UK Class Update
From UK Class Press Officer Justin Chisholm - Members of the UK Melges 24 Class have been active on the international circuit in January with several teams kicking off their campaigns leading up to the June 2008 Worlds in Sardinia.
There were five UK teams on the ACURA Key West Race Week entry list. John Pollard sailing with his wife Kate on board opened the regatta in fine style by being placed 2nd overall after the first three races. John confessed that their first day score could have been even better had they finished correctly in the race they had led from the start. ‘By the time we realised our mistake were down to 7th’ he admitted ruefully. More good results through the rest of the week kept them in contention for an overall podium place. A couple of seconds on the final day raised their hopes even further but unfortunately an uncharacteristic OCS in the other race of the day meant they finished 5th overall.
Miles Quinton has recruited 2007 Laser SB3 European champion Geoff Carveth to act as tactician aboard Mojo. He was looking forward to Key West having missed out on any big air sailing during his other Melges 24 outing in Hyeres last year. After a final day of racing in classic Key West conditions even an SB3 stalwart like Geoff had to confess that nothing can beat the M24s’ downwind performance. Miles and Geoff along with Rob Larke on the helm and ‘Mr Melges’ himself Jim Schwerdt had a good week in Key West clocking up five top ten results to give them a well earned 8th place overall. With the team clearly more stable than in 2007 we can expect great things from Mojo in 2008.
British M24 owner Simon Strauss lives and works in America these days but proudly sails under a GBR number. Simon drove the boat himself and with his American crew put together an impressive scoreline which included a 6,6,5,4 string and earned him 10th place overall.
Key West 08 saw the welcome return to Melges 24 racing of UK sailors Dave Clarke and Tony Wetherell who had last raced together some five years previously. According to Dave it was Tony who instigated their return from retirement. ‘I thought we had given all this up forever. I had bought a motor boat and everything! Then Tony calls up and suddenly we are chartering a boat in Key West.’ Despite his protestations Dave was clearly delighted to be back in the Melges class. Sailing with ex 49er legend Simon Hiscocks as part of the crew they soon remembered what to do and finished the regatta 15th in the 46 boat fleet. That is not the end of the story as the Yorkshire duo have plans for more M24 racing and perhaps even the purchase of their own boat. Watch this space.
The final GBR entrants at Key West 08 were also making a return to the fleet after a couple of years away. Martin Wedge and Neil Fulcher had last sailed Eric in at the 2006 US Nationals in Jacksonville. Neil had been forced out of sailing with a bad knee injury from skiing and Martin had been focusing on his 505 sailing. Whilst they failed to sparkle at Key West it was obvious that they were loving the sailing and glad to be back in the Melges 24.
Other British teams who are readying themselves for the worlds in Italy include Stuart Simpson’s Team Barbarians (who took a short diversion into the Melges 32 fleet in Key West), Simon Dobson’s Comfortably Numb and the two boat campaign from Eamonn O’Nolan and Michele Brachet aboard Wild Thing and High Maintenance.
Back in the UK efforts to reinvogorate the domestic Melges 24 scene have been redoubled. The official UK Class Association Website has been revamped and relaunched and it is hoped that we will be able to announce the venue for the 2008 UK Nationals very shortly. A new fleet seems to be establishing itself in the Newcastle area and we will bring you more news on this in the next newsletter.