Capt. Marc, veteran of multiple ocean crossings, and instructional pro, invites you to join him for lessons and/or excursions under sail. By special arrangement only.
Melges Worlds 2007
Download Melges World Championships, Santa Cruz, 2007
This clip is from footage I shot at the 2007 Melges Worlds Championships in Santa Cruz, California. My thought was that it might provide some interesting footage for our DVD project, “Around Monterey Bay”. In years past I raced quite a bit– as skipper aboard my Moore 24, Presto, on my F27, Three Sigma, and on other boats when invited–but this was something different.
I spent the week hanging around the Melges fleet, observing people and activity. I was dumbfounded by the complexity of the preparations and the money invested in campaigning these little 24-footers! Top crews from all over the world participated and a lot of people proclaimed the event as a real boon to sailing in the United States. To be honest, it was a bit over my head. That kind of money makes things more serious than I’m used to. In and among these guys, I felt like a rather small fish.
On the water though, the thrill of sailing held sway. With the battle enjoined, boats and crews regained their status as a universal archetype.
Most of my friends hate the music I used for the clip. I did it for two reasons. First, it’s public domain. But also, I think it exorcised the seriousness from the event and brought it back to the essence of sailing–ships and crews at work upon the sea.
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