Countdown to Melges 24 U.S. Nationals

The 2024 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship has attracted 20 entrants for the 10-race series on July 12-14 in Santa Barbara, CA. While all teams will compete for the overall title, the majority of the entries will also vie for dominance in the all-amateur division.

Dan Berezin and his Melges 24 Surprise (CAN-629) team, the defending Corinthian U.S. National Champions, will be in attendance, aiming to reclaim the title for the second year in a row. “Winning in 2023 with my son as crew is my most memorable experience in this Class,” says Berezin.

Additional teams on the Corinthian radar slated to do well are 2018 Corinthian U.S. National Champion Kent Pierce on Average (USA-549), Duane Yoslov’s Looper (USA-855), Aaron Feves’ Scoundrel (USA-801), Sallie Lang’s Committed (USA-658), and Manfred Schmiedl’s Brio (USA-838).

Relatively new to the fleet among the professional teams is Cuyler Morris, racing Dark Horse (USA-863) with an experienced Melges 24 crew: John Bowden, Charlie Hibben, Mikaela Wulff, and recently crowned Melges 15 West Coast Champion Keiran Searle. Also contending is Geoff Fargo on Sentinel (USA-856) with Jackson Benvenutti, Grant Janov, Willie McBride, and Haydon Stapleton along with Andrew Picel’s Take off (USA-801) who carries some sailing heavyweights — Leland Hubble, Scott Nixon, Dylan Maney, and Samantha Gebb.

Absent from the 2024 lineup of competitors is defending champion Brian Porter with Full Throttle (USA-849), holder of ten Melges 24 U.S. National titles.

Race details – Entry list – Facebook