18.09.2013
Lure of San Francisco big breezes attracts high quality international fleet for
Sperry-Topsider Melges 24 World Championship 2013
San Francisco, CA, USA - 18 September 2013 - The Sperry-Topsider Melges 24 World Championship 2013, which takes place from September 30 to October 5 at the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, California, has attracted a star-studded entry of 60 professional and Corinthian teams from around the world.
While more than half of the entries come from the USA, the 59 boat fleet also includes teams from 12 other countries including Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland.
The event sees the Melges 24 World Championship fleet return to San Francisco for the first time since the 2003 worlds when the prevailing breezy conditions produced some of the most spectacular racing in the class's history.
This year, a healthy dose of high adrenaline Melges 24 action should provide the perfect antidote for Bay Area sailing fans still coming down after the America's Cup summer of sailing which concludes shortly before the Melges 24 fleet rolls into town.
Melges 24 World Championships always feature the best professional and Corinthian (no pro-sailors allowed) crews pitched against each other in a single overall fleet with the Corinthian results also counted separately to determine who will be crowned Corinthian world champion.
With such an eminent group of Corinthian and professional teams on this year's entry list it is impossible to pick any standout favourites for the podium positions.
Surely amongst the contenders to lift the title however must be Italian Flavio Favini at the helm of Swiss entry Blu Moon. Favini last tasted Melges 24 World Championship glory when he won in 2001 in Key West, Florida and would dearly love to add a second worlds victory to the Melges 24 European title he just claimed this August in Italy.
Also looking to chalk up a second world title in the class that bears his name will be Harry Melges III aboard Zenda Express who returns to the helm at world championship level for the first time since he was crowned world champion in Travemunde, Germany in 2002.
Serial one-design champion and America's Cup campaigner Terry Hutchinson will be making a return to San Francisco Bay were he previously sailed as helmsman aboard the Swedish AC72 Artemis Racing. Hutchinson won the Melges 24 North American Championship in 2008 on his home water in Annapolis, Maryland but finished ninth there at the worlds the following year. This time Hutchinson will be hoping what his America's Cup training taught him about San Francisco's tricky breezes and currents could help serve him up a long sought after Melges 24 worlds win.
The list of other likely top three contenders is almost endless but strong performances are expected from American class stalwart and international campaigner Brian Porter on Full Throttle, International Class Chairman Italy's Ricardo Simoneschi on Audi, past Olympic 49er campaigner Swiss/American Chris Rast on EFG Bank and last year's North American Championship winner Australia's Warwick Rooklyn on Bandit.
Some sort of early form guide will be established when many of the Melges 24 competing teams will take part in the Rolex Big Boat Series hosted by the St Francis Yacht Club the week prior to the worlds.
Meanwhile, we will take a look at more of the worlds teams likely to feature at the front of the fleet and the crews likely to be in the running for the Corinthian World Championship title in our next official press release.
The Sperry Top-Sider Melges 24 World Championship runs from 30 September to 5 October. Registration will take place on Monday 30 September and Tuesday 1 October. There will be practice racing on Tuesday 1 October and Championship Racing will run from Wednesday 2nd to Saturday 5th October. In addition many of the teams will be taking part in the Rolex Big Boat Series which will act as a warm up event for the worlds from 26-29 September. You can follow the event via:
Justin Chisholm
Event Press Officer
justinchisholm@me.com
Skype justinchis
Fiona Brown
International Melges 24 Class - Administrator & Media Coordinator
fiona.brown@melges24.com
Skype fpbrown
Mob +44 7711 718470
About the Melges 24
The Melges 24 is designed by Reichel Pugh and holds a unique position amongst the world's one design sportsboats as one of the most successful classes of high performance yachts. For more information please visit the official website of the
International Melges 24 Class Association.
About The San Francisco Yacht Club
Founded in 1869, The San Francisco Yacht Club is the oldest Yacht Club on the Pacific Coast of North America. The Club is widely recognized as the premier yachting facility on the West Coast. The Club has a very active racing and Junior Sailing program and has hosted prestigious events such as the Melges 24 North American Championship, the US Sailing Chubb U.S. Junior Championship, the US Sailing Men's Championship, and the International Knarr Championship. For more information, please visit www.sfyc.org.
About Sperry Top-Sider
Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those with a Passion for the Sea®. From its introduction of the world's first siped rubber outsole for non-marking traction to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider reindexs the standard of high-performance amphibious footwear and apparel for life and activities in, on and around the water.
Available around the globe in independent, marine, outdoor, department stores and on http://www.sperrytopsider.com, Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas, the U.S. Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, the head of the Charles Regatta and the National Safe Boating Council.
Since early 2010, the brand has launched 27 Sperry Top-Sider retail stores in the U.S. - retail stores dedicated to the Passion for the Sea® lifestyle. Sperry Top-Sider is a division of Wolverine Worldwide. For more information, please visit www.sperrytopsider.com.
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