Honoring Buddy Melges in Wisconsin

Gary Jobson 368

Buddy Melges was recently inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, becoming only the second sailor in history to receive the honor. It was quite a thrill for me to be Buddy's presenter. I also enlisted Ted Turner and Dennis Conner to record Buddy a video message for the induction ceremony. There were six inductees in all from the world of baseball, basketball, and football. Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was also a presenter.

Buddy Melges is still going strong at the age of 77; he placed fourth in the A-Scow Inlands last summer. Among those in attendance for the Hall of Fame induction were his family--including wife Gloria--the Harken brothers, John and Brian Porter, and a large contingent of Midwest sailors. It was a nice night for sailing and a great night for Buddy.

New York YC Supports Olympic Sailing
Last Wednesday night, 330 members of the New York YC held a fundraiser for America's Olympic and Paralympic sailing teams. I served as master of ceremonies, and in the front row were 14 Olympic sailors and six Paralympic sailors. I presented a 16-minute video I had prepared of the U.S. Trials and recent Olympic Games. It was great fun watching our newest Olympians watch themselves in action. The event raised $300,000 for the Olympic Sailing Committee.

I had the chance to interview each member of the team over the past week and will be posting their comments over the next couple months.

America's Cup Hall of Fame
The America's Cup Hall of Fame Committee met in Bristol, R.I., at the Herreshoff Marine Museum on Saturday. I have rejoined the committee after an absence of a few years. There are some very strong candidates this year, and it was great fun reviewing them. Cruising World Editor John Burnham chairs the panel.