Harry C. "Buddy" Melges Jr. (born January 26, 1930) is a competitive

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

. He has earned national and international championships in several classes in conventional sailing and ice-boating.

Early life

Born in

Elkhorn, Wisconsin Elkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located southwest of Milwaukee. As of the 2020 census, it was home to 10,247 people, up from 10,084 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat. Geography Elkhorn is located ...

, Melges grew up on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, sailing the boats designed and manufactured by his father, Harry Melges Sr. Based in Zenda, Wisconsin,

Melges Performance Sailboats Melges Performance Sailboats, is an American sailboat manufacturer founded by Harry Melges, father of former Olympic sailor Buddy Melges. Melges Boat Works, Inc. was founded by Harry C. Melges, Sr. in 1945. The company was originally named '' ...

is still in operation, and is now run by Buddy's son, Harry Melges III.

Sailing career

Melges is an

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gold (

Soling The Soling is an open keelboat that holds the World Sailing "International class" status. The class was used from the 1972 Olympics (Kiel) until the 2000 Olympics (Sydney) as " Open Three Person Keelboat". Besides the Olympic career of the Soli ...

, 1972) and bronze (

Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Du ...

, 1964) medalist, a two-time Star world champion (1978 and 1979), a three-time 5.5 Meter world champion (1967, 1973 and 1983), a five-time

E-Scow The E Scow is an American sailing dinghy that was designed by Arnold Meyer Sr as a one-design racer and first built in 1924.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 128-129. Houghton Miffli ...

national champion (1965, 1969, 1978, 1979 and 1983), a seven-time skeeter ice boat world champion (1955, 1957, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1980 and 1981) and a three-time Yachtsman of the Year (1961, 1972 and 1978). He helped Bill Koch steer his America³ to a successful defense of the America's Cup in 1992. Melges was inducted into the

America's Cup Hall of Fame The America's Cup Hall of Fame, located at the Herreshoff Marine Museum of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, honors individuals for outstanding achievement in the America's Cup sailing competition. Candidates eligible for consideration include skippers ...

in 2001, and to the Inland Lake Yachting Association Hall of Fame in 2002. He was inducted into the

National Sailing Hall of Fame The National Sailing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes sailing and racing by recognizing individuals who have contributed to the sport, highlighting sailing's contribution to the American culture; and demonstrating i ...

in 2011. Melges lectures and teaches across the United States, and is a member of many yacht clubs. He has been characterized as the "Grand Master" of competitive yachting, and has been called "The Wizard of Zenda".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melges Jr., Harry Buddy 1930 births Living people American male sailors (sport) People from Elkhorn, Wisconsin People from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 1987 America's Cup sailors 1992 America's Cup sailors 2000 America's Cup sailors Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in sailing Olympic gold medalists for the United States in sailing Sailors at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Flying Dutchman Sailors at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Soling North American Champions Soling World champions in sailing for the United States Star class world champions World Champions in 5.5 Metre US Sailor of the Year