Familiar names from the America’s Cup and Olympics are scattered through a high quality fleet that includes the winners of all past Melges 24 World Championships but one.

The victorious Melges 24 crew will take away more than the World Championship Trophy. Corum will present each winning crew member with an Admiral's Cup Trophy 41 timepiece valued at $2,400.

`We are delighted at the size and caliber of this fleet and we’re looking forward to an outstanding event,` said Karen Gottwald, International Melges Class Association vice chairman, U.S. Class president and the event organizer. `It is an honor to have both the top sailors in the world and our Corinthians competing against each other on the starting line. This is the only sport where an amateur can compete against the ‘Tiger Woods’ of the sport. Additionally the attractive combination of the superb facilities at Ocean Reef Club, great sailing conditions, and generous support from our title sponsor Corum has proven to be an irresistible magnet to potential competitors.`

Australian America’s Cup skipper James Spithill is an early favorite to win in Key Largo based on his team’s victory at the 2005 Carloan.com Melges 24 King's Day Regatta/Atlantic Coast Championship at the Florida Yacht Club in Jacksonville, Fla., November 18-20.

Newport Beach sailmaker Dave Ullman, whose sails helped power Spithill to victory, posted a second place and served notice of his determination to add a Melges 24 World title to his numerous other championship credits which include three 470 Class World Championship wins.

Italian helmsman Gabrio Zandonà who won the Melges 24 European Championship this year was third in Jacksonville, while two-time World Champion Vince Brun from San Diego, Calif., was fourth.

Heading the list of US-based contenders who didn’t sail at Jacksonville is the Pegasus 575 team headed by San Francisco software developer Philippe Kahn with three-time America’s Cup winning skipper Russell Coutts as his tactician. Kahn’s 16-year-old son Shark, who won the World Championship in 2003, has entered Pegasus 492 and is another favorite for top honors.

There is an equally strong line up from Europe. It includes Italy’s multiple World Champion and America’s Cup helmsman Flavio Favini who is steering for Switzerland’s Franco Rossini. England’s Jamie Lea is now sailing with Stuart Simpson and determined to add World Champion to his list of Melges 24 honors. France’s Francois Brenac recently joined Philippe Ligot’s reigning Melges 24 World Championship Team, which is expected to make a strong showing. From England, Stuart Rix and Quentin Strauss, who came a close second to Zandonà at the recent Europeans, will attempt to take the laurels this time around.

American sailors appear likely to dominate racing in the Corinthian Division, for International Sailing Federation (ISAF) classified amateur crews. Top contenders include Martin Kullman, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Bruce Ayres, Newport Beach, Calif.; Don Jesberg, Mill Valley, Calif.; Sean Scarborough, Ocean City, NJ; and Marc Hollerbach, Grosse Point Park, Mich.

Corum, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, is an independent, family-owned company producing high-quality hand-finished Swiss timepieces since 1955. For more than two decades Corum has supported sailing events around the world, including the Admiral’s Cup in Britain as an event sponsor and as a team sponsor.

In the 12 years since it was introduced, the Melges 24 has become the world’s leading high performance, one-design sportboat and has held ISAF International Keelboat Class status since 1997. It offers exciting, demanding, exceptionally competitive sailing and attracts top professional and amateur sailors from the around the globe. Over 630 boats are now sailing and an additional 30 new boats are built and delivered each year.

The website for the 2005 Corum Melges 24 World Championship at Ocean Reef Club is http://www.2005corumm24worlds.com and the International Melges 24 Class Association web site can be found at www.melges24.com .

Source: Keith Taylor