Hat trick for Reeser

A report from the Melges 24 US nationals

Morgan Reeser at the helm for Neil Sullivan on USA-566 M-Fatic is the 2005 Carloan.com Melges 24 US National Champion. Reeser already has two US titles (2000 & 2003) under his belt and now with a third, he becomes the only individual in US Melges 24 national history to hold the title a record three times! On board with Reeser was M-Fatic owner Neil Sullivan, crew members Max Skelley and Karl Anderson. Together they managed a consistent string of top three finishes. Their worst score was a sixth place finish in race four of a series of seven.

The weather conditions going into the last day of the Championship were ideal. Sunny blues skies, winds ranging 15-20 knots and a light chop greeted all thirty-nine teams. In race one, despite the very shifty conditions the Fleet got off to a great start. John Bertrand on Fusion M got off the line out to the right landing him the top spot at the first weather mark. He was followed closely by Chuck Holzman on Flyer 02.

Following Holzman was Brian Porter on Full Throttle. As the two reached the offset, Holzman fumbled on the spinnaker set allowing Porter to slide right by into the second position. Mike Dow on Flying Toaster saw the same window of opportunity following Porter with the overall regatta leader Reeser hot on his heels. Downwind, Morgan had impressive speed passing Dow, Holzman and Porter with Bertrand in his sights.

Bertrand beat him to the leward mark but Reeser was closing in. Holzman picked up the pace rounding third, Sean Burke on Grins moved up surprising the fleet by rounding fourth, Jeff Ecklund on Star rounded fifth, Porter fell to sixth.

Shifty winds prompted a course change up to the last windward mark of the race. Bertrand called the shifts but Reeser closed the gap and momentarily took the lead. At the offset, Reeser encountered big spinnaker trouble resulting in Bertrand regaining the lead. Meanwhile, the M-Fatic team changed out the spinnaker and blasted to the finish in hot pursuit of Bertrand. Bertrand was well on his way to the finish and took the first place slot. Reeser's skill and experience allowed him the ability to maintain the second position. John Pollard on Xcellent - after an unfortunate individual recall on the start came back stronger than ever taking third. Burke was fourth, Ecklund was fifth, Argyle Campbell on Rock'n'Roll was sixth and Porter was seventh.

The wind continued to be very shifty for race two and the current was playing havoc with the fleet. Specifically on the start, Bertrand and Marc Hollerbach on Fu each experienced an OCS. This was particularly devastating for Bertrand who was currently sitting third overall. The penalty return was truly that. Once Bertrand and Hollerbach returned to the line and started out again they were left empty handed with practically no breeze - they both watched the Fleet leave them behind. Bertrand later commented, "Sometimes you win big, and sometimes you loose big that was our story today."

This was not true for Reeser. He continued his massive speed campaign, this time right behind Pollard. Pollard poured on the speed as he approached the windward mark rounding first, Reeser second and Porter third. The leward mark was a carbon copy except this time Ecklund and Geoffery Pierini with Charlie Ogletree and Doug Fisher on board Gazoo chasing the win. While Ecklund made out well on the right, Pierini and Porter battled through the gate with Porter winning the fourth position. Pollard, Reeser and Porter battled to the finish. "We had the speed. We didn't change the rig settings which was a mistake.", said Pollard. With race committee, spectators and press on hand, Pollard and Reeser put on a show with Reeser beating Pollard by a hair to take the win at the finish. Porter was third with Ecklund in fourth.

The award ceremony followed in the afternoon where the Melges 24 National Championship awards were handed out to both overall winners Morgan Reeser in first. Brian Porter in second and John Pollard in third. Corinthian Division winners include: Sean Scarborough on Rhino in first, Joe Woods on Silver in second and Ryan Hamm on When Pigs Fly.

Top five results
1. Morgan Reeser/Neil Sullivan MFATIC
2. Brian Porter FULL THROTTLE
3. John Pollard XCELLENT
4. Shawn Burke GRINS
5. Jeff Ecklund STAR