2016 Melges 24 World Championship - 111 teams ready for action

by Melges 24 on 11 Feb 2016 2016 Melges 24 World Championship - Amazing interest being shown already for the 2016 Melges 24 World Championship in Miami boasting a beautiful three-digit number - 111 - on the entry list with more than nine months left before the event. The Melges 24 World Championship 2016 will be organised by the Miami Yacht Club in co-operation with US Melges 24 Class and the International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA) and will be held from November 26th to December 3rd.

Since announcing the venue of the 2016 Melges 24 Worlds in March 2015 the news has created huge amount of positive feedback. Miami is a very attractive spot for sailing - every sailor dreams to sail there. It has a unique geographic location having easy access to Biscayne Bay as well the Atlantic Ocean. This location draws domestic and international sailors for winter training in both the smoother waters of the bay and the more challenging ocean conditions.

True worldwide reach with more than 500 sailors representing 18 nations from all five continents where the Melges 24 class is active - Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South-America. The numbers speak from themselves - 20 boats were registered during the 2015 Melges 24 Worlds in Denmark even before Chris Rast hoisted the Championship Trophy above his head. The top six teams of the 2015 Melges 24 World Championship will be there including reigning overall and Corinthian world champions - Swiss Chris Rast and Estonian Tõnu Tõniste respectively. Of those 111 teams entered four are youth teams (under 19) and one all female team. These are two groups expected to grow in participation numbers and the organizers will respond accordingly with specialized trophies and promotional campaigns to help boost attendance.

'Racing in Miami is a dream,' says Jens Wathne, Chairman of IM24CA. 'Racing there for the world championship in 2016 will be great. Already 111 boats registered for what is going to be a great event. This is kick-starting the biggest fleet of the Melges 24 class, namely the homeland of U.S.A. I hope to see more Corinthian and pro teams registering for this event. Please let either the US class association or IM24CA know if there is something we can do to make sure that you are on the start line. See you on the water in Miami!'

To encourage the older boat owners to participate the event organizers launched a truly unique promotional campaign 'Pimp My Ride' which is sponsored by many of the industry big shots and will completely transform an older boat into an updated and competitive racer. The lucky winner of the campaign - Owen Carolan USA441 - was announced during the awards program at Quantum Key West Race Week, when IM24CA Chairman Jens Wathne drew the winning number. Pimp My Ride campaign is sponsored by Quantum Racing, Melges USA, Harken, Velocitek, Raptor, Line Honors, Musto, GT3 Creative, Evolution Sailing, Torreson Marine, George Peet Sailing, Hutchinson Sports, New England Ropes, Sailing Anarchy and Penalty Box Productions.

'Right now we have 111 teams, the record will be 130,' said Petey Crawford, the Regatta Chairman of the 2016 Melges 24 Miami Worlds. 'That's our goal, and I am not taking my foot off the pedal. We're going to keep pushing real hard to ensure that this is the biggest and best Melges24 World Championship ever held. I'm setting the bar pretty high for the next guy, that's for sure, and that's the point. And I hope that they do beat this record and prove to the rest of the sailing world that the Melges 24 class is simply the best sportboat out there. I'm stoked to be part of it.'

The online entry, the Notice of Race and other information about the venue are available at event Website.

Event dates:

• Saturday 26th to Monday 28th November: Measurement and registration
• Monday 28th November: Practice race and the Opening Ceremony
• Tuesday 29th to Saturday 3rd December: 2016 Melges 24 World Championship - racing

