Impressive 30-Boat Lineup for Second Winter Series Event
Thirty Melges 15s are preparing for the second event of the Winter Series in Sarasota, FL taking place February 27-28. The 2021 series consists of three events culminating in the Midwinter Championship March 26-28.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA (February 26, 2021): Thirty Melges 15s are preparing for the second event of the Winter Series in Sarasota, FL taking place February 27-28. The 2021 series consists of three events culminating in the Midwinter Championship March 26-28.
The impressive turnout is a combination of owners, young talent, and new charters from 15 states. After placing top three in the first two class events, Emily Haig (New Jersey) and her father, John, are a duo to be reckoned with. The Haigs hail from Fleet 1 at Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club, where more than a dozen boats call home.
“This is the largest fleet I’ve sailed against since before college,” said Emily who’s in her fourth year at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It’s cool to see different age groups sailing. With thirty boats on the line, though, the tactics are completely different, which will make things more interesting.”
New owner John O’Donnell (Montana) will be sailing his first class event this weekend. O’Donnell plans to race summers in Grand Lake, CO where the class is building momentum as the nation’s second largest fleet. “Everyone in Grand Lake is excited to be part of a new class that’s growing instead of trying to revive something old,” explained O’Donnell. “There’s a big convenience factor – it’s easy to rig, easy to launch, and a blast to sail.”
Charterer Mike Schroff (Illinois) is traveling from Chicago for the weekend to race the Melges 15 for the first time. “Every time I sail the M15, it gets more fun,” said Schroff. “Once you have a good sense of the boat handling, it gets easier and you’re more competitive.”
Racing kicks off Saturday, February 27 out of the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Follow the action from the two-day event on the Melges Facebook and Instagram accounts. Results will be posted to Regatta Network. Learn more about the Melges 15 Class at melges15.com.
Save on Winter Series Event Boats
A limited number of Melges 15 event boats will be available for purchase after the Midwinter Championship in Sarasota, FL.
A limited number of Melges 15 event boats will be available for purchase after the Midwinter Championship in Sarasota, FL! Join the Melges 15 Class without waiting for a new build. These 2021 models are in like-new condition and marked down $700 plus an additional 10% off the full deck cover and dolly. Boats must be picked up from the Sarasota Sailing Squadron after Midwinters (March 28). Reserve your boat today!
Try Before You Buy
Let Melges help coordinate a charter boat for the remaining Winter Series events, February 27-28 and March 26-28. Email eddie@melges.com to connect with a dealer that has a boat available.
Talent-stacked Podium at Winter Series Opener
A cold front couldn’t quell the excitement of having 25 boats registered for the first event of the Melges 15 Winter Series January 9-10 hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. J.J. Smith and Will Murray outperformed the fleet finishing top 2 in all six races. Flanking the podium were parent/child teams Finn and Andy Burdick and Emily and John Haig.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA (January 11, 2021): A cold front couldn’t quell the excitement of having 25 boats racing in the first event of the Melges 15 Winter Series January 9-10 hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. J.J. Smith and Will Murray outperformed the fleet finishing top 2 in all six races. Flanking the podium were parent/child teams Finn and Andy Burdick and Emily and John Haig.
Big breeze kicked things off for Friday’s clinic hosted by Melges Performance Sailboats. A number of teams were sailing the Melges 15 for the first time and the boat’s spritely, stable platform provided a smooth introduction even in 25 knot gusts.
Racing kicked off on Saturday with chilly winds blowing up to 20 knots across Sarasota Bay. Smith/Murray were able to hold their own in the big breeze and started the day winning race one then following fellow regatta leaders Emily and John Haig and Finn and Andy Burdick.
Day Two featured a chill in the air and diminished winds. Conquering the light air on the first upwind leg was Sarasota-local and Squadron Commodore Ted Wiehe and Joe Gradbowski. The Mega-Master led the fleet around the course, but once again Smith/Murray were able to work the pressure downwind to take their second bullet of the event. Dwindling winds and an absent seabreeze shut down the final race after only three boats crossed the finish line before the time limit expired.
The Melges 15 Class looks forward to another sell-out event February 27-28 in Sarasota. A limited number of charters are still available for the February and March events. Contact eddie@melges.com to reserve a boat today!
Melges 15 Class Makes Winter Series Debut
The Melges 15 Class is making its winter debut in sunny Sarasota, FL January 9-10. Hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron and supported by Melges Performance Sailboats, the 2021 three-event series is in high demand among a group of sailors looking to compete.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA (January 8, 2021): The Melges 15 Class is making its winter debut in sunny Sarasota, FL January 9-10. Hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron and supported by Melges Performance Sailboats, the 2021 three-event series is in high demand among a group of sailors looking to compete.
The first event of the Winter Series sold out with 25 boats - a mix of early advocates, new owners, and first-time charterers. With fleets popping up around the country, racers are representing a dozen different states.
Sailing on the Sarasota Bay got underway with a clinic hosted by Melges on Friday, January 9. Racing gets underway Saturday and concludes on Sunday afternoon. Follow Melges Performance Sailboats on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates.
Melges has charter boats available for the Melges 15 Winter Series February 27-28 and March 26-28, via melgessailingsupply.com.
Fleet 1 Hosts High School Sailing Clinic
Melges 15 Fleet 1 hosted a clinic on Barnegat Bay, NJ for a group of high school sailors introducing them to the new boat and asymmetrical spinnakers.
