Melges 32 World Championship fleet bound for San Francisco Bay

by Melges 32 Class Association on 18 Sep 2010 International Melges 32 Class Association (IM32CA) is just days away from commencing its second World Championship, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC) in San Francisco, Calif. on September 22-25 with a record-breaking 32 entries.

The fleet is naturally dominated by 23 North American entrants, three from Japan, two from Great Britain and one each from the Czech Republic, France, Italy and New Zealand.

The illustrious Rolex Big Boat Series (RBBS) provides the perfect stage acting as Pre-Worlds. It is the ideal warm-up opportunity that promises a full serving of Bay Area breeze and stiff current for the 26 registered teams as they hone in on the class’ World Championship trophy.

To no one’s surprise, the entry list is long and right on target with class estimates. It is also safe to assume that the World Championship in San Francisco will produce intense competition as a vast number of teams have an excellent chance of doing well.

A quick glance down the Official Event Crew List gives every indication that not only is sailing’s elite present, but the racing will be tight, competitive, fast and seriously fun. From top to bottom it includes many of the season’s owner/driver regatta champions.

2010 Key West Race Week Champion John Kilroy with tactician Stu Bannatyne on Samba Pa Ti, Jean-Francois Cruette’s Teasing Machine and Miami Grand Prix winning tactician Christian Ponthieu, Gold Cup winner Rod Jabin on Ramrod with Chris Larson on tactics, East Coast Champion Alex Jackson on Leenabarca with tactician Rob Greenhalgh and Northeast Regatta Champ John Porter with tactician Jonathan McKee on Full Throttle will all be on task for a win.

The European contingent is equally strong. Front and center is 2010 Melges 32 European and USA Winter Series Circuit Champion Joe Woods on Red in true form with steady tactician Paul Goodison. Recently crowned 2010 Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series Champion Luca Lalli on B-lin Sailing will be in very good company with tactician, double (reigning) Melges 24 World Champion Lorenzo Bressani. Also, amongst his crew is former America’s Cup helmsman Flavio Favini and triple Melges 24 World and multiple European Champion Federico Michetti.

'The Melges 32 is the most exciting one design class in the world.' says North American Fleet President Stephen Pugh. 'We are very excited about welcoming everyone to what is unequivocally the most beautiful and popular sailing venue in the world. The always exciting San Francisco Bay will fully satisfy the thrill seekers. Pair that with StFYC’s world-class race committee led by John Craig and you have the makings of a monumental event.'

If one were to attempt to narrow down the field and examine who potentially is in best position for trophy contention, it would include Kilroy’s Samba Pa Ti. He has had a phenomenal year with exceptional high-end results beginning in Key West, simultaneously acquiring the prestigious Boat of the Week award. Kilroy has ventured beyond his backyard multiple times in 2010 in preparation for Worlds. He competed in Europe twice then returned in late August to win the inaugural California Cup/San Francisco Race Week.

Luca Lalli’s B-lin Sailing will be a force to be reckoned with. His strong and consistent performances throughout Europe in 2010 places him high on the list alongside of fellow European Woods. His collection of accolades span regattas in North America and Europe that include second place finishes in Ft. Lauderdale and Key West, a fifth in Miami and a fourth in Harbor Springs. The icing on the cake was a more than well-deserved win in Cagliari at the European Championship.

Porter’s powerful Full Throttle should not be underestimated either. A nice finish in Miami, a win in Newport and a fourth at Nationals is nothing to take lightly. He is also a former Melges 32 Division Champion at the Rolex Big Boat Series.

Returning to Worlds in full defense of the title and trophy, is Pieter Taselaar on Bliksem. Like Kilroy, Taselaar realizes the value in racing the European circuit and that it effectively raises the bar regarding crew work and pushes more aggressively for acquired boat speed. Two components, that Taselaar can attest, to win a World Championship is more than required, it’s mandatory.

RBBS/Melges 32 Pre-Worlds competition commences on Thursday, September 16 and runs through Sunday, September 19. Official World Championship racing begins on Wednesday, September 22.

Porter, Woods and Kilroy headline 2010 USA Sailing Series
Moving forward into World Championship competition, seven of the eight scheduled 2010 USA Sailing Series events are complete with Porter leading by two slim points. In second overall is Woods and Kilroy is third. Woods captured the Winter Series title back in March (Gold Cup, Key West and Miami). Kip Meadows on roXanne, currently seated in fifth, had control for a short period of time, as did fourth place Jabin. Clearly the chase is on. Only seven points separate first from fifth positions.

Full entry list

Sail Number	Yacht Name	Owner's Name	Home Port
USA 211	Arethusa	Phil Lotz	Newport, RI, USA
USA 128	ARGO	Jason Carroll	New York, NY, USA
USA 138	Banshee	Derek Campbell	Seattle, WA, USA
CZE 204	Black Mamba	Martin Knetig	Brno, Czech Republic
USA 169	Bliksem	Pieter Taselaar	Scarsdale, NY, USA
ITA 23	B-lin sailing	Luca Lalli	Milano, ITA
USA 184	Bronco	Michael Dominguez	Barrington, RI, USA
JPN 199	Bros.	Naofumi Kamei	Tokyo, JPN
USA 208	Celeritas	Malcolm Gefter	Newport, RI, USA
USA 151	Dark N'Stormy	Edward Tillinghast	New York, NY, USA
USA 49	FULL Throttle	John Porter	Winnetka, IL, USA
USA 142	Goombay Smash	William Douglass	Stamford, CT, USA
USA 201	Heartbreaker	Robert Hughes	Ada, Mi, USA
USA 174	Leenabarca	Alex Jackson	Riverside, CT, USA
USA 1315	Ninkasi	John Taylor	Jupiter, FL, USA
USA 678	Pegasus-MotionX	Philippe Kahn	Honolulu, HI, USA
USA 007	Q	Jim Swartz	Park City, UT, USA
USA 206	Ramrod	Rodrick Jabin	Annapolis, MD, USA
GBR 700	Red	Joe Woods	Torquay, Devon, UK
USA 136	Rougarou	Andy Lovell	New Orleans, LA, USA
USA 77	roXanne	Kip Meadows	Rocky Mount, NC, USA
USA 13131	Samba Pa Ti	John Kilroy, Jr.	Los Angeles, CA, USA
USA 178	Shakedown	Geoffrey Pierini	Bernardsville , NJ, USA
JPN 5095	SLED	Takashi Okura	Tokyo, JPN
USA 32	STAR	Jeff Ecklund	Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
USA 158	Taboo	Stephen Pugh	Sausalito, CA, USA
GBR 84845	Team Barbarians	Stuart Simpson	London, London, UK
FRA 202	Teasing Machine	Jean François Cruette	La rochelle, FRA
NZL 221	Tirade	Stefan Goldwater	Auckland, NZL
USA 162	Viva	Don Jesberg	Mill Valley, CA, USA
USA 32917	Warpath	Steve Howe	Portland, OR, USA
JPN 203	Yasha Samurai	Yukihiro Ishida	Tokyo, Japan, JPN

 

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