Melges 20 Winter Series Doubleheader Weekend - Miami and Monaco

by Melges 20 on 3 Mar 2017 In December 2009, the Melges 20 fleet kicked off Winter Series Event No. 1 of what would become one of the longest running, most successful One-Design Winter Series in North America. With a compact fleet of eager owners, Jeff Ecklund and his team on Star would go on to win the inaugural series, paving the way for Melges 20 teams to enjoy amazing racing over the next eight years.

Flash forward to 2017, twenty-three competitive teams are staged and ready to race the 25th Miami Winter Series (MWS) event hosted by Coconut Grove Sailing Club (CGSC).

With two events complete, Drew Freides on Pacific Yankee leads the 2016/17 Miami Winter Series Standings with three points followed by Jim Wilson's Oleander with six, and Igor Rytov and the Russian Bogatyrs are third with nine points.

John Brown's Blind Squirrel and Jay Golison's Midlife Crisis will go head-to-head for the 2017 Corinthian title as the two are tied with equal points going into the final event.

Leapfrogging Freides with not be easy but Wilson, who joined the Melges 20 Class in 2012, is not going to miss the opportunity to win a Winter Series. 'As Buddy Melges says, start first and increase your lead. That is what we are going to try and do this weekend, and hopefully the chips will fall our direction,' said Wilson.

Making his first appearance at the first ever Winter Series event in '09, past International Class President Rob Wilber on Cinghiale is proud to see the Class still thriving. 'We have had a lot of great owners come and go, but the Melges 20 still remains an extremely competitive One-Design Class,' says Wilber. 'I still enjoy the Melges 20 as much as I did at that very first Winter Series event, and I am looking forward to more fun sailing ahead.'

The final event of the MWS will also pack a punch shoreside as everyone looks forward to the famous Melges Rocks Party and Cinghiale Pig Roast, both taking place on Saturday afternoon/evening.
With a robust wind forecast for all three days, Saturday will give way to a festive evening at CGSC to celebrate the 25th Miami Winter Series event and eight fun years of Melges 20 sailing.

Monegasque Masters

As the country of Monaco welcomes the latest addition to the royal House of Grimaldi this week (Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo welcomed a son early Tuesday morning), the Melges 20 fleet anticipates a grand celebration of its own with the last stage of a very successful, five-part 2016/17 Dynamiq Yachts Monaco Winter Series with the Montemaggio Cup.

Alexander Ezhkov's Pirogovo Sailing leads the Monaco Series after four events. Alexander Novoselov's Victor is seated in second place, while the famed Valentin Zavadnikov on Synergy is third. View the full 2016/17 Dynamiq Yachts Monaco Winter Series Results here.

The 2016/17 Dynamiq Yachts Monaco Winter Series has kept the European Melges 20 engines warm as the fleet looks forward to its first sanctioned event of 2017, Melges World League Event No. 3 in Porto Venere, Italy on April 7-9.

Open Season for Melges 20 World League

Jason Michas on Midnight Blue currently leads the 2017 Melges 20 World League, and looks to solidify his position further with yet another strong performance this weekend. Behind Michas is a pack of hungry Melges 20 teams with their eyes on the point differences in the World League standings. Included in the pack are several new European teams looking to put valuable World League points on the board in preparation for the World Championship in Newport, RI on October 2-7. View The 2017 Melges 20 World League Ranking here.

Top Five 2016/17 Miami Winter Series Results (After Two Events)

1.) Drew Freides, Pacific Yankee = 3 pts.
2.) Jim Wilson, Oleander = 6 pts.
3.) Igor Rytov, Russian Bogatyrs = 9 pts.
4.) Jason Michas, Midnight Blue = 9 pts.
5.) Paul Reilly, Red Sky = 11 pts.