August 26, 2010 (Holland, MI) - The 2010 Audi Melges 20 U.S. National Championship officially gets underway this weekend at the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club in Holland, Mich. At least twenty-three teams are expected to attend the three-day racing extravaganza, making it the largest U.S. Nationals to date.
Competitors have traveled great distances to compete, some from as far away as California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New York, South Dakota and Washington with several others coming from Canada. There is, of course, a healthy collective of hard-core Audi Melges 20 fanatics from Michigan with every intention of taking the top prize.
Defending National Champion Eric Wynsma on Superfly is back and ready to capture a second title. With Sean Fidler aboard as trimmer and tactics from Anthony Kotoun, Wynsma will definitely be on the watch list. 2010 Charleston Race Week Champion Michael Kiss on Bacio is always a tough competitor. Eyes will be on Chuck Holzman’s Flyer with the talents of 2009 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Bora Gulari as tactician and George ‘Bear’ Peet as trimmer.
For the second running of the U.S. Nationals, the fleet is full of fresh faces. George Gamble debuts on A Little Wicked, Brian Hill on Atlas, Jeff Jones on Bad Nemo, Kate Mullin on CAN-141, Lance Smotherman on Details, Paul Reilly onRed Sky Sailing Team, Simon Strauss on Simplicity, Kent Haeger on USA-012 and Rhonda Joyce on Batteries Not Included. They are all brand new to the fleet.
Thursday, August 26 has been set aside for warm-up, practice and registration. Championship racing starts Friday, August 27 and will conclude on Sunday, August 29. Plenty of great parties and dinner gatherings are planned.
SPECIAL THANKS TO TITLE SPONSOR AUDI AND MELGES PERFORMANCE SAILBOATS
The International Audi Melges 20 Class Association (IM20CA) would like to extend a sincere gesture of gratitude to International Class and U.S. National Championship title sponsor Audi. The sportiness of Audi and Melges’ keen take on performance are the perfect match. The Audi Melges 20 is proof. Melges Performance Sailboats is also a heavy supporting sponsor. Every team, every entry can depend on Melges on- and off-the-water with their 5-star superior product support, authorized parts and customer service at Nationals.
Please check out the Audi Melges 20 Facebook Page for links to all the exciting video, pictures, results, and reports.
FULL ENTRY LIST
1.) George Gamble, A Little Wicked
2.) Brian Hill, Atlas
3.) Michael Kiss, Bacio
4.) Joe Williams, Bad Habit
5.) Jeff Jones, Bad Nemo
6.) Rhonda Joyce, Batteries Not Required
7.) John Arendshorst, Blink
8.) Peter Kozicz, CAN-142
9.) Kate Mullin, CAN-141
10.) Robert Wilber, Cinghiale
11.) Lance Smotherman, Details
12.) Chuck Holzman, Flyer
13.) Marc Hollerbach, Fu
14.) Sid Gorham, Funner
15.) John Heaton, It’s Madness
16.) Burke Blackman, Lemonhead
17.) Paul Reilly, Red Sky Sailing Team
19.) Eric Wynsma, Superfly
18.) Simon Strauss, Simplicity
20.) Tom Ritter, Tramp
21.) Kent Haeger, USA-012
22.) Anthony Tabb, USA-88
23.) Erik Post, Via Con Dios
Official Audi Melges 20 U.S. National Championship Event Website
Full race reports, interviews and photo galleries will be posted online each day after racing. Stay tuned to the Official Audi Melges 20 Web Site, the Official Audi Melges 20 Blog, Melges.com and MelgesEurope.com for all the latest details. You can also friend the Audi Melges 20 on Facebook, follow on Twitter and/or subscribe to the Official Audi Melges 20 You Tube Channel.
