Melges 20 at Charleston Race week…

[iboat]

What’s going on with Melges 20 East Coast scene ? I realize Charleston race week is the weekend before the worlds… but is there an interest for non worlds boats to go to Charleston? Any other active east coast events? Or is the winter series all we have ?

 

[WCB]

This year it will likely make Charleston a non event for the Melges 20 class. This year the Melges 24 had the Worlds a week after Charleston and few went to Charleston, instead choosing to practice at the Worlds venue. My boat is currently in Charleston but I hope to charter it to a team at the Worlds.

 

[BrightAyes]

What’s going on with Melges 20 East Coast scene ? I realize Charleston race week is the weekend before the worlds… but is there an interest for non worlds boats to go to Charleston? Any other active east coast events? Or is the winter series all we have ?

Not sure who's Wheatie's Randy pissed in, but the powers that be are moving back to Florida and away from Chucktown. The glam fleets (Melges 20/24, etc.) prefer the Latino scene more than the Palmetto scene apparently.

 

[Foredeck Shuffle]

Not sure who's Wheatie's Randy pissed in, but the powers that be are moving back to Florida and away from Chucktown. The glam fleets (Melges 20/24, etc.) prefer the Latino scene more than the Palmetto scene apparently.

The Cuban food is far better in Miami, the racing is better as well. No one enjoys racing on a course that is current skewed and includes at least one solid day of gybe sets at the windward mark every, single, time. CRW party scene is the best on the US east coat, the racing is not.

 

[BrightAyes]

The Cuban food is far better in Miami, the racing is better as well. No one enjoys racing on a course that is current skewed and includes at least one solid day of gybe sets at the windward mark every, single, time. CRW party scene is the best on the US east coat, the racing is not.

yup. 100% agree

 

[WCB]

yup. 100% agree

Me too. I did CRW last year with my M24 and I was disappointed that nearly every race was a parade. I grew up with current skewed courses but not that bad.

 

[Foredeck Shuffle]

Having done CRW a few times and then this past week seen @Presuming Ed's post about how the Etchells PRO/RC alters the SI's to walk marks when a cross current fouls the course. Never seen that before and I very much appreciate the efforts of an RC that puts in that level of effort to make the racing fair and fun.

Walking The Course

 

[Mambo Kings]

No one enjoys racing on a course that is current skewed and includes at least one solid day of gybe sets at the windward mark every, single, time.

I do. It has been a while since I was there but I always found the racing at CRW to be interesting and challenging. I remember calling it "the Thinking Man's Regatta"
Of course, a tidal course puts a premium on good RC. Hal Smith always did a good job

I did CRW last year with my M24 and I was disappointed that nearly every race was a parade.

That would be disappointing. More recently we have been on a different circle than you guys. But in the early days we were on the same circle as you (there were only 2 inside circles then) and had some magnificent courses with the sea breeze cranking off Jamestown. The first 2/3 rds of the beat had 5 degree oscillations and then there was a big geographic lefty at the top layered on top of a strong ebb tide eventually replaced by a flood tide later. It was complicated.

I really enjoyed sailing the same circle with the M24s. They were a fun crowd. If our start had too many general recalls and the 2 fleets started sharing the same leg then the traffic management added another layer to the tactical puzzle. The Viper is slightly faster than your boat downwind but you are considerably faster than us upwind.....so the Melgae called it Snakes and Ladders.

Then a couple of years later the Melges 20 arrived and we were split off to a different circle. You got the shipping channel , we got the area near the ledge. Neither was quite as good a location as the previous combined circle but with the 20 and 24, there were so many of y'all that you needed your own circle. I entered my boat name that year as "No Melges, No Cry" The M24s thought it was funny as heck. The M20s had an epic sense of humor failure and I even got a letter .

Ched Proctor got arrested by the coast guard volunteers. @MR.CLEAN got his shirt pocket torn off by a Melges 32 owner . It was an epic party.

