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2012 Melges 24 North American Championship Lake Garda, Italy from 27 July to 4 August
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For 2012 Melges 24 North American Championship As Entry Deadline Looms
San Francisco, CA, USA - 26 July 2012 - San Francisco Yacht Club and the San Francisco
Melges 24 Fleet are preparing for an influx of Melges 24 teams from around the Globe
as they ready themselves for the 2012 Melges 24 North American Championship,which takes place from 22-26 August.
Already many of the top teams have committed to the event and there's still time
to enter before the early bird entry discount ends on Monday 30 July. Amongst the
big names already gracing the entry list are past Melges 24 World and European Champion
and Italian America's Cup star Flavio Favini and his team aboard Franco Rossini's
SUI835 Blu Moon. For more than a decade this team has been winning major Melges
24 events around the globe, but they have yet to add the North American Championship
to their CVs and no doubt they intend to rectify that situation this year.
Leading the home fleet are several very familiar names including Brian Porter and
his Full Throttle team. A four time US National Champion, Brian claimed the North
American title in 2006 in Santa Cruz and knowing this team's love of strong winds
they will undoubtedly relish the big breez conditions for which San Francisco is
notorious. Argyle Campbell and Bruce Ayres also rank among the elder statesmen
in the Melges 24 Class these days and both already hold North American Championship
wins - Ayres at the inaugural event in San Francisco in 2000 plus a Corinthian (all
amateur) win in 2006; and Campbell in Detroit in 2004 - both will be keen to become
the first crew to put their name on the overall trophy for a second time.
Don Jesberg might not yet have claimed a North American title but he's definitely
hungry for a victory having recently returned to the Melges 24 after a couple of
seasons out. Again Jesberg has been in the class since the 1990s and he and his
hugely experienced crew should never be under estimated. Joining the old guard
are plenty of the newer Melges 24 names such as local girl Kristen Lane and her
impressive Brick House crew, Scott Holmgren's Rosebud and Alan Field in WTF, all
of whom are more than capable of claiming this title.
With the 2013 Melges 24 World Championship also being hosted by the San Francisco
Yacht Club in October next year, the home fleet is being joined by a number of overseas
crews keen to start getting to grips with San Francisco Bay. From Australia and
sailing with Connor Clark's Irish entry Embarr, comes four time 470 World Champion
and Olympic Gold Medallist Nathan Wilmot. Nathan first graced the Melges 24 fleet
last year and despite little training he put in some impressive results so this
will definitely be a team to watch this year. Australia is also fielding Warwick
Rooklyn's crew aboard Bandit. Having won this year's Australian Melges 24 National
Championship and finished third at the US Nationals behind Harry Melges and Alan
Field, Rooklyn is on an upward trajectory in the class and with the Melges 24 Worlds
likely to be located in Australia in 2014 he is determined to ensure that the Aussie
teams are up to pace and ready to welcome their overseas visitors.
Alongside some great sailors, the event is also attracting some great sponsors whose
generous support is vital in ensuring the success of the regattas. Recent sponsor
signings include Weather Routing Inc .
Ends
The 2012 Melges 24 North American Championship will run from 22 to 26 August.M8-P56Dc9Q6AJhw=]
Fiona Brown
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