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22 August 2024—San Francisco, CA, USA - If you ever doubted the timeless appeal of the Melges 24 as the ultimate one-design sportboat, today’s action on San Francisco Bay would convince you otherwise. The Melges 24 fleet at the 2024 Diversified Melges 24 World Championship delivered a spectacular performance that left spectators in awe, and it’s no wonder this boat continues to set the standard for thrilling, high-performance racing.
Conditions were ideal for racing, with winds peaking at 20 knots from 220 degrees, offering steadier conditions than the previous day. Despite the strong breeze, the seas remained relatively flat, allowing teams to push their boats to the limit, enjoying exhilarating downwind surfing and planing.
The Race Committee led by PRO Mark Foster expertly managed two races, starting promptly at 11:25 AM. By 3 PM, the teams were back at the dock, ready to enjoy the warm hospitality of The San Francisco Yacht Club.
Today saw a shake-up in the winners’ circle. The first race of the day was dominated by 2022 Melges 24 World Champion Peter Duncan on Raza Mixta, who established a solid lead from the first upwind mark to the finish line. Michael Goldfarb’s War Canoe delivered an impressive performance to finish second, while Straightarrow, helmed by Chelsea Simms, secured a well-earned third place.
The second race of the day belonged to Bora Gulari and his team on Kingspoke, with Carlos Robles celebrating his birthday onboard. Kingspoke was unbeatable in Race 7, with Raza Mixta maintaining its consistency to finish second and current overall leader Don Wilson’s Convexity rounding out the top three.
With the discard rule coming into effect after Race 6, the leaderboard saw some shifts. Convexity remains in the lead with 10 points, but Kingspoke is close behind, just 2 points adrift. Peter Karrie’s Nefeli holds onto third place with 26 points. Thanks to today’s strong results, Raza Mixta has climbed to fourth place with 32 points, while Brian Porter’s Full Throttle rounds out the top five, just one point behind.
In the Corinthian division, Croatian team Mataran 24, with Ante Botica at the helm, continued their dominant performance with a 7th and 12th place finish, extending their lead with a 23-point margin over Kent Pierce’s Average, which scored 16th and 19th today. Duane Yoslov’s Looper remains in contention, just one point behind Average on the provisional Corinthian podium.
The Melges 24 fleet delivered an unforgettable day of racing, and with the competition heating up, the final days of the 2024 Diversified Melges 24 Worlds promise even more excitement.
Following the conclusion of the last race, sailors collected their rations from the Bay Area Charters provided 'Beer Boat' with today's refreshments thanks to HenHouse Brewing & Open Water. Post-racing, competitors enjoyed downtime for casual dockside debriefs, well-deserved showers, and perhaps a quick nap.
Special guests at the daily awards included Duane Yoslov from Team Looper / title sponsor Diversified, and SFYC member Don Jesberg - a longtime competitor in the Melges 24 fleet. Jesberg recounted great stories from years of Melges 24 racing and offered excellent insight on his legends of our fleet.
The day concluded with the 'Californiacation' themed midweek party which was a huge success thanks to the tasty cocktails provided by Mt. Gay Rum. Funky California grooves from live band Deadset 805 were also a big hit with the sailors.
The penultimate day of the regatta includes three races, with the first warning signal at 11:25 AM.