Preliminary Scratch Sheet
			Bow	Sail Number	Yacht Name	Owner/Skipper	Yacht Club	Home Port	Yacht Type	Length	Rating
Racing Area: World Championship
	Division: One Design
			Melges 24
		1.		USA 675	12 Happy Thoughts	Dave Brede	CYC	Seattle, WA, USA	Melges 24	24
		2.		CAN 723	723	Uri Saks	National Yacht Club	Markham, Ont, CAN	Melges 24	24
		3.		AUS 812	ACCRU	G. Nixon / K. Nixon	CYCA	Randwick, NSW, AUS	Melges 24	24
		4.		USA 820	Air Force 1	Bora Gulari	Bayview Yacht Club	Detroit, MI, USA	Melges 24	24
		5.		JPN 304	ALEX	Taro Fukumuro	Seabonia	Eastchester, NY, USA	Melges 24	24
		6.		ITA 735	Altea	Andrea Racchelli	AVCO	Verbania, VB, ITA	Melges 24	24
		7.		NOR 757	American Lady	Kristian Notto	Royal Norwegian Yacht Club	Oslo, NOR	Melges 24	24
		8.		USA 419	Apex	Kent Picknell	DCSC	Crestwood, KY, USA	Melges 24	24
		9.		ITA 840	Audi Tron	Riccardo Simoneschi	YCI	Milano, ITA	Melges 24	24
		10.		USA	Bad Larry Racing	Mac McKenzie	Carolina Yacht Club	Charleston, South Carolina, USA	Melges24	24
		11.		NOR 400	Baghdad II	Kristoffer Spone	KNS	Oslo, Norge, NOR	Melges 24	24
		12.		AUS 717	Bandit	Warwick Rooklyn	CYCA	Vaucluse, NSW, AUS	Melges 24	24
		13.		USA 352	Banshee III	Edward deTar	lpyc	Coeur d'Alene, ID, USA	Melges 24	24
		14.		CRO 1767	Belges	Davor Jelaca	yc croatia	Zagreb, Croatia, BIH	Melges 24	24
		15.		CHI 741	Black Mamba	Claudio Ortiz / Alejandro Marinovic / Andres Orueta	LAGO RAPEL	Santiago, Región Metropolitana, CHI	Melges 24	24
		16.		CHI 202	Black Panther	Anibal Montalva	Lago Rapel	Santiago, Región Metropolitana, CHI	Melges 24	24
		17.		GBR 850	Black Seal	Richard Thompson	Guernsey Yacht Club	London, UK	Melges 24	24
		18.		USA 185	Blue Steel	Dan McGraw	Lake Lanier Sailing Club	Atlanta, GA, USA	Melges 24	24
		19.		ITA 841	Bombarda	Andrea Pozzi	Yacht Club Costa Smeralda	Como, ITA	Melges 24	24
		20.		USA 77	Bones	Robert Harf	Richmond Yact Club	Sonoma, CA, USA	Melges 24	24
		21.		CHI 447	Bufón	Nicolás Kovacevic	Rapel	Santiago, Región Metropolitana, CHI	Melges 24	24
		22.		USA	Burden V	Todd Jones	Bayview Yacht Club	Grosse Pointe, MI, USA	Melges 24	24
		23.		CAN 364	Byrr	Peter Hansen	Thunder Bay Yacht Club	Thunder Bay, ON, CAN	Melges 24	24
		24.		BRA	Carioca	Roberto Souza	Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro	Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BRA	Melges 24	24
		25.		AUS 795	Cavalino	Heath Walters / Chris Links	RPAYC	Newport, NSW, AUS	Melges 24	7.1m
		26.		CHI 785	Conejo Racing	Fernando Concha	Rapel	Santiago, RM, CHI	Melges 24	24
		27.		USA 738	Dark Energy	Laura Grondin	Groton Long Point Yacht Club	West hartford, CT, USA	Melges 24	24
		28.		USA 94	das boot	Cate Muller	Chicago Yacht Club	Chicago , IL, USA	Melges 24	24
		29.		USA 805	Decorum	Megan Ratliff	Columbia Yacht Club	Chicago, IL, USA	Melges 24	24
		30.		CHI 660	Dirty Dog	Patricio Lopez		Santiago, CHI	Melges 24	24
		31.		USA 344	Dorothy Kate	Eric Schwab	Hampton yacht club	Virginia Beach, VA, USA	Melges 24	24
		32.		SUI 684	EFG	Chris Rast	TYC/RCO/MBYC	Gunten, BE, SUI	Melges 24	24
		33.		IRL 829	Embarr	Conor Clarke		Dublin, IRL	Melges 24	24
		34.		USA 78	Etesian	Phillip Davis	LCYC	Corpus Christi, TX, USA	Melges 24	24
		35.		USA 106	Evil Duer	Nate Duer	Edgewater Yacht Club	North Ridgeville, OH, USA	Melges 24	24
		36.		USA 575	EX KAHN	Brent McKenzie	Lake Lanier Sailing Club	Flowery Branch, GA, USA	Melges 24	24
