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• 2008 Blue Water Regatta
• 2008 Spring Championship
• 2008 Midwinters
• 2007 WMYA Regatta
• 2007 ILYA Championships
• 2007 Spring Championships
• 2007 Midwinters
• 2007 Zenda University
• 2006 Nationals
• 2006 Crystal Lake M17 Regatta
• 2006 Spring Championship
• 2006 Charleston Easter Regatta
• 2006 Midwinters
• INTERVIEW: 2005 National Champion Art Brereton
• 2005 Nationals

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2008 Melges 17 Blue Water Regatta
Reports by Andy Burdick

Crystal Lake Yacht Club
June 14 – 15, 2008

Day 1 of the Blue Water regatta brought 10 – 15 MPH out of the South. PRO Stu Sol set a modified windward 2 as the course to keep the races going faster. During the first race, the right side of the course paid the most dividends with consistent pressure and starboard lifts to the mark however, a few times a port lift could be found. Coye Harrett utilized the right side of the course as he led the whole race. Matt Ripkey came in second place, and Rob Terry third. The second race in the morning brought the same conditions and wind patterns as the first race. Dave Harrison led the race until the final fifty yards where he and Coye engaged in a tacking duel. It came down to the last five yards with Coye winning by a boat length. Jim Hilgard followed Dave to take third.

Over the lunch break the breeze cranked up to about 18 – 22 MPH. The fleet headed out with high anticipation for the downwind rides. In order to lengthen the races, Stu added a lap. So the course was changed to a modified windward 3. By the afternoon, the breeze coated the lake with relatively the same amount of wind. Still the right side of the course paid off due to fewer waves. At the start of the third race Rob Terry and Brian McMurray took advantage of the heavily port favored line as they port tacked the fleet and headed to the right side of the course. Rob Terry was leading around the first mark with Brian McMurray on his tail. Downwind was quite a ride! During the second time upwind, the breeze began to pick up to near survival conditions. Around the top mark the wind had reached survival conditions, many competitors went for a swim in beautiful Crystal Lake.  Coye was leading and made the decision not to put up the spinnaker as a conservative tactic. Matt decided go big or go home and threw the kite up, although by the time the it was up, they were passed the lay line and did a Mexican gybe to pull the spinnaker back in the boat to head to the leeward mark. By the last time up to the finish, the lake was filled with white caps and one to two foot waves. Everyone’s mains were inverted and skippers and crews were hiking for their dear lives. Coye’s conservative decision not to put the spinnaker up paid off as he won the race. Matt Ripkey edged out Bob Heathcote for second.

The Saturday night social event took place at the Wynkoop estate, where grill master Bob cooked hamburgers and hot dogs.

Day 2 of the Blue Water called for isolated thunderstorms and winds from the South around 8 MPH. Once again the weathermen were wrong. It was a perfect morning for sailing, sunny and windy. The wind picked up to 10 – 15 MPH. The fleet went out for a 9:30 start in these perfect conditions. The same course was sailed as day one. Even though the wind was from the same general direction, the favored side of the course was left as the more consistent pressure filled in for a nice port lift to the windward mark. Coye Harrett rounded the mark in first followed by Matt Ripkey and Bob Wynkoop. Right as Coye set his kite in time for a puff that increased the lead. Matt had spinnaker issues and was forced to go to shore to tend to it. Bob’s spinnaker went up easily and was trying to hunt down Coye. Both teams rounded the bottom mark without trouble. Both teams played the shifts perfectly up the course. Once at the final windward mark the wind kicked up to 25 – 30 MPH as a thunderstorm was on the horizon. Coye tried to gybe just before the lay line but Mother Nature put them in the drink. Bob caught up to Coye’s lead and doused the spinnaker halfway down the run to be conservative. Bob rounded the bottom mark with an insurmountable lead. About a minute before Bob would have finished, Stu pulled the plug on the race due to the nearing thunderstorm and lighting flashing. Everyone made it back to the club without too many troubles and sat under the awning of the yacht club as and watched the squall take our wind. Once the storm cleared up there was a glimpse of hope as some breeze filled the lake. Stu set the final race time for 12:30, but the wind turned out to be a thermal and the time limit was drawing closer. Shortly after 1 O’clock the regatta was declared done. The final standings were as follows:

Pos.     Skipper                        Points
1)         Coye Harrett                3
2)         Matt Ripkey                 9
3)         Bob Heathcote             13
4)         Jim Hilgard                   15 (won tiebreaker)
5)         Rob Terry                    15
6)         Dave Harrison              16
7)         Bob Wynkoop             19
8)         Brian McMurray           23

North Facts:

• North Sails win every race!
• North finished 1sta nd 2nd!

For more information about the Midwinters or Melges 17 sails, contact the North Melges 17 experts.

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• 
  2007 Melges 17 WMYA Regatta
  Report by Joy Dunigan
  

McMurray Wins 2007 W.M.Y.A. Melges 17 Regatta

05 AUGUST 2007 • Brian McMurray and his wife Deb from White Lake Yacht Club put on a show this past weekend at the 2007 W.M.Y.A. Regatta with a bonified 1-1-6-2-1 score for eleven points overall, securing the win with five points to spare over second place contender Coye Harrett from Lake Geneva Yacht Club with sixteen points and Rob Terry from Crystal Lake Yacht Club in third with seventeen points.

From day one of the regatta the McMurray Melges 17 was fast winning race one in a series of five over Tom Munroe also from White Lake Yacht Club in second and Harrett securing a solid third place seat. The second race of the day spawned another bullet for McMurray, followed respectively by Harrett in second and Terry in third.

Then it was the other husband and wife team of Bill and Angie Wiggins taking charge in races three and four. This double dynamic team took the honors with Terry in second and Matt Ripkey, Jr from Lake Geneva Yacht Club in third in race three on Friday. In race four on Saturday, it was all Wiggins again, this time chased by McMurray and Harrett.

