Kohl and O'Regan Take the Lead After Light Airs Shake Up at Melges 15 Europeans

12th July 2025

Afloat.ie Team

Overall leaders Atlee Kohl and Cathal O'Regan sailing for the Virgin Islands (1015 lead round the weather mark at the Melges 15 Europeans on Dublin Bay Credit: Michael Chester

Atlee Kohl and Cathal O'Regan sailing for the Virgin Islands leads the Melges 15 European Championships after some tactical moves and tight finishes on a tricky light air day two on Saturday, July 12th.

The Hyland Shipping race course of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta delivered a day of light-air chess matches and standout performances on Day 2 of the Europeans. Four races were completed in challenging conditions, with big moves shaking up the overall leaderboard.

Race 1 – The lightest air race of the regatta saw John Sheehy and his niece Katie Sheehy (IRL 564, Flying Tiger) lead at the top mark. Close behind were Rob Britts (USA 1016) and Emily Haig (USA 1018). Haig and crew Jimmy Muller surged downwind to take the lead, but Simon and Katie Horsfield (GBR 1023) jibed smartly at the end and edged them out by less than a boat length to take the win.

Race 2 – With the sea breeze starting to fill (6–8 knots), Joan Gelpi and Maritxell Gelpi (ESP 1026) nailed the right side of the course and took an early lead they would never relinquish. The father-daughter team of John and Dana Haig (USA 1017) rounded second, followed closely by Esteban Forrer and Jeremy Herrin (USA 1021). But it was the Virgin Islands teams—Atlee Kohl and Cathal O'Regan (ISV 1015) and Lola Kohl and Emily Kohl (ISV 1019)—who made the biggest move, jibing early and gaining massively. ESP 1026 won convincingly, with ISV 1015 finishing second after a near-perfect downwind.

Race 3 – With the light air continuing, Emily Haig and Jimmy Muller once again showed their light-air mastery, sailing to victory. Atlee Kohl and Cathal O'Regan beat out John and Katie Sheehy in a photo finish for second.

Race 4 – Joan Gelpi and Maritxell Gelpi (ESP 1026) continued their strong form, leading early with ISV 1015 and ISV 1019 in pursuit. The regatta leaders faced some pressure as Barry McCartin and Teddy Byrne (IRL 562) rounded 7th, and Forrer and Herrin (USA 1021) sat in 10th. McCartin and Byrne executed a textbook downwind jibe, climbing into third by the leeward mark. On the final upwind, Atlee Kohl and Cathal O'Regan (ISV 1015) and Joan Gelpi and Maritxell Gelpi (ESP 1026) engaged in a tacking duel, with ISV 1015 outmaneuvering the Spanish team rounding just ahead. The finishing order held downwind, setting the stage for a tight final day.

Top 5 Overall (After 7 Races):

Atlee Kohl & Cathal O'Regan (ISV 1015) – 21 pts
Esteban Forrer & Jeremy Herrin (USA 1021) – 23 pts
Barry McCartin & Teddy Byrne (IRL 562) – 24 pts
Simon & Katie Horsfield (GBR 1023) – 31 pts
John & Katie Sheehy (IRL 564) – 31 pts

Race Results

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Published in Melges 15, Volvo Regatta

Published in Melges 15

Tagged under

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.

At a Glance - Melges 15 Specifications

LENGTH 15 ft
BEAM 5 ft 6 in
DRAFT 2 ft 7 in
HULL WEIGHT 230 lbs
SAIL AREA
MAIN 93.6 sq ft
JIB 39.8 sq ft
ASYMMETRICAL SPINNAKER 156 sq ft
CREW 2

At a Glance - Irish Melges 15 class calendar for 2026

April 18–19 – Western Championships, Lough Derg Yacht Club
May 23–24 – Eastern Championships, Royal Irish Yacht Club (as part of Dun Laoghaire Cup)
June 20–21 – Northern Championships, Howth Yacht Club
July 3–5 – European Championships, Riva del Garda, Italy
August 22–23 – Irish National Championships, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dublin Bay
September 19–20 – Sprint Style Event, Royal St. George Yacht Club (16 races targeted)
Winter 2026/2027 – Additional frostbite racing (dates TBC)