A huge congratulations is in order for Melges 24 Owners Laura Grondin and Harry Melges IV, and sailors at large: Taylor Canfield, Erik Shampain and Dave Hughes as they have been nominated for US Sailing’s prestigious Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year award .

Five out of the 9 nominees are current Melges 24 fleet sailors… further proving the Melges 24 fleet is the best! Congratulations to you all!

Laura Grondin - Current Melges 24 Owner of Dark Energy, USA-864 and Chairwoman of the International Melges 24 Class Association – After a 20-year break from One-Design Racing, Laura Grondin has come back swinging in 2021, turing heads and opening eyes in the J/70, Melges 24, and IC37 classes. Grondin’s Dark Energy J/70 team placed 6th at North Americans and 3rd at Worlds, while her Melges 24 team that dons the same name won the Block Island PHRF 2 class, placed end at Charleston Race Week and Gold Cup, and was higely successful in the Bacardi Cup winter events. Additionally, Grondin helmed the IC37 that won the NYYC Leukemia Cup and placed 4th at the NYYC Annual Regatta.

Harry Melges IV - Current Melges 24 Owner of Zenda Express, USA-866– Scow country belonged to Melges in 2021. Harry won two E Scow National Championships (the 2021 Champs as well as the rescheduled 2020 Champs), the E Scow Inland Champs, and the E Scow Spring Champs. Additionally, Melges placed 2nd in the A Scow Inland Champs and 3rd at the A Scow National Championship. Furthermore, he won the Melges 24 Gold Cup, and was part of the winning team in the IC37 East Coast Champs and the 2nd place team at the North Americans.

Taylor Canfield - Currently serving as Tactician aboard current Melges 24 owner Laura Grondin’s Dark Energy, USA-864 – The man whose name is synonymous with the Congressional Cup won this year’s event with a dominating 22-3 record making him a 5-time Con Cup Champion. Canfield’s team also dominated the M32 class in 2021 winning both the Miami Winter Series and Newport Midtown Summer Series and winning the World Championship by 40 points. Additionally, Taylor was the tactician for the Dark Energy J/70 Team that placed 6th at the North American Championships and 3rd at the Worlds as well as the Melges 24 team that placed 2nd at Charleston Race Week and Gold Cup and won the 17 boat PHRF 2 Class at Block Island Race Week. Taylor was also on the IC37 team that won the NYYC Leukemia Cup, placed 3rd SDYC in the Lipton Cup with team SDYC, and also was the Flight controller on the U.S. SailGP Team that placed 2nd at the Saint-Tropez event.

Dave Hughes - A Former Melges 24 World Champion (2016) – In 2021, the versatile “super crew” was part of National Championship teams in 3 different classes, Etchells, J/24s, and the Atlantic Class. Additionally, Hughes and his long-time teammate, Stu McNay, won the 470 North American Champs and the US Open Sailing Series Miami, and finished 5th in the World Championships and 9th in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (sailed in 2021).

Erik Shampain - A Former Melges 24 World Champion (2007) – 2021 was a year to remember for Shampain as his teams dominated major events across multiple classes and disciplines. Winning the J/70 Pre-Worlds event and then finishing 2nd at the Worlds Championship, Shampain’s teams also won the Etchells Midwinters West, finished second in the Midwinters East, and finished 3rd at the North American Championship. Additionally, Shampain was part of the Melges 24 National Championship team, the winning Congressional Cup team, a 3rd place Ficker Cup team, and placed 3rd in the Transpac.

Established in 1961 by US Sailing and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, the annual presentation of US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize the individual male and female U.S. sailors who have demonstrated on-the-water excellence at international and national events to earn their place in the history of the sport. These prestigious awards are widely viewed by the sail-racing industry as the foremost individual competitive sailing honors in the nation.