Going into the final day of racing, McMurray lead the fleet with a confident, yet slim two point lead ahead of Harrett, Terry was trailing by four so in true Melges faster-than-fast style this game was far from over. McMurray's home court advantage paid off in the long-run taking another bullet and winning the prestigious event! Ripkey poured on the speed grabbing second, Terry was third, while Harrett watched his chance of winning the regatta diminish as he finished fourth. Wiggins was fifth

FULL RESULTS
01.) Brian McMurray; 1-1-6-2-1 = 11
02.) Coye Harrett; 3-2-4-3-4 = 16
03.) Rob Terry; 5-3-2-4-3 = 17
04.) Matt Ripkey, Jr.; 5-8-3-6-2 = 25
05.) Bill Wiggins; 12/DNF-7-1-1-5 = 26
06.) Tom Munroe; 2-4-7-8-6 = 17
07.) Bill Fauntleroy; 4-6-5-7-7 = 29
08.) Bob Heathcote; 7-5-12/DNF-5-8 = 37
09.) Bob Wynkoop; 8-9-10-9-11= 47
10.) Jerry Gill; 9-10-9-11-9 = 48
11.) Keith Brand; 12/DNF-12/DNS-8-10-10 = 52

Congratulations to the entire fleet as this is the warm-up for Nationals being held August 25-26. The competition will be intense as the very best of the best will be out in full force looking to take the title of National Champion.

For more information about the Midwinters or Melges 17 sails, contact the North Melges 17 experts.

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• 
  2007 Melges 17 ILYA Champs
  Report by Andy Burdick
  

Pewaukee, Wisconsin USA

The Pewaukee Yacht Club, a legendary club with legendary racing sailors. This prestigious yacht club hosted the new Melges 17’s first annual ILYA Championship over the weekend and what an event it was. Four championship races, over 20 Melges 17’s jetting around the race course, a first class party on Saturday night with over 150 people in attendance and then a rock and roll trophy presentation. What a show!

There were some fun tune up races on Friday evening. Winds were out of the east and they were steady. Many people made it out for these races including some of “travelers” with this boat. Mark Unicume from Denver, Mary Anne Ward from Florida and Bill Wigginns from South Carolina. Yes, the Melges 17 has spread nationwide so the fleet is diverse. It was great to show this group the ILYA and their standard of racing.

The regattas PRO Bill Dale brought the fleet together for a 10am start. Two races in the morning followed by two races in the afternoon. Right off the bat we had an exciting occurrence. Bill Fauntleroy from White Lake, Michigan port tacked the fleet on the first start of the ILYA Championship. A great sight as the many spectator boats followed Bill and the fleet upwind. Even with this start though there was no stopping Lake Geneva’s Andy Labanauskus. He rounded this first mark in the lead and he simply extended. Then he extended some more as he won the race by a country mile. Augie Barkow was 2nd, Fauntleroy was third and Mary Anne Ward was fourth in this race. Big gains and losses could be made downwind in this East 5-10 mph breeze. When you were in the breeze the boats were really jetting around the course. One spectator commented, “this is the best bang for the buck out there. Did you see how fast those boats were downwind in the light breeze, amazing! Following and watching this fleet was a blast.”

Race 2 started up right away and Labanauskus started right where he left off – in the lead. His USA-97 boat port tacked the fleet and Andy increased his lead from there. Impressive to say the least – two races, two bullets for Labanauskus. Barkow as 2nd, Fauntleroy 3rd and Ward 4th again.

The PYC served up one of their famous lunches. Dave Decker (Dex) and Tammy Sawyer co-chaired this important event and they put on a show. Great meals, give aways for virtually all of the competitors, a winners circle for the race winners (can’t tell you what happened in the winners circle on Saturday night……you need to go to the 2008 Melges 17 ILYA to see what takes place in that circle….yikes). Post lunch it was more racing with two races in the afternoon.

The spectator fleet bulged to over 30 powerboats watching the final two races of the day! It was one of the largest spectator crowds we have seen in years. Lots of people with a lot of interest in the Melges 17 and the ILYA racing. It was really great to see. The afternoon start gun sounded and this time we saw different people in the front of the fleet but still the same winner. Ken Wruk from Lake Geneva was up there, Hans Meyer from Pewaukee was in the hunt as was Hans Dickel from Minnetonka. All battled for the lead and while some had it for a moment there was simply no stopping the Labanauskus Melges 17 train. He was rolling and going fast. Andy won the third race taking a convincing lead over Augie Barkow and Mary Anne Ward. Bill Fauntleroy stuggled in race three dragging him back to 4th overall.

One person that adapted well to the Melges 17 was Sailing World writer Dave Paulson. He and his daughter Merideth sailed the boat for the first time and they found themselves in the front of the fleet several times. This was great to see and it will probably help him write a fun article for Sailing World Magazine. Dave was covering the Melges 17 Inland so he could give a report on this up and coming hot class, so he could report on the famous Pewaukee Yacht Club and so he could feature the ILYA and their outstanding traditions. Watch for this article in your upcoming Sailing World Magazine. This team had their moments as they worked on their boat speed. Thanks to Harken for letting Sailing World use their Melges 17. Olaf, we missed having you out in your Melges 17!!

Race four started and the breeze was dropping. This was evident as we approached the end of the day. Still, Labanauskus was too slippery for the competition. He won his fourth race and now had a commanding lead over the others. After the four races the top four were Labanauskus, Ward, Barkow and Fauntleroy.

The fleet raced in for the start of the ILYA’s party. A great meal and a great party. Melges Performance Sailboats and North Sails Zenda provided give aways for the top boats along with the 17th boat registered, the boat with 17 points after the first day, anyone finishing 17th in a race…you understand. We had a 17 theme going for this new boat and class. Really fun as this type of presentation at night just prior to the band was a really show stopper. The Melges 17 made a big impression on the ILYA and the PYC.

The Melges 17 band played until 12:30am. (Thank you Melges and North Sails Zenda). This was a blast as the fleet along with the PYC members rocked. Dex and Tammy know how to put together a great party.

No racing Sunday, no wind. The fleet waited until 11am. 4 championship races though marked a first class championship. A short fleet meeting allowed the class to develop their first ILYA representatives along with a board rep. This was a short meeting conducted by ILYA rep. and PYC commodore PJ Friend.

Thank you PYC and the ILYA. Candace Porter and the ILYA team then awarded the championship trophies to the fleet. The newly donated trophies put together by the PYC were simply breathtaking. Andy Labanauskus is honored to have his name on the trophy for the first time. The list of winners will grow through the years, just like this new sportboat from Melges.

Thank you PYC!

