We were disappointed when the Melges 32 went from one of the most enjoyable classes around to another class for only the super-rich, and we stayed away for a while. But after spending a week in Miami with the class, we’re starting to get stoked; there’s a brand new attitude and a definite push to bring the fun back to a class that never should have lost it. This 22-minute video from Petey Crawford tells that story, along with the story of the regatta itself, and Jason Carroll’s successful run to the first-ever two-time Melges 32 world champ win. But it’s also packed with great aerial shots, features about the juniors in the fleet, the women on the crews, and the surprisingly large number of ‘family affairs.’ In fact, one of those families provided our ‘performance of the week’, which went to billionaire brothers Dick and Doug Devos, both in their 50s. We watched them hiking their respective balls off for a solid week on the rails of their respective 20-year old sons’ boats Delta and Volpe, making some of the pros look lazy. That’s love right there.
Stay tuned in January for a detailed analysis of what went wrong with the Melges 32 and why, and what’s on the horizon for a boat that’s still setting the performance standard for 30-foot sportboats more than a decade after she was designed.
