Magic on Little Traverse Bay Crowns Wah Gwan and Looper as 2026 Melges 24 World Champions

A little bit of magic arrived on Little Traverse Bay on Saturday. On Friday night, almost no one believed the final two scheduled races of the 2026 Melges 24 World Championship would happen. The forecast offered little encouragement, but the wind gods had other plans.

After the morning weather briefing, Principal Race Officer Mark Foster sent the fleet onto the water to wait for a breeze expected around midday, with the first possible warning signal set for 1 p.m. And then it arrived.

A light breeze of 4 to 5 knots filled in after midday and gradually built to 7 to 8 knots. With the course set in a northwesterly direction, the race committee delivered two solid races and completed the full 12-race schedule.

At the end of the 27th Melges 24 World Championship, Anthony Kotoun’s Wah Gwan (USA 865) was crowned the overall World Champion, while Duane Yoslov’s Looper (USA 855) emerged from a thrilling final-day duel as the new Corinthian World Champion.

Hall of Fame of Melges 24 class.

A dream becomes reality for Wah Gwan

Kotoun began the final day with a commanding 24-point lead. A third-place finish in Race 11 was enough to secure the championship with one race remaining.

Wah Gwan did not start Race 12 and completed the series with 32 points, winning the World Championship by a remarkable 29-point margin. “This is a dream come true,” Kotoun said. “I first sailed a Melges 24 in the early 1990s, and at some point the thought entered my head that maybe I could own one and try to win this championship.

“The project began two or three years ago with an idea, a boat and a lot of practice. Then we brought this team together, and it kept getting better and better. Sometimes dreams really do come true.” Kotoun and his team took control of the championship with a run of three consecutive victories in Races 5, 6 and 7. Their final scoreline included three wins, six podium finishes and only one result outside the top six before the final-race DNC became their discard.

The new World Champions are Anthony Kotoun, Grant Janov, Jordan Janov, Franny Schulte and Stuart “Stu” McNay.

“We first sailed together as a five-person team at the beginning of the summer, and I think we improved every day,” McNay said. “Each of us stepped up in our own way and contributed everything we could to make the boat faster. It has been an incredibly rewarding and fun process.”

For McNay, the victory carried an extra layer of history. Ten years earlier, he helmed Conor Clarke’s Embarr to the 2016 Melges 24 world title in Miami, sailing alongside fellow US 470 Olympian Dave Hughes.

After the championship, McNay proudly found the Embarr nameplate on the Melges Performance Sailboats Trophy. A decade later, his name will return to the trophy with Wah Gwan.

The victory also offered another important step for brothers Grant and Jordan Janov, who are campaigning together in the 49er with the ambition of representing the United States at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

“Grant, Franny and I were incredibly thankful to get the call from Anthony and Stu,” Jordan Janov said. “It was great to be part of such a strong team and learn from everyone on board.”

For Schulte, winning in familiar waters made the moment even more meaningful. “We work really well together, and I’m very grateful to Anthony for putting it all together,” she said. “Winning the World Championship while sailing in home waters makes it even more special.”

Silver for Shiitake, bronze decided on a tie-break

Peter Duncan’s Shiitake (USA 864) added a sixth and a ninth on the final day to secure the silver medal with 61 points. Shiitake is sailed by Peter Duncan, Greiner Hobbs, Will Ryan, Victor Diaz de Leon and Reed Baldridge.

The fight for bronze could not have been closer.Peter McClennen’s Gamecock (USA 871) finished the championship tied on 65 points with Nick Rogers’ WarCanoe (USA 876). A second-place finish in the final race helped Gamecock secure the bronze medal on the tie-break.

Gamecock is sailed by Peter McClennen, Severin Gramm, Wilson Stout, Mike Marshall and Jeremy Wilmot.

Michael Goldfarb's WarCanoe, sailed by Nick Rogers, Julia Mamen, Chris Grube, Richard Clarke and Alyosha Strum-Palerm, finished fourth.

Two final-day bullets for Dark Horse

While the championship leaders focused on the title battle, Cuyler Morris and Dark Horse (USA 870) owned the final day. The team won both Race 11 and Race 12, completing the championship with three bullets and jumping to fifth overall with 69 points, only one ahead of Bora Gulari’s Mavi.

Dark Horse is sailed by Cuyler Morris, Manu Weiller, Ripley Shelley, Mark Ivey and Alec Anderson.

Looper wins the Corinthian showdown

The Corinthian title came down to a tense final-day duel between Troublemaker / Gill Race Team and Looper.

Yoslov and his team began Saturday four points behind the leaders, knowing there was no room for a cautious approach. In Race 11, Looper finished seventh overall and won the Corinthian division. Troublemaker / Gill Race Team finished 19th, swinging the championship advantage toward the California team. A 15th in the final race was enough for Looper to seal the Corinthian World Championship with 157 points, nine ahead of Troublemaker / Gill Race Team.

“This is a little overwhelming,” Yoslov said. “Winning the Corinthian World Championship is a very big deal, and it still doesn’t seem real. I never thought I would accomplish this goal. “Yesterday I was too much in my own head. We had a difficult race and knew we had work to do. I woke up refreshed today and told myself we had nothing to lose.”

The championship was the product of a team built on hard work and loyalty. “We have James Golden as our tactician, Shane Tillson on the bow, Ian Mathiesen trimming the spinnaker and Ellise Smolenyak, who has been part of the Looper program for 12 years,” Yoslov said. “That loyalty is what keeps the program going.”