The first Melges 17 ILYA Championship was awesome!
For more information about the Midwinters or Melges 17 sails, contact the North Melges 17 experts.

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• 
  2007 Melges 17 Spring Champs
  Report by Andy Burdick
  

Summer Arrives Early at the Melges 17 Spring Championship!!!

It is not often when the weather forecasts are 100% correct for a regatta weekend. This past weekend for the Melges 17 Spring Championship the forecast was for weather in the Mid-70’s and breeze from the east at 10-15 knots. This was exactly what the Melges 17 fleet was welcomed to on the first day of racing which allowed for Mike Sherin and his committee to fire off 4 solid races.

After a brief skipper’s meeting at the Lake Geneva Yacht Club, 21 Melges 17 teams from Michigan, Wisconsion, Illinois, Colorado and Ohio made their way out to the starting line. The breeze was out of the ENE at 12 knots with flat water which is ideal for Melges 17 racing. The fleet got off the first start clean and it was the Labanauskas brothers, who have been extremely tough on the Melges 17 circuit, leading at the top mark. On the first downwind, all of the Melges 17 racers got to experience what makes these boats so much fun to race downwind. Once the spinnaker is hoisted, it is time to hold on! The top ten boats around the mark split heading downwind; the top half elected to stay on starboard gybe and the boats that rounded later, decided to gybe out. Once the fleet was about as spread out as it could get with half on the South Shore of Lake Geneva, and the other half on the North Shore, it was time to gybe back and see who would be out in front. Ken Wruk, who battled back from a tough start, got in his downwind mode fast and was able to make big money on the South Shore. Andy and Iggy, who were leading the race, chose the North Shore and found themselves in the middle of the pack at the bottom mark. After 1 more lap around the W2 course, Ken Wruk would hold on to take the victory in race 1.

Race 2 was sailed with the same conditions as the first. At the start, a large left shift presented itself to the fleet and Blaine Unicome, a young Melges 17 sailor from Colorado started at the pin and played the left side up the first beat. Blaine rounded the top mark in first with Andy and Iggy right on his tail, who were followed closely by Melges 17 veteran, Brian McMurray. It did not take long again for the fleet to split downwind as Blaine extended on starboard while Iggy gybed out and played the South Shore. Again, it would be the South Shore that would pay off as Iggy and Andy Labanauskas found themselves with a large lead. Brian McMurray and Jerry Gill would also make huge gains on this run while Blaine Unicome learned a valuable lesson downwind; in Melges 17 racing, you need to be on top of all the shifts at all times! Iggy and Andy would go on to win this race with Brian McMurray close behind in second and Ken Wruk in 3rd.

After a quick lunch break served on the water, the breeze had piped up to a steady 14-15 kts with big oscillating shifts which made for some exciting racing. Unlike the first 2 races where the South Shore was paying off big, the third race rewarded those who started at the bottom half of the line and worked the middle of the course. Those who made a dash for the South Shore off the starting line found themselves sailing big knocks all the way to the windward mark. Deb Ziegler, a newcomer to the Melges 17 fleet, would take the bullet in this race with Brian McMurray in 2nd and Ken Wruk in 3rd. After three races, the standings were starting to get tight:

Ken Wruk – 1,3,3
Brian McMurray – 4,2,2
Igg Labanauskas – 6, 1, 4
Deb Ziegler – 6,6,1
Jerry Gill – 4, 8, 4

The fourth race of the day again saw the same conditions as race 3. Only this time, thos who found the South Shore first would make the biggest gains. Staying cool under pressure seemded to be no problem for Ken Wruk and his crew as they once again found themselves in the front of the pack. It did not take long for Melges 17 rookie Clifford Porter to figure out his new toy. Clifford challenged Ken until the very end of the race and made himself known on the race course. By winning the last race of the day, Ken would put himself into pole position heading into the final 2 races on Sunday. McMurray, Ziegler and Labanauskas would all have tough races giving Ken a even more of a cushion.

A great dinner was served for the group of tired sailors and in true Melges 17 fashion, the party was outstanding with a lot of energy. With the forecast for big breeze out of the SE, most sailors elected to wrap up their fun at a resonable hour and get some much needed rest.

Mother’s Day looked as if it would be another great day for Melges 17 races, but Mother Nature had different plans. Large storms in the area called for a postponement in the morning and eventually cancellation as the threatening weather loomed. Ken Wruk is the 2007 Melges 17 Spring Champion after sailing a solid event with very consistent finishes. LGYC has just announced that they have scheduled a Melges 17 Fall Championship for the 3rd weekend in September. If you are looking to get your blood pumping with some exciting racing, get into a new Melges 17 and get out on to the racecourse! Next up is the Crystal Lake Championship, Father’s Day weekend in June. Make arrangements today!

Top 5 Melges 17 Spring Championship

1). Ken Wruk
2). Iggy Labanauskas
3). Jerry Gill
4). Brian McMurray
5). Deb Ziegler.

For more information about the Midwinters or Melges 17 sails, contact the North Melges 17 experts.

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• 
  2007 Melges 17 Midwinters
  Iggy & Andy Labanauskas are 2007 Melges 17 Midwinter Champions!
  Report by Andy Burdick

Melges 17 Midwinter Championship
Lake Eustis Sailing Club, Lake Eustis, Florida

FINAL DAY

11 MARCH 2007 • Congratulations to wonderboys Iggy and Andy Labanauskas as they are the newly crowned 2007 Melges 17 Midwinter Champions! The regatta took place this weekend at the legendary Lake Eustis Sailing Club in Eustis, Florida.

Iggy and Andy may have topped the crop of Melges 17s that traveled from near and far, but never once were the two unchallenged. An amazing lady and tough competitor Mary Anne Ward really found some speed and placed second overall. Bill and Angie Wiggins rounded out the top three. Joe Kutschenreuter and Zack Clayton were fourth. Bill Fauntleroy and steady crew Tommy Clough was fifth.

A very special thanks to the Lake Eustis Sailing Club for their warm hospitality. As always, their passion for sailing and organizing outstanding events is second-to-none.

DAY 1

A simple statement made by a great sailor, Buddy Melges. In both of the Melges 17 races today this proved to be the case as the boat that won the start went on to win that race.

