Back to back victories for Carroll

Argo claims final race and title at the Melges 32 Worlds

For the first time in the history of the Melges 32 class, there is a back-to-back Melges 32 World Champion. After a few up and down finishes early the event and some Houdini-esque comebacks late in the event, Jason Carroll on Argo with tactician Cameron Appleton, and crew comprised of Anthony Kouton, Scott Norris, Weston Barlow, Graham Landy, Phillip Wehrheim and Mike Kuschner put the fleet in a sleeper hold on days 4 and 5 to secure the overall win. Edoardo Lupi and co-owner Massimo Pessina's Torpyone with tactician Lorenzo Bressani finished second, while Naofumi Kamei's Mamma Aiuto! with Manu Weiller on tactics placed third overall.

The one and only, final showdown race for the World title and trophy commenced under the lightest conditions seen yet with a pulsing northwest wind at 6-9 knots. After an intense dial-up for the start between front-runner Carroll and Lupi/Pessina, the fleet got an all-clear start with Keisuke Suzuki's Swing rounding the weather mark in first. Carroll eventually took over the lead with Dalton DeVos' Delta, Ryan DeVos's Volpe, Alessandro Rombelli's STIG and William Douglass' Goombay Smash in the chase for the remaining podium positions. The breeze got even lighter for the final downwind run and to the finish with Carroll holding on, cool, calm and collected rounding through the gates for the win securing a second-consecutive World Championship title. Dalton DeVos fought hard to finish in second, while his cousin Ryan settled for third landing them both in the top five.

Back on-shore a complete awards and trophy presentation was held crowning Carroll and all the event winners, including a special award presented to Chris Wientjes and his Stormvogel entourage as 2014 Melges 32 Rookie of the Year.

Results: