Melges 24 Sailors Take on the Worlds on San Francisco Bay
The Diversified Melges 24 World Championship 2024 regatta wrapped up on Saturday after five days of thrilling action in the Slot on the Berkeley Circle, around the other side of Angel Island from Marin County host San Francisco Yacht Club.
Tuesday’s Kickoff
Sunny Race Day 1 welcomed 31 teams from Croatia, Canada, Germany, Italy and the USA. As forecast by Will Paxton during Quantum’s weather briefing, it was the warmest day of the week. Two American boats, Convexity and Kingspoke, and one German entry, Nefeli, ended the day tied with 4 points each.
Wednesday’s Breakaway
Don Wilson’s Chicago YC-flagged Convexity secured three consecutive bullets on Day 2, breaking away from the fleet and taking a commanding lead. The wind shifted from 200° to 210°, building from 12-14 knots to a gusty 18-20 knots. Gusts reached up to 24 knots. The upwind legs took 18-20 minutes on the 1.4-mile course, while downwind sprints took just 8 minutes. The first two races started cleanly, but the final race of the day saw a general recall due to the tide turn.
Thursday’s Shakeup
Day 3 conditions were ideal for racing, with winds peaking at 20 knots from 220°, offering steadier conditions. Despite the strong breeze, the seas remained relatively flat, allowing teams to push their boats to the limit, enjoying exhilarating downwind surfing and planing. The 2022 Melges 24 World champion Peter Duncan on the American YC-flagged Raza Mixta, the 2024 Pacific Coast Champion, established a solid lead from the first upwind mark to the finish line. Bora Gulari’s Bayview YC-flagged Kingspoke won the second and third races of the day.
Friday’s Weird Weather
Day 4 began with a weather briefing by Quantum Sails’ Will Paxton, who forecast unusual conditions with cloudy skies, high humidity and lighter winds. (Some places in the Bay Area even got rare August sprinkles.) Anthony Kotoun’s Stepping Razor out of Sail Newport in Rhode Island won the first two races of the day, and the reigning Melges 24 national champion, Santa Barbara-based Geoff Fargo on Sentinel, claimed the victory in the third race.
Saturday’s Victory
Convexity and Kingspoke went into the final day only 2 points apart. Following a dramatic showdown, Don Wilson’s Convexity was crowned World Champion. Jeremy Wilmot, Ted Hackney, Tomas Dietrich, and Ian Liberty crewed for Wilson. Ante Botica and his Mataran 24 team from Croatia secured their second consecutive Melges 24 Corinthian World Champion title. His crew included Ivo Matic, Mario Skrlj, Samir Civadelic and Boris Bakotic.
See Racing Sheet in the August issue of Latitude 38 for coverage of the Melges 24 Nationals in Santa Barbara. We report on the PCCs in Richmond in the upcoming September issue, hitting the docks this Friday, August 30. We’ll have more on the Worlds in the October issue.
In “Saturday Victory” , it’s pretty confusing. It seems both Mataran and Convexity both were crowned World Champion. Huh…? Something more is needed to clarify. I think I can guess but it’s not clear as written.
If you look at the “CAT” column in the results, you’ll see that about half the entries (16 out of 31) registered as “Open & Corinthian (Group 1)”. “Group 1” is a World Sailing designation that means non-professional. Professional sailors are classified as “Group 3” (there is no Group 2). Mataran 24 finished 13th overall, but first among the all-amateur crews. See full results here: https://2024worlds.melges24.com/en/default/races/race-resultsall
Hi, Mike — A Corinthian vessel is one whose skipper and entire crew qualify as amateurs, registered under the World Sailing Sailor Categorization. In addition to the “regular” divisions, many regattas now feature a Corinthian division. Convexity took the World Championship overall, and Mataran 24 won the Corinthian Division World Championship.
Yes – Jean’s description is spot on.