McClennen And Torres Take All in St. Pete's At Midwinters
16 February 2026 - St. Petersburg, FL, USA - The 2026 Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Petersburg delivered a weather-tested and high-energy opening to the racing season. For the Melges 24 Class, it once again served as the Midwinter Championship, the traditional starting gun for the year’s national campaign and the first scored event in the North American Sailing Series, while continuing the Southeast Racing Series.
The regatta unfolded in two distinct chapters. Friday and Saturday demanded patience as light air and morning postponements pushed racing into late-afternoon thermal windows. Sunday brought a decisive shift. Breeze built steadily across Tampa Bay, gusting beyond 25 knots on some courses and turning the finale into a high-speed test of teamwork, timing, and confidence.
In the 19-strong Melges 24 fleet, defending champion Peter McClennen and his Gamecock team proved once again why they remain a top team. Undefeated across the series, McClennen secured back-to-back Midwinter titles with a commanding string of race wins.
But to frame St. Petersburg purely through the lens of Open dominance would miss the more defining dynamic of the regatta.
Within the U.S. Melges 24 Southeast District, this regatta has long been regarded as a Corinthian destination, a venue where all-amateur programs form the backbone of the fleet. In 2026, 10 of the 19 entries qualified as Corinthians. When more than half the fleet competes under all-amateur classification, the racing takes on a distinct character: deeper battles, compressed margins, meaningful gains earned leg by leg and lots of smiles and sailing enjoyment among families and great friends.
Jamie Torres and his Smile and Wave crew, which included Richard Rychlik Jr., Neil Battrum, Mykhaylo Mayevskyy, and Laura Muma, emerged as the 2026 Corinthian Melges 24 Midwinter Champions, capturing their first major Melges 24 title. It was a breakthrough earned across shifting conditions and a tightly contested leaderboard.
Class stalwart Marty Jensen at the helm of Zig-Zag secured second in the Corinthian standings, while Longshot, helmed by 2025 defending Corinthian champion John Poulson, completed the podium in third. With half the fleet racing Corinthian, the competition was not symbolic, in fact it was central to the regatta’s competitive identity.
Equally important to the weekend’s outcome was the tone set before the first warning signal.
In the days leading up to the regatta, McClennen hosted a voluntary sailing clinic for many of the up-and-coming teams in the fleet. It was not a class mandate, nor a promotional exercise. It was an experienced competitor investing time and expertise back into the fleet that he clearly has fallen head over heels in love with. McClennen and his team openly shared insights on boat speed, preparation, and race execution.
That gesture reflects an evolving class culture within the Melges 24: the understanding that raising the level of competition strengthens everyone. Professional programs recognize that talented fleets demand a more focused, and higher level of performance. Corinthian teams gained access to knowledge that accelerates their development. The result: a healthier, deeper, and more competitive fleet overall.
It is an act of giving back that benefits not only the Class, but the broader sport of sailing. McClennen’s passion for the game is evident, even within his own program, the young and accomplished sailors he surrounds himself with, and in his willingness to contribute beyond the results sheet.
St. Petersburg once again proved why it anchors the calendar. It launches seasons. It crowns champions. And increasingly, it showcases that the Melges 24 Class in the USA is built not on division between Open and Corinthian, but on shared progression.
With the conclusion of Midwinters, the 2026 season is officially underway — stronger, deeper, and ready to go, go go!