Weisleder Aces Day 1 in Charleston with Corinthian McMillan in Chase
With four straight wins on opening day in Charleston, Travis Weisleder’s Lucky Dog pulled into the early lead position at Race Week. Chasing Weisleder in second is his fellow 2019 North American Corinthian Champion Fraser McMillan on Sunnyvale from Canada. Harry Melges IV on Zenda Express rounds out the podium in third.
Race Day 1 of Charleston Race Week got off to a rousing start with ideal conditions delivering an action-packed opening day. Southeasterly winds ranging from 6 to 11 knots enabled organizers to complete four races for all of the inshore courses.
“It was a typical Charleston type of day, and the racing was wonderful,” Melges 24 skipper Travis Weisleder said. “We had solid breeze, tricky current and competitive racing. It was definitely a fun time out there on the water.” Of course, Weisleder had every reason to be happy after winning all four races in Melges 24 Class.
The Richmond, Virginia resident is seeking his third straight Charleston Race Week win and is certainly off to a good start. Veteran professional Mark Mendelblatt is serving as Weisleder’s tactician aboard Lucky Dog, which has taken an early eight-point lead on. John Bowden, who has been racing with Weisleder for more than a decade, is trimming the headsails. “We were most concerned with playing the current and making sure we knew what that was doing today,” said Weisleder, adding that the Circle 2 course “tended to be skewed to the right.”
More stunning conditions are set for the second day of racing.