Melges 24 2007 Nationals

CHAMPIONSHIP MEMORIES LINGER
Photo Caption: Event Chairman Paul Hulsey's HooDlum Racing Team show their hometown colors with Detroit's skyline in the background. (credit: Meredith Block/Blocksail)	DETROIT, October 8, 2007 Summer-like conditions continue to prolong the Midwestern sailing season, but in only a few short weeks, sailors will be bundled up inside, reliving their memories of the spectacular 2007 season on the Great Lakes. For many, the 2007 Audi Melges 24 National Championship will top their experiences this year, as a record-setting 53 hardened race teams battled for the title of U.S. Champion on Lake St. Clair, Michigan. Instead of icy gales, teams sailed in 70-degree water that, at times, looked more like Key West than Detroit.
Filmmaker Peter Crawford and his crew from Penalty Box Productions were on hand to capture the action, and now competitors and fans of extreme sportboat racing can order their action-packed DVD of the event at www.penaltyboxproductions.com/orderfilm.htm . The Nationals disc is bundled with incredible footage from the 200 Fullpower Melges 24 World Championship, held this past May in extreme conditions on the wind-swept waters of the Pacific Ocean. An exciting, four-minute preview of the film is available on the internet at www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xXq_zMgRHU . Read More

LAKE GENEVA'S BRIAN PORTER CROWNED MELGES 24 U.S. CHAMPION

Brian Porter's Full Throttle showed speed and consistency, with four first-places in eight races, to become the 2007 Audi Melges 24 United States Champion. (credit: Tim Wilkes/Tim Wilkes Photography)

DETROIT, September 23, 2007 In yet another day of warm, 8-12 knot breeze, Brian Porter¹s Full Throttle team held off World Champion Dave Ullman, helming Scott Holmgren¹s Rosebud. We were 1-2 at Worlds, we were 1-2 at North Americans, and now we're 1-2 here, with Brian getting the win.² Ullman said. Those guys are just so fast and so good they're always solid.
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Some Photos taken by Meredith Block are available HERE

MIDWESTERNERS STRIKE BACK, CHAMPIONSHIP UP FOR GRABS

DETROIT, September 21, 2007 – Typically shifty Lake St. Clair conditions spelled solid finishes for many Midwestern Melges 24 sailors for three races on Day 2 of the 2007 Audi Melges 24 US National Championship. 8-12 knots of unpredictable wind frustrated many teams, and with lighter breeze forecasted for Sunday there is little doubt that a tough final day is in store for the fleet.
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WEST COAST SAILORS SWEEP DAY 1 OF MELGES 24 US NATIONALS DETROIT

September 21, 2007 Unforecasted and unexpected southwesterly breezes of up to sixteen knots brought smiles to the faces of most competitors during the opening day of the 2007 Audi Melges 24 U.S. National Championship. The surprise breeze, far in excess of the 6-8 knots forecasted, propelled Californian helmsmen into the top four spots in this brutally talented 53-boat field.
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SAILMAKER BATTLE HEATS UP AT NATIONALS

World Champion Dave Ullman offers tips to Hayling Island sailor James Hill aboard Simon Strauss' Team Gill. Ullman's Latis Yachting Solutions-sponsored clinic saw over 80 attendees in 20 boats on the eve of tomorrow's US Nationals. (credit: Meredith Block)

DETROIT, September 20, 2007 - Over twenty race teams hit the waters of the Detroit River today as crews prepared for what will likely be the most competitive U.S. National Championships ever seen in the Melges 24 Class. Both on the water and in the staging area, racers were sweating in the 85-degree heat, grateful that the organizers had opened up the weigh-in scales early this morning.
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Mark Ivey at the helm of Lightwave for the first time, this past July in Newport, RI.
He won the event.
(Photo credit: US Melges 24 Class Association)

RACERS, ORGANIZERS AND SPONSORS PREPARE FOR ONSLAUGHT
DETROIT, September 19, 2007 - With just days remaining until the largest Melges 24 U.S. Nationals in history, competitors, race organizers and top teams are hard at work preparing for the 2007 Audi Melges 24 U.S. National Championship. More than 30 boats already sit in rows at Detroit's Bayview Yacht Club, awaiting their starting guns.
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It's not too late to sign up - REGISTRATION IS STILL AVAILABLE .

RECORD SETTING FLEET TO VIE FOR
AUDI 2007 MELGES 24 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

DETROIT, September 14, 2007 – In just over a week, some sixty Melges 24 skippers and crews will hit the waters of Lake St. Clair to decide who will be crowned the Audi 2007 Melges 24 U.S. National Champion. With 56 entries received to date, and up to 8 more expected, this will be the largest U.S. Nationals in the 14 year history of the class – confirming the health of this ultra-competitive, high-octane One Design class.
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DETROIT, Aug. 27, 2007 - Organizers of the Audi 2007 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship have announced that Audi of America Inc. and the Detroit-Area Audi Metro Dealers have been named Title Sponsor of this prestigious event.
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Welcome to the 2007 Melges 24 US Nationals!