Thrills And No Spills for the Melges 15 Fleet This Summer

17th July 2024

Afloat.ie Team

Close racing at the RSGYC regatta in the Melges 15 class Credit: Peter Chapman

One small cohort has welcomed the low pressures we have seen this Summer. The Melges fleets in Dun Laoghaire and Howth have been enjoying the great sailing conditions, even if the expected blue summer skies have been forty shades of grey.

'Epic' Conditions for the RStGYC Regatta

July's RStGYC Regatta provided epic racing conditions. PRO Suzanne McGarry and her team provided three 45-minute races for the fleet in an oscillating breeze in strength between 8 & 20 knots. Top skiff sailors Sean Donnelly and Adam Hyland and a Laser 49erFx mix of Liam Glynn and Ellie Cunnane made guest appearances for the regatta. As expected, these two teams were quickly on the pace and in the action, jostling with the Dublin Bay fleet regulars and two Howth teams, Mike and Michelle Evans and Cormac and Aoibhin Farrelly.

Theo and Clodagh Lyttle racing in the Royal St. George Yacht Club Regatta on Dublin Bay Photo: Peter Chapman

Each race had multiple lead changes and a different winner, with Sean and Adam taking the first. Race two saw Mike and Michelle briefly in the lead before slowly being caught and passed by Liam and Ellie, whose superior hoists and drops gave them an edge. Race three looked to be going the way of John and Katie Sheehy, who had established a big lead after connecting a few gusts on some fast downwind sailing. Theo and Clodagh Lyttle were not to be deterred, though, with ex-pilot Theo finding his own private thermal to fly down the last downwind and take the win.

Class video below

Theo and Clodagh also set the top speed for the fleet at 17.3 knots, on a day that showcased the stable high performance of the Melges 15. The boat trackers indicated that most boats covered over 35km at the regatta so a tired but elated fleet welcomed a cool drink after racing. John and Katie with 3 second places took the overall win just about holding off class debutants Sean and Adam.

HYC Melges Fleet update

The Howth fleet have been quick to find their feet after the arrival of 12 boats in May. Thursday night sailing has typically seen at least 7 boats out racing and in a new initiative Sunday afternoon racing has started giving the fleet the opportunity for more sailing and racing as they get used to the boats. With the Irish nationals set for Howth on August 24th and 25th the local sailors will be pushing hard for a home victory.

Melges 15 racing off Howth

With last weekend finally delivering some sunshine and gentle breezes, Sarah Robertson and team pulled together a very successful family day, enabling members to get out sailing and test the Howth Yacht Club-owned Melges 15 in a fun format. With some sailors as young as 11 the sailing pipeline in Fingal County remains strong!

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About the Melges 15 Dinghy

The Melges 15 was designed by Reichel/Pugh and built by Melges.

The design prioritises stability, comfort, ease of use, and performance.

The Melges 15 is built to be sailed by everyone from friends and couples to families and kids. The design offers performance, comfort, and stability in one sleek package.

The Melges 15’s stable hull shape and ergonomic cockpit make it a suitable layout for adult racing and educational sailing. Easy conversion from a club configuration (non-spinnaker) to a one-design setup, provides more versatility to club programs and options for individual owners.

“The Melges 15 creates a clear pathway for junior sailors to get started and stay excited about sailing while also being comfortable and accessible enough for adults to learn, race, or cross-train,” according to Harry Melges III.

With the main design goals focused on stability and performance in various conditions, the boat features a narrow overall beam and a flat cross-section shape for stability, righting moment, and ease of planing. For a more forgiving feel upwind and to navigate larger sea states, the Melges 15 has just the right amount of fore and aft rocker.

Melges conducted extensive research and product testing to produce this layout factoring in cockpit depth, backbone height, and floor plan. The result, they say, is a comfortable environment for both the skipper and crew. The deeper cockpit takes the load off the sailor’s knees helping them feel locked into the boat while the high boom and gnav vang system work together to make the boat easier to manoeuvre.

The asymmetric spinnaker offers an additional performance element, while the single-pull launch and retrieval system makes handling the sail easy and fast.