New UK Class Web Site & Committee Appointments

The Melges 24 UK Class Association is taking positive action to regenerate interest in Melges 24 sailing in Great Britain and it's first steps have been to relaunch it's web site and appoint an new Secretary, Press Officer and Treasurer.

The new UK web site is now online at WWW.MELGES24.CO.UK and will be regularly updated with news, regatta information, images, etc, so check it out regularly for all the latest about Melges 24 sailing in the UK.

Helen Middleton-Stewart has been appointed as UK Class Secretary. Helen is already a familiar face to many in the UK as one half of an enthusiastic amateur husband and wife Melges 24 team. Having sailed dinghies for the past 20+ years, mainly in a Merlin Rocket, they bought a Melges 24 two years ago after husband James came back from a trial sail saying "we NEED one!".

When Helen moved to Dorset about 10 years ago she started to sail keel boats, starting with Sigma 33 racing at the local club before getting a taste for longer distance racing and eventually becoming part of a crew of one of the GB team boats for the Commodores Cup in 2004. Both James and Helen have competed in the Fastnet race twice and still enjoy the occasional venture offshore.

Asked about their sailing successes Helen tell us "We might not be the most successful Melges 24 team but we have had many enjoyable experiences with the boat. Sailing with a massive fleet and in massive winds at Hyeres in 2006, sailing against 40 foot yachts in the IRC fleet at Poole regatta and with the French fleet last spring in Dinard are but to name a few. This years adventures.....well we have a lot planned!"

You can contact Helen at Email: E-mail MS814096@aol.com, Phone +44 (0)1935 814096 or at The Rockery, Coombe, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 4BX.

The second new appointment is an even more familiar Melges 24 face. Top international Melges 24 crew Justin Chisholm has been appointed as the UK Class Press Officer and is also in charge of redeveloping the web site. As well as crewing on some of the leading Melges 24s, in recent years Justin has also been a regular contributor to the IMCA E-news and M24 magazine and has reported on Melges 24 regattas and other events for other commercial publications and web sites.

In 2007 Justin launched the excellent WWW.OFFSHORERULES.COM international sailing news web site where he not only carries general sailing news, but also provides outstanding "from the race course" reports of all the events he competes in.

You can contact Justin on E-mail justin@justinchisholmsolutions.com or Phone +44 (0)7769 938722.

The final new UK Class appointment is Treasurer Eamonn O'Nolan, whose Unlimited Sailing Team has become a familiar sight on both the UK and International circuit during the past few years. A successful business man and keen sailor Eamonn is a great believer in supporting young, up and coming sailors and has brought many of the UKs top youth sailors and Olympic hopefulls into keelboat sailing for the first time. It was through some of these youngsters that Eamonn was first persuaded to try the Melges 24 but after one sail he was hooked and now he and his partner Michelle own a pair of Melges 24s and are a regular feature on the international circuite with their tallented young crews.

You can contact Eamonn on E-mail eonolan@bend15.com or Phone +44 (0)7770 786419.