Full Throttle X 10, Wins 2023 Melges 24 U.S. Nationals, Berezin Crowned Corinthian Champion

October 8, 2023 - Lake Geneva, Fontana, Wisconsin, U.S.A. - Congratulations to Brian Porter at the helm of Full Throttle with his ‘boys’: Bri Porter, RJ Porter and Matt Woodworth as crew. After three days and 8 races in a variety of conditions, Porter captured an unprecedented 10th Melges 24 U.S. National Championship, making him the champ for a third time in a row.

FULL THROTTLE USA849 team of Brian Porter with Bri Porter, RJ Porter and Matt Woodworth as crew - Melges 24 U.S. Nationals 2023

Hannah Lee Noll

“It is just so cool to have won for a 10th time,” said Porter. “This feels good. It was such tough sailing today. I know the Race Committee was having a tough time too, but given the conditions, they did an amazing job.”

With the Melges 24 celebrating 30 years, Porter has effectively won a third of all the Nationals held. “I also have nine E Scow National Championships. I would like to win a tenth in that fleet as well,” smiled Porter.

Finishing the event in second overall is Bora Gulari at the helm of Knocky Knocky with team members Kyle Navin, Norman Berge, Augie Dale and Nick Ford. 

Tied in points, finishing third and fourth respectively are Eddie Cox at the helm of Zenda Express and Chelsea Simms on Straightarrow. Richard Reid’s Zingara rounded out the top five.

An additional congratulations is also extended to Dan Berezin racing Surprise. Dan and his crew consisting of Michael Berezin, his son; Alex Kapustin, Mykhaylo Mayevskyy and Valerie Sushko are 2023 Corinthian Melges 24 National Champions.

Dan Berezin and his crew on SURPRISE CAN629 consisting of Michael Berezin, his son; Alex Kapustin, Mykhaylo Mayevskyy and Valerie Sushko - 2023 Corinthian Melges 24 U.S. National Champions

Hannah Lee Noll

The final day of racing commenced with overcast skies and light breezes mostly out of the same direction as Saturday — north-northwest, but lighter ar 7-11 knots (or less) and oscillating. The last two heats of the Championship were destined to be tough and tricky, even before anyone left the docks this morning. 

The first race of the day got underway about an hour and a-half later than scheduled. It took some time for the breeze to settle in enough to get a quality course set. 

Gulari took the early lead, followed by Porter in second. Porter passed Gulari downwind, finding the lane he needed to take the lead with Corinthian Mike Dow on Flying Toaster right behind. On the second downwind run, Dow, Gulari, Simms and Reid worked hard to close the gap with Porter for a close finish. With Porter’s win, he extended his lead by another two points. 

The fight for position at the front of the fleet was intense, but the Corinthian teams left it all out on the race course. An obvious dogfight between Dow and overnight division leader Berezin was a spectacle to watch. At one point in Race 8, Dow had a significant lead, but two penalty turns at the weather mark resulted in him falling behind, ultimately being unable to regain lost positions. Berezin came across the finish line ahead of Dow, clinching the Corinthian National Champion title.

Chuck Lamphere’s Entente had a great race finishing third, followed by Tony Stanley racing Hermes in fourth. Jaime Torres’ Smile and Wave improved on the final day to finish fifth in the all-amateur division.

QUANTUM GREAT LAKES CUP SERIES CHAMPION CROWNED
The 2023 Quantum Melges 24 Great Lakes Cup has come to a close. Four destinations — Muskegon, Traverse City, Toronto and Lake Geneva marked the regatta milestones. Congratulations again to Dan Berezin and his team as they are 2023 Quantum Great Lakes Cup Champions. Well-deserved and well-traveled, Berezin participated in all four regattas in the series. 

Forty-two teams competed on the 2023 circuit. Relatively new fleet comer Cuyler Morris on Dark Horse was second, and Mike Dow’s Flying Toaster was third. View Full Results Here

MANY THANKS
The U.S. Melges 24 Class Association would like to thank all the participants for travelling near and far to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Melges 24 on Lake Geneva. Without you there is no magic.

A massive kudos to our National Championship host — the Lake Geneva Yacht Club, whom we believe had as much fun as we did. In particular, we are extremely grateful to Club Manager Michael Moore, Regatta Chairman Kyle Navin, Lindsey Valasek, Julie Navin and her volunteers that assisted with weigh-in and registration.

Thank you to Quantum Sails for their unwavering support, commitment and dedication to the Melges 24 Class, at Nationals and especially as title sponsor of the Great Lakes Cup Series.

We thank Melges Performance Sailboats: Harry Melges, Andy Burdick, Eddie Cox — the entire Melges team — you guys ROCK!

OVERALL TOP FIVE (FINAL, After 8 Races)
1.) Brian Porter, Full Throttle; [6]-3-2-1-1-3-6-6 = 12
2.) Bora Gulari, Knocky Knocky; 1-2-1-[5]-4-6-3-3 = 19
3.) Eddie Cox, Zenda Express; 4-7-3-3-2-1-[10]-8 = 28
4.) Chelsea Simms, Straightarrow; 9-4-[10]-2-5-2-4-2 = 28
5.) Richard Reid, Zingara; [7]-5-5-4-6-5-5-5 = 27

CORINTHIAN TOP FIVE (FINAL, After 8 Races)
1.) Dan Berezin, Surprise; [30/DSQ]-10-11-6-7-14-12-10 = 70
2.) Mike Dow, Flying Toaster; 11-8-[20]-10-11-19-2-11 = 72
3.) Chuck Lamphere, Entente; [20]-15-6-13-15-6-9 = 80
4.) Tony Stanley, Hermes; 19-12-12-[30/DNS]-12-12-17-13 = 97
5.) Jamie Torres, Smile and Wave; 13-11-14-18-[23]-11-20-16 =103

Full Results
Photo Gallery

2023 Melges 24 U.S. Nationals on Lake Geneva

Hannah Lee Noll