Argyle Campbell & Team Rock & Roll Win Melges 24 North American Championship
Wisconsin Teams Take Third and Fourth Place

Melges 24 North American Regatta, held at North Star Sail Club, September 24 - 26, 2004. Photos by Paul Rand

26 September 2004 - In a tense and tricky final race on Lake St Claire, Detroit, California's Argyle Campbell and his crew of Don Jesberg, Robert Kinney and Aaron Serenis aboard "Rock & Roll" became the Melges 24 North American Champions 2004. Second place went to Britain's John Pollard, sailing "Westward Sails", with Brian Porter and the "Full Throttle" crew from Wisconsin third. Tom Freytag, also from Wisconsin and sailing "Wicked Feet" with Billy Freytag, Rob Rowe and "Junior", took fourth place overall and also claimed the Melges 24 North American Corinthian Championship, for all amateur crews, despite being unable to sail in the final race.

Two attempts had to be made to complete the final race of the series with the first eventually running out of time after the wind died off completely. By 1230 a moderately stable 4 knots had filled in from 180 and the fleet was underway again on a much shortened 0.6 mile course.

At the first mark John Pollard headed the fleet from Melges 24 newbie Mark Hollerbach, competing in his first Melges 24 event, with Brian Porter and Travis Weisleder hard on their heels. Campbell rounded in 11th place leaving him plenty of work to do to defend his 4 point lead. Down the first run Campbell pulled up to 10th and the leading five held their slots. At the leeward mark Campbell played his joker by tacking right immediately on the mark whilst the rest of the fleet initially stood out to the left. Pollard tried to hedge his bets but as the fleet came together at the second weather mark both Hollerbach and Pepe Parsons, helming for Tim Hawkins, had managed to slip by him. Campbell's early tack had done the trick and he rounded fourth ahead of Porter and Weisleder.

On the final run the fleet gybe immediately with the exception of Pollard who made a last ditch effort to put some boats between himself and Campbell by holding on starboard briefly but a shift had turned the run into a port gybe benefit and he quickly cut his loses and gybed over. At the finish it was Hollerbach, Parsons, Pollard, Campbell, Porter and Weisleder.
Overall Argyle Campbell scored 21 to win by 3 points from John Pollard on 24, with Brian Porter third on 29. Tom Freytag was fourth with 34 and led the Corinthian Division by 9 points from Chuck Holzman on 43 with Travis Weisleder on 41 and Joe Woods on 65.
This second Melges 24 North American Championship has been an enormous success both on and off the water thanks to the efforts of the Race Committee and membership of the North Star Sail Club and the support of sponsors Columbia Marking Tools, Harken, Quantum Sail Design Group, North Sails, Grolsch and Boston Sail Loft.

Photos by Paul Rand

Results:
1. Rock n’ Roll: Campbell, Argyle; 2. Xcellent: Pollard, John; 3. Full Throttle: Porter, Brian; 4. Wicked Feet: Freytag, Tom; 5. Flyer: Holzman, Chuck; 6. CARLOAN.com: Weisleder, Travis; 7. Silver: Woods, Joe; 8. Dynamo Hum: Hulsey, Paul; 9. Bling Bling: Jahn, Evan; 10. Whamo: Pepe Parsons; 11. Pied Piper: Jennings, Jackson; 12. Lil’ Iodine: Hilger, Grant; 13. Gill: Strauss, Simon; 14. Blast!: Crook, Barney; 15. USA 10: Nerlinger, Eric; 16. REMARC: Cramer, Brian; 17. Kilroy: Jones, Jeff; 18. Slippery: Pearson, Jim; 19. Flying Toster: Dow, Mike; 20. Revolution: Smotherman, Lance; 21. Vapor Trail: Steyn, Marc; 22. Deep Powder: Hollerbach, Marc; 23. DamifIKnow: Bunn, Rob & Laurie; 24. Magic Carpet: MacPherson, Dale; 25. Jensen: Jensen, Marty; 26. Cujo: McCliment, Greg; 27. 3: Schneidman, Gary; 28. Cagey: Karen Gottwald; 29. USA 312: Cromwell, Cindy; 30. Building Speed: Lewand, Kevin.