Official Melges 24 Blog

Rochester, NY, USA – It may be cold in Florida but things are heating up at the Rochester Yacht Club, host of the 2010 Melges 24 North American Championship taking place from 20-26 September.

Established in 1877 the Rochester Yacht Club prides itself on an excellent race committee, a great clubhouse and wonderful facilities and grounds crew. In recent years the club has hosted many prestigious regattas including the 2009 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship, the Hospice Regattas National Championships 2009 and 2010, the 2008 J/22 Worlds with 104 boats on the starting line and the 2007 IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship, all to great critical acclaim.

Of Rochester Yacht Club, International Melges 24 Class Chairman Günter Tzeschlock commented “When assessing a venue for suitability the International Melges 24 Class has a long list of requirements ranging from outstanding race management and major championship experience to good accommodation and social facilities. When the opportunity to hold the 2010 Melges 24 North American Championship at Rochester Yacht Club arose we were thrilled as the club ticks every one of our requirement boxes and then some. The timing of the regatta in late September ensures we will have warm weather and good winds and we are very much looking forward to both an outstanding regatta and some wonderful hospitality.”

Speaking on behalf of the Rochester Yacht Club, Regatta Co-Chairman Peter Cucci said, “RYC members are very committed to their regattas. They welcome competitors with open arms and do their best to make visitors’ stays as enjoyable as possible. Parking is convenient and the club has ample parking space.  There are a number of hoists for boats, and nearby ramps for launch and haul out. It’s a competitor’s dream facility. There are many reasons why anyone would want to do the Melges 24 North American Regatta in Rochester. Just a few reasons we think any sailor would love to sail out of the Rochester Yacht Club are:

• Terrific venue
• Fresh water sailing
• Great race committee work
• Friendly yacht club that knows how to host major events
• Good deals on hotels and food
• Plenty of dry storage area before and after the event.

The Regatta Website is up and running, the Notice of Race has been posted and Online Registration is now open. If you have questions regarding the regatta please e-mail m24na@rochesteryc.com.”

Located on the south shore of Lake Ontario in New York State and founded in the early 19th century Rochester is the 79th largest city in the United States and the third largest urban area in New York State. It is one of ten cities in the country to receive the All-American-City Award as a great place to live and is perhaps most famous as the home of the ingenious American inventor and philanthropist George Eastman and his Eastman Kodak Company. With a wonderful range of cultural, sporting, social and retail facilities Rochester also offers plenty to keep accompanying family and friends occupied whilst the teams are racing.

Registration for the 2010 Melges 24 North Americans will open on Monday 20 September, there will be Practice Racing on Wednesday 22 September and Championship Racing will run from Wednesday 23 to Sunday 26 September with up to 12 races scheduled.

The Melges 24 Class and Rochester Yacht Club bring an outstanding global media track record, an onsite audience of well-connected and wealthy individuals from around the globe plus an experienced and flexible sponsorship management team focused on meeting sponsor’s individual needs. The 2010 Melges 24 North American Championship offers a range of excellent sponsorship opportunities from official supplier to title sponsor.  To find out more about the opportunities please e-mail the Organizing Authority at M24na@rochesteryc.com.

Members of the press who would like to receive further information about the 2010 Melges 24 North American Championship or who wish to attend the event should contact IMCA Administrator & Media Coordinator Fiona Brown, Skype fpbrown or Tel +44 (0)7711 718470.

Visit the Official Event Website of the 2010 Melges 24 North American Championship

The 2010 Porsche Cup of Naples will be taking place March 27-28. It is the third annual Porsche Cup and part of the southeast circuit. Sailing will take place in the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, rather than an inland waterway. The regatta will be held at the brand new five star Hamilton Harbor Marina.

Last year, boats were traveling downwind at 21.5 knots and there was a 3 way tie for first place. We expect that this year’s event will be an even more exciting sailing experience and the Gulf Coast Sailing Club is looking forward to hosting the Melges 24 class.

Anyone that would like to store their boat after the Bacardi Miami Sailing Week, please contact Gary Schwarting at (230) 850-8155.

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As published by Bacardi Miami Sailing Week

LAST WEEK FOR REDUCED REGISTRATION FEE IS COMING UP!
Racers we are entering the last week before the reduced registration fee ends on February 7th! Take advantage now…. and continue to save by taking advantage of the special rates that BACARDI Miami Sailing Week has set up with hotels and car rentals…just click here and book today.