The fleet lined up for race number two of the series on Saturday morning. Winds were light and shifty but certainly sailable. Mary Anne Ward sailing USA - 181 lined up on the pin end, had the start of the fleet and went on to win big this race. The key? "The key for us was the start, we nailed the pin end with speed, sailed for about 100 yards and tacked to port. There was no looking back after that", said Ward. A tight battle took place for 2nd. David Moring racing Martin Zonnenberg's Melges 17 USA-105 fought with Iggy Labanauskus. In the end Iggy won the battle and finished 2nd, Moring third.

A break for lunch and then right back out for the next heat. There was some real heat too. Sun, 80 degrees, a beautiful Florida day. If you ever considered coming to this regatta this type of day would convince you to be in Florida racing sailboats - beautiful day!

The pin end was good in the third race of the series as well. Iggy Labanauskus and Blaine Unicume each had great starts. Labanauskus tacked out first though and that proved to be better midway up the beat as there was a 15 degree right shift. Labanauskus rounded the windward mark first, Joe Kutchenreuter was 2nd and Mary Anne Ward was third. The breeze went flat on the run though so there was a big turn of events. Labanauskus gybed as did Bill Fauntleroy. This looked dreadful but as time went on it proved to be a hit. As these two boats rounded the bottom mark in 1,2 fashion. Larry Brand snuck in at third.
The top two boats extended and went on to have a 1,2 finish. Brand fell back to 4th in the race as Mary Anne Ward fought back to a 3rd.

Two really great races with more to come on Sunday. This final day will determine this years Melges 17 Midwinter Champion.

After Three Races
1. Iggy Labanauskus 4 pts
2. Mary Anne Ward 6 pts
3. Bill Fauntleroy 15 pts
Many close after this.....Brian McMurray, Bill Wiggins, Joe Kutchenreuter, Blaine Unicume

For more information about the Midwinters or Melges 17 sails, contact the North Melges 17 experts.

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• 
  2007 Melges 17 Zenda University
  

Melges 17 Zenda University Day - All Graduated!

Report by Andy Burdick

The Melges Scow season has officially started. Lake Eustis Sailing Club, in Eustis, Florida opened their doors for the Melges 17 and C scow Midwinter Championships. To start the season off right though there had to be some instruction! We all want to sail our Melges Boats to their maximum.

A Zenda University Race Clinic started at noon on Thursday just so the fleets were race ready for the championship sailing which begins on Friday. Sunshine, moderate breeze and 80 degrees allowed the snow birds to thaw out a little and begin to enjoy some great racing.

It was a large turnout with the majority of the fleet participating. Starts, practice races, sets, takedowns and an on shore demonstrations highlighted the day. The Midwinter Regatta begins on Friday with a big turnout expected. This is the Melges 17's second Midwinter Regatta in its short history and already we could see as many as 20 boats racing.

Every team learned something to take to the championship racing. All graduated!

For more information on our Melges 17 clinics or sails, contact our experts.

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MELGES 17 CRYSTAL LAKE REGATTA

Report by by Sam Rogers

Sunny skies and warm weather greeted 12 M17 teams to Crystal Lake Yacht Club. Most of the fleet arrived early Friday to work out some kinks and get their boats up to speed. During the Friday practice sessions, there was a 10-15 Northwest breeze which made for some exciting rides downwind. Thanks to regatta chairman, Bob Wynkoop, and local restaurant owner, Steve Christianson, for organizing beverages and brats afterwards.

Saturday the fleet set sail in a steady 12-18 Southwest wind. Two W2s were sailed before lunch, in which Kirk and Ian Donaldson jumped out to an early lead. Following the Donaldsons were Brian McMurray and his wife Deb, Art Brereton and Spencer Powell, and Larry Brand sailing with his son Keith. In the heavy breeze it was apparent that Kirk and Ian had practiced a lot. In several tight mark roundings they were able to fly their spinnaker longer than most and make huge gains. With very little practice, if any, Tom Munroe sailing with his son Tom Jr. (12 yrs.) had an awesome race 2! It was great to see Tom Jr. at the helm in breezy conditions. Nice Job Tom Jr.!! Tom Jr. decided to end on a good one and gave the helm to his brother Reid Sunday who also did great in the windy conditions! Watch out for the Munroe brothers in years to come!

Sunday morning the sailors awoke to drizzling rain and very little wind. Just when it seemed the fleet was going to pack it up in the rain, the rain subsided and a steady North wind filled. Over the next hour the breeze built to a steady 10-15. The Donaldson Team won race 3 extending their lead to 2pts. over McMurray. In order for McMurray to win the regatta he needed to put just one boat between himself and the Donaldsons. During the pre-start in Race 4, McMurray put some Match Racing moves on the Donaldson team that seemed to work. McMurray jumped out to an early lead with Donaldsons following several boats behind. The race ended with McMurray taking first and Donaldson's third. The regatta was decided on a tie breaker, with McMurray taking the win!! Way to go Brian!!

Trophies were awarded to the Top 4.
1) Brian and Deb McMurray
2) Kirk and Ian Donaldson
3) Mary Anne Ward and Jamie Kimball
4) Larry and Keith Brand

Special thanks to our regatta chairman Bob Wynkoop and the Crystal Lake Yacht Club for being such generous hosts! Saturday night Bob hosted a great party at his home on Crystal Lake. Thanks again Bob!

 
MELGES 17 SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP
NEW CHAMPIONS DECLARED!

Report by by Andy Burdick

Iggy and Andy Labanauskus racing USA-151 to a final race victory! Pure Speed and Real Fun on the Melges 17!

The rain was gone and the surf was up! Three races were completed and we have new winners in the Melges 17 class! We have had four major championships now for the Melges 17 Class. Each event has declared a new winner.

In 2005 the Nationals were won by Art Brereton. 2006 Midwinters: Brian McMurray. 2006 Easter Regatta Champions: Kirk and Ian Donaldson.

The 2006 Melges 17 Spring Regatta Champions are: Iggy and Andy Labanauskus. Congratulations to this new dynamic duo. They had to conquer all of the above mentioned names in order to win this title and they did it in incredible fashion. It came down to the last race and the last run!

Three boats were tied going into the last heat. Brereton, Donaldson and Bill Wiggins all were tied. Labanauskus was a point back but battled to pass most of these sailors in the final race to win the regatta. Sailing with a brand new boat that was definitely tuned up and out of the box fast!

