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Harry Melges, on crew of STAR, wins Miami Sailing Week title

Peter Keck of Lake Geneva, along with crew members Bill Ward and Sam Rogers, guides M&M Sailing around the bouy Saturday in the Audi Melges 20 division of Bacardi’s Miami Sailing Week. The team placed second overall. Joy Dunigan/International Audi Melges 20 Class Association..

GENEVA LAKE -- Jeff Ecklund of Ft. Lauderdale, and his crew of Harry Melges and Morgan Reeser on Star, have won the Audi Melges 20 division of Bacardi's Miami Sailing Week, hosted in part by Coconut Grove Sailing Club (CGSC), supported by Shake-A-Leg Miami and Melges Performance Sailboats. Ecklund team also claimed the 2010 Winter Series championship.

In second overall is Peter Keck of Lake Geneva on M&M Sailing with Bill Ward and Sam Rogers as crew. Chuck Holzman of Farmington Hills, Mich. on Flyer was third with crew members Scott Nixon and Pat Drummond.

The Audi Melges 20 and Melges 24 fleets ended the event on a high note with three races a piece. Under absolutely beautiful blue skies, big seas and a steady 18 knots of breeze with gusts up to 22, they went racing. Two Course 4s and a final five-legger completed the day.

Keck came on strong for the first race, acquiring a nice lead to take the win ahead of Eric Wynsma (East Grand Rapids, Mich.) on Superfly followed by Holzman for third. As the day progressed, some of the most amazing downwind runs were witnessed for the first time ever in the fleet. For races two and three, Holzman hardlined the competition with a blistering 1-1 finish.

In race two, he took an initial lead with Ecklund finishing second, Wynsma was third. At one point in race three, Holzman found himself half way down the run, before the next boat was around the top mark. By this time, fleet leaders Ecklund and Keck had dropped from racing altogether and left Holzman, Michael Kiss (Macatawa Bay, Mich.) on Bacio and Marc Hollerbach of Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., on Fu to complete the top three.

In the Melges 24, Saturday's conditions were just what the fleet ordered. Topping the fleet was Jennifer Wilson/Donald Wilson (Chicago, Ill.) on Convexity, Steve Kopf (Charleston, S.C.) on Blur in second and Guy Mossman (Charleston, S.C.) on Battle Rhythm finishing third.

Top ten results (after 7 races)

1.) Jeff Ecklund, STAR; 1-1-3-1-4-2-[16/DNF] = 12

2.) Peter Keck, M&M Sailing; 4-3-1-2-1-11-[16/DNF] = 22

3.) Chuck Holzman, Flyer; 6-6-5-[11]-3-1-1 = 22

4.) Eric Wynsma, Superfly; 2-5-7-5-2-3-6-[7] = 23

5.) Michael Kiss, Bacio; 5-4-4-[8]-7-5-2 = 27

6.) Marc Hollerbach, Fu; 3-9-2-10-[10]-4-3 = 31

7.) Joel Ronning, Catapult; [9]-2-8-7-5-6-7 = 35

8.) Erwyn Naidoo, Bohica; 7-8-6-4-8-[9]-5 = 38

9.) John Arendshorst, Blink; [11]-11-9-3-6-8-4 = 41

10.) Robert Wilber, Cinghaile; 10-7-10-9-[11]-7-9 = 52

Full results are HERE.

More photos HERE.