Daniel Thielman Crowned 2021 Midwinter Champion

SARASOTA, FLORIDA (March 1, 2021): Daniel Thielman (California) won the Melges 14 Midwinters after sailing a near-perfect regatta in Sarasota, FL February 26-28. The Bay set the stage for a beautiful three days of racing with consistent winds, sun, and warm air.

The fleet beach launched from Sarasota Sailing Squadron on Friday morning for three light-air races. Jennifer Canestra had a firm lead over the rest of the fleet for much of the day after finishing 1, 1, 4. Canestra had never sailed dinghies until the Melges 14 with most of her experience coming from keelboats.

 The wind picked up to 8-12 knots for Day Two when Thielman posted a perfect picket fence over four races. Michael Gillian (Illinois) and Dirk Richter (Colorado) were continuously putting pressure on Thielman sailing in close quarters.

On the final day of racing, it was a contest for second place between Gillian and Richter. The breeze increased to 8-15 knots for the final three races of the series. Warm and sporty conditions were a joy for the fleet sailing with their gold rigs.

Thank you to the Melges 14 Fleet for traveling from around the country to attend the event and to the Sarasota Sailing Squadron for hosting.