No, that's not a tough line to get a good start.

Having never won dick in this sport (something about that pesky lack of talent keeps getting in the way), I am always major-league impressed when guys step up and just belt one out of the park. Harry Melges recently did just that when he won the Melges 24 Worlds in Germany. We threw a few questions his way, and as his style, he once again delivered. Enjoy. – Ed

Who were your crew members, and what were their positions?

HM
Jeff Ecklund is our patron and he owns the boats with the name “Star”, Jeff trims the spinnaker and helps with tactics. Andy Burdick, who normally sails with the Porter brothers on “Full Throttle” was able to sail with us when the Porters could not attend. Andy trims the jib and calls tactics. On the bow we had local German sailing hero, Tony Kolb, recently off his victory in the Volvo round the world race. They all did a great job and deserve all the credit for our victory!

What hull number boat, and what sail models did you use?

After race party: "Hey baby, Sprechen Sie Englisch?"

HM
We were lucky enough to have our good friends, Kristian and Peder Nergaard from Norway loan us their boat, NOR-409, and their Suburban. They went well beyond the call of duty to help us out. We used the standard North sails, the AP mainsail, the J5 jib, the Max Runner, and the Power Zone Reacher.

What were the conditions?

HM
The conditions started out somewhat light on the first day, but the final four days saw great breeze in the 10 to 20 range, usually a thermal breeze, with lots of sunshine and nice waves to surf on. The last day brought a typical German day with gusty, shifty, rainy conditions. All ten races were completed as scheduled, making it a great event.

Did you feel that you had a speed advantage? If so, in what conditions were you strongest and why?

HM
We had great speed all of the time, our best speed was in the breezier conditions when the chop was up. I think our sails helped our speed against the other brands of sails on the race course, but probably our technique in the breeze and the chop gave us the biggest advantage. We sailed with a lot of twist and never changed our rig off of base. We concentrated on being very conservative at the starts and using our speed and boat handling to pull us through the fleet.

Who were your toughest competitors?

That's Harry on the right. The one with the winning smile.

HM
The Black Seal team of Jamie Lee, Nigel Young, Jim Schwerdt and Richard Thompson from the UK were really tough, Kristoffer Spoone and Nils Hauf from Norway sailed a great regatta, and there were about ten French boats that were really fast, but not as consistent, and a couple of Italian boats that sailed really well.

Were there any other sails and sailmakers who were a factor?

HM
There were numerous other sails on many of the French boats, and a couple on the Italian boats. In different conditions, different boats seemed to excel, but no one boat was real consistent through the variety of conditions.

What was the one scary moment on the regatta?

HM
Probably when we were mistaken for another boat and black flagged out of the fourth race. We were disappointed until the race committee realized their mistake and reinstated us for that race, giving us average points. In the end, it probably wouldn’t have mattered, but there would have been more pressure on us to not have a bad race.

You seemed to have control of this regatta from the outset. Was this just one of those regattas where nearly everything went your way?

HM
Things were going our way, but I believe that if you prepare properly, your boat handling is the best it can be, you are up to speed, and you sail conservatively in regard to your tactics things will work out in the end.

How does this win benefit your customers?

That ain't Zenda, is it?

HM
In our business it is important that we attend as many regattas as possible. This allows us to provide a great support service to customers, we are up to speed on the pulse of sailing and we can stay at the top of our game. With this we can provide the best possible product to our customers along with sailing advice, and customer support to make their experience more enjoyable.

Is this your biggest accomplishment as a sailor?

HM
I would say that it is. The Melges 24 class has grown into a very competitive International class with some great sailors competing in the class. It is an honor to be able to put our name on a trophy that has already so many great names and incredible sailors. It is the one International class that welcomes professional sailors to bring the level as high as possible. You are only as good as your competition and the Melges 24 sailors know that for them to improve their game they want to have the top sailors in the class to compete against. When they win, it means that much more!

Thanks Harry!

HM
You’re Welcome!

All photos courtesy of www.melges24.com