ILCA 6 sailors Daisy and Molly test the Melges 15
by Melges UK 17 Dec 2024 12:00 UTC
Molly Sacker and Daisy Collingridge sailing a Melges 15 at Portland Harbour © Isaac Marsh
"A really fun boat to sail"
Earlier this year, on a cold, breezy day at Portland Harbour, two of the British sailing team took the Melges 15 dinghy out for a test sail.
Molly Sacker and Daisy Collingridge swapped their ILCA 6s for a Melges 15 double-handed asymmetric dinghy. They both agreed that it was a really fun boat to sail, fast, and light on the helm, while feeling stable in the choppy conditions and wind of 15 - 25 knots.
First impressions were very good with Molly saying: "It looked like a great manageable boat that would be fast and easy to move around."
Daisy added: "It looked like we were going to have a really fun day! The hull shape is an interesting combination of being really stable to sail, but also quick to accelerate and get planing. The boat was super easy to get on the water quickly."
She continued: "It was easy to feel the difference when you fully depowered the sail upwind in the breeze. The helm was light and you could effectively dump mainsheet in the gusts to maintain your steering angle. Downwind was really fun. It was easy to adjust angle in response to pressure differences and it was pretty quick when it got planing."
Daisy added: "The boat was really comfy to sail. The cross deck sheeting gave you one less thing to think about through the gybes."
Molly agreed, saying: "It was super easy to sail, the helm was really light, which was a nice surprise. Downwind was also lovely and stable even in 25knts and being really quick. Depowering was effective."
She added: "The boat was nice and easy to hike off, and there was plenty of space when tacking. It was great fun, and the shape of the hull meant that it kept us dry and warm despite the weather, as spray doesn't quite get you!
"It was definitely faster than anticipated and much easier to handle," said Molly. "We were a little apprehensive having not sailed double handed for a long while and it being pretty windy, but it was very responsive."
Daisy concluded: It's just a really fun boat to sail, which I think meets the demands of a range of different sailing abilities. Despite it being pretty breezy, we always felt super in control. We'd definitely sail a Melges 15 again."
The Melges 15 has been designed to suit a range of sailing abilities so that it is stable and forgiving, while still exciting to race. It is 4.572m long (15ft), with a 1.675m beam (5' 6"). Its main sail is 8.7m2 (93.6 ft2), its jib is 3.7 m2 (39.8 ft2) and it has an asymmetrical spinnaker measuring 14.5 m2 (156 ft2).
You can take a close look at the Melges 15 and meet the team at The RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show at Farnborough on 22 - 23 February 2025.
A demo boat is also available to sail at Port Hamble, and you can find out more at melgesuk.co.uk or by emailing