As Key West Race Week is relegated to the history books, Charleston Race Week seems to have become the go-to East Coast big-time regatta. And the Pacific Northwest even has a top finisher to brag about as Mike Goldfarb and the War Canoe team duked it out to third overall at the very top of the Melges 24 class. Goldfarb has put several successful teams over the years here in Seattle in classes such as the 1D35, Olson 30 and Farr 30, so it’s no surprise to see his success in Charleston.
Also on the War Canoe crew were Seattle’s David Brink and professional sailor Mark Strube. Strube’s impressive resume includes several America’s Cup campaigns and Star sailing, most recently crewing for Paul Cayard at the Bacardi Cup. Strube sent along this review of Charleston:
“Charleston was a great regatta for the War Canoe team. We arrived early to train on our Melges 24, and it really paid off. The tacks, gybes, roundings and tactics were crisp as we learned the venue. We won one race and earned three second place spots, finishing the regatta third only one point behind second. Charleston is a very challenging place to sail with big tides and currents that come out of the two rivers. We had 31 boats in our class with 246 total boats in the in multiple classes. It has grown to one of the great regattas in the US. Next up for the War Canoe team will be in Portoroz, Slovenia next week. We hope to improve and sail well against the Europeans.”
The Melges 24 remains at the top of the list of serious racing classes, and the level at which they’re sailed is quite astounding. It will be interesting to see how War Canoe does in Slovenia.
And for those who want the class insider view of Charleston, check out this report.
Here’s one of the slick videos produced for Charleston Race Week by videographer Mauro Melandri (zerogradinord.it) Looks fun.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.