Seventeen Melges 24s ushered in the sailing season in the Southeast Region this past weekend with Newport Beach, California's Bruce Ayres at the helm of Monsoon winning the Class division at the St. Petersburg NOOD Regatta. Kevin Welch's MiKEY came second winning the tiebreaker with Canada's Richard Reid on Zingara in third.

Over the course of three days, eight races were completed with Ayres' ending the event with a substantial points advantage, however the standings were tight throughout the top five. A fierce battle between Welch and Reid gave them the lower podium finishes while Steve Suddath's 3 1/2 Men finished fourth, just ahead of lady helm Megan Ratliff on Decorum in fifth.

Melges 24 Springtime racing continues on March 7-10 at Miami Sailing Week. Check out the Entry List — Be sure to Registertoday! There truly is no better time to race on Biscayne Bay than in the month of March!

TOP FIVE RESULTS (FINAL - After Eight Races)
1.) Bruce Ayres, Monsoon; 3-1-1-1-2-3-1 = 12
2.) Kevin Welch, MiKEY; 4-3-2-3-1-5-8 = 26
3.) Richard Reid, Zingara; 2-2-3-5-3-2-9 = 26
4.) Steve Suddath, 3 1/2 Men; 7-5-4-2-4-1-4 = 27
5.) Megan Ratliff, Decorum; 1-9-5-8-5-6-2 = 36
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