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 is ideal for weekend getaways with friends and family.

The Midwinter Championship caps off the series March 25-27. The overall series trophy will be awarded to the team with the lowest score across all three events. In addition to racing the Winter Series, Melges 15 owners can race in the weekly club series hosted by Sarasota Sailing Squadron.

2022 Melges 15 Winter Series Schedule
January 8-9, 2022
February 26-27, 2022
March 25-27, 2022 – Midwinter Championship

For more information, visit melges15.com/winter-series.

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 increased for the second downwind. Finn Burdick, Craig Laing, and Dwight Greenhouse were tangled at the top mark and for the first downwind. Young Burdick was able to slide past the teams for a first-place finish. “It can get pretty intense when it’s windy like today. You have to make sure you’re hiking out, staying in clear air when you’re around those tough teams,” said Burdick. “Once you get the boat going, you can just let it rip around the top mark.” 

The breeze picked up with gusts to 25 adding a significant chop to the turquoise water for the final race of the series. The right side of the course paid off in dividends as George Sipel moved up into the mix with the leaderboard. It wasn’t until the second downwind, that Sipel and crew, Mike Stark, kicked things into high gear to fly across the finish line ahead of Burdick and Craig Laing.

For Greenhouse, Sunday’s racing was about not losing and keeping the boat upright in the big air. “You think you’re going so fast that you’ve got to be mowing people down,” said Greenhouse. “But you look around and everyone is going just as fast; you see their bows out of the water skiing downhill. It’s incredible.”

Haig was racing with her father, John, for the entirety of the Winter Series. “Love the weather here. The wind has been really consistent at all the events,” she said. “More so, the people in this fleet have been really great to meet and hang out with.”

For series newcomer, Bob Mosby, the Midwinters was just the start of the fun he has planned for his Melges 15. “I’ve been looking forward to this event from the minute I bought the boat in July,” said Mosby. “I love the boat and the people I’ve met over these past few months. There’s a fleet growing in Columbia, SC, and more growth throughout the southeast. My wife and I have a great boat to sail, and I can’t wait to take advantage of it.”

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 after yesterday,” said Haig. On several occasions, Haig was able to get ahead and extend her lead through to the finish. She added, “When it’s light, it’s way easier to extend than to get out of the pack when everyone is really good.”

As the wind continued to oscillate more southeast throughout the day, the pressure increased for the final races. Young James O’Gwen with crew Aidan Cunningham were in the hunt after shifting gears for Races 7 and 8. O’Gwen was hot on Haig’s trail giving her a run for her money in the second upwind of Race 7. It wasn’t until the final downwind dash to the finish that O’Gwen was able to slip past for his first bullet of the event.

“As the day went on, we got a bit more relaxed with everything instead of fixating on making every right move,” explained Cunningham. “We focused on starting on the favored end and staying on the lifted tack. You had to leverage that to keep yourself between the fleet and the mark.”

Conor Hayes is in Sarasota for his first Melges 15 event this weekend. “A buddy of mine bought a [Melges 15] earlier this winter. A couple days after he sailed the February event, he called me to let me know about the charter boats,” said Hayes. “He said you’d love this, and you should do it. I said ‘Yes, it looks awesome.’ And, it is!” 

Looking ahead to Day Three, Hayes concluded, “If we can get more downwind rides tomorrow like we had Day One, you can’t beat that. There aren’t a whole lot of things on this earth that are more fun than ripping downwind at 15-18 knots. If we can’t get that, then let’s keep the good sailing going.”

The 2021 Winter Series comes to a close on Sunday, March 28. Coverage will continue on the Melges Facebook and Instagram with daily galleries and recaps posted to melges15.com.

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 when we’re able to hop on plane and gybe smoothly.” 

Kevin Alcock was an early onboarder of the M15 who has raced in all three events hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. “We’re out here having fun,” said Alcock, who’s racing with his eldest daughter Jennifer. “The fleet is very well-rounded; we’ve got everyone from superstars to people like us who are here to have fun and enjoy ourselves.”  

“Racing with my dad is the biggest honor I could have,” added Jennifer. “Whether we’re in first or last place, it’s just a blast to be out there and spend time with him.”

