
You’ll hear from fellow world class sailors and competitors, like America’s Cup champion and former ESPN sailing analyst Gary Jobson*; the sailor they call ‘Mr. America’s Cup’, four-time champion Dennis Conner; John Bertrand, the skipper who shocked the world by defeating Conner in Australia II, breaking the 132-year American winning streak; and Bill Koch, the millionaire yachtsman who partnered with Buddy to win the Cup in 1992.
Melges: The Wizard of Zenda, takes you behind the scenes to explore Buddy’s extraordinary life. With interviews, archival film footage and video gathered across five decades, you’ll see how a sailor from a working-class family in southern Wisconsin built a resume of winning that made him one of the greatest sailors of all time.
Courtesy © 1992 Uhl Studios Hawaii – Uhlstudioshawaii.com
You’ll learn how Buddy moved from class to class, piling up championships by defeating the greatest sailors in the world. Interviews with competitors, colleagues and historians explain how Buddy sailed not like an engineer, but as an artist. His sailing was an artistic expression.
Whether art or science, Buddy was a fierce competitor who shared what he learned with anyone willing to take the time to ask. His legendary career seems almost mystical, and earned him the well-deserved nickname: The Wizard of Zenda.
* see excerpt from Legends of American Sailing
This film is being created by QUICKLIER FILM PARTNERS, L3C in Association with LAKE GENEVA YACHT CLUB and GENEVA LAKE SAILING SCHOOL.