ANNOUNCING COLOR OF WIND ART EXHIBIT
BACARDI Miami Sailing Week is proud to host a new solo exhibition of Cory Silken’s yachting photography, Color of Wind. The exhibit will feature thirty-four of Silken’s most recent images. Renowned for his unmistakable, dynamic sepia-tone panoramas, Silken’s new images in Color of Wind presented by BACARDI are saturated with the brilliant colors of some of the most breathtaking ports of call; including Grenada, Newport, Palma de Mallorca, Porto Cervo, and St. Barth’s. Stretched five feet wide on “gallerie wrap” canvas, the scope of this exhibition invites the viewer to experience a taste of the high life, including exceptional locations and spectacular sails.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
To make things easy for you to plan your week of races and activities here at the BMSW, simply click here for a complete Event Schedule. This edition’s highlighted events are the Welcome Cocktail Events hosted by BACARDI, the opening of the Cory Silken’s exhibit, Color of Wind, the Mid-Week party and Awards Ceremony along with the weeklong regattas… mark your calendar so you will be sure not miss any of the activities!

SLAM GEAR AVAILABLE
BACARDI Miami Sailing Week and SLAM have teamed up to provide you with high tech and fashionable sail gear. Check out our store for hats and shirts, and if you want to outfit your team with personalized technical wear in time for the BACARDI Miami Sailing there is still time… just click on SLAM logo or call (305) 885-9580 … sailing professionals are standing by to help you!

SUPPORTERS OF BACARDI MIAMI SAILING WEEK
This week we want to recognize the Coconut Grove Sailing Club for their help in the upcoming BACARDI Miami Sailing Week regatta.

Coconut Grove Sailing Club (CGSC) is the host for the Audi Melges 20 Class and the Melges 24 Class for BMSW with CGSC’s highly regarded Race Committee coordinated by Ron Rostorfer and directed by PRO Bruce Golison. Since it was established in 1946 CGSC served as a public access sailing facility for the community of Miami, FL and the Club has been a force in sailboat racing on the Bay ever since.

Sailing programs today offer diverse activities: Summer Sailing programs for Youth Sailing, Beginner level, Green Fleet and Red/White/Blue racing for youngest of sailors. CGSC also offers Learn to Sail for Adults, Keelboat training for Advanced Skippers and CGSC is the Host Club for the University of Miami’s Sailing Team. The Club is also involved in the Olympic Class Regatta, the Orange Bowl Regatta, among many international events, and many of the Club sailors compete internationally with great success!

The U.S. Melges 24 Class Association and the Melges 24 Northeast District are excited to announce the selection of Newport, R.I. as the location for the 2010 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship, hosted by Sail Newport. Racing will take place over three days with registration, weigh-ins, clinics and practice racing beginning on Thursday, June 24.

Read Full Article >>>

Charleston Race Week is coming up fast and some new developments are in the works to help crews with planning and accomodations.

For Melges 24s requiring free storage, space is still available at the Azalea lot in North Charleston from now until CRW. This is the same lot that has been utilized in the past. DIRECTIONS TO THE LOT

The deadline for the early registration discount is January 31. We’re looking forward to a great year, and we’re hoping to solidify some of our registration numbers by the 31st. We’re trying to let everyone know, so everyone planning on attending CRW can receive the discount.

If you need any additional information or have questions, please contact:

Daniel M. Havens
Executive Director Support
South Carolina Maritime Foundation
P.O. Box 22405
Charleston, SC 29413
843.722.1030 Ext. 18

Registration is in full swing in Key West! Busy, busy, busy…

Big bunch at the pin but boats at the RC boat end led the charge.

Setting up again with a I flag.

RC now setting up for a five leg race with first mark at 315 and a distance of 1.35 nautical miles.

Breeze is 7 -8 knots.

Foxtrot in one minute.

Terry Hutchinson on Quantum Racing wins first race of the Championship by a comfortable margin from Brian Porter on Full Throttle.

Early leader Flavio Favini on Blu Moon finished fourth.

Kristen Lane on Brick House has called in a protest against Lorenzo Bressani on Uka Uka Racing…

Top 10:

1 51/ USA 751 Quantum Racing / Gill Race Team Hutchinson
2 49/ USA 749 FULL THROTTLE Porter
3 62/ SUI 782 Blu Moon Rossini
4 17/ USA 587 WTF Field
5 55/ USA 655 West Marine Rigging / New England Ropes LARSON
6 37/ ITA 777 Joefly Zandonà
7 66/ USA 786 Battle Rhythm Mossman
8 34/ NOR 804 Full Medal Jacket Melleby
9 13/ ITA 803 Gullisara fracassoli Melges24
10 32/ GBR 691 Team Barbarians Lea Melges24

Video of finish coming…