Buddy Melges: “The Wizard of Zenda” grew up in Zenda, Wisconsin, sailing on a lake, like our kids do. Called “the Leonardo Davinci” of sailing, he honed the ‘art’ more than the science of sailing. He went on to win Olympic medals and world championships. But sailing’s biggest prize eluded him — The Americas Cup.
“This film is so much more than sailing. It’s about the greatest sailor in the history of the sport, but it also contains many nuggets about entrepreneurship, character building and how to harness your ego to play well with others,” said Executive Producer Anne Peterson.
This event is a fundraiser for the Nepean Sailing Club’s Legacy Fund. This fund provides financial support for sailors in exceptional sailing activities: youth sailing, Able sailing, participation in competitions, and sail training for new sailors who can not afford to participate.
There have been over 200 pre-release screenings to date around the world. The producers will be releasing this movie to PBS and other national broadcasters and are exploring a deal with a streaming network. But they have generously made it available to NSC, like many sailing clubs, to use to raise funds to support the sport of sailing.
Saturday, February 3 at 7 p.m.
Nepean Sailing Club
Dick Bell Park
3259 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, ON, K2H 1A6
Bar and restaurant discount
Show your movie ticket as a non-member and get the members’ 15% discount at the bar and restaurant before the show!
Trailer and tickets
See the movie trailer and buy tickets here to “Melges: The Wizard of Zenda”.
Ticket prices
| Adults | $20 |
| Youth 12-18 and students | $12.50 |
| Children 11 and under | Free |
| Family pass for two adults and one or two youth or kids | $50 |
| Includes popcorn and more |
Sailing Magazine review
This film played to a standing ovation at its premiere showing in late March at the Annapolis Film Festival. “This film is so much more than sailing. It’s about the greatest sailor in the history of the sport, but it also contains many nuggets about entrepreneurship, character building and how to harness your ego to play well with others,” said Executive Producer Anne Peterson of “Melges: Wizard of Zenda”.
Sailing Magazine, June 2023
Despite his larger-than-life persona, the film captures Melges’s humble nature, and his eagerness to share his knowledge and be an open book to even his competitors. With more sailing trophies than almost any other American sailor, the 93-year-old was an Olympic gold medalist, world champion in the Star and 5.5-Metre classes, five-time E-scow national champion, seven-time Skeeter iceboat champion, three-time Mallory Cup champion and three-time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. He was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2011 and the World Sailing Hall of Fame in 2015.
Yacht clubs and sailing organizations are being offered the opportunity to partner with the movie’s production company to show the film to their membership by paying a nominal per-attendee fee. That fee is reduced if the film is used in a fundraiser to promote sailing.
Buddy Melges was all about promoting the sport of sailing,” Peterson said. “By offering the film to yacht clubs to use in their own fund-raising efforts, I like to think we are paying it forward and bringing Buddy’s philosophy up close and personal to an expanded universe of sailors no matter where they are or what they sail.”