The Quantum Melges 24 Great Lakes Cup officially kicked off this past weekend. Hosted by the Muskegon Yacht Club, 22 teams went head-to-head as the Spring Championship not only marked the first of four Cup Series events, it is also the official start of the Melges 24 Midwest racing season.

After 7 solid races, atop the fleet is Bora Gulari’s New England Ropes, followed closely by the young Harry Melges IV on Zenda Express. Former U.S. Melges 24 Class President Steve Boho on The 300 kept things as close as possible to finish third overall.

The fleet arrived in Muskegon on Friday afternoon for the kick-off of summer racing in the Midwest. The Muskegon boats hosted a fantastic cookout Friday afternoon after teams wrapped up some training and tuning sessions.

Racing started Saturday at around noon in a South/Southeasterly breeze that shifted to Southwest during the day. Winds climbed for a while early, before settling down mid day, only to climb again by the end of racing.

The Race Committee was on its toes running five races all in the 50 minute range, rubbing the rust of the rust belt fleet.

Sunday arrived with no wind, and a postponement allowed for it to arrive just as it had on Saturday, although a bit lighter. Two races were run before the fleet wrapped up the day.

The event marked the best turnout in a half dozen years, as teams cranked up for 2021. With Muskegon being Event No. One of the Quantum Great Lakes Cup, top traveling teams arrived to compete for the prize.

Next up in the Midwest is the Red Eight Regatta in Traverse City in June, then the Ugotta Regatta in fabled Harbor Springs in July. The second event for the Quantum Great Lakes Cup will be in August in Traverse City.

View Full Results
View Quantum Great Lakes Cup Results (Preliminary - 1 of 4 events completed)

ABOUT THE QUANTUM GREAT LAKES CUP
The Quantum Melges 24 Great Lakes Cup consists of four high-calibre events across the Midwest District of the U.S. Melges 24 Class Association. Events include:
EVENT NO. 1: Midwest Spring Championship - May 15-16, 2021, Muskegon, MI
EVENT NO. 2: Traverse City Melges 24 Invitational - August 21-22, 2021, Traverse City, MI
EVENT NO. 3: Melges 24 U.S. National Championship - September 17-19, 2021, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
EVENT NO. 4: Melges 24 Fall Championship - October 2-3, 2021 Lake Geneva, WI