CRW party scene is the best on the US east coat

Yup. Ahhhh the hot tub.

The Cuban food is far better in Miami, the racing is better as well

Coconut Grove, Miami and Biscayne Bay is undoubtedly one of the two great sailing locations on the East Coast of America. The vibe, the food, the blue water and the quality of the breeze stands above all else with only one that compares.

However Charleston has a lot to offer. It also has a great party. You dont order cuban food in Charleston but it has some of the best seafood dives I have ever come across. Crabs and shrimp straight off the boat. It offers technical and different sailing.

But the other big thing it has going for it, is that it is only a 12 hour drive from Long Island Sound. That accesses a larger demographic of weekend warriors than FL. You could leave on Thursday evening. Get three days of good racing. Drag the boat thru the Mount Pleasant Car Wash, stop at the Waffle House, and then still be home by Monday morning.

Come to think of it, Im going to enter, and ask if we can sail with the 24s now that the 20s have buggered off again. If your boat is there, come on down...Ill show you the best shrimp shack in town.

 

[WCB]

Ched Proctor got arrested by the coast guard volunteers. @MR.CLEAN got his shirt pocket torn off by a Melges 32 owner . It was an epic party.


Come to think of it, Im going to enter, and ask if we can sail with the 24s now that the 20s have buggered off again. If your boat is there, come on down...Ill show you the best shrimp shack in town.

Don't get me started on CG volunteers. We have the CG Auxiliary here and one of them screamed at one of our members who was sailing a J22 in a dock area and he went off that the powerboat had the right of way and is going to get fined for cutting off the powerboat. Luckily the Park Rangers are in charge and they know better so after I had a few strong words with the Head Ranger about the incompetent CG Aux, he read them the riot act and straightened them out. So bad...

Yes, my Melges 20 is still in Charleston at the moment and hopefully headed to Miami soon but it could come back. My twin brother lives in Charleston. I'm also working with Keiran of the Melges 20 class to help put that class back on the racing map for pro and corinthian teams alike.

 

[Mambo Kings]

Me too. I did CRW last year with my M24 and I was disappointed that nearly every race was a parade. I grew up with current skewed courses but not that bad.

Yes, my Melges 20 is still in Charleston at the moment and hopefully headed to Miami soon but it could come back.

A veritable fleet of Melgae!

I'm also working with Keiran of the Melges 20 class to help put that class back on the racing map for pro and corinthian teams alike.

The M24 is having a very decent renaissance as an amateur boat. I got the impression, perhaps incorrectly, at Miami earlier this year that the M20 is still very much a class with pro' teams. Nothing wrong with that....it helps the owners raise their game without the budget of a TP52 of M32 ....but it is a different game.

Anyway, Pro or Amateur.....if you do CRW and I get some Vipers there, then lets get together.

 

[Mambo Kings]

. My twin brother lives in Charleston.

Why do I get this gut feeling that we know each other from a couple of decades ago?

 

[WCB]

A veritable fleet of Melgae!


The M24 is having a very decent renaissance as an amateur boat. I got the impression, perhaps incorrectly, at Miami earlier this year that the M20 is still very much a class with pro' teams. Nothing wrong with that....it helps the owners raise their game without the budget of a TP52 of M32 ....but it is a different game.

Anyway, Pro or Amateur.....if you do CRW and I get some Vipers there, then lets get together.

Yes, I do have both. I'm very fortunate. Things worked out in my favor and a lot of it has to do with building Park City Sailing as I've spent an inordinate amount of time looking for boats for the program and I've been fortunate to trip over some deals that were too good to pass up.

I'm actually working with Keiran of the M20 class to pull the class up with more participation from the amateur side. There are a lot of amateur teams with M20s, myself included, that need to be present to take full advantage of their boats and to support the class. It's a win win for everybody. Keiran just added me into a thread where some of the pro teams are also in support of fleet growth, not that all aren't, just some have taken the steps to get involved.

