. These players have clearly changed the competitive landscape within the North American arena.

It’s virtually impossible to predict who will win this stage of the 2010 USA Sailing Series. One thing is for certain, the stakes are high as only two events remain — the U.S. National Championship on July 31-August 1 and the World Championship in San Francisco, Calif. on September 22-25.

Off the water, a complete host of shore side activities will keep the fleet fully satisfied. A very special thanks in advance to Celeritas owner Malcolm Gefter and his lovely wife Kathy. They are hosting a ‘come-as-you-are-after-sailing’ cocktail party at their mansion apres Friday racing. On Saturday, Melges Rocks Newport with another incredible party featuring Chelley from the Ravers at Riptide — Thank You Melges USA! Beer on the docks everyday will be supplied by Heineken.

RED & ROXANNE TIED FOR FIRST OVERALL IN USA SAILING SERIES RANKINGS
The East Coast Championship marked the official half-way point in the Melges 32 USA Sailing Series season. Still in first overall is Joe Woods on Red with Kip Meadows on roXanne tied with equal points. Rod Jabin on Ramrod is third, Ecklund’s STAR is fourth and recently crowned East Coast Champ Alex Jackson on Leenabarca is fifth. View Full 2010 USA Sailing Series Ranking

Full Entry List
1.) Pieter Taselaar/Jeremy Wilmot, Bliksem
2.) Jeff Ecklund/Bill Hardesty, STAR
3.) Jason Carroll/John Baxter, Argo
4.) John Porter/Jonathan McKee, Full Throttle
5.) Phil Lotz/Rick Merriman, Arethusa
6.) Malcolm Gefter/John Mollicone, Celeritas
7.) Michael Dominguez/Anthony Kotoun, Bronco
8.) Ryan Devos/Ed Baird, Volpe
9.) Takashi Okura/Tony Rey, SLED
10.) Jim Swartz/Gavin Brady, Q
11.) Kip Meadows/Andy Horton, roXanne
12.) Geoffery Pierini/Max Skelley, Shakedown
13.) John Taylor/Andrew Campbell, Ninkasi
14.) Carlo Perrone/Lorenzo Bodoni, Atlantica 19
15.) Robert Hughes/Charlie Ogletree, Heartbreaker

Full Crew List
Official Event Website

HOTWIRED
Full race reports, interviews and photo galleries will be posted online each day after racing at the official website of the International Melges 32 Class Association (IM32CA). If you are unable to attend 2010 Melges 32 Northeast Regatta, stay in touch by subscribing to the IM32CA RSS Feed, or visiting the Official Melges 32 Blog. Friend the fleet on Face book, follow it on Twitter and subscribe to the Official Melges 32 You Tube Channel.

The Melges 32 Spring and Summer racing schedule is in fast forward motion as the second edition of the 2010 Audi Sailing Series in Scarlino just concluded revealing reigning World Champion Pieter Taselaar on Bliksem as champion. In just a short week-and-a-half, more exciting racing awaits the international fleet. The very first Melges 32 European Championship takes place in Cagliari, Italy with 19 entries scheduled to appear and simultaneously, the East Coast Championship rocks Rye, N.Y. hosted by the American Yacht Club (also the location of the 2011 U.S. National Championship) with 13, double the participation level in 2009.

Shortly thereafter, we&rsquoll look to the warm month of June to Porto Cervo, Italy for the third Audi Sailing Series Event and Invitational, and Newport, R.I. for the Northeast Regatta happening simultaneously (25-27) on both sides of the Atlantic. The month of July is red hot. The final act of the 2010 European Audi Sailing Series Event No. 4 takes place in Malcesine, Italy on beautiful Lake Garda on July 16-18. Completing the month perfectly, in exquisite Harbor Springs, Mich. USA the U.S. National Championship gets under way on July 29-August 1, where as many as 20 teams will take to the line. Every team that will be at Nationals anticipates heavy duty competition in San Francisco, Calif. at the 2010 World Championship on September 22-25, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club.

Because many of these events are concurrent, the below checklists and gentle reminders have been assembled for your convenience. Please read through each very carefully so that you and your team can plan accordingly. Best of luck and fast racing to all the teams. The IM32CA is excited about seeing each and every team on the line!

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Before you head West to do Nationals, plan to attend the 2009 Sail Newport Regatta! Taking place in the historic city of Newport, the venue is embedded with maritime culture and tradition. It is a three-day regatta held at the height of the summer sailing season. Newport is a fantastic venue because of the variety of conditions can range tremendously, therefore the top title is one that hard-fought yet well deserved. The Melges 32 loves Newport, as it has played host many times to the Nationals.

Visit the OFFICIAL WEBSITE and download all the details. From the NOTICE OF RACE, to the ONLINE REGISTRATION and the full event schedule and contacts, it’s all there!