The new Melges Watersports Center is officially open on Merritt Island, Florida! Join Director RJ Porter as he shares exciting insights into Melges’ latest venture. RJ gives us an inside look at the range of services they offer and highlights the packed event calendar for the upcoming Winter and Spring sailing seasons.
Article by Ty Christopher Olsen, October, 14, 2024
The New Melges Watersports Center with RJ Porter
TCO: I did a little research on your sailing background earlier and saw that you have accomplished quite a bit in your sailing career. Tell us a bit about the highlights and how you transitioned into working at the Melges Watersports Center.
RJ: Sure, I spent a lot of time sailing while growing up in Wisconsin. Early on, I sailed mainly with my family, and this has not changed. I was fortunate to learn a lot about the sport from my dad. I started competitive sailing a bit later than most. It was not until high school that I truly discovered my competitive edge. That’s when I started to work my way up the different classes of boats and began having some good results. I quickly qualified for 4 sailing national titles. It was not long before I found myself searching for colleges. It is kind of funny because my priorities for what I wanted in a college had shifted. My search focused more on schools that, number 1, had a strong sailing program and, number 2, a place I would be happy in and could spend endless time on the water.
After weighing my options, I decided on spending the next 4 years of college life at the College of Charleston. After four years of successful collegiate racing, I continued to race high performance boats and found my stride with the Melges 24. It has always been a very competitive class which challenged me to become a better sailor and tactician over the years. I also have been sailing a lot of E scows and A scows, which I will never stop. Next thing I knew, I found myself discussing the launch of the Melges Watersports Center with Harry Melges, Eddy Cox, and Andy Burdick. We all agreed that helping to establish this program in Florida was the right move for me.
TCO: RJ, what is your actual position with the Melges Watersports Center?
RJ: I am the Director of the Center. Over time, we will be building a strong team here in Florida. Eddie Cox will move down this winter after wrapping up some commitments up north. Eddie will play a crucial role in helping me develop this next phase from the ground up. Obviously, Harry and Andy will occasionally come down to help with regattas. We will also have class coaches joining us for regattas, including Paris Henken as the Melges 15 class coach, which will be a fantastic addition.
One really cool thing that has stood out to me since I arrived is the incredible support we have received from the local community. They are super excited about the new center and what we are adding to the community.
What can we expect
TCO: Getting to the Melges Watersports Center, what is the overall vision for the Center?
RJ: Given the global success of the various Melges boats and their presence in races around the world, we wanted to find a way to bring as many Melges sailors as possible together in one venue. The idea was to create a dedicated facility where we could host regattas, clinics, camps, and more. This would allow us to provide a centralized hub for the Melges community and have one facility capable of running outstanding events.
Also, the sport of sailing is changing at a pretty rapid pace. Over the past 15 years, foiling has really come into play. We see foiling now not only at the professional and America’s Cup level, but also on the recreational level. While traditional small dinghies will likely always have their place, it’s clear that interest in foiling will continue to grow. Our plan is to give sailors, especially youth sailors a clear pathway into foiling. We have a great partnership with the Skeeta and the Nikki foiling boats, so we will have plenty of those available on-site. We’ll be hosting foiling camps, as well as advanced clinics for experienced sailors who want to transition into foiling. Whether someone is just learning to foil or aiming to race while foiling, we will be offering opportunities for both.
TCO: Is the key focus at the Watersports Center directed at high-performance sailing and foiling?
RJ: You know there is always a trade off when it comes to high performance boats. We like to categorize the Melges boats as being easy to sail but challenging to master. This way, anyone can jump into the boat, regardless of their experience level and have a manageable time on the water while gradually developing their skills and becoming a competitive sailor. I think that’s crucial, especially when it comes to foiling and dinghies—you need a balance between high performance for more experienced sailors who want to keep improving and pushing the limits, while also making it accessible and inviting for newer sailors who are still building their skills and might not be at that top performance level just yet.
All about Melges, or????
TCO: Is it safe to say that the hopes for the Melges Watersports Center will be the “one stop shop” for racing and sailing?
RJ: For sure! The goal is to really provide a top tier sailing venue and offer all levels of coaching.
With our new facility it’s easier to coach the entire fleet and offer sailors personalized instruction that fits their needs. The Melges Watersports Center also gives sailors from up North an opportunity to continue sailing in the winter months. We are hoping to attract sailors from all over at every level, whether they are coming from a great distance or are local. We are all about bringing people together to enjoy some great sailing, have fun, and, most importantly, keep improving their skills.
TCO: Is the vision for the Center to be exclusively for Melges boats or is there any thoughts on expanding out to other classes?
RJ: We have this great venue, and we certainly want to promote Melges boats and their programs. That said, there will be times when we won’t be hosting any specific Melges events. So, we are definitely looking to support other classes in the future, whether it is through regattas, training sessions, clinics, or camps. We are particularly interested in promoting youth sailing, so if anyone is looking for a venue for coaching or youth programs, we would love to help. We are open to supporting high performance sailing, high school sailing for local groups, and even spring break practices for colleges if there’s enough interest. We will see how all of this unfolds as we go through this initial growth phase.
TCO: I know that you guys are still working out all the fine details of your flagship location, so this might be a little premature, but is there any talk of opening up Melges Watersports Centers at other locations in Florida, or maybe the East or West coasts?
RJ: That’s actually a great question. It would be great to spread out with locations at other venues, but it’s not something that I have heard Harry or Andy talking about it too much. I think that after the Merritt Island location is a success, certainly we would look at other opportunities.
