March 05, 2021 – Charleston, SC, USA

Dear Melges 24 Sailors,

I have an update on our World Championship scheduled for April 2021.  In sum, we have reached the point where we can no longer designate the event a World Championship due to the closing this week of the US borders to international sailors.  In its place, we have decided to hold a world class event;  it will be called the Melges 24 Gold Cup.  Will you still come and test your skills against some of the best in the class?  A revised notice of race will be forthcoming.  While you now have the general idea of what is happening, I hope you will read the rest.

We have had to make decisions along the way to proceed with the championship in spite of the global pandemic.  I have said from the beginning that international sailors need to be able to reach the US for us to be able to host a world championship.

Even back in January and as recently as last week, it was possible for some (not all) sailors to be able to attend and obtain permission to travel to the US.  I wanted the event to happen for the sailors who want to sail and for the benefit of the class.  We want you all to be happy, healthy Melges 24 sailors – engaged and provided with opportunities to race one of the best boats on the planet.

Just this week, we encountered insurmountable odds for the hosting and designation of an event that could be called a World Championship.  And, the timing is terrible as people have already committed funds to attend including housing, travel, etc.  There are restrictions in other countries: Canadians face a strict 2-week quarantine upon return IF they can get here; Australians basically cannot leave and the UK now has a strict no international travel policy through May 17.  On March 2nd, the US government specifically issued a further travel restriction to the US for the Shengen countries which comprises most of Europe. There are now no visa exemptions for sports people as existed earlier in the year.

The local organizing committee led by Randy Draftz has agreed to go forward and host a Gold Cup event following Charleston Race Week which will be highly competitive and worthy of your attendance.

Before concluding, I’d like to thank all of those who committed to participating in the Worlds and those international sailors who have been working hard to obtain permission to come to the US.

I would like to thank Randy Draftz for his unwavering support of the Melges 24.  I would like to thank the US class members and their leaders for supporting our efforts by, among other things, lining up boats for charter and encouraging members to attend.  And, I’d like to thank the staff supporters of the IM24CA for their focus and support.

Finally, I am grateful and appreciative of the volunteer international Executive Committee for their commitment and passion for this class; we have spent many hours discussing the best course of action for our sailors and weathering the ups and downs of our global situation.

In the coming weeks, we will present a plan for the next World Championship and beyond.

We have a great boat to sail and an even better group of sailors!

My best to you for your health, safety, and fast sailing,

Laura Grondin
IM24CA Chair

Registration is officially open for the 2021 World Championship happening in Charleston, S.C. on April 10-17, 2021. Don’t wait another second.

Notice of Race and Registration in YachtScoring

The U.S. Melges 24 Class is currently seeking any used boats that are available for charter or for sale, for the forthcoming 2021 Melges 24 World Championship and beyond. For a limited time, you can advertise your boat as available for charter, or used boat for sale online at the Class website FREE OF CHARGE. Click here to let us know your boat is available by completing the classified ad form.

Are you looking to charter a boat? We want to know that too! Reach out and let us know by sending an email to the USM24CA Admin (communications@usmelges24.com) as soon as possible.

May 22, 2020 – The World Council of the International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA), which consists of the National Class Association chairs and the IM24CA Executive Committee, voted to move the schedule of the title events out one year.  This means that the 2020 World and European Championships that would have been held in 2020 will now be held in the same venues in 2021.  The schedule for 2021 will move to 2022 and so on.

The decision to postpone the schedule was taken following several discussions between the local events organising committees, with the final approval from postponement taken after the voting of IM24CA World Council earlier this week. The reason for the postponement is the Corona virus outbreak and all the uncertainties it introduced.

The class deeply regrets this situation with addressing the message of Laura Grondin, the Chair of the International Melges 24 Class Association.

“I know that you will not be surprised, but that you will be disappointed.  Me, too!  Weeks ago, after cancelling the Worlds in Charleston, we aspired to hold a World Championship this year in Miami.   We have no control over the virus or our governments’ decisions as to how to deal with it.  This uncertainty leaves us without much choice, but to postpone these big events.  I do sincerely hope that we will be able to race the Bacardi series this coming winter in the warm waters of Miami.

