2016 Melges 32 Worlds Headed to Newport

Newport, RI (January 18, 2016) – On the heels of a highly successful 2015 World Championship in Trapani, the International Melges 32 Class Association (IM32CA) moves to Newport, Rhode Island, partnering with Sail Newport (SN) to host its seventh World Championship September 28 – October 2, 2016. Online Registration is now available for this event, as well as the 2016 U.S. National Championship, also hosted by Sail Newport.

In 2012 the Class held its largest World Championship in Newport and once again, it looks to recapture the yachting lore of one of America’s greatest sailing locations. Melges 32 owners and sailors will have the chance to experience the superior facilities of SN and take full advantage of the epic, fall sailing conditions.

“Newport is truly iconic in the worldwide sailing landscape and fulfills all the requirements we have as a Class for holding a premier World Championship,” commented North American Fleet Manager, Sam Rogers. “The city of Newport, its history and the overall experience is one of a kind. With Sail Newport acting as one of our closest partners, surely this event will attract top Melges 32 pro and amateur teams from all over the world.”

Sail Newport recently played host to one of the most successful Volvo Ocean Race stopovers in the history, firmly establishing it as an excellent regatta venue, complete with launching services, brand new state of the art dockage, and a centralized regatta hub.

“We are looking forward to the return of the Melges 32 World Championship back to Newport and hosting the fleet,” commented Sail Newport Executive Director, Brad Read. “With the Volvo Ocean Race set to come back to Sail Newport in 2018, our plan is to continue evolving our amenities and provide this fleet with an over-the-top World Championship experience.”

The Melges 32 Class is looking forward to welcoming many longstanding veteran teams to Newport, as well as a few fresher teams who will be competing in their very first World Championship. Current World Champion Alessandro Rombelli and his STIG team will be back to defend their title. Doing their best to defend from a “home-field” advantage standpoint, Chris Wientjes’ Stormvogel, Ed Tillinghast’s Dark n’Stormy, Ben Schwartz’s Pisces, Jason Carroll’s Argo, Ryan DeVos’ Volpe, and Dalton DeVos’ Delta, have committed their participation.

Making their way North from a successful Blue Water Series, a large number of international teams will also continue their march through North America and look to return home with some new, World Championship hardware.

For the first time in Class history, a Melges 32 Corinthian World Champion will be crowned in Newport. With the growth of a number of Corinthian teams in both North America and Europe, the Corinthian title will be hotly contested all the while competing for the overall as well. The “Kids” on Team Hydra are committed through the World Championships, and the Canadian team on Grant Hood’s Quest will be working hard to bring this prestigious title back to Canada.

Becoming part of yachting history, the Melges 32 class will use two great events to prepare for the Melges 32 Worlds. On 8-10 July, the fleet will join in the highly popular Sail Newport Regatta, and the 2016 U.S. National Championship will take place on 19-21 August with a strong international fleet looking to unseat current National Champion, Jason Carroll on Argo.

Event Websites –
2016 Melges 32 World Championship
2016 Melges 32 U.S. National Championship

Report by event media