TCO: When did you guys actually open the Center?
RJ: Technically we have not fully opened just yet. As I mentioned earlier, I just got down here a week ago. We have been doing some construction on the facilities making it a nice place for people to enjoy. We are still working on getting our fleet of boats to this location. Our first regatta is scheduled for October 18th which is the Melges 14 Nationals. After that we will have a meet and greet with the local community to introduce the center. Then we have a full calendar throughout the winter and into spring 2025.
TCO: Is the plan to have your entire fleet there for the start of your schedule?
RJ: We are working hard to accomplish that. We are certainly going to have charter boats available for the first couple of regattas. We will have at least 10 Melges 15’s down here all winter available for both clinics and racing; a couple of Melges 14’s; and one or two MC’s to charter. We are even going to have a brand-new E-Scow for charter for the 3 E-Scow regattas and clinics we are hosting this year. Our aim is to generate more interest in the E-Scow around Florida. It would be fantastic to welcome more sailors into the E-Scow fleet and help it thrive here in Florida!
Also, I should mention that we will have Melges RIBS here at the facility. People will have the opportunity to check out these wonderful boats here.
All About Location
TCO: Why did Melges pick Merritt Island for the facility?
RJ: Another good question. I would need to get the full story from Harry and Eddie, but from what I know, the previous owner used this place primarily for windsurfing venue. He had owned it for years and ran a variety of successful windsurfing events. Somehow, Harry came in contact with him, and he mentioned that he was looking to sell the property. Shortly after, when Harry was making the drive from Miami back up to Wisconsin, he stopped by here and checked out the area. He thought it would be a great fit for the Melges Watersports Center, and a couple of months later here we are!
TCO: I was looking at your website and see that you are located on the Banana River, which is actually a 31 mile long lagoon. The venue sounds unique. How is the sailing on the Banana River?
RJ: Yeah, it is a super interesting area that I am just now getting familiar with. The Banana River is part of the Indian River Lagoon System. For the most part it is really shallow. However, there are spots where the lagoon gets up to 12’+ deep which is perfect for sailing. We have a nice little beach here for launching, and there is a small marina which is great. The other unique thing is that the lagoon is land locked, so there is no tidal flow coming through. We do not have tides like you would normally see just about everywhere else. This allows us to offer very flat water, minimal current and the perfect sea breeze. It is, in my opinion, the perfect set up for sailing!
Coaching, Sailing, Repairing...
TCO: Once you guys get 100% operational, what services are going to be available at the Center?
RJ: Obviously, our main focus this first winter will be on hosting regattas. Before and after the regattas, we will offer clinics with high level coaching and an opportunity to sail in the Banana River. I think it is a relatively new venue for most sailors.
We will also have a shop which sells clothing, sailing gear, and spare parts. The shop will be well-equipped to handle any issues that arise during regattas or other events, ensuring we can get the boats back on the water quickly. Our goal is to have a fully stocked repair shop on-site to support any sailors who encounter unexpected problems during competitions.
We will also have kayaks and SUPs to rent out for hourly and daily use to the local community and family members of racers who want to get out on the water.
TCO: You have been talking about coaching a lot during our conversation. Is there going to be private coaching available to sailors by appointment, or group sessions?
RJ: We will offer both private and group coaching sessions, but mainly we are concentrated on the group coaching sessions. I believe giving everyone access to good coaching while having others around to push one another is crucial in developing skills.
TCO: Is the Melges Watersports Center going to be a membership-based organization, or open to any Melges sailors?
RJ: We are not 100% decided on the final answer on that just yet. There has been talk about making it a membership-based facility, but I believe that will be a topic for more in-depth conversation with Harry and the rest of the group once we become more established and complete our first season. There are just a lot of details that need to be discussed before anything is finalized.
The big picture of the watersports center
TCO: RJ, we have covered just about all the questions that I have regarding the Center, and you have given some great information. What else do you want to add that we haven’t covered yet that may be still in the works for the near future?
RJ: In a nutshell, we plan on being that one stop shop for anyone that wants to keep their sailing program going throughout the winter; whether they are looking to do a regatta, learn more through our clinics and camps, or if you are just vacationing in the area and want to get some time out on the water. We will have charter boats and a private coaching team available to take you out on the water for a day or multiple days. Also, for people that are coming in from around the world for these regattas, we want to make is as seamless on them as possible.
I should also mention, we will have an array of boat storage options available both indoor and outdoor, along with boat transportation service between the storage facilities and the Center. We want to make it easy on the sailors that are arriving from out of town. We will transport boats, personal or charter, to the venue of the regatta. Sailors simply need to arrive at the venue on the morning of the regatta, set up their boats, and start sailing. After the regatta, they can disassemble their boats and leave them where they are; we will take care of arranging to pick them up and return them to our storage facility. Currently the transport service is only available for Florida bases events and from the Melges factory to Florida.
One final point to emphasize is that a major focus for us will be on the youth foiling pathway, providing individuals from around the world with the opportunity to visit our facility and experience foiling. It’s an excellent environment for learning about foiling or enhancing your racing skills. This will be a key message we will communicate to everyone. You can look forward to an increased number of foiling camps and clinics on our calendar, and we may even begin hosting foiling regattas next year.
RJ, thank you for taking the time to give all of us some more inside information on the Melges Watersports Center. It will be exciting to see how quickly you guys grow with all the programs that you have to offer.
