Day two of the Coupe de France regatta brought light to moderate 12-15 knot winds from the north-east, and eventually glorious sunshine bringing out that legendary Mediterranean blue of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez much to the delight of the 39 crews taking part in the regatta.
The breeze was up for this first day of the Coupe de France regatta hosted by the Yacht Club de France. Out on the gulf of Saint-Tropez the 39 crews engaged in the 53rd edition of this historical trophy found a good wind of 15 to 20 nodes from the north-eastern with a short chop.
Hot news from Zenda - the one and only Buddy Melges is back in the Melges 24 fleet! He is officially signed up for the Melges 24 Spring Championship in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin USA on May 10-11. He will be sporting a brand new Melges 24 at the event.
In association with Finnlines and with a little bit of help from Jim Schwerdt we have been able to negotiate a very special half price deal for Melges 24 teams who would like to ship their boats up to Helsinki from either Felixstowe or Zeebrugge.
Those of you planning to compete at the SNIM Regatta in Marseille over Easter who haven't yet entered need to do so urgently. The closing date for entries is 31 March. It is also important to book your accommodation asap so view the accommodation list.
Racing for the Melges 24 Class got off to a great start on day one at the SNIM with three fantastic races in light to moderate breeze and glorious sunshine on the Mediterranean waters off Marseille.
This weekend saw US West Coast Melges 24 teams sailing in the 2003 San Diego NOOD. Although the entry was down this year (largely due to the clash with the Nationals) those who competed experienced some fantastic racing in the broadest range of conditions.
The final day of racing at the US Nationals was an absolute corker with clear skies, sunshine and 72 degrees. Winds were 10-12 knots from 180-190 degrees. Three races were completed to make the regatta total - nine races, with one throw out.
Production of the new Devoti Melges 24 is now fully up and running at Devoti Sailing's facility in Poland with the first completed boats expected to be finished within a couple of weeks. View a picture gallery of images from the factory showing the first boats in build.
North Sails Race Week, held from Long Beach CA between 27-29 June is the first US West Coast event in this year's World Ranking Series. There are 7 races over 3 days of races (Friday's races starts at 2:30).