Top 10 after 7 races (1 discard):
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USA 868 - CONVEXITY - Don Wilson (3, 1, 1, 1, 1, (6), 3) - 10 points
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USA 820 - KINGSPOKE - Bora Gulari (1, 3, 2, 3, 2, (9), 1) - 12 points
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GER 859 - NEFELI - Peter Karrie (2, 2, 7, 6, 5, 4, (9)) - 26 points
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USA 829 - RAZA MIXTA - Peter Duncan (14, 8, 6, 9, 6, 1, 2) - 32 points
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USA 849 - FULL THROTTLE - Brian Porter (4, 7, 3, 2, (14), 10, 7) - 33 points
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USA 856 - SENTINEL - Geoff Fargo (6, (13), 8, 10, 3, 5, 5) - 37 points
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ITA 865 - BOMBARDA - Andrea Pozzi (7, 4, 12, 4, (13), 8, 6) - 41 points
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USA 830 - STRAIGHTARROW - Chelsea Simms (13, 10, 5, 8, 7, 3, (15)) - 46 points
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USA 619 - STEPPING RAZOR - Anthony Kotoun (5, 5, 11, 13, 4, (14), 10) - 48 points
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USA 863 - DARK HORSE - Cuyler Morris (8, DNF, 14, 7, 9, (15), 4) - 57 points
Top 3 of the Corinthian division:
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(13) CRO 649 - MATARAN 24 - Ante Botica (Corinthian) (20, 6, 18, 5, 12, 7, 12) - 60 points
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(15) USA 549 - AVERAGE - Kent Pierce (Corinthian) (9, 15, 13, 12, 18, 16, (19)) - 83 points
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(16) USA 855 - LOOPER - Duane Yoslov (Corinthian) (12, 12, 19, 18, 16, 13, (13)) - 84 points
Full results
Diversified Melges 24 Worlds 2024 website and Official Notice Board
Photo galleries © Zerogradinord ; © Peter Lyons ; © Helen Galli
Videos and interviews
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About Diversified - Diversified is a leading global technology solutions provider delivering a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to connect today's leading organizations to the rapidly evolving world of technology. With more than 30 offices around the world, Diversified is a trusted partner with an extensive portfolio of solutions that enable clients to drive innovation, enhance collaboration, and achieve measurable results. For more information, visit www.onediversified.com
About The San Francisco Yacht Club - Established in 1869, The San Francisco Yacht Club is the oldest American yacht club west of the Mississippi River. With nearly 1,000 members, SFYC is one the leading yacht clubs of the world and a member of the ICOYC (International Council of Yacht Clubs). SFYC operates the leading youth sailing program of Northern California, has hosted 15+ World Championships / North Americans / US Nationals / Olympic qualifying events since 2000, and is based in Belvedere – one of the most affluent zip codes of California. Learn more at www.sfyc.org
About The Melges 24 - Best known for elite-level competition, the Melges 24 is a modern sport boat and the global leader in high-performance, one-design keelboat racing. Winning ‘Boat-of-the-Year’ when first launched in 1994 by Sailing World magazine, the Melges 24 raised the bar and set a new gold standard in performance keelboat racing. In 2024, the International Melges 24 Class has 900+ boats sailing competitively in 20+ countries on five continents. The World Championship is the pinnacle of the annual race schedule. Learn more at www.melges24.com
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The Diversified 2024 Melges 24 World Championship will take place August 17-24 in beautiful California, USA, organized by the International Melges 24 Class Association (IM24CA) in partnership with The San Francisco Yacht Club and the U.S. Melges 24 Class Association (USM24CA).
The SFYC website: sfyc.org
IM24CA website: melges24.com
USM24CA website: usmelges24.com
#melges24 #melges24worlds
Current regatta sponsors and partners of the Diversified Melges 24 Worlds 2024:
Diversified
Mount Gay
Simply Solar
Hendrick's Gin
East Brother Beer Co.
Open Waters
Fort Point Beer
Bay Area Charters
Quantum Sails
Coral Reef Sailing Apparel
Ronstan
Supergoop!
Arntson Marine
Zhik
Martin Ray
Golden State Cider
HenHouse Beer
Trumer Pils USA
Tailwind Nutrition
For specific information about the Diversified Melges 24 World Championship 2024, please contact:
Matthew Sessions
Regatta Chair
The San Francisco Yacht Club
Mobile/WhatsApp: +1-415-420-9875
For further information on the Melges 24 class-specific information, please contact:
Piret Salmistu
International Melges 24 Class Association
Administrator & Media Coordinator
Mobile/WhatsApp: +372 507 7217
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