2021 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship Ready to Rumble

September 15, 2021 - Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, USA - The start of the 2021 U.S. Melges 24 National Championship is only a day away, September 16-19 hosted by the Crescent Sail Yacht Club in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Teams are steadily arriving on the scene, practicing, tuning, getting everything ready in anticipation of challenging racing conditions and fierce competition. 

At the top of the list of notable front runners is seven-time National Champion Brian Porter on Full Throttle going for what could be a record-setting eighth title. Current 2021 National Ranking Series leader and former U.S. National Champion (2016) Bora Gulari at the helm of New England Ropes has the efforts of 2016 World Champions Stu McNay and David Hughes onboard. International Melges 24 Class Chairwoman Laura Grondin racing Dark Energy, Bruce Ayres’ Monsoon, and Gold Cup Regatta winner Harry Melges IV sailing Zenda Express are on the radar and worthy of the win.

Deep cut contenders include Mike Dow on Flying Toaster (a Midwest favorite and recently crowned Grand Traverse Invite Champion), 2019 Canadian National/Corinthian Champion Roger Counihan sailing Jaws and KC Shannon’s Shaka (2017 Corinthian U.S. National Champion).

The U.S. Melges 24 Class is thrilled to welcome three boats from Canada this weekend — Dan Berezin’s Surprise, Jim Pearson’s Slippery, and Mike Gozzard at the helm of Rush. Managing this has been anything but easy due to Covid restrictions, but the Class is extremely grateful for their participation and is proud to have them on the starting line.

As always the Class is ecstatic about welcoming new faces to the fleet and this year is no exception. Welcome to the jungle Eric Vigrass, Orrin Keller and Sam Nedeau. You are going to have the time of your life!

As many as 13 teams have completed the rigorous process of applying for Sailor IDs and gaining/renewing sailor classification. As hotly contested as the overalls, the Corinthian Division symbolizes deep, grass roots fun and the competitive spirit of the Melges 24. This year, the all-amatuer teams are stacked and it will definitely be exciting to see who comes out on top.

The U.S. Nationals is No. 8 on a calendar of 10 scheduled National Ranking Series events. Gulari is currently ranked first overall followed by Grondin. Travis Weisleder’s Lucky Dog, Scot Zimmerman’s Bad Idea and Ayres round out the top five respectively. View Full Results (Preliminary, After 7 Events)

Nationals also marks the penultimate event of the 2021 Quantum Melges 24 Great Lakes Cup. Dow leads the 4-part series followed by Fred Rozelle’s Rustler in second, Zimmerman is third, and Tom Roop’s JOMO is currently fifth. The final Great Lakes Cup event takes place in early October on Lake Geneva (home of the Melges 24) in Fontana, Wisc. View Full Results (Preliminary, After 2 Events)

The U.S. Class is getting excited about the 2022 annual racing calendar. A ton of events are on the schedule that will effectively guide teams through the upcoming Winter season and beyond — the ACC/GCC/Bushwacker Cup (November), Bacardi Series (December/January), Key West (January), St. Petersburg (February), back to Miami for the Bacardi Cup Invitational (March), Charleston Race Week (April/May), all leading up to the next World Championship hosted by the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on May 9-15, and that is just the beginning.

2022 National Championship Goes to Pensacola, November 10-13

2022 will see the return of robust West Coast and Midwest local racing events culminating at the next National Championship happening on November 10-13, hosted by the Pensacola Yacht Club. The U.S. Melges 24 Class is proud to make this announcement ahead of the 2021 Nationals as Pensacola has proven many times over it's perfect if you are looking for an unlimited supply of Bushwackers, good times, world-class competition and phenomenal race management.

2021 U.S. Melges 24 National Championship Website
2021 Nationals Entry List
2021 Nationals Notice of Race

2021 U.S. Melges 24 National Ranking Series Results
(PRELIMINARY - After 7 of 10 Events)
2021 Quantum Melges 24 Great Lakes Cup Results
(PRELIMINARY - After 2 of 4 Events)

U.S. Melges 24 on Facebook
U.S. Melges 24 on Instagram
U.S. Melges 24 on Twitter
U.S. Melges 24 on YouTube

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ABOUT THE MELGES 24

The Melges 24 is best known for its competitive disposition, yet fun and easy-to-sail personality. Since its inception, to this very day, it remains the leader in high-performance, one design sailing. Melges Performance Sailboats joined forces with Reichel/Pugh to deliver the ground-breaking Melges 24 in 1993. They pioneered the next frontier of competitive yacht racing by integrating high-tech materials and concepts used in the America’s Cup into a sportboat that was fun, affordable, easy to rig, set-up and tow. Named Boat of the Year in 1994 by Sailing World Magazine, it raised the bar and set the standard in the performance keelboat category. For delivery and purchasing a new Melges 24, visit melges.com.

ABOUT THE U.S. MELGES 24 NATIONAL RANKING SERIES

Organized and managed by the U.S. Melges 24 Class Association (USM24CA), the National Ranking Series (USM24NRS) features a total of ten high-profile, world-class events happening across the U.S. Specifically, the Series is designed to promote participation across all six districts that make up the U.S. Melges 24 Class. To learn more about the USM24NRS, visit the Official U.S. Melges 24 National Ranking Series Website for a full list of events, results and news. The USM24CA is a recognized national class authority of the International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA), melges24.com.

For media photos (web and/or high resolution) or specific information about the U.S. Melges 24 Class please contact:

Joy Dunigan
U.S. Melges 24 Class Association Press Officer 
Mobile: +1 (912) 398-5776