This past weekend October 6 & 7, 2012 was the Sound Boatworks Melges 24 Northeast Championship Regatta, presented by Goslings Rum.  An impressive 15 boats came out to race all from the North East.  Adam Burns and team on Presto took top honors while Tom Lee and Chris Field took the other 2 podium finishes.  Conditions were nothing short of epic on Saturday with steep swells and a solid 15-18kts, while Sunday was not as perfect, Duck Island certainly made up for it with an awesome awards ceremony and great hospitality.

This event has seen such rapid growth over the past 4 years, it’s great to see events in the North East getting some traction.  Youngstown levels this summer also saw a similar entry list, so these events are definitely ones to keep on the radar.

A huge thanks going out again to the Duck Island Yacht Club, Todd McKenzie, North East Gov. Peter Cucci, and all who helps make this event a perfect one this year.

47 Boats at Charleston Race Week 2011, 38 Boats at Nationals in Lake Geneva, and currently nearly 20 boats at Miami Bacardi registered with still 2 months out.  You guessed it, the Melges 24 class is back, and this is the fleet to be in.

10 Years ago we saw 80+ bows on the line at KW, those days are long gone.  10 years ago, the Melges 20 and the Melges 32 were not even a thought or even a design in the works.  The 24 class had all those sailors.  Now we have to share our pros, owners, crew, ect with the 3 other Melges sport boats.    Now that the 32 and 20 bubble has inflated and settled off, it finally seems the 24 has a good place in between these two great classes, without being strangled to death.

The proof is in the pudding folks.  The numbers at our regattas are climbing each year for Melges 24′s steadily.  Between being able to sail your 24 in huge breeze and waves while the 20′s are benched, or if your a super pro you don’t need to own the boat to drive a regatta, which gives us all the opportunity to truly sail against the Kobe Bryant’s of our sport. This is the premier sport boat to be sailing in.

Bummed you have to hike?  Well man up, the Melges 24 class is here to stay and stronger then ever. The Melges 24 class is booming huge in europe with 83 teams assembling for last years volvo cup, this will ultimately trend back to the United States.

Wow what a nationals!  If you didn’t hear this was the 3rd largest US Nationals for Melges 24′s ever.  This is great news for the class, overall things are looking really good for melges 24′s future right now.   40+ boats at Charleston Race week, 40+ here at nationals, who knows what we will see in the next year or so.

A huge congratualtions needs to go out to Peter Cucci, Eric Doyle, Rossi Milev and Phil Wehrheim on the helm.   These guys were the only boat that  traveled out there from the North East and finished 7th overall, plus they took a huge bullet the last race.  Great job guys.  Check out all the results here:

http://documents.clubexpress.com/documents.ashx?key=riB8hNmq7Wx3kB2Z%2bI4BkWBGJuBfAjcNyaxcUKiip7S6g7Bw3877mA%3d%3d

The 2011 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship happens September 30 – October 1, hosted by the Lake Geneva Yacht Club. Already, 40 spectacular teams have committed to competing! Tell your friends and round up your best racing buds – it’s time to go racing on fabulous Lake Geneva!

Notice of Race (NOR) Amendment No. 1 has been posted announcing the entry fees. All teams that have registered thus far are encouraged to return to the Official Event Website at enter the Owner’s Corner to complete the registration process – i.e. pay the entry fee. You do not need to re-register. Log in with your e-mail address and password and the very next page will prompt you to pay your entry fee. DO THIS SOONER RATHER THAN LATER please.

More great news is forthcoming regarding the social schedule and full details of how the U.S. Fleet will show Lake Geneva how to rock it Melges 24 style! Melges promises a jam-up Melges Rocks party. It will be the perfect setting for a great party and awesome racing. Stay close.

In the meantime, call your friends and help us push the participation to an all-time high in Lake Geneva!

REGISTER ONLINE
DOWNLOAD A NOTICE OF RACE (NOR)
DOWNLOAD NOR AMENDMENT NO. 1

This coming weekend will be the largest regatta New England has seen in a few years.  While the New England Melges 24 Circut has been growing slowly, our furthest northern spectrum is booming and it’s all about to go down at the Youngstown levels this weekend, July 23rd.  Look out for some really good racing between some of the best teams in the circuit. Keep in tune to nemelges24.com for the weekend update.   The current entry list can be found here:

http://www.yachtscoring.com/current_event_entries.cfm?eID=450

Results and other documents can be found here:

http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=450

Good luck to all teams racing!

Just a little Congratulations going out to Adam and Lori burns for taking 1st at Annapolis Nood Regatta.  New England has 2 North American Ranking events coming up in June and July.  Bacardi Newport on June 23rd -26 and Youngstown Levels on July 23-24.  Both are going to be stellar events.  If your planning on making it to these regattas, please take a moment and register and get your name on the entry list.  It always helps people on the fence to know there is a good fleet coming.  Also hotels in newport book fast, so the earlier your book the better for Bacardi.

Make sure you check the schedule as a new event was just added at Cedar Point YC in Westport, CT.

Stay tuned to http://nemelges24.com for updates and new events.

Hope everyone is doing well, see ya out there.

Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT is hosting their annual One Design Regatta this June.  Melges 24′s have been invited again this year and would be a perfect stop up north to get tuned up for Bacardi in Newport and The Youngstown Levels Regatta in NY.   More information about the regatta can be found here.

Happy New Year to all.

Just wanted to let you know all know the registration for the 2011 Youngstown Level Regatta on July 23rd – 24th is now open however you do not need to pay at this time. Last year, our first year for the Melges 24 Fleet we had 10 boats on the line and over two days completed 8 races and teams were on the road driving back to their respective homes by 2pm on Sunday.

In addition, last year we also gave the teams the option, which we will this year, to haul out after Saturday’s racing.

Yacht Scoring Link:
http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm

Yacht Club Link:
http://www.yyc.org/levelregatta/level_home.html

A few ideas for accommodations that are near our Yacht Club:

Barton Hill Hotel in Lewiston NY that is the closest but a few $$$

Hampton Inn Niagara Falls
www.hamptoninn.com - (716) 285-6666 - 133 reviews

Red Coach Inn
www.redcoach.com - (716) 282-1459 - 142 reviews

Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel
www.senecaniagaracasino.com - (877) 873-6322 - 209 reviews

Days Inn at the Falls
www.daysinnatthefalls.com - (716) 284-8801 - 215 reviews

Crowne Plaza Hotel Niagara Falls
www.crowneplaza.com - (716) 285-3361 - 497 reviews

Comfort Inn The Pointe
www.comfortinn.com - (716) 284-6835 - 116 reviews

Quality Hotel & Suites At The Falls
www.qualityniagarafalls.com - (877) 282-1212 - 142 reviews

If there is anything I can assist with, or if you have further questions please let me know.

Feel free to forward this information on..

The organizing committee of BACARDI MIAMI SAILING WEEK has announced the creation of BACARDI Newport Sailing Week, which will be held in Newport, R.I., from June 23-26, 2011. The event will be presented by EFG Bank with Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. reconfirmed as the title sponsor.   More to come as details become available.

Really cool Melges 24 calendars from Sail22.   Here’s what Sail22 has to say about them.

“The 2011 Sail22 Melges 24 & Melges 32 Calendars are here! Need a calendar for 2011? Check out the Sail22 Melges 24 Calendar and the Sail22 Melges 32 Calendar today. Great for crew gifts! Price is $35 plus shipping, with a team discount of 10% to orders of 4 or more. I need 20 confirmed pre-orders of each calendar to print them, so please contact me at Becky@Sail22.com if you are interested. All pre-orders must be received by December 23, 2010.”