Race Winners on the final day were as follows:
Race One: Art Brereton
Race Two: Jeff Lewis - a new Melges 17 racer from Ashland, WI. He and his son won the second race in fashion. The picked up their new M17 name Hot Sauce in Zenda on Friday and were winners on Sunday - not bad!!
Race Three: Iggy Labanauskus

The Lake Geneva hosted a fantastic regatta squeaking in three races Sunday. Mike Sherin was our PRO and Bob Winter did the scoring. Thank you for all the hard work. The LGYC is gearing up to hold the 2006 Melges 17 National Championship - certainly, this will be a historic event. One would think that we will get well over 30 boats for this event!

Stay tuned to melges17.com, melges.com and onedesign.com for Melges 17 news alerts!

DAY 1:

Melges 17 Spring Championship - Lake Geneva Yacht Club - Going On NOW!

The clubhouse was full energy this morning as 18 Melges 17's were lined up at the dock, ready to race. M17 sailors from all around the country came to visit the Lake Geneva Yacht Club. We have M17 sailors from Florida, South Carolina, Colorado, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois and Maryland. Four races were slated for today with only one problem. No Wind!

As the fleet dialed in their boats, checked tune, mast rake, spinnaker set up, etc. it started to rain. This coupled with the lack of breeze brought the fleet into the warm yacht club for lunch and plenty of card games - no gambling of course! People were abuzz about the Melges 17 and the instant acceptance of this hot, new class. Many local members checked out these new boats and were excited about the new fleets potential. The Melges 17 really has it all. Easy to rig and sail, very exciting, sexy looking, high tech sails and rig set up. The ability to sail with husband and wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, father/son - whatever the combo. The Melges 17 fits so many peoples needs.

Jeff Lewis from Ashland, Wisconsin drove down to Melges and scooped up his new Melges 17 with his son. The two of them are on an adventure that they plan to extend through the summer. "We want to sail together, to experience the sport together. The Melges 17 has all the excitement level that we want in a one-design sailboat". Jeff and his son promptly went down to the club after taking delivery of their new boat. Rigged it, tuned it and are anxiously awaiting their first race.

Racing will begin at 9:30am on Sunday morning. Winds are expected to be 10-20 out of the NNE. Perfect Melges 17 conditions.

Check out melges17.com and melges.com for Melges 17 information. Check this new boat that features a new kind of racing.

For more information about the Midwinters or Melges 17 sails, contact the North Melges 17 experts.

 
MELGES 17 CHARLESTON EASTER REGATTA
Kirk and Ian Donaldson Win 2006 M17 Easter Regatta!

Report by by Andy Burdick

15 APRIL 2006 • After two days of intense racing, the dynamic father and son duo of Kirk and Ian Donaldson (14), from Whitmore Lake in Northern Michigan triumphed over the Melges 17 fleet to win the 2006 Charleston Easter Regatta.

Going into the final day of the event, the husband and wife team of Bill and Angie Wiggins found themselves in first overall, Kevin Ward was second and Donaldson in third. The second day of racing brought on equally glorious conditions as day one - plentiful sunshine and continued heavy air. Wind speeds at the beginning of the one and only race of the day was 19-22 out of the west (expected to shift to the Southwest as the day progressed), a nice even chop across the harbor and the current was a force to be reckoned with. Racing got underway promptly at 11 a.m. The conditions were peak as Donaldson got off the pin end of the line headed left with speed as the rest of the fleet made a solid, clean start.

On the first downwind run three boats separated themselves from the rest. Donaldson, USA-50 came screaming into the leeward mark first. "Sammy was right behind and he was close enough that I could compare what was better, to try to foot or to point," said Donaldson. "We really got the boat dialed in and balanced. So our second beat was our best beat. And, we kept the right angle of heel, good balance on the helm and we just trucked. We just trucked." He was followed closely by Blaine Unicume, with Sam Rogers crewing on USA-146 in second and USA-106 was in third place - all evenly spaced as they headed back upwind to the top mark.

The second downwind run is where things got interesting for the Donaldson team. "Downwind we were totally under control," said Donaldson. And then, an unexpected challenge. He continued, "We sailed really conservatively, nice, easy broad reach. We were planing really solidly. Cranked it up a little bit more. On the jibe I was just too conservative. I turned the boat too slowly. Ian did a great job getting the kite through, and the main didn't pop through. I had the main out too far and it just snapped through. I had to bring the boat up too much, the spinnaker filled and we got dunked." They got the boat back up quickly, but not quick enough. Just when the kite filled, the team of Unicume and Rogers sailed right past. As Donaldson got the boat back upright, both teams raced frantically to the leeward mark.

The two boats headed back upwind to the finish, Donaldson commented, "I thought after our second beat, that I might be able to grind on'em. But, he had us. With Sam being crew, I tried to do a quick double tack, to see if I could break from'em, but Sam was on top of that. So, we said second is good enough, we're gonna easy ride in. At that point we thought there would be more races and didn't want to wear ourselves out. So, we wanted to save our energy and jogged up the third beat. Ian did an awesome job sailing. This was really, really fun."

For the finish, the wind had increased to 23-27 as Unicume came across the finish first, Donaldson came across in second about ten to fifteen boat lengths back.

Afterwards, everyone went back to the docks and packed the gear, loaded the boats then prepared for cocktails at Sonny Meavers beautiful city front residence. Food and drinks were on order as Sonny opened his home to all the Melges 17, MC Scow and E Scow sailors as he has done now for many years. Master of ceremonies, Crayton Walters and Tommy Harken stepped forth and delivered the prizes. In addition to Donaldson taking the overall win, Kevin Ward and Dave Wall took second, Blaine Unicume and Sam Rogers was third and Bill and Angie Wiggins was fourth. A very special thanks to the event organizers, the Carolina Yacht Club, Sonny Meavers and all the racers, some of which traveled great distances to compete.

The next regatta is the Spring Championship at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on May 14-15. Be there! Many of the racers you saw participate this week will be out in full force at the home of the Melges 17 - the Lake Geneva Yacht Club.

Photo: Kirk Donaldson and Ian Donaldson (waving) won the 2006 Melges 17 Charleston Easter Regatta.