Golden described Looper as the hardest-working group of five people he has sailed with. “I feel honored to be part of this team and to have shared this achievement with them,” he said.

For Smolenyak, who grew up nearby in Charlevoix, the victory brought together two decades in the Melges class with a championship on home waters. “I have been sailing in the Melges class for almost 20 years,” she said. “Winning this championship with this team in Harbor Springs is incredibly special. I’m so happy that we had the conditions to race today and were able to seal the title on the water.”

The new Melges 24 Corinthian World Champions are Duane Yoslov, Ellise Smolenyak, James Golden, Ian Mathiesen and Shane Tillson.

Their names will now be added to the Challenge Henri Samuel Corinthian World Championship Trophy. Donated to the International Melges 24 Class Association in 2006, it is the perpetual trophy awarded to the Corinthian World Champions.

Corinthian silver and bronze

Eddie Gary’s Troublemaker / Gill Race Team (USA 811) fought to the finish and earned the Corinthian silver medal with 166 points. The team took the lead on Friday after winning the Corinthian division in Race 10 but could not hold off Looper in the final two races. Troublemaker / Gill Race Team is sailed by Edward “Eddie” Gary, Steve Liebel, John Goller, Curtis Woodworth and Kathryn Booker.

Stuart Simpson’s Team Barbarians (GBR 691) won the Corinthian division in Race 12 to secure the bronze medal with 173 points. Team Barbarians is sailed by Stuart Simpson, Bernard Fitzpatrick, Sam Hunt, Mark Hassett and Fred Kemp.

Special trophies and a final celebration

The championship concluded with a memorable awards ceremony and dinner at Nub’s Nob Ski Area, where the fleet gathered to celebrate the new World Champions and several other achievements from the week.

Dick Kalow of Mustang (USA 853) received the Zarko Draganic Trophy as the highest-finishing owner competing in the Melges 24 World Championship for the first time. Kalow and his team completed their first Worlds in an impressive eighth place overall. The perpetual trophy, donated to the class by Chris Larson, has recognized the top rookie owner since 2015.

The newly introduced Meier Trophy, donated by Regatta Chair Tom Meier and awarded to the highest-finishing female helmsperson, went to Sandy Askew of Flying Jenny (USA 869). Askew and her team finished tenth overall after a championship highlighted by their victory in Race 9. 

The World Championship also served as the final event of the 2026 Quantum Sails Melges 24 Great Lakes Cup. Peter McClennen’s Gamecock (USA 871) completed its season-long campaign by securing the overall series victory.

A championship to remember

Twelve races, shifting conditions, strong breeze, light air, fog and long waits tested every part of the 49-boat fleet over five days. The race committee, led by Foster, found racing opportunities when the forecast offered very little. Their persistence on Friday and Saturday allowed the entire scheduled series to be completed.

The championship was made possible by an extraordinary effort from Little Traverse Yacht Club in conjunction with the International Melges 24 Class Association and the US Melges 24 Class Association.

Special thanks go to the event organization led by Tom Meier, George Peet and Dave Gerber, as well as club manager Sara Lavigne and her team, whose care and hospitality supported the sailors throughout the week. IM24CA Chair Duncan Stamper expressed the class’s gratitude to Little Traverse Yacht Club, Regatta Chair Tom Meier, the many volunteers, International Jury members, and the race and class officials who worked together to deliver an exceptional World Championship in Harbor Springs.

The class and championship officials who traveled to Harbor Springs were welcomed into local homes and made to feel like part of the community. A heartfelt thank-you goes to Louise Finkelstein of Lulu’s Cottage and Hilde Bonesteel of Graceful Pathway for their generous hospitality.

From the first windy races to the final light-air showdown, Harbor Springs delivered a World Championship worthy of the title.

With the Harbor Springs championship now complete, the Melges 24 world fleet will next turn its attention to Pula, Croatia, where the 2027 Melges 24 World Championship will be held from May 29 to June 5, 2027. After an unforgettable week on Little Traverse Bay, the road to Pula begins.

The Melges 24 World Championship is supported by

Great Lakes Sports Commission,Gill Marine, Arntson Marine, Running Water, Quantum Sails, Irish Boat Shop, City of Harbor Springs, Nub's Nob, Lulu’s Cottage, Graceful Pathway, Fabiano Brothers, Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau, Little Traverse Yacht Club Corinthian Foundation and Melges Performance Sailboats.

Final Overall standings

Wah Gwan, USA 865, Anthony Kotoun; 32 points
Shiitake, USA 864, Peter Duncan; 61 points
Gamecock, USA 871, Peter McClennen; 65 points
WarCanoe, USA 876, Nick Rogers; 65 points
Dark Horse, USA 870, Cuyler Morris; 69 points
Mavi, USA 874, Bora Gulari; 70 points
Sentinel, USA 856, Geoff Fargo; 86 points
Mustang, USA 853, Dick Kalow; 107 points
The 300, USA 839, Steven Boho; 113 points
Flying Jenny, USA 869, Sandy Askew; 117 points

Final Corinthian standings

Looper, USA 855, Duane Yoslov; 157 points
Troublemaker / Gill Race Team, USA 811, Eddie Gary; 166 points
Team Barbarians, GBR 691, Stuart Simpson; 173 points
Zhik Race Team, GBR 777, Geoff Carveth; 187 points
Team Bagdad Prospects Helly Hansen, NOR 866, Tomas Mathisen; 197 points