Melges 24 World Championship 2024: A Premier Sailing Event at San Francisco Yacht Club
Diversified Melges 24 World Championship 2024 at San Francisco Yacht Club – Day 4
17-24 August 2024
As the 2024 Diversified Melges 24 World Championship approaches its final stretch, Day 4 on San Francisco Bay brought three more races to the scoreboard. The day began with a weather briefing by Quantum Sails’ Will Paxton, who forecasted unusual conditions with cloudy skies, high humidity, and lighter winds, which indeed posed challenges to the fleet throughout the day.
IM24CA Championship Coordinator Americas, Carol Ewing, praised the Race Committee, stating that these three races were the best they could achieve under the circumstances. The first two races saw winds of 8-10 knots, with gusts up to 12 knots. However, during the third race, the wind began to fade from 230 degrees, allowing the Race Committee to successfully complete Race 10 as scheduled.
The penultimate day of the regatta introduced new names to the winners’ circle. Anthony Kotoun’s Stepping Razor secured two bullets in the first two races of the day. After finishing earlier race days in 4th, 5th, and 9th positions, today’s stellar performance propelled Kotoun back into 4th place overall, just 4 points shy of the podium.
Anthony Kotoun expressed his joy at the San Francisco Yacht Club after the daily prize-giving. “This is what we came for, and we couldn’t be any happier,” he said. “It’s a day I’ll remember forever – on the best boat ever and on the best race course ever here in San Francisco. I’ll hold this in my memory for a long time!” He noted the exhilarating feeling of realizing the wonderful capabilities of the Melges 24 during today’s races.
Race 10 saw 2024 Melges 24 U.S. National Champion Geoff Fargo on Sentinel claim victory. Their consistent scoreline keeps them in 5th place overall, just 4 points behind Stepping Razor. Geoff Fargo shared his elation about winning the race at the Worlds, saying, “It’s an amazing feeling, and I love it! It’s just great to be here, and I love the Melges 24 Class!”
The top three positions remained unchanged, with Don Wilson’s Convexity holding a solid 7-point lead with 22 points (today’s scores: 2-7-4) over Bora Gulari’s Kingspoke (5-4-8). Peter Karrie’s Nefeli completes the provisional podium with 48 points (12-3-10).
In the Corinthian division, Ante Botica’s Mataran 24 from Croatia had a strong showing by finishing among the top three in Race 10, moving up to 11th overall and maintaining their lead in the non-professional category. Duane Yoslov’s Looper and Kent Pierce’s Average hold 15th and 16th positions overall, rounding out the provisional Corinthian podium.
With the leaderboard tightening and no room for error, today’s races set the stage for a thrilling conclusion to an unforgettable championship.
Off the race course, guests from title sponsor Diversified enjoyed a fantastic day watching races on the Bay Area Charters Axopar37, with live racing commentary provided by Paris 2024 US Sailing Team’s Daniella Moroz. Together, Moroz and the Diversified guests proudly distributed “Beer Boat” rations of Fort Point Beer.
Sailors are getting into the groove both on the water and shoreside for socials. After a gloomy start on the race course, the atmosphere back at SFYC was filled with sun and smiles. Among today’s guests for the daily awards was 1992 Team USA Olympic Bronze medalist Pam Healy from SFYC. Healy shared stories from her own European campaigns, compared them with those of today’s aspiring Olympians, and provided insights on the Paris 2024 sailing competition as well as US Sailing’s early preparations for LA 2028.
The daily OCS awards of a new Ronstan ClearStart sailing watch were enthusiastically received by USA 540 Scoundrel and USA 497 Distraction. Following the daily awards, sailors enjoyed the Friday night SFYC sailor’s BBQ featuring paella and a lavish buffet.
The regatta’s final day includes two races, with the first warning signal at 11:25 AM. The new Melges 24 World Champions will be celebrated on August 24 in the afternoon, followed by the Sailors’ Dinner at SFYC.
Results after Day 4: (top ten, 10 races, 1 discard)
1. USA 868 – CONVEXITY – Don Wilson (3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 6, 3, 2, (7), 4) – 22 points
2. USA 820 – KINGSPOKE – Bora Gulari (1, 3, 2, 3, 2, (9), 1, 5, 4, 8) – 29 points
3. GER 859 – NEFELI – Peter Karrie (2, 2, 7, 6, 5, 4, 9, (12), 3, 10) – 48 points
4. USA 619 – STEPPING RAZOR – Anthony Kotoun (5, 5, 11, 13, 4, (14), 10, 1, 1, 2) – 52 points
5. USA 856 – SENTINEL – Geoff Fargo (6, (13), 8, 10, 3, 5, 5, 6, 10, 1) – 54 points
6. USA 849 – FULL THROTTLE – Brian Porter (4, 7, 3, 2, 14, 10, 7, 4, 6, (21)) – 57 points
7. USA 829 – RAZA MIXTA – Peter Duncan (14, 8, 6, 9, 6, 1, 2, 11, 8, 12) – 63 points
8. USA 830 – STRAIGHTARROW – Chelsea Simms (13, 10, 5, 8, 7, 3, (15), 7, 15, 5) – 73 points
9. ITA 865 – BOMBARDA – Andrea Pozzi (7, 4, 12, 4, (13), 8, 6, 10, 12, 11) – 74 points
10. USA 863 – DARK HORSE – Cuyler Morris (8, DNF (32), 14, 7, 9, 15, 4, 3, 9, 6) – 75 points
Corinthian Results after Day 4: (top three, 10 races, 1 discard)
1. (11) CRO 649 – MATARAN 24 – Ante Botica (20, 6, 18, 5, 12, 7, 12, 9, 11, 3) – 83 points
2. (15) USA 855 – LOOPER – Duane Yoslov (12, 12, 19, 18, 16, 13, 13, 16, 13, 18) – 131 points
3. (16) USA 549 – AVERAGE – Kent Pierce (9, 15, 13, 12, 18, 16, 19, 19, 17, 19) – 138 points
Ava Thompson, a skilled sailor and marine journalist from Auckland, has developed a deep connection to the ocean that guides her work. With a degree in Marine Journalism from the University of Auckland, Ava is known for her engaging and detailed storytelling. Her writing brings to life the thrill of sailing and the unique maritime culture of New Zealand, earning her recognition in the sailing community. Outside of her journalism, Ava enjoys exploring the rugged coastlines of New Zealand and competing in local regattas, always in search of her next seafaring adventure.