I’d like to thank Randy Draftz for his willingness to pull together Melges 24 Worlds in Charleston in 2021 after all his hard work and stress over planning and then unwinding 2020.  Melges 24 Worlds 2021 will be a week or two following the 2021 Charleston Race Week scheduled to be held on April 4-11.  Let’s make 2021 Melges 24 Worlds a great event – plan to attend, become a sponsor! 

Melges 24 Europeans 2021 are intended to be held in Portoroz, Slovenia also in the same timeframe, in the first half of September. We will publish dates as soon as we can.

I said it before, but it bears repeating.  Our class is strong and vibrant as we share a passion for our sport and a love of the Melges 24.  Let’s show that spirit by sharing our fun this summer.  You can post on Facebook and Instagram and we can share it and post on the website:  let’s hear who won that Wednesday night race, let’s post some photos of M24s racing or the blooper of the day, if you have the courage to share it.  The strength of the class is not just about how many boats show up at a championship, but also about how many people are out there racing, practicing and striving to get better.

What I have enjoyed most about my experience with the class has been learning more about myself and my team and having the opportunity to get to know the other awesome members of the class.  What have you enjoyed?  What motivates you to race this boat?  Share it.

Thank you to North Sails, Quantum Sails and Mauro Melandri, Director of Zerogradinord for stepping up and offering webinars for the Melges 24 class.  Thank you also to the sailors who have participated in the webinars and who have kept our class vibrant by posting on Facebook and Instagram.  I especially liked Miles Quinton’s post…

My best wishes to all of you for fast sailing and good health.”

With respect to other major Melges 24 Class events that remain on the schedule for 2020, the IM24CA Executive Committee remains in discussions with the local national classes and Organizing Authorities and expects to make decisions no less than 30 days prior to the scheduled date for the events and will provide updates as needed.

In the meantime, IM24CA wishes all Melges 24 sailors and their families the best in these difficult times. We look forward to be back sailing as soon as we can.

Dear Melges 24 sailors,

The International Melges 24 Class Association is hoping that we will be able to host a World Championship in Miami, Florida in late 2020.  

Obviously, our ability to make that happen is contingent upon how the worldwide COVID-19 crisis evolves.  At this point, we simply want to convey our aspiration.  We plan to be back in touch in about a month with more details so that teams can begin to plan.

Every single M24 sailor has been impacted by the global pandemic;  some circumstances are much more extreme and severe than others.  

I hope that our next shared experience will be planing through the warm waters under bright sunshine off the coast of Miami.

My best wishes for the safety and health of you, your family and your friends.

Laura Grondin 
Chair 
International Melges 24 Class Association 

E-mail

Enjoy the videos of the 2016 Melges 24 Worlds in Miami by Zerogradinord

Photos of the 2016 Melges 24 Worlds by © Pierrick Contin 

March 30, 2020

Dear Melges 24 sailors,

In light of the current global situation and feedback from local officials, the Executive Committee of the IM24CA along with Randy Draftz, our event organizer; and in consultation with Megan Ratliff, Chair of the US Melges 24 Class, reached the difficult decision today to cancel the World Championship scheduled for the beginning of May.  

This was not a decision we came to lightly and we know that many of you, myself included, will be disappointed.  But our first responsibility is to the health and well-being of our sailors, our staff and the community at large.

We are all in uncharted waters.  We have not even experienced yet, here in the US, the quarantines and shutdowns that our European friends are living.  

What I do know is that sailors are hardy and resilient, not afraid to get wet and unwilling to back down from a challenge.  This is why I know that our class will emerge as a strong and vibrant organization because we share a passion for our sport and a love of our boats.

I give my sincerest thanks to Randy for his dauntless spirit and energy towards producing a world class event and through this incredibly unreal week.   We are already working on our future plans and will share news as soon as we can.

If I can be of help to you, please let me know.  

We do plan to issue refunds for Worlds’ registrations.  

Please do take care of your family and yourselves through this challenging, unprecedented time in modern history.

My best to all of you.

Laura Grondin 
Chair 
International Melges 24 Class Association 

E-mail 

March 16, 2020