19 Boat Fleet to Contest Melges15 Nationals at Howth Yacht Club

23rd August 2024

The Howth YC owned Melges 15 in training last weekend Credit: Andrew Conan

It has been a busy and exciting dinghy pen in Howth this week, with the green gate witnessing the departure of the many visiting Optimists to be replaced by the ad hoc arrival of Melges 15s.

Race Officer Richard Kissane and the team have also been spotted preparing to use the new Race Management software Race Sense. Various simulations of start boats and marks are set up on the forecourt to check functionality and features.

Competitors are looking forward to some fast, fun sailing with medium to strong winds forecast. With 13 Melges 15s based in Howth the local club will be optimistic of a home winner with the teams of Mike Evans and Cormac Farrelly showing good form in Howth's recent dinghy regatta. Late bolters Darragh O'Connor and Teddy Byrne will revel in the stronger conditions alongside Matthew Cotter's 'Wrong Trousers' team, fresh from a strong performance at the GP14 Worlds in Wales.

Melges 15 dinghy sailing at Howth Photo: Andrew Conan

Family will be a strong theme amongst the visiting fleet with Husband and Wife Partnerships, Theo and Clodagh Lyttle and Mike Huang and Scotia Ryer coming off race wins leading up to the championships. Uncle Niece combo John and Katie Sheehy won a hard-fought RStGYC regatta this Summer with some consistent sailing, so we will also hope to feature.

Keep an eye out, too, for the Youth team of Peter Williams and Russell Bolger. Russell, a current Junior Helmsman's champion and former 29er ace, will add awesome spinnaker trimming to Peter's tactical acumen.

A banquet meal at the club on Saturday should revive the sailors after an expected four races while anticipation is building to see some great drone footage of the days action with top drone photographer Goncalo Melo flying in from Portugal to cover the event.

Published in Melges 15, Howth YC

Published in Melges 15

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Melges 15

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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.