Charleston Race Week 2011 Melges 24s prepare for fierce competition

by U.S. Melges 24 Class Association on 15 Apr 2011 Charleston Race Week runs from April 14th through April 17th in 2011. Racing officially gets underway on Friday at 1100. More racing is scheduled for Saturday and concludes on Sunday.

Forty-seven Melges 24 teams are ready to go in Charleston, S.C., poised for fierce competition at Charleston Race Week, title sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider. As the largest fleet in attendance, the Melges 24 is, without a doubt, the centerpiece fleet of the event. Charleston Race Week also serves as the fourth stage, of the five-part Road To Corpus Christi series, a lead up to the International Class’ fourteenth World Championship.

Back in action, and hot off of a successful run in Miami, International Class Chairman Riccardo Simonechi on Audi is among those favored to do well. He also leads the overall Road To Corpus Christi series ranking. Brian Porter’s Full Throttle, Alan Field’s WTF and Guy Mossman’s Battle Rhythm are all premium competitors, while 2010 North American Corinthian Champion Adam Burns on Presto is one to watch as well.

Thursday presented a full day of race preparation. Launching, practice, tuning, weigh-in and registration were the main order of the day. A warm, hospitable opening reception was hosted during the early evening, kicking off the event in style. View the Charleston Race Week full entry list.

Corinthian Heat
Of the 40+ boats that will participate at Charleston Race Week, eleven teams have qualified for Corinthian competition. The likes of Detroit’s Paul Hulsey on Hoodlum Racing, Henry Filter on Wild Child, and Augie Hernandez on High Voltage, will be seeking sweet amateur success. View the Charleston Race Week Corinthian entry list

Teams line up for worlds — entry deadline, April 22
The Melges 24 Road To Corpus series, of which Charleston Race Week is the penultimate event, culminates in the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Tx., from 11-21 May 2011. With teams from ten nations across North America, Europe and Australasia already entered, the competition is expected to be fierce. Entries for the regatta close officially on 22 April 2011. For further information, including the Notice of Race and Online Registration, please visit the Official Event Charlestone Race Week Melges 24 Worlds website