		37.		USA 687	Firewater	George Haynie	Davis Island Yacht Club	Tampa, FL, USA	Melges 24	24
		38.		EST 826	Freddy	Ants Haavel	Tallinn Kalev	Tallinn, EST, EST	Melges 24
		39.		USA 849	Full Throttle	Brian Porter	SYC	Chicago, IL, USA	Melges 24	24
		40.		CHI 700	Gallyas Marine	Pablo Gallyas	Lago Rapel	Santiago, Vitacura, CHI	Melges 24	24
		41.		NED 789	Gelikt	Carlo Vroon	WV Breskens	Brielle, ZH, NED	Melges 24	24
		42.		GBR 694	Gill Race Team	Miles Quinton	RORC	London, GBR	Melges 24	24
		43.		USA 618	Gnarly Ruca	Curtis Jazwiecki	Bayview Yacht Club	Toledo, OH, USA	Melges 24	24
		44.		CAN 11	Goes To Eleven	Duncan Stamper	Royal Victoria Yacht Club	Victoria, BC, CAN	Melges 24	24
		45.		USA 498	Good Enough	Matt Macgregor	CYC	Seattle, WA, USA	Melges 24	24
		46.		USA 680	GoTo11	JC Raby	SFYC	Tiburon, CA, USA	Melges 24	24
		47.		USA 689	Helly Hansen	Tim Healy	Niantic Bay	Jamestown, RI, USA	Melges 24	24
		48.		USA 610	Hermes	Tony Stanley	LLSC	Grayson, GA, USA	Melges 24	24
		49.		USA 533	High Voltage	August Hernandez	Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club	Chicago, IL, USA	Melges 24	24
		50.		CAN 591	Honey Badger	Gordon Shannon	Royal Vancouver Y.C.	Vancouver, BC, CAN	Melges 24	24
		51.		USA 118	Hot Mess	Rob Britts	Davis Island YC	St. Petersburg, FL, USA	Melges 24	24
		52.		USA 702	Hot Seat	Tom Wyman	Carlyle Sailing Association	Creve Coeur, MO, USA	Melges 24	24
		53.		GER 569	IMMAC Sputnik	GAS e.V.	Yachtclub Strelasund	Stralsund, Mecklenburg Vorpommern, GER	Melges 24	24
		54.	50	USA 775	Jaws	Roger Counihan	Lake Lanier Sailing Club	Atlanta, GA, USA	Melges 24	24
		55.		GER 624	Kleine Rainbow	Bent Dietrich		Hamburg, GER	Melges 24	24
		56.		USA 420	Kryptonite	Glen Tonguis	NOYC	Metairie, LA, USA	Melges 24	24
		57.		USA 565	Lamorak	Mike Krantz	Lake Lanier Sailing Club	Flowery Branch, GA, USA	Melges 24	24
		58.		USA 737	Last Call	Lee Eikel	Pontchartrain Yacht club	Mandeville, LA, USA	Melges 24	24
		59.		USA 115	Leda	Chris Field	Mudheads	Noank, CT, USA	Melges 24	24
		60.		CAN 371	Lekker	Gord Galbraith	Royal Victoria Yacht Club	Victoria, BC, CAN	Melges 24	24
		61.		EST 790	Lenny	Tõnu Tõniste	Kalev Jahtklubi	Tallinn, Harjumaa, EST	Melges 24	24
		62.		USA 113	Liberty	C. David Phelps	Grand Traverse Yacht Club	Traverse City, Mi., USA	Melges 24	24
		63.		USA 855	Looper	Duane Yoslov	SFYC	Corte Madera, CA, USA	Melges 24	24
		64.		USA 848	Lucky Dog / Gill Race Team	Travis Weisleder	Bay Head Yacht Club	Richmond, VA, USA	Melges 24	24
		65.		USA 180	M1	Ian Collignon	SCYC	Santa Cruz, CA, USA	Melges 24	24
		66.		ITA 822	Maidollis	Gian Luca Perego	yc Cortina d'Ampezzo	ARcore, ITA	Melges 24	24
		67.		USA 21	Mayhem	Chris Chadwick	Eastport Yacht Club	Weston, FL, USA	Melges 24	24
		68.		USA 838	Mikey	Kevin Welch	AYC	Anacortes, WA, USA	Melges 24	24
		69.		USA 747	Monsoon	Bruce Ayres	NBYC	Newport Beach, CA, USA	Melges 24	24
		70.		USA 43	MudRatz Racing	Mud Ratz	MRMSA	Noank, CT, USA	Melges 24	24
		71.		USA 379	Nikita	Krak and Kimberly Arntson / Brian Maher	Tahoe Yacht Club	Tahoe City, CA, USA	Melges 24	24
		72.		CHI 622	Obsession	Jose Rubio	Rapel Chile	Santiago, RM, CHI	Melges 24	24
		73.		USA 587	Obsession	Gary Schwarting	GCSC	Naples, FL, USA	Melges 24	24
		74.		NOR 800	Party Girl	Jens Wathne	Askøy SF	Loddefjord, Hordaland, NOR	Melges 24	24
		75.		USA 657	Personal Puff	Dan Hausserman	Tahoe YC	Tahoe City, CA, USA	Melges 24	24
