2025 U.S. Melges 24 North American Championship Competitor Announcement, No 1 - General

Dear Melges 24 teams,

This is the first of several communications you will receive over the next few days to help you and your team prepare for competition in Miami at the North American Championship (NAC). While many of these items may already be familiar to you, please read over these general housekeeping points very carefully.

For those of you planning to race at other North American Sailing Series events in 2026, especially the U.S. Nationals in Traverse City (August 14-16), and the Worlds in Harbor Springs (September 19-26), many, if not all of these items will be required. Now is the time to get everything sorted well in advance, ensuring your boat and team are race-ready.

*** MELGES 24 CLASS RULES ARE IN EFFECT ***
• B.2.1 - The owner and helmsperson shall be a current member of their NCA or, where there is no NCA in their country, a member of the ICA or an NCA nominated by the ICA.
• B.2.2 - When required by the Notice of Race or when required by their NCA, any crew member competing in a Melges 24 event that is being paid to sail as a professional must be a current associate member of their home NCA or, where there is no NCA in their country, a member of ICA or an NCA nominated by ICA. Fees charged for that membership are solely at the discretion of the NCA.When required by the Notice of Race, any crew member competing in a Melges 24 event that has been categorized as a Group 3 sailor must be a current full member of their NCA or, where there is no NCA in their country, a member of ICA or an NCA nominated by ICA.

• C.2.1 (a) - your crew shall consist of a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 6 persons
• C.2.1 (b) - No crew member shall be substituted during an event without written approval of the event Technical Committee or in its absence the Race Committee. If a substitution is applied for, that substitute must weigh within +/- 10% of the original crew member.
• C.2.1 (c) - The number of crew shall not be changed during an event.
• C.2.1 (d) - As part of registration for any Melges 24 event, all crew shall be registered and shall be identified in any entry list, scratch sheet, and result listing where the helmsperson, skipper or owner is identified.

Here is the link to the full Melges 24 Class Rules:
https://d7qh6ksdplczd.cloudfront.net/sailing/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/10104541/M24_CR_2025-11Nov-10-v2.pdf

MELGES 24 CLASS MEMBERSHIP
Class Membership is required in order to race at the North American Championship.
To join, U.S. teams please visit this link: https://usmelges24.com/join

Check this list online at melges24.com (IM24CA) to confirm your Class Membership:
https://www.melges24.com/members?c=1168&s=

Canadian and other International teams, must confirm that their memberships are properly displayed per your NCA online at melges24.com.

CREW LISTS
Crew Lists are required for all competing teams listed online at SailTi.
Please take a moment to complete and/or update your crew lists here:
https://bacardiregattas.sailti.com/en/default/races/race/text/2026-bacardi-winter-series-1-melges-24-na-championship-en

MEASUREMENT CERTIFICATES
A valid Melges 24 Measurement Certificate for your boat is required for NAC competition. Please provide this in advance to USMCA Class Admin, Joy Dunigan.
• Your measurement certificate is considered valid only if it is in the name of the current owner (not the previous), and stamped by the USM24CA.
• If you have a measurement certificate and it needs to be transferred into your name, please contact USMCA Class Admin, Joy Dunigan for guidance.
• If you do not have a measurement certificate at all, again please contact USMCA Class Admin, Joy Dunigan for guidance and further assistance.

CORINTHIAN COMPETITION DEADLINE
To qualify for the *Corinthian division, please be sure to submit your Corinthian Declaration Form by Friday, January 16th. Apply to qualify: https://usmelges24.com/corinthiandeclaration
*Protests regarding World Sailing classification may be submitted starting January 9, 2026, and must be submitted by the close of check-in January 22, 2026. Such protests will be handled by the IM24CA office, whose decision is final.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Have questions or need assistance, please contact USMCA Class Admin, Joy Dunigan on email.