The Organizing Committee announces the cancellation of the 2020 Melges 24 World Championship, that was expected to be held in Charleston, SC, USA on May 1-9, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The organizers deeply regret this situation with addressing the cancellation message of Laura Grondin, the Chair of the International Melges 24 Class Association.

Dear Melges 24 sailors,

In light of the current global situation and feedback from local officials, the Executive Committee of the IM24CA along with Randy Draftz, our event organizer; and in consultation with Megan Ratliff, Chair of the US Melges 24 Class, reached the difficult decision today to cancel the Melges 24 World Championship 2020 scheduled for the beginning of May.

This was not a decision we came to lightly and we know that many of you, myself included, will be disappointed. But our first responsibility is to the health and well-being of our sailors, our staff and the community at large.

We are all in uncharted waters. We have not even experienced yet, here in the US, the quarantines and shutdowns that our European friends are living.

What I do know is that sailors are hardy and resilient, not afraid to get wet and unwilling to back down from a challenge. This is why I know that our class will emerge as a strong and vibrant organization because we share a passion for our sport and a love of our boats.

I give my sincerest thanks to Randy for his dauntless spirit and energy towards producing a world class event and through this incredibly unreal week. We are already working on our future plans and will share news as soon as we can.

If I can be of help to you, please let me know.

We do plan to issue refunds for Worlds’ registrations.

Please do take care of your family and yourselves through this challenging, unprecedented time in modern history.

My best to all of you.

Laura Grondin
Chair
International Melges 24 Class Association

by IM24CA