Check out photo gallery: http://www.melges17.com/photogallery/charleston/index.aspx

For more information about the Midwinters or Melges 17 sails, contact the North Melges 17 experts.

 
MELGES 17 MIDWINTERS
Brian McMurray wins the 1st ever Melges 17 Midwinters!

Report by by Eric Hood

Back Row (left to right): Cam Heathcote, Bob Heathcote, Ian Donaldson,
Kirk Donaldson, Mary Anne Ward, Sam Rogers, Ken Wruk, Dave Navin.
Front Row (left to right): Deb Campbell, Brian McMurray, Blain Unicume, Eric Hood

The exciting new Melges 17 class held it’s first annual midwinter championship this past week at Lake Eustis, Florida. 15 teams made the trip from Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, Connecticut, Maryland, Missouri, South Carolina and Florida.

Martin Zonnenberg, Richard Kinnie, PRO Dave Williams and a large team from Lake Eustis Sailing Club rolled out the red carpet for the Melges 17 teams this year. Lots of help with unloading boats, loading boats on the Zenda Express 8 boat trailer. Incredible new ½ hull trophies that went six deep for skipper and crew. A special dinner hosted by Martin Zonnenberg.

The sailing was fantastic. Lots of light air practice on Friday. Three light air races on Saturday which was probably good for the northern teams shaking off the snow and ice. Then two really fun and fast medium air races on Sunday. PRO Williams and his teams gave us perfect courses and lengths for the conditions.

The event saw several lead changes and opportunities really for five different teams to win had the races stopped at any point during the last two races. It was tight. We had four different race winners during the series which was great considering we had five races.

Race winners were
Ken Wruk (skipper) and Dave Navin for race 1.
Brian McMurray (skipper) and Deb Campbell for race 2 and 5.
Mary Anne Ward (skipper) and Sam Rogers for 3.
Kirk Donaldson (skipper) and Ian Donaldson for race 4.

Ken Wruk and Dave Navin from Lake Geneva , Wisconsin made a strong comeback on the last beat of the first race to win this race. Less than 40 seconds separated the first five boats.

Brian McMurray and Deb Campbell showed their great speed like they had this year’s national championship and won race 2. This too was a come from behind win.

Mary Anne Ward with Sam Rogers crewing were the fastest boat downwind all weekend and they used that downwind speed to get by Blain Unicume and Eric Hood who led the first half of race 3. They won this race going away with their lead accented by a late but large last beat shift.

Race 4 saw Kirk and Ian Donaldson jump off the line fast in the breeze and they never looked back. They were tough all week. They had one bad race in the beginning that hurt them in the end.

Race 5 decided the event. It could have gone several different ways during race 5 and for that matter race 4. Brian McMurray and Deb Campbell showed why they were the regatta favorites going into this event and put the hammer down to win the race and the event.

Bob and Cam Heathcote actually were creeping up the ladder and came out strong on day 2 with a 2nd in race 4 but then fell to 9th in the last and final race.

Congratulations to Brian and Deb on their engagement. Congratulations also to Bob and now Cam Heathcote plus it was Cam’s birthday yesterday. It was cool seeing some father, son combos there. Kirk and Ian Donaldson sailing together. Mark and Blain Unicume competing against each other. Also, many thanks to all the M17 sailors and Eustis Sailing Club members for assisting Team Melges with the unloading and loading of the massive Zenda Express Regatta trailer.

Here are some results.

McMurray 4-1-3-3-1-=12
Donaldson 8-2-2-1-2= 15
Ward 2-5-1-4-3= 15
Unicume, B. 3-3-5-6-4=21
Heathcote 7-4-4-2-9 = 26
Wruk 1-9-6-5-6=27
Marenakos 9-19-8-8-5= 40
Unicume,M 6-6-7-9-12= 40
Tillema 5-7-9-13-11= 45
Brand 11-8-11-7-8= 45
Wynkoop 12-11-13-10-10=56
Filbreth 13-12-14-DNC-7=62
Fauntleroy 10-15-10-11-dsq=62
Dipasqua, C 14-14-12-12-13= 65
Dipasqua , P DNF-13-DNF-DNS-DNS= 77

So that is a wrap-up on our first Midwinter Championship.

Check out www.lakeeustissailingclub.org . It is a great place to sail in the winter time. Next up the C Scow and MC Scow Midwinter Championships there.

Last, many thanks to Martin, Jeff Annis, Tommy Harken, Lenny Krawcheck for all the kind words given to me and the special awards given to me on my last day racing as a professional. It was very special for such close friends of mine to acknowledge where we have been together and how sailing has changed over the last ten years in the southeast with all of our combined efforts. Thanks guys!!!!!!!

Sam Rogers with 7 Melges 17's heading to Florida for the
1st Annual Melges 17 Midwinter Championship to be held at Lake Eustis Sailing Club.

For more information about the Midwinters or Melges 17 sails, contact the North Melges 17 experts.

 
MELGES 17 INTERVIEW
Art Brereton - 2005 National Champion

Interview by Eric Hood . Photos by Carl Josephson

Congratulations Art on winning the first ever Melges 17 National Championship. It was really exciting to see the 21 boats go through six medium air races. How does it feel the morning after winning this championship and what are some of your first impressions of racing the Melges 17 in fleet racing?

Art: The whole regatta was just a lot of fun. It felt like I was at a 3 or 4 day event. It was great to see some guys who have sailed a lot of great boats for a lot of years get so enthusiastic and excited again. My biggest impression so far is that this is not only a new type of boat, but also a new kind of racing. On one hand its a relatively small and very light weight boat, but an athletic sailing style will only get you so far. First, they are very tactical upwind even though you are going so fast. They look like miniature AC boats when you see the fleet from a distance. You can put the boat almost anywhere you want, which made the prestart of that last race a lot of fun for Brian and I. After a full 3 minutes of typical match racing antics amongst 20 other boats, we thought we had him pinned by the committee boat, but he found a crack between two boats and slid away. Off the wind its more like A Scow racing. If you can link two good puffs together, you can go from the cheap seats to the leaders in 1/2 a leg. You can't count anybody out of the race and it makes you pay attention to the whole fleet. To sum it up, racing these boats is like sitting courtside at a Bulls game: fog machine, strobe lights, t shirts being fired into the crowd, hearing what the coach is yelling at the players, and cheerleaders everywhere. It's almost sensory overload!!!

