News

Record Turnout for Melges 15 Winter Series
The Melges 15 Class has returned to Sarasota, FL for the first event of the 2022 Winter Series January 8-9. With a record-setting 60 boats, the entry list features several new owners and early advocates representing 17 states. After being named Sailing World’s Boat of the Year, the large turnout comes as no surprise to event organizer and owner, Bob Cole. “The Melges 15 appeals to so many different people that we have tons of families, couples, and friends traveling to escape the snow and cold up north,” said Cole.... Read more...
Melges 15 Wins Boat of the Year
The Melges 15 designed by Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design was awarded Sailing World Magazine’s Boat of the Year! More than 375 boats have been ordered and fleets are popping up around North America. The variety of M15 sailors and wildly popular Winter Series are testaments to the boat’s design. Read the article on Sailing World's website. Read more...
Emily & John Haig Win Inaugural Melges 15 Nationals
SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 (ZENDA, WISCONSIN): Emily and John Haig (Beach Haven, NJ) were crowned the first Melges 15 National Champions on September 19, 2021, at Lake Geneva Yacht Club in Wisconsin. The father-daughter duo bested a fleet of 31 boats for the inaugural championship finishing ahead of second-place Toby and Peter Sullivan (Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN) and third-place Mike Schroff and Emily Shandley-Roberts (Chicago, IL). A final taste of warm temperatures greeted sailors on Day One with winds up to 18 knots. The Haigs won two of the four races sailed... Read more...
Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Nationals
ZENDA, WISCONSIN (September 16, 2021): All eyes are on the Melges 15 Class hosting its inaugural National Championship September 17-19 at Lake Geneva Yacht Club in Wisconsin. Home of the testing grounds for the initial boat design, Geneva Lake is primed for the competition with southerly winds ushering in warm days and cool nights for three days of racing.  In a field of thirty registrants, there are a number of parent-youth teams, college sailors, husband-wife teams, and lifelong friends from around the country. Several of the teams competed in the... Read more...
New Fleet Alert! Rochester Yacht Club
Welcome to the Melges 15 Class, Rochester Yacht Club! Sitting on the Genesee River by Lake Ontario, Rochester Yacht Club is home to six new Melges 15s. With an average age of 35, most of the owners are experienced sailors with various racing backgrounds. However, they encourage newer sailors to check the boat out. “The best part of our fleet is that we are all learning together,” said new owner, Travis Odenbach. “So far the M15 has been minimal work and we are able to take our wives or friends... Read more...
Save the Dates: 2022 Winter Series
The Melges 15 Winter Series returns to Sarasota, Florida in 2022. The Winter Series features three events January-March, culminating with the Midwinter Championship hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. The Winter Series launched to provide year-round racing for the newly-released Melges 15 Class. In 2021, more than sixty teams participated with a range of new owners and charter boats. The Sarasota Sailing Squadron provides a scenic venue with warm water and consistent winds nestled in the protected waters of Sarasota Bay. Conveniently located between two international airports, the southern location... Read more...
Greenhouse Triumphant at Melges 15 Midwinters
SARASOTA, FL (March 28, 2021): The Melges 15s have concluded the inaugural 2021 Winter Series in Sarasota, FL. On Sunday, March 28, the new one-design class announced the first Midwinter Champions Dwight Greenhouse and crew, Max Lopez. Emily Haig and crew, John Haig, were crowned the overall 2021 Winter Series Champion after their performance at all three events. After three days of racing on the Sarasota Bay, the 30-boat fleet was treated to 20-25 knots of southeasterly winds on Sunday. Race One started in a manageable 12-15 knots, and quickly... Read more...
Light Air Lottery on Day Two of Midwinter
SARASOTA, FL (March 27, 2021): The Melges 15s had bluebird conditions for Day Two of the Midwinter Championship in Sarasota, FL. Race Four had event leader Dwight Greenhouse leading wire to wire in 6-8 knots. Finn Burdick and Jim Gluek were able to work their way through the congestion to clear air securing a second and third respectively.  After nearly untouchable performances in Races 5-8, Winter Series frontrunner Emily Haig is back in the top three. “The first race was more of a learning curve and allowed us to reset... Read more...
Sporty Start to Melges 15 Midwinter Championship
SARASOTA, FLORIDA (March 26, 2021): The Melges 15 Midwinter Championship kicked off with champagne conditions in Sarasota, FL. Thirty teams were greeted with a balmy 16-22 knots blowing through the bay for three races. Dwight Greenfield and Max Lopez led the day with a picket fence in the sporty conditions. The duo had also raced in the February event where they finished fourth by a slim margin behind Finn Burdick. “We’ve made leaps and bounds in improvement from the first event,” said Lopez. “The downwinds, though, are our best moments... Read more...
Melges 15 Midwinter Championship in Sarasota, FL
Stage set for final showdown of the 2021 Winter Series SARASOTA, FLORIDA (March 25, 2021): The Melges 15 Class is back in Sarasota, FL for the Midwinter Championship, the third event of the 2021 Winter Series. Thirty boats are registered for the Midwinters with nearly half the fleet competing in all three winter series events. Between events, visiting Melges 15s were welcomed into weekday racing alongside the Sarasota Sailing Squadron’s growing fleet of member-owned boats. “The Squadron has been the perfect venue for our Winter Series,” said Andy Burdick, President... Read more...
New Fleet Alert! Columbia Sailing Club
Welcome to the newest Melges 15 Fleet at Columbia Sailing Club (Columbia, SC)! Situated on Lake Murray in South Carolina, Columbia Sailing Club has very active dinghy and PHRF fleets. “Some people at the club have been sailing and racing a variety of old designs, but none of them have any momentum,” said CSC member and new M15 owner, Rich Horton. Local Melges dealer, East Coast Sailboats , brought two Melges 15s to the club for a member demo event. “We had almost 30 people sailing over the beautiful weekend,”... Read more...
Emily Haig Wins Winter Series Event 2
SARASOTA, FLORIDA (March 1, 2021): New Jersey native, Emily Haig, won the second event of the inaugural Melges 15 Winter Series February 27-28. Sailing with her father, John, the talented duo bested a 30-boat lineup in Sarasota, FL. The event posted the largest turnout for the new one-design fleet with sailors coming in from all corners of the country. Finishing just behind Haig was Kate Cox sailing with her father, Ed, from White Bear Lake, MN. The father-daughter team narrowly beat out Finn Burdick in a tiebreaker for second place.... Read more...