 

[WCB]

Why do I get this gut feeling that we know each other from a couple of decades ago?

I'm not sure that we do but I could be wrong. We should talk though...always good to figure out if we do know each other and make new sailing friends if not!

 

[Mambo Kings]

Yes, I do have both. I'm very fortunate. Things worked out in my favor and a lot of it has to do with building Park City Sailing as I've spent an inordinate amount of time looking for boats for the program and I've been fortunate to trip over some deals that were too good to pass up.

I'm actually working with Keiran of the M20 class to pull the class up with more participation from the amateur side. There are a lot of amateur teams with M20s, myself included, that need to be present to take full advantage of their boats and to support the class. It's a win win for everybody. Keiran just added me into a thread where some of the pro teams are also in support of fleet growth, not that all aren't, just some have taken the steps to get involved.

The sport of sailing is lucky to have you.... and Park City is doubly blessed. Awesome snow and now a sailing program.

Normally I would run into you at Miami but not this year due to the NOLA program.

 

[WCB]

The sport of sailing is lucky to have you.... and Park City is doubly blessed. Awesome snow and now a sailing program.

Normally I would run into you at Miami but not this year due to the NOLA program.

Thank you...you're too kind.

 

[RobbieB]

Me too. I did CRW last year with my M24 and I was disappointed that nearly every race was a parade. I grew up with current skewed courses but not that bad.

I know the VX is a bit more sporty, but we saw a lot of position changes on our course LY in nearly every race. The biggest factor for being in the top 3 boats every race was getting a clear start near the favored end. Beyond that it was taking advantage of the shifts and puffs like every other venue. Now, our course was set up in the most current "friendly" area of Charleston Harbor, but it was still there. I think we only did a couple of jybe sets, but that was in big lulls.

 

[WCB]

I know the VX is a bit more sporty, but we saw a lot of position changes on our course LY in nearly every race. The biggest factor for being in the top 3 boats every race was getting a clear start near the favored end. Beyond that it was taking advantage of the shifts and puffs like every other venue. Now, our course was set up in the most current "friendly" area of Charleston Harbor, but it was still there. I think we only did a couple of jybe sets, but that was in big lulls.

I think that's the solution. Maybe sail a little further from the dock and find a course that's a little more balanced. We were at the mouth of the river, getting current from the confluence of two rivers. It was always moving right to left but they actually plan that because at the end of the day, the tide changes and they want the current to bring us home. We had good starts but our boat handling suffered as we were new to the class (still are for the most part) so we'd make a mistake at the corners and slide back in the fleet.

 

[RobbieB]

I think that's the solution. Maybe sail a little further from the dock and find a course that's a little more balanced. We were at the mouth of the river, getting current from the confluence of two rivers. It was always moving right to left but they actually plan that because at the end of the day, the tide changes and they want the current to bring us home. We had good starts but our boat handling suffered as we were new to the class (still are for the most part) so we'd make a mistake at the corners and slide back in the fleet.

Yeah. I sailed the J24 course just in front of the bridge the years before COVID and depending on current the play was get off the line and go right, (for incoming tide)or middle/left, (for outgoing) and then reverse on the DW legs. Very little room for position improvement. It was a course where the rich got richer. I'm local. Every CRW I tell the crew. "Ok guys, race 1 is our money race because by race 2 the imported hot shots will have this all figured out!"

 

[Mambo Kings]

Yeah. I sailed the J24 course just in front of the bridge the years before COVID and depending on current the play was get off the line and go right, (for incoming tide)or middle/left, (for outgoing) and then reverse on the DW legs. Very little room for position improvement. It was a course where the rich got richer. I'm local. Every CRW I tell the crew. "Ok guys, race 1 is our money race because by race 2 the imported hot shots will have this all figured out!"

You are a local so I should probably defer to your wisdom

However it has been my experience on the "inside courses" that it is very dangerous to come to CRW with the misapprehension that there is a formula that works.

