By Mike Ferring
In the pantheon of sailing gods, none sits higher than the man nicknamed “The Wizard of Zenda,” Buddy Melges. Gold medal, world champion, America’s Cup champion, Hall of Fame, and on and on. Yes, that Buddy Melges, the namesake of Melges Performance Sailboats.
Buddy’s tough but folksy approach to sailing is on full display in a new documentary film that’s now showing at yacht clubs around the country, including ours. We’ll show it Thursday, August 10, at 7pm at the Pollack Cinema at 1825 East Elliot Road in Tempe.
Arizona Yacht Club members can get tickets for $10 and nonmembers for $15 by clicking here. The Thursday film showing replaces the usual Tuesday monthly meeting in August.
Gary Jobson wrote in the latest Sailing World magazine, “Our sport needs heroes to inspire all of us, and this film, Melges: The Wizard of Zenda, is just the inspiration we need. It’s a must-see for every sailor.”
In fact, some 600 sailors turned out for the preview in that sailing mecca, Newport. The response and the film are a great tribute to this great sailor, who died in May at 93. Zenda? The small, unincorporated town in Wisconsin, next to beautiful Lake Geneva, where Buddy first set sail.
Scuttlebutt obituary: Eight Bells: Buddy Melges >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News (sailingscuttlebutt.com)
NY Times obituary: Buddy Melges, American Sailing Champion, Dies at 93 – The New York Times (nytimes.com)