Consistency was the key to you winning this event. Brian McMurray was so fast winning races 3,4 and 5 but he had burned up his drop race from tipping over in race 2. What were some of the discussions you and your crew Harry Melges had going into that last race knowing you had to push Brian back in the fleet somehow. You still had a drop race left and that would be the only solution. Another question is what were you and Harry discussing when you were so far behind Brian in the first half of the first beat? I mean it looked like curtains for you guys and you just kept chewing away at him downwind , caught and passed him on the first run. Give us your thoughts on race 6 beginning to end.

Art: Well, you would think for an engineer turned trader and a boatbuilder/sailmaker the two of us would be pretty good with numbers, but we spent most of our time just figuring out the points and drops! Thank God it was low point, not Olympic scoring. Harry first crewed for me when he was about 16, so he knows all too well that I have a very limited amount of sailing talent to work with.. We spend more time just cracking each other up than figuring out a game plan. But obviously we knew that we had a throw out to spare and Brian didn't, so just trying to go out and win the race wasn't going to win the regatta. We got under Brian and forced him over in the first start, but it was a general recall. Just before the final start he slipped away from us, did a circle and got a good start by the committee boat and tacked right toward the favored side. I got us going too late and by the time we could break right, Brian and about 6 boats were well out ahead. During the first beat we didn't talk too much about how things didn't seem to be going quite to plan. Both Harry and Hans learned from their dad that you work super hard at what you can control, and forget about what you can't control, and I think that's what makes sailing with them so enjoyable. So we worked the right side where the breeze seemed a bit better and worked our way back to about mid fleet by the top mark. Brian had rounded with the leaders and gybed right away. When we rounded we carried on starboard for maybe a 100 feet and gybed back in a little better pressure. The puff was nothing special but when I saw us going lower and just as fast as Brian I began to think we might actually be able to close on him for the first time downwind. Brian has spent a bit of time in the boat and it really showed off the wind. All weekend he was easy to spot downwind , he was just always going a bit better. When he came back at us we gybed on top of him and began to hurt his wind. On the next puff we got over him, and then he began a gybing duel down most of the bottom 1/3 of that leg. That was the most fun of the whole regatta. You could never have done that with symmetrical spinnakers. We finally worked our way to below and and clear in front of Brian. You just had to be incredibly aggressive and there is just nobody better than Harry in that type of situation. We got to the bottom mark with 3 other boats, and we were able to get room on them but Brian couldn't and had to go behind them. Then he had some bad luck with his spinnaker in the water. While he got his sail back on board, Harry got out the abacus and figured out that if we sat on him from then on we would be okay. Brian is a great competitor and he kept throwing everything at us. We had a great tacking duel upwind, but I still know where he is going to be very tough to cover is down wind. Fortunately we got a little breathing room into the top mark, but off the wind the tacking duel was just as intense as upwind. Harry's ability to gybe the spinnaker so crisply and come out trimmed just right allowed us to hold off Brian's speed advantage. Once we got around the last bottom mark, we just had to stay on top of him and keep out of the weeds.

What are some basic things that you learned about sailing the Melges 17 in fleet racing that you could share with other Melges 17 sailors?

Art: The biggest thing is what you said before the regatta started, that races would be won at the roundings and off the wind. The single most important thing is not just being in the puff, but be lined up for it just right. I saw a lot of boats pass competitors on both side just because they lined up to carried the puff longer and deeper. We all have a lot to figure out as far as the rig goes, but we liked the rig further forward and looser as the weekend progressed. You've got to keep the boat flat when you're spinning the boat, otherwise you can ship water over the transom. When you get a shot downwind you need to really flatten the boat to get it to slid to leeward, doing it with just the rudder keeps it from planing as quickly. (I'm sure that when 17 sailors look back on these comments in the future, the response will be, "yah, well dah!!!!" )

Seemed like the weight range of crews was pretty spread out. What are your thoughts about the range of crew weights? Our winds ranged from 7-15 m.p.h. for the six races and it seemed like some big teams did just fine and the light teams did fine also.

Art: Yes, that is a testament to an excellent design. We had crew weights where the delta was almost 25% of the hull weight. Brian was obviously one of the lightest, but Tom Monroe and Larry Larson are not tiny and they were always with the leaders. Harry and I were in the top half of the weight range, particularly as we had more and more of that fine White Lake Yacht Club ice cream.

Art, you have been sailing a lot of different sprit boats like the Melges 24, the experimental E Scows and now the Melges 17. You had some comments yesterday after race 6 about the big speed changes you experience when shifting gears on the Melges 17. Can you share those thoughts with us?

Art: You are just never out of a race, nor have a big enough lead to be complacent. A ten boat length lead isn't much in these things, and as a result there can be a lot of changing places, which makes it exciting and fun for everyone in the fleet. You can also tack and get them up to speed very quickly, which makes them very tactical. You need to make a lot of decisions very quickly, otherwise the opportunity is gone. The good news is that there are an awful lot of opportunities during the course of one race.

The stage is yours for a year Champ, anything else you would like to share with our friends, fellow Melges 17 sailors and hopefully future Melges 17 sailors?

Art: When I first saw the Melges 17 I immediately thought that this was the future in scow sailing. This design will do for scows what the Melges 24 did for small keelboats. Well, that future is now the present. Everyone at Melges has done a great job rolling this boat out with very few growing pains. Congratulations on great execution of a great idea. The only criticism I think you could possibly get is what took you so long???

Art, from all of us at Team Melges and Team North One Design congratulations. Not only on your outstanding performance this past week at White Lake, Michigan but also for your continued support of the sport of sailing and the way you help other sailors get better with your shared knowledge. Good going Champ!!!!

 
2005 MELGES 17 NATIONALS

Reports by Eric Hood

Art Brereton of Torch Lake Wins 1st Melges 17 U.S. National Championship

Fresh northwest winds for the final two races at the first ever Melges 17 National Championship made for great racing today here on White Lake.

Winds were slightly stronger than yesterday and the Melges 17s kicked it into high gear. The large spectator crowd loved it and the competitors went at it hard. Some great performances today by many of the teams.

