Santa Barbara delivers: Sentinel & Mocos take top Melges 24 U.S. National titles

2024 Melges 24 U.S. National Champion, Geoff Fargo, Sentinel, USA-856 © Sharon Green / Ultimate Sailing

In typical Melges 24 Class racing fashion, it all came down to the last day's performance for the top teams, determining who would stay the course and battle the hardest to take home the 2024 Melges 24 U.S. National trophies for overall Champion and Corinthian.

Going into Sunday's final heats, two points separated the overall leader, Geoff Fargo on Sentinel, and Cuyler Morris on Dark Horse. In the all-amateur division, defending Corinthian Champ Dan Berezin on Surprise, and Jeff Grange at the tiller for Jon Bell and his Santa Barbara team Mocos, were also facing off with a similar points situation.

Classic Santa Barbara conditions set the stage for the final three races of the Championship, providing champagne sailing for the 20-strong Melges 24 fleet. Over the three-day event, nine races were completed, with Fargo winning the open division and earning his first-ever Melges 24 National Championship title. His crew included Jackson Benvenutti, Willie McBride, Hayden Stapleton, and Grant Janov. Cuyler Morris' Dark Horse settled for second overall.

Hometown favorites Jeff Grange, at the helm of Jon Bell's Mocos, with crew members Graham Bell, Lauren Bell, and Sarah Schaupeter, captured the coveted Corinthian U.S. National Championship trophy, finishing third in the open division.

True challengers: Jeff Grange at the helm of Jon Bell's Mocos, charges the mark ahead of Kent Pierce's Average at the 2024 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship - photo © Sharon Green / ultimatesailing.com

Defending champ Dan Berezin on Surprise battled hard on the final day to retain his overnight lead, but after a tough day of racing, he relinquished the lead to Grange/Bell. Former Melges 24 Corinthian (2018) champ Kent Pierce on Average rounded out the top three Corinthians.

Enough simply can't be said about the hospitality, presentation, preparation, organization, and the level of race management provided by the Santa Barbara Yacht Club. PRO Brad Schaupeter and his amazing Race Committee team put on a top-notch, world-class event and never gave up when the wind gods could not settle on a direction. They pressed on in the most professional manner, and for a National Championship, they persevered. They delivered!

Three weeks from now, event number two on the 2024 West Coast Racing Series, the Pacific Coast Championship, will unfold as the ultimate warm-up for Worlds. Following almost immediately, the 2024 World Championship will rock San Francisco Bay on August 17-24. It will be an epic event, and entries do not close until July 31, so there's plenty of time for teams to sign up and attend the International Class' premier event in 2024. The Canadian National Championship happens on September 20-22, 2024 in West Vancouver.

The 2025 U.S. National Championship is already on the calendar for November 14-16, 2025, hosted by the Pensacola Yacht Club in Pensacola, FL. Save the dates today! All teams are cordially invited to attend and join the Class for yet another spectacular regatta.

Overall Results (top five, 9 races)

Overall

1. (USA) Geoff Fargo, Sentinel; 4-1-1-2-1-1-2-1-[21] = 13pts
2. (USA) Cuyler Morris, Dark Horse; 1-2-2-1-2-6-4-3-[21] = 21pts
3. (USA) Jon Bell/Jeff Grange, Mocos (C); [6]-4-3-4-6-5-1-4-2 = 29pts
4. (USA) Andrew Picel, Take Off; 5-5-5-5-7-[9]-6-2-1 = 36pts
5. (CAN) Dan Berezin, Surprise (C); 3-7-[9]-3-4-3-5-[10]-4 = 38pts

Corinthian

1. (USA) Jon Bell/Jeff Grange, Mocos (C); [6]-4-3-4-6-5-1-4-2 = 29pts
2. (CAN) Dan Berezin, Surprise (C); 3-7-[9]-3-4-3-5-[10]-4 = 38pts
3. (USA) Kent Pierce, Average: [10]-3-8-7-8-2-3-6-3 = 40pts
4. (USA) Duane Yoslov, Looper: 7-8-4-11-3-7-[11]-5-10 = 55pts
5. (USA) Bill Guilfoyle, Haka: 14-11-11-8-13-4-7-[17]-6 = 74pts

Full results available here.