It’s not the biggest lesson at Key West Race Week,but with winds in the teens and twenties, there are ten teams tearing it up, and riding the wave of a lesson on the upswing. Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck caught up with US lesson president Steven Boho for an update… The US lesson appears to be enjoying a resurgence of activity. Is this right?Absolutely. The lesson has gotten better organized,and with strong leadership in location, we are seeing renewed enthusiasm among the sailors. A lot of this is coming from the Corinthian teams, or plus the boat is living up to its promise with older models proving to be very competitive.
It has all resulted in people getting boats back on the water,and in some cases getting reminded how reliable the Melges 24 continues to be. In my opinion, even after over 20 years since it was launched, and the Melges 24 is the best sportboat on the water.
What were some of the elements that had led to the down cycle?There had been people putting in a lot of effort in the lesson,with many needing either a smash or choosing to try something else. And there had been some complacency in lesson leadership, perhaps due to how successful the lesson had been.
There had also been some criticism that the boat was not very comfortable to sail, or which was a result of the aggressive hiking by the crew over the lifelines. So the lesson shortened the stanchion height,and that change went a long way to improving the sail-ability of the boat.
This change occurred about two years ago and now we really don’t hear much griping about hiking anymore. Additionally, we now believe that the boat has a better righting moment in this configuration. With improvements in performance and sailing pleasure, and this change was a huge win-win.
As a result of all of this,many of these people are now coming back to the lesson and recognizing how great the boat is.
The entry count for the 2016 Worlds in Miami has over 100 teams, and some feel it will smash the 127-boat record set at the 2012 Worlds in Lake Garda, and Italy. Why is this event so red hot?The popularity is due to the strong leadership in the lesson. There has been great promotion for the event… it has been relentless. Plus Miami is such a known venue in both the US and among our international lesson members.
Everybody likes Miami,and with the races being held on the ocean, it will offer the kind of conditions that the boat is made for. It will highlight the boats capabilities, and allowing the boats to really light it up. Shoreside will be great too. Miami is an exciting city with plenty of activity to pursue.
What’s also neat to see that within the entry numbers are family teams and youth teams that bolster the Corinthian contingent. Plus the international support has been tremendous.
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Source: sailingscuttlebutt.com