Melges 20 World League announced
by International Melges 20 Class Association 29 Jan 2017 11:50 GMT
29 January 2017
Melges 20 World League © Melges 20
As sailors thirst for higher levels of competition, sportboat industry leader Melges Performance Sailboats has answered the call with an all-encompassing, worldwide racing competition - the Melges 20 World League.
With more than 100 teams expected to participate for ultimate Melges 20 supremacy, this new competition includes North American, European and Asian Divisions, culminating at the 2017 World Championship in Newport, RI on October 2-7 hosted by the New York Yacht Club.
Using point totals accumulated from racing at sanctioned events throughout the season in both overall and Corinthian standings, only time will tell which region will claim superiority, and who will be crowned the very first Melges 20 World League Champion.
With a record number of participants at the 2016 Worlds, the Melges 20 continues to assert itself as a premier one-design Class.
"The goal of the Melges World League is to unite teams around the globe and provide another layer of world-class competition for Melges sailors," said Harry Melges, CEO of Melges Performance Sailboats. "The new format organizes regattas under one single circuit with aligned scoring and management, giving boat owners confidence that they will have the best racing experience at each regatta in the Melges 20 Class."
North American Class Manager, Sam Rogers is excited about the new Melges 20 World League: "Melges 20 owners are accustomed to top-flight, competitive events and the World League represents that and more. It will be very exciting for teams to participate, especially with another prestigious title on the line. We have some big goals for the Melges 20 World League going forward."
The Melges 20 World League kicks off on February 3-5 at one of the greatest sailing destinations around the globe - Biscayne Bay for round two of the 2016/17 Miami Winter Series. Teams attending will definitely get a jump start on the standings, but as the summer heats up, the European and Asian Divisions will look to close the gap.
2017 Melges 20 World League Events Schedule:
North American Division
- 2016/17 Miami Winter Series Event No. 2/Winter Regatta - Miami, FL (February 3-5)
- 2016/17 Miami Winter Series Event No. 3/Melges Rocks Regatta - Miami, FL (March 3-5)
- Sail Newport Regatta - Newport, RI (July 7-9)
- U.S. National Championship - Newport RI (August 17-19)
- 2017/18 Miami Winter Series Event No. 1 - Miami, FL (December 8-10)
European Division
- European Event No. 1 - Porto Venere, Italy (April 7-9)
- European Event No. 2 - Scarlino, Italy (May 12-14)
- European Event No. 3 - Zadar, Croatia (June 9-11)
- European Event No. 4/European Championship - Sibenik, Croatia (July 12-15)
- European Event No. 5/Russian Championship - Lake Garda, Italy (September 1-3)
Asian Division
- Nippon Cup Hayama Spring Series - Hayama, Japan (April 22-23)
- Melges Spring Regatta - Akiya, Japan (May 20-21)
- Melges Summer Regatta - Akiya, Japan (July 22-23)
- Nippon Cup Hayama Autumn Series - Hayama, Japan (October 21-22)
- Japan Melges Race Week - Zushi, Japan (November 2-7)
World League
- 2017 World Championship - Newport, RI (October 2-7)
View the complete 2017 Melges 20 Events Schedule here.