Anthony Kotoun’s Wah Gwan wins the 2026 Melges 24 World Championship by 29 points, ten years after Stu McNay first lifted the title, while Duane Yoslov’s Looper takes the Corinthian crown with a final-day comeback.
Harbor Springs, Michigan, USA. When the 2026 Melges 24 World Championship ended on Little Traverse Bay on Saturday, Stu McNay went looking for a name on the Melges Performance Sailboats Trophy. He found Embarr, the boat he helmed for Conor Clarke to the 2016 world title in Miami, sailing alongside fellow US 470 Olympian Dave Hughes. Ten years on, his name will go onto the same trophy again, this time with Anthony Kotoun’s Wah Gwan (USA 865).
Kotoun, McNay, Grant Janov, Jordan Janov and Franny Schulte won the 27th Melges 24 World Championship with 32 points, finishing 29 points clear of the 49-boat fleet. In the Corinthian division, Duane Yoslov’s Looper (USA 855) came from four points behind on the final day to take the world title.
A Final Day Few Expected
On Friday night almost no one believed the last two scheduled races would be sailed. The forecast offered little encouragement, but 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.
A light breeze of 4 to 5 knots filled in after midday and 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.
A Dream Comes True for Wah Gwan
Kotoun began the final day with a 24-point lead, and a third place in Race 11 secured the championship with one race remaining. Wah Gwan did not start Race 12, and that DNC became their discard.
The team took control of the championship in midweek with three consecutive wins in Races 5, 6 and 7. Their final scoreline included three wins, six podium finishes and only one result outside the top six.
“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.”
The five first sailed together as a team at the beginning of the summer. “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.”
The win was another step for brothers Grant and Jordan Janov, who are campaigning together in the 49er with the aim 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, the title came in familiar waters. “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 on a Tie-Break
Peter Duncan’s Shiitake (USA 864) added a sixth and a ninth on the final day to take 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 tied on 65 points with Nick Rogers’ WarCanoe (USA 876), and a second place in the final race gave Gamecock 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 leaders settled the title, Cuyler Morris and Dark Horse (USA 870) had the strongest day of anyone on the water. The team won both Race 11 and Race 12, finished the championship with three race wins and climbed to fifth overall on 69 points, 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 final-day duel between Troublemaker / Gill Race Team and Looper. Yoslov and his team began Saturday four points behind, with no room for a cautious approach.
In Race 11 Looper finished seventh overall to win the Corinthian division, while Troublemaker / Gill Race Team finished 19th, swinging the advantage to 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.”
Yoslov credited 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,” he 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.
Smolenyak grew up nearby in Charlevoix, and the title brought nearly two decades in the class together 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 names of Duane Yoslov, Ellise Smolenyak, James Golden, Ian Mathiesen and Shane Tillson will now be added to the Challenge Henri Samuel Corinthian World Championship Trophy. It was donated to the International Melges 24 Class Association in 2006 and is the perpetual trophy for the Corinthian World Champions.
Corinthian Silver and Bronze
Eddie Gary’s Troublemaker / Gill Race Team (USA 811) fought to the finish and took the Corinthian silver medal with 166 points. The team had taken the lead on Friday by 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 bronze 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 closed with an 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 sailing their first Melges 24 World Championship. Kalow and his team finished eighth 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 for the highest-finishing female helmsperson, went to Sandy Askew of Flying Jenny (USA 869). Askew and her team finished tenth overall, and their week included a win in Race 9.
The World Championship was also the final event of the 2026 Quantum Sails Melges 24 Great Lakes Cup. Peter McClennen’s Gamecock (USA 871) finished its season-long campaign by taking the overall series victory.
A Championship to Remember
Twelve races over five days tested the 49-boat fleet in strong breeze, light air, shifting conditions, fog and long waits. The race committee led by Foster found racing when the forecast offered very little, and its persistence on Friday and Saturday allowed the entire scheduled series to be completed.
The championship was made possible by Little Traverse Yacht Club in conjunction with the International Melges 24 Class Association and the US Melges 24 Class Association.
The organizers thanked the event organization led by Tom Meier, George Peet and Dave Gerber, as well as club manager Sara Lavigne and her team for their care and hospitality throughout the week. IM24CA Chair Duncan Stamper expressed the class’s gratitude to Little Traverse Yacht Club, Regatta Chair Tom Meier, the many volunteers, the International Jury members, and the race and class officials who worked together to deliver the championship.
Class and championship officials who traveled to Harbor Springs were welcomed into local homes. The organizers also thanked Louise Finkelstein of Lulu’s Cottage and Hilde Bonesteel of Graceful Pathway for their hospitality.
The Melges 24 world fleet now turns to Pula, Croatia, host of the 2027 Melges 24 World Championship from May 29 to June 5, 2027.
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 (Top 10)
- 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 (Top 5)
- 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