Brian McMurray who had entered the day with the "Melges 17 Gold Insignia" on him mainsail for being the leader after day 1 jumped out to a huge lead right from the start of race 1. At one time during this race Brian had a lead almost 1/4 of a mile long. Brian went on to win his third race in a row and looked unstoppable going into the final race 6. Other great performances in race 5 were Mark and Peter Marenakos from Charleston , SC who finished a strong second . Third went to the very consistent Art Brereton. Fourth went to Tom Monroe who made a late charge at the end of this regatta. Fifth went to Bill Fauntleroy of White Lake.

With 5 races on the books it looked like Brian McMurray was going to hold of the hot team of Art Brereton and Harry Melges. The only catch was Brian had already used his drop race back in race 2 when he tipped over and finished 19th. Art was in a position where he had not used a drop yet and in this last race it came into play. So going into race 6 here is what it looked like.

Brian McMurray 2-(19)-1-1-1
Art Brereton 3-1-2-2-(3)
Bill Fauntleroy 1-2-5-(6)-5

After two generals race 6 was under way and the competitors were going at it hard quickly. It looked like Brian was off to a pretty good start with Art quite a bit behind. By the end of the first beat and a lot of patient waiting Art closed the gap up on Brian who had overstood the first mark.

Down the first run the two were going at it hard with Art finally gaining good control and position over Brian by a few boat lengths. More importantly Art got around the bottom mark in about fifth but Brian got caught in a group of 5 boats just behind Art. Brian's only bad takedown of the event in the group going around the first leeward mark of race 6 sealed his fate as the spinnaker got underneath the boat costing Brian several boats and he was to never recover from that mistake. Brian ended up with a 10th in the race and Art had a 9th but the difference was Art had not used a drop yet from his previous consistent sailing. Art Brereton wins our first ever Melges 17 U.S.National Championship.

Other great performances this race came from race winner Dr. Kirk Donaldson who dominated the race from beginning to end. David and Charlie Harrison had their best race of the series finishing second. Kelly Reese had her best race of the series finishing third. Fourth went to Bill Fauntleroy and that sealed third place overall for him. Fifth went to Tom Monroe giving him fourth overall for the series.

All in all a great week at White Lake. 2 practice starts, 4 practice

races, 6 National Championship races with only two general recalls. The boats were fantastic to watch racing for three days.

Many thanks to all the volunteers. Regatta Chairman Larry Brand, PRO Jon Penn, Scoring Bob Milne, Registration Mary Milne, Head Judge Dave Bedeau and a whole host of others. The party on Saturday night was awesome, the food was outstanding. Anytime you can sail at White Lake make sure you do.

Here are the scores:

Tons of pictures , about 750 will be available soon. Ingrid Lindfors was our professional photographer for the event and we can put you in touch with her for purchasing some of her great images from the event. Carl Josephson took another 500 shots from our boat and I have about 70 minutes of great footage.

Stay in touch with Team Zenda to find out more about this great first ever Melges 17 National Championship and hear about all the exciting events of this past week.

Brian McMurray Leads Melges 17 National Championship After 4 Races on Day 1

2005 Melges 17 National Championship
White Lake, Michigan

21 Melges 17 teams were on the line for the first ever Melges 17 U.S. National Championship today. A good northwest breeze of 8-14 m.p.h. for the entire day of racing. PRO Jon Penn and his team gave the group 3 W2&1/2s and 1 W3&1/2 for the four races today.

Some exciting racing for the first ever national championship race with lots of position changes throughout the race. One boat was very consistent throughout the race and that was USA 106 bill Fauntleroy of White Lake, MI. Bill and his crew Andy Burdick led at every mark and went on to win the race. Others who finished up front were Brian McMurray of White Lake, Art Brereton of Torch Lake, MI, with Kirk Donaldson finishing fourth, Mary Anne Ward of Eustis, Fl finishing fifth and Doug McNeil our house host for Team Melges finishing sixth.

The winds picked up for race two and now the boats were flying. In fact the 4.5 mile course only took 40 minutes to sail. Brian McMurray rounded the top mark with Art Brereton and actually had control of the lead about ¼ the way down the first run when they tipped over and went for a swim. Brian and his crew got the boat back up spinnaker and all then continued on in the race. A long ways back now they never quit. Great sportsmanship to continue on even when the chips were down. Art Brereton and Harry Melges took control of this race and never looked back after that winning with a comfortable lead. Bill and Andy had a second in this race followed by the father/son team of Greg and Josh Smith from Wisconsin who just nipped Doug McNeil out at the finish. Kirk Donaldson had another great race with a strong fifth place finish. Regatta chairman Larry Brand had a great race finishing sixth or seventh. He crossed the line right with Tom Monroe.

Race 3 seemed like it was going to get really windy but as the race started it remained the same constant 10-14 mph that it had been just before lunch. Brian McMurray led this race start to finish but not without some teams getting close at times. Art Brereton finished second, Tom Monroe finished third. These three boats stretched out on the group finishing pretty far ahead. The Harrison brothers from Oshkosh, WI. finished fourth. Bill Fauntleroy finished fifth and Mary Anne Ward finished sixth.

Race 4 was another good race with good consistent breeze but now the length of the course was increased to 7 legs or a W3&1/2. Brian McMurray was the boat to beat today as he won another race in the good northwest wind. The huge spectator fleet gave Brian and his crew a lot of cheers and horns after this convincing win. Art Brereton was very consistent and finished second again. Art is a veteran of sprit boat sailing with M24s and E Scow sprit boats to his credit. Tom Monroe only in his second day of M17 sailing really started coming on strong late today finishing third. Mary Anne Ward and Sam Rogers had another great race finishing fourth. The father/son team of Mark and Peter Marenakos had a great race finishing fifth. Bill and Andy finished sixth and the Harrison brothers were seventh.

So after four races and using a drop race you would have local scow ace Brian McMurray and his crew in first place. Being the race leaders after day one they will have the fleet leader’s large Gold circle on their clew tomorrow for being the leaders halfway through the event. Art Brereton will be in second place with Bill Fauntleroy in third place.

Complete results will be posted tomorrow night at the conclusion of the event.

Tonight a great party, slide show by Eric Hood, dancing and fun will be had at the old original clubhouse from 1903. White Lake Yacht Club of Melges 17 fleet number 1 was the perfect spot to host this championship. Great sailing, great fun on and off the water.

Stay Tuned For More Fun!!!!!!!!!!!