Anthony Kotoun’s Wah Gwan has moved into the lead of the 2026 Melges 24 World Championship in Harbor Springs, Michigan, after winning the final two of Wednesday’s three races.
Wah Gwan finished seventh in Race 4 before taking victories in Races 5 and 6, lifting the American boat to 13 net points after six races. The first discard is now in use, with Wah Gwan’s seventh removed from its total and its counting scores standing at 2-3-6-1-1.
The championship, hosted by Little Traverse Yacht Club from 19-26 September, has developed into a closely grouped contest. Peter McClennen’s Gamecock is second on 17 points, Geoff Fargo’s Sentinel is third on 18, and Peter Duncan’s Shiitake is fourth on 23. Four points separate the leading three boats in the 49-boat fleet.
Kotoun said Wah Gwan had put together a stronger day despite an ordinary opening race and a difficult start in one of its winning races. He credited the crew’s work for turning that recovery into a race win in a fleet he described as highly competitive.
Two wins change the order at the front
Gamecock had led after the opening three races and extended that position by winning Race 4 on Wednesday. Its six-race scores include a discarded 13th place, however, and a sixth in Race 6 left McClennen’s crew four points behind Wah Gwan.
Sentinel remained firmly involved after six races, one point behind Gamecock. Its series includes a disqualification which is its discarded result, leaving it on 18 net points. Shiitake, fifth in Race 6, is 10 points behind the leader, while Brian Porter’s Full Throttle sits fifth on 25 points.
The changing order reflects the tight margins so far rather than one crew dominating the series. Six races have produced victories for Gamecock, Wah Gwan, Full Throttle, Dark Horse and Sin Duda, while the leaders’ totals have been shaped by the new discard as well as individual race results.
Wah Gwan’s performance on Wednesday was particularly valuable because it followed a seventh-place finish in the first race of the day. With the discard activated after Race 6, that result no longer counts, allowing the two subsequent victories to propel Kotoun’s boat from second after day one into the overall lead.
Shifting breeze tests the fleet in Harbor Springs
The race committee completed Races 4, 5 and 6 in a breeze that began at around 12 to 14 knots and eased later. The opening course was moved left as the wind shifted, while the committee made further adjustments during Race 5 and relocated the course in search of better conditions.
For the final start, the breeze had returned to approximately 10 to 11 knots. Principal Race Officer Mark Foster said there had been numerous position changes, with smaller wind changes providing opportunities both upwind and downwind even though the fleet spread out at times around the top mark.
The organisers have moved Thursday’s first warning signal to 10:30am after reviewing the forecast, with the race committee aiming to complete three further races. Foster said the decision was intended to make use of the more favourable conditions expected earlier in the day, with lighter weather forecast for Friday and Saturday.
British crews improve in Corinthian contest
Stuart Simpson’s Team Barbarians is the leading Corinthian entry after six races, having risen to 14th overall and first in the division on 67 net points. The British crew’s day included fourth in Race 4, its best overall finish of the championship so far.
Simpson said recognising an advantage at the pin end of the starting line had helped Team Barbarians in two races. The team leads Duane Yoslov’s Looper by four points in the Corinthian standings, with Edward Gary’s Troublemaker / Gill Race Team third on 75.
Geoff Carveth’s Zhik Race Team is fifth in the Corinthian classification on 84 points. It had been sixth Corinthian and 21st overall after the opening day, when Team Barbarians stood 18th overall and third in the division.