Each race, each different state of tide and each wind direction bring new and interesting challenges that can be different challenges depending on where the RC locate your circle.

I have always thought of CRW as the "thinking person's regatta". I have laminated charts of the tide every hour for 12 hours which I bring with me and I like to corner Greg or someone local for an hour on the day before the event. Ill buy beer and food, they talk about what happens in different places with the wind direction options we are looking at. I put all this together the night before. I think about it again in the morning but I still dont make a plan.

More than anywhere else I like to arrive on the course early. I will sail upwind and downwind on the circle and see what is happening and how it compares to what we thought about on the dock. 5 degrees of lift can make the difference between lee bowing the tide or footing for a shallow spit.

It is only then that we develop a plan. Once we have a plan, we are ruthless about executing the plan. At Charleston, it is better to eat bad air and come out from the correct side in 5th, than it is to win the wrong side.

This is completely contrary to my boats default approach where we like to win a side. To quote Tripp Burd
"Which side do you like Tripp?"
"I don't give a f**k as long as we get there first"
That is completely put aside at Charleston. AT CRW we really care about where we are going . We are sometimes looking for a lane in a upwind slot that is only 150 feet wide and ends in 50 boat lengths. CRW is not a "boat speed is king" event.....and I love how it is different.

CRW has never been a NAC or WC for the class I sail in but in some ways I think our team has relished the two times we have won CRW in terms of winning a challenging regatta more than some fancier titles we have won. We have lost it due to tactical mistakes many more times than winning it. It is brilliantly difficult and intellectual sailing.

Add on to that : The party has always been very fine . The food and local restaurants are fantastic. The city is fun and affordable. The locals are welcoming. Its a formula that I have missed for 5 years and I look forward to getting back there some time. It would probably send me to the asylum if I sailed there too often but if I alternate with Miami race Week, CRW beckons me back.

 

[RobbieB]

You are a local so I should probably defer to your wisdom

However it has been my experience on the "inside courses" that it is very dangerous to come to CRW with the misapprehension that there is a formula that works.

Each race, each different state of tide and each wind direction bring new and interesting challenges that can be different challenges depending on where the RC locate your circle.

I have always thought of CRW as the "thinking person's regatta". I have laminated charts of the tide every hour for 12 hours which I bring with me and I like to corner Greg or someone local for an hour on the day before the event. Ill buy beer and food, they talk about what happens in different places with the wind direction options we are looking at. I put all this together the night before. I think about it again in the morning but I still dont make a plan.

More than anywhere else I like to arrive on the course early. I will sail upwind and downwind on the circle and see what is happening and how it compares to what we thought about on the dock. 5 degrees of lift can make the difference between lee bowing the tide or footing for a shallow spit.

It is only then that we develop a plan. Once we have a plan, we are ruthless about executing the plan. At Charleston, it is better to eat bad air and come out from the correct side in 5th, than it is to win the wrong side.

This is completely contrary to my boats default approach where we like to win a side. To quote Tripp Burd
"Which side do you like Tripp?"
"I don't give a f**k as long as we get there first"
That is completely put aside at Charleston. AT CRW we really care about where we are going . We are sometimes looking for a lane in a upwind slot that is only 150 feet wide and ends in 50 boat lengths. CRW is not a "boat speed is king" event.....and I love how it is different.

CRW has never been a NAC or WC for the class I sail in but in some ways I think our team has relished the two times we have won CRW in terms of winning a challenging regatta more than some fancier titles we have won. We have lost it due to tactical mistakes many more times than winning it. It is brilliantly difficult and intellectual sailing.

Add on to that : The party has always been very fine . The food and local restaurants are fantastic. The city is fun and affordable. The locals are welcoming. Its a formula that I have missed for 5 years and I look forward to getting back there some time. It would probably send me to the asylum if I sailed there too often but if I alternate with Miami race Week, CRW beckons me back.

All true-