Leading up up to the 2005 Melges 17 U.S. National Championship held on August 27-28 in White Lake, Michigan, there was a great deal of anticipation and excitement. For this powerful 17-foot sportboat, having a national championship less than one year after being formally introduced to the salivating market is quite an accomplishment.

As with all Melges products, each offers a competitive edge that sailors crave and the Melges 17 is no exception. Art Brereton, Brian McMurray and Bill Fauntleroy all found it - over and over again throughout six national championship races. Melges proved that performance is built-in and will be delivered. This boat is truly the perfect combination of excellence in sportboat design, engineering, construction and sail technology from North Sails.
ART BRERETON FROM TORCH LAKE WINS THE VERY FIRST MELGES 17 U.S. NATIONAL TITLE!

Congratulations to Art Brereton and his crew of Harry Melges on USA-101 as they took the first ever, Melges 17 U.S. National Championship title! Art and Harry called the shots as they battled against Brian McMurray and Bill Fauntleroy, not to mention seventeen other speed fanatics and their Melges 17s.

The overall fleet was twenty-one strong, the weather and wind were near perfect conditions and spectators constantly on the edge of their seats with down-to-the-wire racing and excitement.

All daily reports and results can be seen at ONEDESIGN.COM and online at MELGES.COM
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MELGES 17 NATIONAL CHAMP, ART BRERETON:

EH: Congratulations Art on winning the first ever Melges 17 National Championship. It was really exciting to see the twenty-one boats go through six medium air races. How does it feel the morning after winning this championship and what are some of your first impressions of racing the Melges 17 in fleet racing?

AB: The whole regatta was just a lot of fun. It felt like I was at a three or four day event. It was great to see some guys who have sailed a lot of great boats for a lot of years get so enthusiastic and excited again. My biggest impression so far is that this is not only a new type of boat, but also a new kind of racing.

READ COMPLETE INTERVIEW
FALL SAVINGS AT NORTH SAILS!

Protecting and taking care of your M17 is essential to keeping it in prime racing condition. Melges Performance Sailboats has Full Deck and Envelope Covers designed to fit your new Melges 17. We also have a Melges 17 UV Jib Sock so you can leave your jib up and hoist a cover to keep it out of the sun while not sailing - great concept! Call Zenda today at 262-275-1110 and get on the list for some of these new concepts.
All photos by Carl Josephson.
MELGES PERFORMANCE SAILBOATS
P.O. BOX 1 • ZENDA, WISCONSIN • 262.275.1110
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