Pete Melvin

Last updated

Pete Melvin
Personal information
Full nameJames Henry Melvin
NationalityAmerican
Born (1962-01-11) January 11, 1962 (age 62)
Jackson, Mississippi, United States
Sport
Sport Sailing

Pete Melvin (born January 11, 1962) is an American sailor. [1] He competed in the Tornado event at the 1988 Summer Olympics. [2] Melvin is also a noted yacht designer with his partner Gino Morrelli as Morrelli and Melvin. [3] [4]

Contents

Biography

Melvin was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962. [2] He spent his early years living in Florida. [5] He gained a degree in aerospace engineering from Boston University after graduating in 1985. [2] For five years, Melvin worked in aircraft design at McDonnell Douglas. [3]

Melvin competed in trials for the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1980 Summer Olympics, and the 1984 Summer Olympics. [5] At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Melvin competed in the Tornado event, finishing in 14th place. [6] Between 1997 and 2005, Melvin won three World Championships, [3] and he has also won 25 national titles. [7]

In 1994, along with Gino Morrelli, [8] Melvin designed the Hobie Wave catamaran. [9] [10] In 2010, they were both part of the team that built the USA-17 racing trimaran which went on to win the 2010 America's Cup. [2] Melvin was also involved in writing the AC72 and AC62 rules used in the America's Cup. [2] [11]

Melvin has also competed in races with his son, James. [12] [13]

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References

  1. "Spiralling benefits". Ocean Magazine. May 20, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pete Melvin". Olympedia. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Peter Melvin". National Sailing Hall of Fame & Museum. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  4. "Pete Melvin of design powerhouse Morrelli & Melvin may be sitting out this America's Cup cycle, but he is still keeping an eye on developments while working on several go-fast designs". Sails Magazine. May 20, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Pete Melvin: To the Olympics and Beyond". Sailing Scuttle Butt. March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  6. "Multihull (Tornado), Open". Olympedia. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  7. "Morrelli & Melvin" . Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  8. "Pete Melvin, designer of Rapidos, interviewed in Sails Magazine". Rapido. May 21, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  9. McArthur, Bruce (2019). "Hobie Wave sailboat specifications and details". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  10. McArthur, Bruce (2019). "Morrelli & Melvin". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  11. "Pete Melvin: Writing the new America's Cup Rule". Sailing Scuttle Butt. April 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  12. "Pete Melvin: The Guru and his 15 year old apprentice". Cat Sailing News. April 21, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  13. "Pete and James Melvin win Alter Cup qualifier". Sail World. Retrieved March 19, 2022.