Melges 15 Fleet 1 hosted a clinic on Barnegat Bay, NJ for a group of high school sailors introducing them to the new boat and asymmetrical spinnakers. The group was primarily comprised of 420 and Laser sailors, most of which had no experience on the M15.
“I was able to learn a lot about the boat this weekend, as we were fortunate to have a day of light air and a day of stronger breeze,” said 16-year-old James O’Gwen.
“One of the most important things I focused on as a skipper was the boat’s response to different modes upwind. Much like the Club 420, hiking hard, keeping the bow down, and keeping the boat moving fast forward in puffs was extremely rewarding. Downwind, keeping the mainsail trimmed and steering smoothly through jibes allowed my crew to be most successful in trimming for speed.”
The O’Gwens purchased a boat so that James could learn and train as a skipper on a more modern boat than the 420. O’Gwen will be racing his new boat in the inaugural Melges 15 Winter Series in Sarasota, FL starting this January. “I’m very excited about being a part of the M15 Class from the beginning.”
Thank you to Chris Fretz and Chris O’Gwen for lending their boats to the clinic, and to Clay Johnson for coaching!
Announcing the Melges 15 Winter Series
The Melges 15s are headed south for the inaugural Winter Series in Sarasota, FL. The Winter Series is a three-event series hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron.
The Melges 15s are headed south for the inaugural Winter Series in Sarasota, FL. The Winter Series is a three-event series hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron.
Sarasota is celebrated for having warm water and consistent winds along with the nation’s top-rated beach, iconic sunsets, and historic shopping districts. Conveniently nestled between two international airports, the southern venue is ideal for weekend escapes with friends and family.
In addition to racing the Winter Series, Melges 15 owners can race in the club series hosted by Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Melges will also be offering a clinic on January 8, prior to the start of the first event.
Melges 15 Winter Series Schedule
January 8, 2021 - Clinic
January 9-10, 2021
February 27-28, 2021
March 26-28, 2021 - Midwinters
Learn More: https://bit.ly/3e17Rcj
NO BOAT? NO PROBLEM
Melges is offering a limited number of charter boats to be raced alongside the booming private-owner fleet. Interested sailors can charter for a single event or the whole series.
Charter a Boat: https://bit.ly/2HMXOf5
SAVE $300 ON A NEW MELGES 15
As a special incentive for bringing new owners into the fleet, Melges is offering $300 off the Melges 15 and 50% off the delivery fee for the first event in Florida. New boats will be delivered directly to the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Contact Eddie Cox at +1 262-275-1110 or eddie@melges.com for more information.
Melges 15 Invitational - Inaugural Regatta Hosted by Fleet 1
A little more than four months after the world debut of the Melges 15, twelve boats gathered at Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club (Beach Haven, NJ) for the first two days of Melges 15 racing ever.
ZENDA, WISCONSIN (October 12, 2020): A little more than four months after the world debut of the Melges 15, twelve boats gathered at Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club (Beach Haven, NJ) for the inaugural Melges 15 Invitational.
Pioneered by local, Chris Fretz, LEHYC is home to Melges 15 Fleet #1 after taking delivery of six privately-owned boats in June. Fleet 1 now has nine boats and is looking forward to continued growth and helping establish other fleets on Barnegat Bay.
“This event really shows what’s possible here on the Bay with the Melges 15. When you have sailors from 18-80 years old ripping around at 15 knots together, there’s really nothing else on the market that has this level of accessibility and fun! I think every club in the BBYRA (Barnegat Bay Yacht Racing Association) needs these boats!” said Fretz.
Sailors were greeted by a steady 15-20 knot wind and some nasty chop on Saturday. Five races where completed on the first day of the event all sailed back to back. The day was won by Clay Johnson and Kelly McGlynn who transferred their E Scow knowledge into an excellent performance. The biggest highlight of the day was the battle between Johnson/McGlynn and the father-daughter duo of Emily and Johnny Haig in the final race of the day. Neck and neck coming into the leeward mark, each doing in excess of 15 knots, they traded gybes and swapped the lead several times until Haig was able to gybe on Johnson and sail into better pressure to seal the win.
Additional highlights included Butch and Walter Lenhard, who nailed a pin-end start to lead the fleet up the first leg of Race 4. Butch and Walter are a father-son team who got into the Melges 15 class to race together and with their kids and grandkids.
After racing, sailors debriefed onshore and had some socially distant beverages. The common themes of the day included: “We were going really fast out there” and “I don’t feel like we did FIVE races!”
After looking like the fleet would be in for some light air sailing on Day Two, the forecast and reality seemed to be out of sync. With Johnson and McGlynn heading back to Toms River, the regatta came down to a tiebreaker between the Haigs and Kyle and Alissa Rogechenko. The last race brought the action to a climax with the Haigs needing to place in the top two to clinch the win. On the last run it looked like Emily had the regatta well in hand, but a missed layline at the bottom of the final run allowed Kyle to move into the lead and put the pressure on Emily to hold onto second. Some conservative sailing up the last beat helped the Haigs hold onto second place and win the regatta.
With the inaugural Melges 15 regatta in the books, the Melges 15 Class is looking forward to continuing its exponential growth around the country. The Melges 15 Class wants to help your club build a fleet! If you have any interest in this or in the Melges 15 contact Eddie Cox, Melges, at eddie@melges.com.
PHOTO GALLERY: https://bit.ly/3duugOV
