2022 U.S. Melges 24 Nationals trophy goes up for grabs in Pensacola

by U.S. Melges 24 Class Association 8 Nov 2022 16:54 GMT November 10-13, 2022

Defending Melges 24 U.S. National Champion Brian Porter sailing Full Throttle has held the title eight times over the course of the Class's lengthy history © Martina Orsini

This week, the U.S. Melges 24 Class will crown its 29th National Champion. In the lead up, we are all left to wonder which one of the 34 registered teams will capture the next title and trophy.

The 2022 Nationals entry list is loaded with rock solid talent. From the industry's freshest, hottest young sailors, Class veterans and stalwarts to some of the most competitive all-amateur teams, the 2022 National Championship will definitely go down in history as one of the hardest fought.

2002 Melges 24 World Champion and a former U.S. National Champ, Harry Melges III will helm a very competitive Zenda Express - photo © Katrina Zoe Norbom

Atop the list of runners and riders in the open division is eight-time, defending champion Brian Porter at the helm of Full Throttle. Porter acquired the record-breaking achievement last year in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.

Shaking it up further is an additional assortment of sailing aces racing in slightly-altered crew configurations. Taylor Canfield moves into the driver seat of Laura Grondin's renamed Dark Energy 'B' Team, Victor Diaz de Leon takes the helm of 2022 Melges 24 World Champion Peter Duncan's Raza Mixta, and superstar sailor Chris Rast will drive 2019 U.S. National Champion Michael Goldfarb's WarCanoe 'B' Team.

After recently being crowned 2022 Canadian National Champion, Richard Reid on Zingara will be looking to score big again in Pensacola - photo © Martina Orsini

Of the 34 teams registered, 15 filed declaration forms to compete in the Corinthian division. Like the overalls, the all-amatuer division is super competitive and hotly contested. The Nationals tend to bring out the best-of-the-best Corinthians.

Stiff competition will be coming from 2022 Corinthian Canadian National Champ Dan Berezin on Surprise, Corinthian Bacardi Winter Series Champions Megan Ratliff with her brother Hunter skippering Decorum (2020/2021), and Geoff Fargo on Sentinel (2021/2022), Tony Stanley's Hermes and Brent McKenzie's Ex-Kahn are just a few of the top all-amateur teams officially on the watchlist this weekend.

Corinthian competition will be at fever pitch this coming weekend with a string of champion all-amateur teams in contention for the title. Among them is 2019 Corinthian Champ Steve Suddath racing 3 1/2 Men - photo © Katrina Zoe Norbom

The U.S. Melges 24 Class is also super excited to welcome our one and only international entry — Peter Karrie sailing Nefeli from Germany... Willkommen!

Crew weigh-in, registration and practice racing all take place on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by three days of championship racing starting Friday, November 11. Stay close to the Class's website and social media channels for the latest updates.