		76.		AUS 686	Planit	Anthony Passmore	Botany Bay Yacht Club	Lilli Pilli, NSW, AUS	Melges 24	24
		77.		USA 140	Posse	Sallie Lang / Jan Crosbie-Taylor	Treasure Island Sailing Center	Oakland, CA, USA	Melges 24	24
		78.		USA 570	Rattlesnake	Carter/Clark Robertson		Old Saybrook, CT, USA	Melges 24	24
		79.		USA 720	Relentless	Scott Foxman	Ocean City Yacht Club	Linwood, NJ, USA	Melges 24	24
		80.		USA 58	Risky Business	Zack Bonebrake	Lake Stockton Yacht Club	Springfield, MO, USA	Melges 24	24
		81.		USA	Rocksteady	Cary Siegler		Jamestown, RI, USA	Melges 24	24
		82.		AUS 750	Roger That	John Bacon	RPAYC	Avalon Beach, NSW, AUS	Melges 24	24
		83.		USA 674	Rosebud	Terry Hutchinson	Annapolis Yacht Club	Harwood, MS, USA	Melges 24	24
		84.		USA 446	RUMbunctious	Steve Pirie	Charlevoix Yacht Club	Petoskey, MI, USA	Melges 24	24
		85.		USA 510	Rustler	Fred Rozelle	Crescent Sail YC	Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, USA	Melges 24	24
		86.		DEN 779	Salty Dog	Peter Warrer	ASK / KDY	Riskov, Aarhus, DEN	Melges 24	24
		87.		USA 773	Screaming Mimi	Marc Bailey	Western Carolina Sailing Club	Greenville, SC, USA	Melges 24	24
		88.		HUN 759	SEVEN-FIVE-NINE	Akos Csolto	D-One	Budapest, Pest, HUN	Melges 24	24
		89.		USA 801	Shaka	KC Shannon	LLSC	Fayetteville, GA, USA	Melges 24	24
		90.		CAN 004	Shaping	Andrei Sokolski	Mimico	Maple, Ont, CAN	Melges 24	24
		91.		USA 217	SlingSHOT	Wes Whitmyer Jr	Stamford YC	Stamford, CT, USA	Melges 24	24
		92.		USA 24	Smokin'	Kevin Clark	Encinal YC	Orinda, CA, USA	Melges 24	24'
		93.		CAN 99	Spitfire	John Marentette	South Port Sailing Club	Tecumseh, Ont, CAN	Melges 24	24
		94.		CAN 123	Stiritup	Allan Stokes	Etobicoke yacht Club	Toronto, Ont, CAN	Melges 24	24
		95.		CAN 262	Surprise	Dan Berezin	National Yacht Club	Thornhill, Ont, CAN	Melges 24	24
		96.		ITA 778	Taki 4	Marco Zammarchi	Yacht Club Italiano	Genova, GE, ITA	Melges 24	24
		97.		tbd	tbd	Kathryn Shiber	tbd	River Vale, New Jersey, USA	Melges 24	24
		98.		NED 827	Team Kesbeke/SIKA/Gill	Ronald Veraar	Wsv hoorn	Midwoud, Noord holland, NED	Melges 24	24
		99.		USA	Team Pole Dancer	Latis Racing	Coconut Grove S.C. / Bayview Y.C.	Grosse Ile, MI, USA	Melges 24	24
		100.		NOR 732	Team RRH	Herman Horn-Johannessen	KNS	Nesoya, NOR	Melges 24	24
		101.		USA 839	The 300	Steve Boho	LGYC	Elkhorn, WI, USA	Melges 24	24
		102.		USA 201	The Last Centurion	Last Centurion	SYC	Salt Lake City, UT, USA	Melges 24	24
		103.		USA 708	Tramp	Tom Ritter	Bayview Yacht Club	Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA	Melges 24	24
		104.		USA 142	Tramp Stamp	Scott Miller	Muskegon Yacht Club	Muskegon, MI, USA	Melges 24	24
		105.		USA 441	USA 441	Owen Carolan	Metedeconk River Yacht Club	Westfield, NJ, USA	Melges 24	24
		106.		USA 505	USA 505	David King		Bradenton, FL, USA	Melges 24	24
		107.		USA 346	Voodoo	Greg Semack	Bayview Yacht Club	St Clair Shores, MI, USA	Melges 24	24
		108.		USA 798	Wardance	Peter Bergendahl	Mudheads	Noank, CT, USA	Melges 24	24
		109.		DEN 634	Woosah	Marc Wain Pedersen	Hellerup	Copenhagen, Kastrup, DEN	Melges 24	24
		110.		USA 625	Zig Zag	Marty Jensen	Charlevoix Yacht Club	Charlevoix, MI, USA	Melges 24	24
		111.		FRA 644	ZIG ZAG 18	Henri Samuel	Y.C.Dinard	Paris, FRA	Melges 24	7.5m
		112.		CAN 629	Zingara	Richard Reid	National Yacht Club	Port Credit, Ont, CAN	Melges 24	24
		113.		USA 414	Zoo	Christoph Kalinski	TAYC	Delmar, MD, USA	Melges 24	24