(January 28, 2011) Harry C. 'Buddy' Melges, Jr. is considered to be among the greatest sailors ever to compete in the sport of sailing. A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Buddy was the son of Melges Boat Works' founder Harry Sr., and grew up being involved in the family boat-building business. Over time, Buddy won more than 60 major national and international sailing championships - from Scows to Ice Boats to Maxi boats - along with two Olympic medals.
Buddy's sailing career also included the America's Cup. In 1987 he represented the Chicago Yacht Club at the helm of Heart of America in the challenger series, coming up short against eventual Cup winner Dennis Conner and his Stars & Stripes team. But in 1992, Buddy Melges captured the America's Cup on America3 alongside Bill Koch. Prior to this year's victory by Oracle Racing, their campaign was the last successful defense of the Cup by an American team.
Buddy enjoyed his 81st birthday on January 26th, and for this week's video Buddy sits down with Harken USA CEO Bill Goggins to reveal some of his wizardry.
