Melges 24

The Melges 24 ( M24 ) is a sailing yacht, which mainly is used in yacht racing.

The yacht is produced by Melges Performance Sailboats in the USA. Buddy Melges, 1992 co-winner of the America 's Cup, developed in collaboration with the design studio Reichel / Pugh class a boat with outstanding features. She was named with reference to its length of 24 feet as a Melges 24 and elected to the United States in 1994 " Boat of the Year ".

In the U.S., the class developed within five years one of the strongest classes regatta. By the end of 2012, there were about 850 boats of this class, of which more than 550 boats are registered in the national rankings and participate in competitions .. In German-speaking countries are around 80 boats registered (as of 2012).

The M24 is very fast ( for a keel boat) and is run with mainsail, jib and gennaker. The team consists of four to five persons and must when racing a total weight of 375 kilograms ( since 15 March 2012) do not exceed.

The Melges 24 is a recognized international entity class with ISAF status. The measurement provisions be construed and strictly controlled in order to guarantee equal opportunities. Through the production of fiber composites in Sandwich-/Vakuum-Technik from the beginning, older boats are competitive.

Since 1997 European Championships will be held in the Melges class every two years, world championships since 1998 and the German Open annually since 2000.

Numbers of participants in recent years:

• European 2007/Rolex-Baltic-Week ( Neustadt / Ostsee ) 74 boats
• World Championship 2008 (Porto Cervo / Sardinia ) 120 boats
• 2009 European Championship (Hyères / France) 90 boats
• World Cup 2010 (Tallinn / Estonia ) 79 boats
• European Championship 2011 ( Aarhus / Denmark) 80 boats
• World Cup 2012 ( Torbole / Italy) 125 boats