2016 Land Rover Melges 24 Canadian National Championship - Ian Sloan, Wet Coast Sailing Team and Richard Reid, are the top 3 winners of Stage 1 of the North American Tour

June 26, 2016 - Kelowna, BC, Canada – Winners in the 2016 Land Rover Kelowna Canadian National Championship overall, and the Corinthian winners announced! In first place for the Land Rover Kelowna Melges 24 Canadian National Championship are Ian Sloan and team on Mikey USA838 from Anacortes Washington. 2nd place went to Fraser McMillan and the Wet Coast Sailing Team on Sunnyvale CAN151 from Brentwood Bay, Canada and in 3rd place was Richard Reid on Zingara CAN629 from Port Credit, Canada!

Ian Sloan and team - Mikey USA838

First Place in the Land Rover Kelowna Melges 24 Canadian National Championship: Ian Sloan and team (from left to right) Jeff Madrigali, Serena Village, Ian Sloan, Jason Rhodes and Hunter Lowden on Kevin Welch's Boat "Mikey USA838" from Anacortes, WA, USA – Photo © Dylan Carver

Fraser McMillan and the Wet Coast Sailing Team

First place in the Corinthian Fleet and second place in the overall Land Rover Kelowna Melges 24 Canadian National Championship: Fraser McMillan and the Wet Coast Sailing Team (from the left) Fraser McMillan, Harry Miller, Kieran Horsburgh, Keegan Moynihan and Aidan Koster on Sunnyvale CAN151 from Brentwood Bay, Canada – Photo © Jim Hall

Land Rover Kelowna Melges 24 Canadian National Championship committee member, Tr

Land Rover Kelowna Melges 24 Canadian National Championship committee member, Tracy Noel, presenting the Corinthian plaque that will display the winning team’s name.  Photo © Dylan Carver

Corinthian fleet 
The definition of Corinthian is a team with no professional sailors on board. The 2nd in overall ranking and 1st place in the Corinthian Fleet is Fraser McMillan and the Wet Coast Sailing Team on Sunnyvale CAN151 from Brentwood Bay, Canada in 2nd place;  Gordon Shannon and team on Boaty McBoatface CAN591 and in 3rd place; Seattle, Washington racer, Matt MacGregor on Good Enough USA498!

Overall and Corinthian results

The 2016 National Championship started three days ago with nothing but wind and March temperatures, keeping all sailors dressed for weather. The fleet raced four strong races with a couple of general recalls and by the end many wished they were the ones wearing water repellant Bluesmiths gear and toques. By day two the temperature rose, it stayed dry and the teams had solid wind for the first two races and then it eased off. The conditions were beautiful for the Banquet dinner in the Kelowna Yacht Club and a summer evening out on their deck.

Race committee boat- Photo © Andy McGregorRace committee boat- Photo © Andy McGregor

Ian Sloan and team - Mikey USA838Ian Sloan and team on Mikey USA838 - photo © Dylan Carver

Fraser McMillan and the Wet Coast Sailing Team on Sunnyvale CAN151Fraser McMillan and the Wet Coast Sailing Team on Sunnyvale CAN151 - Photo © Jim Hall

Day three, at the 10am start time, the wind was blowing then shifted and by the time the marks were moved to a new course, the wind died, the sun came out and the temperatures rose to a hot 30C. So hot that someone finally slid down the Race Committee boat slide into the warm lake water. Early afternoon the race was called and all boats were off the water by 2pm.

Land Rover Kelowna CAN Melges 24 Nationals 2016

The Three Stage North American Tour includes:
1. Land Rover Kelowna Melges 24 Canadian National Championship  June 24-26, 2016
2. 2016 Melges 24 U.S. Championship, Lake Geneva October 7-9, 2016
3. Melges 24 World Championship, Miami November 26 to December 3, 2016

The Land Rover Kelowna Melges 24 Canadian Nationals 2016 are a great start to the Melges 24 Western Series including:
1. Whidbey Island Race Week July 11-15, 2016
2. Columbia Gorge One Design Regatta, Seattle July 29-31, 2016
3. Melges 24 Pacific Coast Championships, San Francisco August 12-14, 2016

The future is bright for the Melges 24 class and the Western North American fleets. To answer the 2016 Canadian Nationals in Kelowna the 2017 North American Championship will be at the Gorge and the 2018 Worlds in Victoria.

Find event and media posts on Facebook and twitter
Photos on Melges 24 Nationals Flickr Page
Melges 24 Nationals Website  
google: #Melges24CNats

Photographs on Flickr by 
Andy McGregor, Summerland, BC, Canada 
Dillon Carver, Kelowna, BC, Canada 
Jim Hall, Kelowna, BC, Canada

For more information contact: 
Marc Noel 
President Canadian Melges 24 Class Association 
phone: 250.212.9950 
email: noellutz@me.com

Media contact: 
Pamela Miller 
phone: 250 260 0253 
email: pamelswork@gmail.com

A BIG thank you to our sponsors and donors who made this event possible:

Land Rover Kelowna Melges 24 CAN Nationals poster