Chris Fretz has been with the Melges 15 Class from the beginning racing in Beach Haven, NJ – home of Fleet 1. “What’s exciting about this class is there aren’t any favorites,” said Fretz. “People can come in and build upon what they know from other fleets for better results because they’re not up against the same competition they’ve always had.”

Racing is scheduled to continue on Saturday, March 27 at 1000 EST on the Sarasota Bay. Coverage will continue on the Melges Facebook and Instagram with daily galleries and recaps posted to melges15.com.

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 of Melges Performance Sailboats. “It’s easy to ramp or beach launch, there’s affordable monthly storage, and exceptional hospitality.”

Going into the weekend, Emily Haig is leading the series in cumulative points. Finn Burdick and George Sipel are also in contention for podium spots providing no shortage of competition. A few of the top teams from the January event are returning, though, which may lead to a shake-up in the standings.

Melges has offered charter boats throughout the series available to those wishing to demo the new design. After a quick introduction to the boat, teams have been on their way climbing quickly in the rankings due to the boat’s ease of use. “Just the basics of going out to sail the Melges 15 are so easy; it’s what makes the boat so popular,” explained Burdick. “The fun and speed are built into the boat.”

Follow the action from the three-day event starting March 26 on the Melges Facebook and Instagram accounts. Results will be posted to Regatta Network. Learn more about the Melges 15 Class and read daily recaps on melges15.com.

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,” said Hardy Peters, East Coast Sailboats. “I sailed a bit with some of the members, and we had a blast putting the chute up and gybing.”

Sailing Director David Van Cleef took a sneak peek at the M15 prior to the demo weekend. “I wanted to get a feel for what the boat could do for our membership and was blown away with how easy the boat was to sail with my wife and 4-year-old,” said Van Cleef. “I quickly realized this was the right boat for the club to get behind. Super fun, easy to sail, stable, sporty, and would appeal to a wide range of skill levels.”

A majority of the M15s at CSC are planned to be sailed by families – husband/wife and parent/child teams. “For folks who want to race, the fact that the class already has momentum is a huge plus,” said Horton. “It is very easy to see huge numbers of this boat being sailed in the coming years.”

CSC had its first official M15 fleet meeting last week and has set a tentative regatta date for October 16-17. In addition, the M15 will be sailed during the dinghy series running spring through the fall season.

“The response from our membership to have 6 boats purchased and several others seriously interested blew me away,” added Van Cleef. “The future looks bright for the M15 at CSC.”

For more information on how to get a fleet started at your club, email sales@melges.com.

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. It was 14-year-old Burdick's second Melges 15 event after finishing second in January. Cox, a recent graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges raced during her time there. The event marked Cox’s first time onboard the Melges 15. “This boat is ideal for anyone coming out of college sailing – the perfect level of intensity and fun - and the fleet’s only getting bigger,” said Cox.

A steady 8-12 knots blew across the Sarasota Bay allowing the Race Committee to fire off five races on Day One. The scores proved that there would be no clear leader in the event and that anyone could place in the top five. Haig and Cox ended the day with a meager one-point separation.

The winds picked up to 15 knots on Sunday out of the southwest creating a nice flat course for the fleet. In the fresh breeze, the Melges 15s were able to hop on plane for thrilling rides. “We live for the downwind runs. You make it to the top mark and just scream downwind,” said David Lubchenco (Colorado). Lubchenco is part of a fleet building in Grand Lake, CO, and looks forward to racing there this coming summer.

After four races, Haig took the overall win as well as placing first in both the female and youth divisions.

“As soon as you put more boats on the line, there’s more room for catching back up if you have a bad start, bad leg, whatever. You have to keep your head in the game to claw your way back,” said Emily. “In the very last race, we rounded top mark in fourth. When we gybed back, we got this mondo puff that catapulted us 2 feet ahead [of Finn and Andy Burdick] for the win.”

The Melges 15 Winter Series concludes with the Midwinter Championship March 26-28 in Sarasota, FL. A limited number of charter boats are available for the event. Event boats can be purchased at the conclusion of the series. Contact eddie@melges.com to reserve a boat.