Meet Chris Chadwick, lifelong sailor, multi-class one-design racer, Navy Commander and father of three. He’ll be racing in the Melges 24 Class this year, along with a core group of friends from South Florida.
Chadwick wants to get something out in the clear right off the bat. “Yes, I’m the J/80 Class president,” he explains, “and I’ve been pretty active in that class, but our core crew wanted to do something different this year, so we bought a Melges 24 and we’re getting ready for the world’s, which will be in Miami later this year. It’s a fun class, and that regatta is essentially next door to where I live. Also, we’ve noticed that there seems to be a resurgence in that class right now.”
Chadwick, who grew up on Barnegat Bay in New Jersey sailing E-Scows and A Cats, also races in the Viper 640 and J/70 Classes. “I’ve been sailing since I was six, and racing almost that long. I sailed in the A Cat fleet for 26 years, but a lot different one-designs appeal to me.”
Despite his relatively intense level of racing – he sails year-round – and his lengthy pedigree in the sport, Chadwick admits that he hasn’t steered a Melges 24 in a big regatta before. “I’ve sailed on those boats a lot, but Charleston will be our first big regatta in the 24 on this boat.” He and his partners bought hull No. 21, and he says most of the boats he’s owned have been early vintage regardless of the class.
For Charleston, Chadwick is planning to have Michelle Savage on the bow and Oakley Jones trimming and doing tactics. “We’re still deciding on whether we’ll sail with four or five crew. We may enlist my 11-year-old daughter Hadley if we go with five. Actually, all my daughters sail, but she’d be the right fifth if we go that route.”
This spring will be the sixth time that Chadwick has attended CRW. He says coming to Charleston Race Week will be an important opportunity to get time on the helm before the worlds. But that’s not the sole reason why he’s coming.
“I really like this regatta. It’s one of my all-time favorite events. We consider it a destination regatta. Sailing in Charleston Harbor is always uniquely challenging because current is a huge factor and that’s not something we’re accustomed to. But also, the organizing authority does at wonderful job with this event, on the water and on shore. And, it’s hard not to like Charleston’s friendly people. They make you feel at home. For me, it’s a must-do event.”
Chris Chadwick and his daughter Hadley enjoy some time afloat.
So, what’s the best part of attending CRW for Chadwick? “That’s a mixed question,” he says. “There are so many things that make it worthwhile, the sailing conditions, the venue, the competition, but ultimately, it comes down to the people. We always see so many friends from other events and classes in Charleston. It’s that kind of event.”
Chadwick says he expects the M24 Class to be very competitive in Charleston. And how does he think his team will fare? “Well, the M24 is a new boat for our group, so we’ve got realistic expectations. We want to be competitive and we’d like to get progressively better throughout the regatta. If we end up doing well, great, But really, our ultimate goal is always to have fun.”
Come April, keep an eye out for Team Mayhem. If Chadwick and company aren’t winning on the water, you can be pretty sure they’ll take a podium finish in the party division.
