From Delavan Lake to the world stage, Wisconsin sailor Harry "Buddy" Melges defined competitive sailing

Sailors in Wisconsin and around the world are remembering and swapping stories about Harry "Buddy" Melges, an international sailing icon who died Thursday at 93.

Known as "The Wizard of Zenda," Melges was a fierce competitor whose career included Olympic medals, numerous national and world fleet championships on the water and on the ice, and an America's Cup victory in 1992.

He could be a hot-head on the water, but on shore Melges was a gracious ambassador for the sport, a man who was equally dedicated to mentoring competitors and improving the skills of all who crossed his path, said Bill Wyman, commodore of the Oshkosh Yacht Club, who sailed both with and against Melges.

"We used to call him God," said Wyman, who had known Melges since the 1970s. "He was the man — I mean, he was fantastic, not only locally, but, of course, nationally and worldwide.

"He just made you feel proud to be part of sailing when he was when he was around. He was always fun, but he could also be a jerk on the boat. I sailed with him and he's not friendly during the race."

Melges' path to international prominence began modestly, sailing flat-bottomed wooden scows on Delavan Lake, and even as his reputation grew, he always called Walworth County home. His home yacht club was the Lake Geneva Yacht Club, and the family boat-building business, Melges Performance Sailboats, supports an international customer base from Zenda, an unincorporated township of about 2,800 people about 8 miles south of Lake Geneva.

Three time Olympic medalist, America's Cup winner

Melges' fierce drive on the water propelled him onto the international stage in 1964, when he won the first of three Olympic medals, a bronze in a Flying Dutchman, a 20-foot, two-person boat. He took gold in the Flying Dutchman class in the Pan Am Games in 1968, and followed that with an Olympic Gold Medal sailing a Soling, a three-person keelboat, in 1972.

In all, he won more than 60 national and international championships in inland lakes scows, Olympic classes, larger offshore sailboats and a record seven Skeeter ice boat championships.

In 1992, he helmed America 3, a boat owned by businessman and sailor Bill Koch, to win the America's Cup races.

"For all of his remarkable achievements, Buddy remained humble and approachable," his family wrote in an obituary. "Known for his colorful personality and infectious love for the sport, Buddy was always willing to lend a helping hand and offer words of encouragement to fellow sailors, inspiring them to always start first and increase their lead."

Among the honors he received over the course of his life are in the World Sailing Hall of Fame, the National Sailing Hall of Fame, the America's Cup Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.

'Never Race against Buddy Melges'

Magnus Wheatley, a London-based author and historian for the 37th America's Cup, said Melges was "as close to a genius as you can get."

He rcounted a story about Lowell North, the founder of North Sails, who once offered this sage advice about sailing: "Never race an important regatta with equal equipment; make sure you have an edge and 'Never race against Buddy Melges."

Melges was a reluctant America's Cup participant

Wheatley said Melges initially shied away from the America's Cup because he didn't want to be away from the boat-building business for extended periods of time.

There were other rumors, Wheatley said, that Melges didn't want to sail for the New York Yacht Club, the longtime home of the cup, where he famously said that he couldn't afford the annual membership fee.

His reluctance eased in 1987, when he led the Chicago Yacht Club's badly underfunded "Heart of America" program, which failed to get out of the semifinals.

Five years later he approached Koch about continuing the Heart of America effort for the 1992 cup. Koch instead brought Melges into the America3 campaign.

According to Wheatley, Koch said: "I wanted Buddy because Buddy was one of the finest sailors in the world. He is not the finest technical manager in the world, but he sure is a fine sailor."

"The mark of this science-led (America's Cup) campaign was the marriage of technology and genius in the form of Buddy Melges," Wheatley said.

Family expanded business from rowboats to sailboats

Melges inherited his love of sailing from his father, Harry Melges Sr., who founded Melges Boat Works in Zenda in 1945 to build wooden rowboats and later branched out into sailboats.

He started working the company, now known as Melges Performance Sailboats at an early age, led it for years, and continued to be involved into his 90s.

His son, Harry Melges III, is now the company's CEO and other members of the family are also involved in the business, now recognized as a leader in the design and production of racing sailboats including inland lake scows and the Melges line of high-performance sportboats.

"Buddy leaves an enduring impact on the sailing community, a legacy that will resonate for generations to come. His contributions will continue to shape the future of sailing, inspiring sailors of all ages to pursue their dreams with unwavering determination," the family wrote in Melges' obituary.

The date and place of a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Internationally recognized Wisconsin sailor Buddy Melges dead at 93