Strength in Numbers - Inland Lakes Bring the Heat to Melges 15 Championship Series
The Inland Lakes Yachting Association and Pewaukee Yacht Club hosted the largest regional event of the 2024 Melges 15 Championship Series with 62 boats at the Inland Championship, August 2-4.
“The Melges 15 Inland was first contested by 30 boats in 2022; now the competition has doubled. We’re one of the strongest regions in the country and very proud of that,” touted ILYA Fleet Representative Tim Regan.
Toby Sullivan and Parker Ziegler from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, took home the title, while Owen Kohut and Mason Keane from Geneva Lake and sisters Sophie and Tilly Niemann Pewaukee rounded out the podium. A meager five points separated the second through fifth-place teams—a testament to the talent and consistency at the top of the leaderboard amongst the large fleet.
The Inland marked Sullivan’s third Championship win of the season following the East Coast and Great Lakes.
“I really love the Series and being able to travel to venues around the country. The conditions and competition have been different at every event,” said Sullivan. “Here, in Pewaukee, it was pretty light and swirly. The key to success was working to get to the puffs instead of waiting for them to come to you.”
The weekend saw six races in challenging, light conditions and flat water. While the conditions held for two great days of racing, the wind didn’t show for the third and final day.
“I’m thrilled we were able to get six quality races in; these were challenging conditions. Hats off to AJ Schweda and the Race Committee Team,” said Regan. “Getting through Friday was really tough because it was blowing across the lake. There were a lot of velocity differences between the puffs. So you had to determine, ‘Was I really getting knocked, or was I just going through my apparent?’ The guys who figured it out did really well.”
While Regan expressed his appreciation for the RC and local hospitality, he made no secret that his favorite part of the weekend was crewing for his daughter, Anna.
“We’ve been sailing the Melges 15 together since 2021, and this was our last big event before I leave for college,” smiled Anna.
The Melges 15 Class caps off the 2024 Championship Series in Traverse City, MI, August 23-25 with the National Championship. Seventy boats are registered for the season's final event, marking the largest Nationals of the Class’s short history.
Results are available at melges15.com/results, and photos are posted on melges.smugmug.com.