Melges 24’s blazing down the “short” and fast 2-mile runs up the Columbia River. There were young family teams, women-driven teams, college teams, Olympic medalists, America’s Cup sailors, and Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year, club racers and new owners all mixing it up and having the times of their lives.
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There were teenage drivers racing against 75-year olds. The mood was too high to worry about close calls and bother with other minor stuff. As they blazed up the beats and screamed down the runs teams would wave others by at close crossings and then wave again with a big thumbs up just to be friendly. Before every start teams shared smiles over the sensational experience they were having. THE 300, out of Lake Geneva had hit 23.7 knots and Duncan Stamper’s GOES TO ELEVEN from Victoria, BC (that is hull #11 out of 850 built) had clocked 22.1 knots in that same weekend.īy the end of the National Championships these teams had to bow to class veteran and former National Champion, Bruce Ayres on MONSOON, who snatched the speed prize with a sensational 25.8 knots, against a 1.5 knot Columbia River current!ĭid we mention the energy level of the sailors? Yes, it was very high-energy and all positive. The buzz around the fleet was over Kevin Welch’s MIKEY from Anacortes which had recorded 24.4 knots in 35-knot winds at the Pre-Nationals on the previous weekend. Speaking of faster boats, Velocitek offered new instruments to the winners of the Melges 24 Speed Challenge on what many consider a perfect racetrack. Melges 24’s on the starboard layline from Stevenson to Cascade Locks. After a daylong Melges 24 SPEED CAMP on Thursday, the fleet enjoyed live music and outdoor barbecue followed by a well-attended video analysis and Q & A session.Īlong with training in outrageous sailing conditions, teams received another bonus for racing their Melges 24s: fleet-wide, higher-level performance, tighter racing, and more exhilaration potential from sailing an even faster boat.
These top-level sailors helped teams at the chalk talk, from the coach boat, and by climbing on-board with teams for line-ups. The SPEED CAMP was run by class veteran Brian Hutchinson – Melges 24 world champion and multi-class champion sailor – with help from the following sailing greats and enthusiastic Melges 24 racers: Jeff Madrigali, Olympic Soling medalist and multi-class champion Dan Kaseler, World Speed Record sail designer, Raptor Deck producer and top Melges24 sailor/Quantum sail loft owner Andy Burdick, Melges 24 world champion, six-time national champion and multi-scow-class champion Sam Rogers, Melges 24 world champion and scow champion Chris Snow, J/24 national champion and North Sails manager.
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