The fleet of Melges 24 heads upwind. (U.S. Melges 24 Class Association)
A growing fleet of Melges 24 boats – one of the biggest in the country – attracts sailors of all stripes. By Todd VanSickle On Wednesday nights, the waters of West Grand Traverse Bay churn with Grand Traverse Yacht Club teams racing for interclub glory. The eye-catching boats – a fleet of 14 Melges 24s – are known for their easy set-up and high performance on both inland lakes and big open water. The fleet has attracted professional sailors and enticed younger sailors to jump onboard these weekly races, held every Wednesday from June-September. According to Melges 24 Fleet Captain Scot Zimmerman, the fleet began when some sailors at the Grand Traverse Yacht Club noticed how competitive the sailboat was. It wasn’t long and a couple of the members bought a Melges and started racing. “The fun and excitement I think just bred broader and broader participation,” Zimmerman says. Mike Dow described himself as one of the “original” Melges boat owners. The boats have numbers on their bows that help the race committee identify the boat. His boat, Flying Toaster, is number 613. Around 1994 according to Dow, Mike Fisher and Steve Trippe had the first Melges 24s in town. “Of course, we all took rides on it,” Dow says. Two years later Dow bought his own boat and has gone on to become one of the top sailors in the fleet, even winning the recent Melges 24 Grand Traverse Invitational. Over the years, the Melges fleet, which sails out of the Grand Traverse Yacht Club,
has fluctuated in size. But thanks to a healthy used boat market a couple years ago, Dow and Zimmerman say that the fleet has grown. “There were used boats available at a reasonable price,” Zimmerman says. “And you can take that used boat and immediately be competitive in this really high-caliber class. The entry point was really good.” Nowadays, it’s hard to find a used Melges, he says. “Today, there are very, very few used boats available,” he says. “The market has completely dried up because of the resurgence of the class.” A used Melges 24 can run anywhere from $20,000 to $70,000. GTYC’s fleet sits at 14 boats that sail regularly on Wednesday nights in the summer, making it one of the largest standing weekly fleets in the country, according to Zimmerman. All told, there are only about 860 Melges boats in the world, he added. Dow says one of the appeals of the Melges is that it is a one-design boat, which does not require handicapping when being scored. “It’s a very light boat with a lot of sail area — sports car like,” Dow says. “Going fast is fun. That’s a big part of it.” Another appeal of the boat is its versatility. The Melges can be sailed on inland lakes and the open ocean. “It’s a good all-around boat,” Zimmerman says. “But I think there’s a really strong racing culture that’s always been present here and I think it’s really growing at the moment.” The Melges is sailed by a crew of three to five. It was built in the early 1990s by the Melges Boat Works company, owned by America’s Cup sailor Harry “Buddy” Melges. “It became one of the most popular
18 • august 30, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly
Mike Dow at the helm of Flying Toaster after sailing at the Grand Traverse Yacht Club. (Photo: Todd VanSickle)
one-design sport boats in the world,” Zimmerman says. The GTYC has hosted sailboat racing for all classes on Wednesday nights for decades, according to Zimmerman. The one-design Melges has been a welcomed addition, he added. On a recent August Wednesday evening, about two dozen spectators watched from shore enjoying oysters and cocktails on a small patch of grass in front of GTYC. On the horizon, a line of Melges 24s sailed downwind with brightly colored spinnakers pulling them to the finish line. Much of the Melges fleet is kept at the clubhouse that sits on West Bay. After racing, the boats return to the clubhouse where they are hauled out and sailors swap sailing stories over drinks. Getting a large fleet like the GTYC’s
Melges on the water each week can be a challenge, Zimmerman says. As many as 70 sailors can be needed but getting them all on board isn’t always possible. “There’s always crew problems or someone gets sick or they’ve got work. And so, what happens is there’s generally a need for fill-in crew,” Zimmerman says. Sometimes, the fill-in crew can be racing royalty that happens to be visiting the area, he says. “And, lately, some of our fill-in crew have been Olympic gold medal sailors and Volvo Ocean Race sailors,” he says. “Some worldclass sailors that happen to be in the area and want to come sail with us. It’s kind of amazing.” In spite of the occasional drop-in superstar sailor, Zimmerman described the Melges 24 class as a “grass-roots kind of fleet,” with a diverse group of sailors, both young and old.
