SARASOTA, FLORIDA (March 1, 2021): New Jersey native, Emily Haig, won the second event of the inaugural Melges 15 Winter Series February 27-28. Sailing with her father, John, the talented duo bested a 30-boat lineup in Sarasota, FL. The event posted the largest turnout for the new one-design fleet with sailors coming in from all corners of the country.
Finishing just behind Haig was Kate Cox sailing with her father, Ed, from White Bear Lake, MN. The father-daughter team narrowly beat out Finn Burdick in a tiebreaker for second place. It was 14-year-old Burdick’s second Melges 15 event after finishing second in January. Cox, a recent graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges raced during her time there. The event marked Cox’s first time onboard the Melges 15. “This boat is ideal for anyone coming out of college sailing – the perfect level of intensity and fun – and the fleet’s only getting bigger,” said Cox.
A steady 8-12 knots blew across the Sarasota Bay allowing the Race Committee to fire off five races on Day One. The scores proved that there would be no clear leader in the event and that anyone could place in the top five. Haig and Cox ended the day with a meager one-point separation.
The winds picked up to 15 knots on Sunday out of the southwest creating a nice flat course for the fleet. In the fresh breeze, the Melges 15s were able to hop on plane for thrilling rides. “We live for the downwind runs. You make it to the top mark and just scream downwind,” said David Lubchenco (Colorado). Lubchenco is part of a fleet building in Grand Lake, CO, and looks forward to racing there this coming summer.
After four races, Haig took the overall win as well as placing first in both the female and youth divisions.
“As soon as you put more boats on the line, there’s more room for catching back up if you have a bad start, bad leg, whatever. You have to keep your head in the game to claw your way back,” said Emily. “In the very last race, we rounded top mark in fourth. When we gybed back, we got this mondo puff that catapulted us 2 feet ahead [of Finn and Andy Burdick] for the win.”
The Melges 15 Winter Series concludes with the Midwinter Championship March 26-28 in Sarasota, FL. A limited number of charter boats are available for the event. Event boats can be purchased at the conclusion of the series. Contact eddie@melges.com to reserve a boat.