Official Audi Melges 20 Blog

The Audi Melges 20 U.S. National Championship concluded this weekend with Eric Wynsma on Superfly as the grand champion! And, to boot, here are some cool images from Sail 22’s Becky Damore and Scott Diamond with Layline Photo.

View The Photo Gallery

The first day of racing was stalemate with the start at 10:00 in the morning, under thick rain, 1.5 miles out into Lake Michigan, in Macatawa Bay. The weather was at the class maximum limits and the wave action was over two meters.

Fourteen competitors are here, most local to the U.S. with three exceptions — Value Team, Sei Tu 20 and a canadian team.

But today, Saturday, Value Team, at the mark just before turn 1, but after just a few seconds, you have the first break giving way to the walls of the restrictor gennaker, which means losing the gennaker yards away from the boat. But above all, the pops face so super conservative anticipating lowered to several lengths.

Julius wanted, the lightest of our three crew, sacrificed herself to remain on the bow for a good 4 heats (two races) with the tack in the hands of the stern. In between races, with luck we attempted to fix everything. The weight does not help trim the bow of the boat and often have to slow down to avoid the “nose diving”.

On the second beat of race one, and to complicate the day further, it tears the candlestick left stern thruster really hard. Nothing stayed behind the bands during any of the races of the day. Value Team still finished fifth despite a stunning first upwind leg where we were running eighth.

The real surprise of the day and ‘the arrival of the trial one. More than 7 buckets of water collected in 10 minutes between arrival and departure happened inside the hull of Value Team, water apparently came from the hole created by the candlestick uprooted. The problem will recur in all the remaining two races of the day.

The guy at the helm of Value Team, the talented Scarselli did not lose concentration and always maintained despite the continual failures, succeed to complete racing with a 10th and a 4th in the other two tests .

Unfortunately, Value Team is seated mid-fleet after two days.

The sailing talent in America is excellent. The super crew aboard Bliksem, who is in the lead, fought all day with Hollerbach in second.

Sunday, racing is supposed to start around 10:00 with the race committee pushing for as many races as possible. No additional starts will be held after 2 p.m.

Full Results: http://melges20.com/2009-nationals-results.php

PRESS OFFICE
Piazzetta Italy Sailing Team
www.piazzettaitalia-st.it

Day two at the Audi Melges 20 U.S. National Championship has completed. On top of the pile is none other than Pieter Taselaar on Bliksem.

View Full Results and stay close to melges20.com as a full race report will be posted shortly.

We found this online: http://www.italiavela.it/articolo.asp?idarticolo=value-team-sei-tu-una-trasferta-per_4281

Some cool press about Benedetto e Marco in Macatawa at Nationals via Italiavela.

Mark you calendars! Save the dates! Plan to race!

Event No. 1
Miami Event 1
December 11-13
Miami, FL

Event No. 2
Miami Event 2
February 5-7
Miami, FL

Event No. 3
Miami Event 3
March 11-13
Miami, FL

Event No. 4
2010 Charleston Race Week
April 7-11
Charleston, SC

Event No. 5
Sperry Top-Sider Detroit NOOD Regatta
June 4-6
Bayview Yacht Club, Detroit, MI

Event No. 6
Toronto Regatta
June 18-20
Toronto, Canada

Event No. 7
2010 U.S. National Championship
August 27-29
Lake Geneva Yacht Club; Lake Geneva, WI

Event No. 8
Fall Championship Regatta
October 2-3
Lake Geneva Yacht Club, Lake Geneva, WI

1.) Amy Todd – Grand Rapids, Mich. USA
2.) Benedetto Giallongo – Rome, Italy
3.) Chuck Holzman – Southfield, Mich. USA
4.) Dan Cheresh – Holland, Mich. USA
5.) Dave Hammett – Annapolis, Md. USA
6.) Eric Wynsma – East Grand Rapids, Mich. USA
7.) Erik Post – Macatawa, Mich. USA
8.) Joe Williams – Mercer Island, Wash. USA
9.) John Arendshorst – Holland, Mich. USA
10.) John Sherlock – Port Credit, Canada
11.) Marc Hollerbach – Grosse Pointe, Mich. USA
12.) Marco Morina – Rome, Italy
13.) Michael Kiss – Holland, Mich. USA
14.) Pieter Taselaar – New York, N.Y. USA

Things are really cranking in Macatawa right now. No racing took place on what was scheduled to be the first day of racing due to too much breeze. Saturday is supposed to be perfect, so stay close to this blog and melges20.com. Race reports will be pumping so stay close. For now, check out some really cool photos hot off the camera, onsite from Melges’ Andy Burdick!

View Photo Gallery

Since its debut at Key West Race Week 2009, the Audi Melges 20 has taken the sailing world by storm with its ultra cool lines, sleek hull and big appetite for seriously competitive racing. Thus far, the Audi Melges 20 has been awarded 2009 Sailing World One Design Boat of The Year, impressed sailors multiple times over and inspired a driving desire for simplified sailing — a key feature of this young, aspiring fleet full of growth potential and prosperity. Read full article…

Great news has just arrived from Melges headquarters in Zenda, Wisconsin: Audi Melges 20 production will now officially take place in the USA. The first series of boats were produced by McConaghy, a very reputable builder and their efforts are greatly appreciated as they have helped put the Audi Melges 20 on the map. Read The Full Article…