Please select your home edition
Edition
Rooster 2025

2023 U.S. Melges 24 Nationals at Fontana, Wisconsin - Day 2

by U.S. Melges 24 Class Association 8 Oct 2023 03:09 BST October 6-8, 2023
2023 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship © Up Top Media / Felipe Juncadella

Teams awoke to cool temps, plentiful sunshine and very windy conditions on Day 2 of the 2023 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. The Melges 24 celebrates her 30th Anniversary this weekend and the cool, breezy conditions certainly put the icing on the birthday cake. Three short-track races were conducted setting up the fleet nicely for a proper Sunday showdown.

Moving to the top of the scoreboard and now leading by three points, defending National Champ Brian Porter on Full Throttle won Races Four and Five.

"This was the most gorgeous Fall day you could get with really good breeze out of the north-northwest, very shifty," said Porter post racing. Porter, who is a Lake Geneva local, had a terrific day, maybe even got a little lucky at times so he thinks. "It was such a fun day. Good breeze. Sailing fast. Planing downwind. Big shifts."

Overnight leader, Bora Gulari helming Knocky Knocky dropped back one spot and tied things up in points with Race 6 winner Eddie Cox at the helm of Zenda Express.

"Today was a really fun day of racing. Pretty shifty, which is classic Lake Geneva. A perfect Fall day for sailing," said Cox. "This is such an impressive fleet. The sailing today was very competitive."

Completing the top five is Geoff Fargo's Sentinel in fourth, and Chelsea Simms's Straightarrow moved up to fifth overall. Sailing with George 'Bear' Peet, Baby Simms-Peet, Jeremy Wilmot, Ian Beckley, and Paris Henken, they had a satisfying day on the water with a beautiful 2-5-2 daily scoreline.

As for the 14-strong Corinthian division, they kept right in step with the top half of the fleet. Two all-amateur teams close out the top ten — Dan Berezin's Surprise in ninth and Mike Dow on Flying Toaster in tenth. LGYC Commodore Chuck Lamphere on Entente is twelfth overall, finishing the day as third Corinthian.

Disappointingly, for overnight Corinthian leader Brent McKenzie sailing X-Kahn, a combination of boat damage and an equipment failure have taken him out of the remainder of the regatta.

Hard knocks came and went quickly for Tony Stanley's Hermes and John Shockey's Wombmates Racing, but both bounced back nicely to participate and score well in Race Six.

Another notable Corinthian team is the all-amateur, youth team from Dillon, Colorado that are focussed on going fast and having fun. "This was such a blast today," said Joss Quarantillo racing Cannonball along with fellow youth crew members Ruth Bergman, Canyon Caperton and Harbor Scheuermann. "We had a lot of fun. Our favorite part was going fast — 15.5 downwind was awesome! Tomorrow is going to be a lighter, but we are having fun and going to try and focus on going fast."

Sunday is the final day of racing. Two races are scheduled with a start time of 1000. Conditions are expected to be a little bit lighter than today, still tricky racing with it coming more out of the west-northwest.

Provisional Results after Day 2: (top five, 6 races, 1 discard)

1.) Brian Porter, Full Throttle; [6]-3-2-1-1-3 = 10pts
2.) Bora Gulari, Knocky Knocky; 1-2-1-[5]-4-6 = 13pts
3.) Eddie Cox, Zenda Express; 4-[7]-3-3-2-1 = 13pts
4.) Geoff Fargo, Sentinel; 2-1-5-8-3-[10] = 19pts
5.) Chelsea Simms, Straightarrow; 9-4-[10]-2-5-2 = 22pts

Corinthian

1.) Dan Berezin, Surprise; [30/DSQ]-10-11-6-7-14 = 48pts
2.) Mike Dow, Flying Toaster; 11-8-[20]-10-11-19 = 59pts
3.) Chuck Lamphere, Entente; [20]-15-6-13-15 = 65pts
4.) Jamie Torres, Smile and Wave; 13-11-14-18-[23]-11 = 67pts
5.) Tony Stanley, Hermes; 19-12-12-[30/DNS]-12-12 = 67pts

Full Results available here.

Related Articles

Melges 24 European Sailing Series event 3 preview
27 teams heading to Riva del Garda Are you ready for some Melges 24 action? A total of 27 boats, representing top teams from across Europe and the United States, are heading to Riva del Garda for the third event of the 2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series. Posted on 21 May
Melges 24s launch 2025 Great Lakes Season
Muskegon YC promises first-class race management, scenic shoreside amenities, top-notch hospitality The 2025 Quantum Sails Melges 24 Great Lakes Cup Series kicks off in full force on May 17-18 with the highly anticipated Muskegon Spring Championship, hosted by Muskegon Yacht Club. Posted on 12 May
Melges 24s at Trogir overall
Champions crowned in Trogir: Razjaren and Panjic take top honors The curtain came down on a thrilling weekend of Melges 24 racing in Trogir as Ante Cesic's Razjaren claimed victory at the second event of the 2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series and was officially crowned the Melges 24 Croatian Champion 2025. Posted on 5 May
Melges 24s at Trogir day 2
Light winds limits the day to one race The second day of racing at the 2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series in Trogir — also the final and decisive act of the 2025 Luki Baustoffe CRO Melges 24 Cup — turned into a waiting game as the fleet faced calm conditions for most of the day. Posted on 3 May
Melges 24s at Trogir day 1
Three dynamic races held under classic Adriatic conditions The second event of the 2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series opened in spectacular fashion today in Trogir, delivering three dynamic races under classic Adriatic conditions. Posted on 3 May
Melges 24s at Trogir Preview
Second event of the 2025 European Sailing Series set to be pivotal This weekend, May 1-4, the historic coastal town of Trogir in Croatia will host the second event of the 2025 Melges 24 European Sailing Series. Posted on 30 Apr
Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point overall
Darby Smith thought his chances of winning the J/22 class were derailed on Friday Darby Smith thought his chances of winning the J/22 class at Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point were derailed during the third race held Friday. That's because the main halyard aboard Tasmanian Devil snapped and the boat was unable to finish. Posted on 14 Apr
45th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta highlights
This annual Caribbean celebration has brought together locals, visitors, and world-class sailors The official film of the 45th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has just dropped, and it's a vibrant tribute to four and a half decades of sailing, island spirit, and unforgettable "Serious Fun!" Posted on 13 Apr
Trieste to host 2025 Melges 24 Worlds
The first time the event will be held on the Adriatic Sea Trieste, renowned in the sailing world as Italy's City of Sails, is preparing to spend a week as the Capital of the Melges 24 as it gets ready to host the Melges 24 World Championship 2025. Posted on 13 Apr
Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point Day 2
Standings tighten on 'Moving Day' It was moving day at Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point and that's exactly what several skippers and teams did. Posted on 13 Apr