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Zimmerman's Bad Idea wins Melges 24 Quantum Great Lakes Event #3

by U.S. Melges 24 Class Association 19 Aug 2024 16:04 PDT August 17-18, 2024
2024 Melges 24 Guardians of the Great Lakes Regatta © U.S. Melges 24 Class Association

Congratulations are in top order for Scot Zimmerman and his team on Bad Idea, who emerged this weekend as the overall winner of the Guardians of the Great Lakes Regatta, edging out runner-up Mike Dow on Flying Toaster by just three points.

Although Dow led the event on Saturday night by a significant margin, Zimmerman's team rose to the occasion and closed the gap with strong performances on Sunday.

The Guardians of the Great Lakes Regatta, the third stage of the 2024 Quantum Great Lakes Cup Series, was formerly known as the Grand Traverse Invitational. Racing took place on August 17-18, hosted by the Grand Traverse Yacht Club. Sixteen teams competed in nine races over the two-day event, showcasing their skills in diverse conditions.

Zimmerman praised his team's efforts, saying, "The racing conditions were quite challenging, particularly during Sunday's races where we were sailing in 17-25 knots of wind, reaching downwind speeds of 16-17 knots. We are really looking forward to future competitions, possibly the Q Cup on Lake Geneva next month, as well as the Bushwhacker Cup in Pensacola, FL, and Bacardi later in the season."

In addition to winning the overall event, Zimmerman also took home the top Corinthian title.

U.S. Melges 24 Class stalwart Dow on Flying Toaster finished the event in second, followed by Kyle Vowel's I'm with Stupid in third. Rounding out the top five are Sam Nadeau's Green and Harry Vigrass' Tomfoolery in fourth and fifth respectively.

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