Although a top sailor, Pete Melvin became better known for his career in sailmaking and yacht design. He teamed with Gino Morrelli to form Morrelli & Melvin which specialized in design, engineering, and yacht sales. They were part of the design team for USA-17, the BMW Oracle Racing 90 that won the 33rd America’s Cup in 2010. They have also designed multiple other racing yachts, several of which have challenged for the America’s Cup and raced in the most prestigious ocean events. Melvin was involved in writing the AC72 rule used in the 2013 America’s Cup, and in writing the AC62 rule that was released June 2014 for the 2017 America’s Cup, although they were later asked to downscale the boats. The company has specialized in multihull design. Prior to joining with Morrelli, Melvin worked in sail development with Jay Glaser. Melvin attended Boston University, graduating in 1985 with a degree in aerospace engineering, and briefly worked with McDonnell-Douglas in aircraft design.
United States