Lyttle and Higgins are Melges 15 Top Guns for 2024

Morgan Lyttle and Tom Higgins are the Top Gun Champions for 2024.  After a Summer's Sailing Instructing in Nantucket Yacht Club, Morgan and Tom took out one of the club owned Melges 15s to set a new Irish benchmark for the Top Gun Trophy.  The annual trophy is awarded for the fastest  recorded speed under controlled conditions by Irish Melges 15 sailors.

A summer of stealthy practice in glorious conditions was what it took to set a new class record at 20.4 knots, albeit in foreign waters.  The stable controllable platform of the 15 has meant that big winds are welcome by the class as it gives the adrenaline junkies the chance to let it rip. Morgan and Tom are the first Irish sailors to push through the 20 knot barrier and have set a strong target for 2025.  Potentially some of the visiting US sailors for the Europeans in July will have that target in their sights should conditions allow.

The class recorded a new milestone in the US at the weekend with 109 teams racing at the Mid Winter Series in Florida.  A hint to the success in numbers was revealed by the diversity and multi generational appeal of the sailors competing ; 25% youth skippers, 25% parent-child teams, 20% female skippers, and 40% of skippers over the age of 50. A pattern is emerging too in the Irish fleet.