Happy New Year from International Class Chairwoman Laura Grondin

Photo by Morgan Kinney / Melges Performance Sailboats

Dear Melges 24 sailors,

In 2023, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Melges 24! Sadly, we also said goodbye to sailing legend and the visionary for the Melges 24, Buddy Melges.

2023 also marked an improved year in the number of boats on the racecourse and, therefore, the number of sailors on the water. These numbers are our most important measure of success. The Melges 24 European Sailing Series saw a record of 100 boats listed, while the U.S. National Ranking Series ranked 68 boats.  

We hosted a well-attended World Championship in Middelfart, Denmark, with 47 boats and crowned a new World Champion, Drew Freides of Pacific Yankee (US). We also had a new North American Champion, Richard Reid of Zingara (CAN).

We have fantastic events on tap for 2024, with the World Championship to be held in August in San Francisco, California, USA – a venue that is well known for strong winds and wavy conditions. The San Francisco Yacht Club team has waited several years (since before Covid) for their turn to host us. The U.S. Melges 24 Class and the West Coast sailors are working diligently to find charter boats for those interested.

The Europeans 2024 will be held at the beginning of October in Split, Croatia – a country that has seen significant growth in the number of Melges 24s. The Sailing Club Split has been showing its generous hospitality already when organizing the event of the European Sailing Series this October.

The Melges 24 European Sailing Series and the North American Sailing Series have been planned for 2024, and the schedules are available online.

Regarding the boats and the class rules, we are delighted to report that Melges Performance Sailboats has begun building boats and masts in Europe - in the Yacht Services Limit in Szczecin, Poland. The availability of those major components, as well as spare parts, is improving dramatically.

Lastly, the most significant decision made at the World Council’s Annual General Meeting was eliminating the weight rule. PLEASE UNDERSTAND that this new rule is only official once World Sailing approves it. We expect this approval by early spring and will notify everyone promptly.

Thank you for a great 2023, and Happy New Year!

Laura Grondin,
IM24CA Chair