Greenlight: Top teams take on 2025 US Melges 24 National Championship in Pensacola
by U.S. Melges 24 Class Association 14 Nov 20:33 NZDT
November 14-16, 2025
Forty teams line up for the practice race at 2025 U.S. National Championship hosted by the Pensacola Yacht Club © Anna Susslova / US Melges 24 Class Association
After two full days of boat unpacking, rig tuning, splashing, and on-the-water practice, the fleet is officially settled in Pensacola Bay and ready for tomorrow's opening day of the 2025 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship, hosted by Pensacola Yacht Club. Spirits have been high all week as nearly forty teams arrived, checked in, and moved through a steady rhythm of preparation and anticipation.
Thursday brought the first real taste of race course action. The fleet headed out in the early afternoon for the one and only official practice race, to be greeted with light breezes, flat water and the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels overhead, delivering dramatic fly-bys for the start. It was a perfect preview of what's expected to be three days of tight, high-energy racing.
Defending his title, reigning U.S. National Champion Geoff Fargo, sailing Sentinel, is in attendance. Despite having registered months ago, Fargo was unsure whether or not he would actually make it to Pensacola. Fresh off competing in Trieste at the Melges 24 World Championship, his boat was scheduled to arrive from overseas last weekend, leaving a slim window to clear customs and be transported in time for the start. Fortunately, his boat arrived with a couple of days to spare.
The Open Division features an exceptional depth of talent. Current World Champion team Nefeli are competing, and ten-time National Champion and 2013 World Champion Brian Porter at the helm of Full Throttle is in pursuit of his eleventh U.S. title. Harry Melges III (2002 World Champion) sailing with his son Harry IV, Michael Goldfarb's Warcanoe, Marty Kullman's New Wave, Bora Gulari's brand-new Melges 24 #874 named Mavi, and Joel Ronning's Catapult is stacked with an all-star team including Victor Diaz de Leon, Tomas Dietrich, and Will Ryan. The list goes on—Peter McClennan's Gamecock, Sandy Askew's Flying Jenny, Cuyler Morris' Dark Horse and Steve Boho's The 300: Never Give Up are poised to play spoiler if the breeze works in their favor.
The Corinthian Division encompasses nearly half the fleet and will be just as fierce. Returning 2022 Corinthian National Champion Steve Suddeth at the helm of Three and a Half Men headlines a strong contingent that includes Dan Berezin on Surprise, Michael Lenkeit races Rapscallion, Brent McKenzie's Ex-Kahn, Matt Hamilton's Rip It, and John Shockey's Wombmates Racing. For these teams, the difference between a podium finish and mid-fleet often comes down to one perfect tack, one clean rounding, or one moment of composure under pressure.
With boat work complete and the fleet fully launched, all eyes now turn to Friday. Three days of championship racing lie ahead, and the ingredients are set for a major showdown: Pensacola's reliable breeze patterns, a battle-tested race committee, and a group of teams that have been preparing for this moment all season.
Fans can follow the action in real time through the Official Live Tracking provided by Vakaros. Stay up to date with every tack, rounding, and finish of the 2025 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship by visiting the Vackeros live race tracking page.
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