David J. Mendelblatt is an American yachtsman and ophthalmologist.

He is a former Optimist Pram National Champion. He came in second in the Sunfish World Championship in 2006, third in 2009, and second again in 2010.

Personal life

Mendelblatt is the older brother of Olympic sailor Mark Mendelblatt

Mark Mendelblatt

Mark Mendelblatt is an American yachtsman. He primarily sails the Laser, a one-design class of small single-handed sailing dinghy...

. He attended Tufts University

Tufts University

Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...

, where he was an All American in 1992.

He received his medical degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine

University of South Florida College of Medicine

University of South Florida College of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of University of South Florida's USF Health conglomerate.It is located in north Tampa, Florida and serves the greater Tampa Bay Area...

, performed his residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is one of the biomedical research institutions of the University of Texas System, incorporating three degree-granting institutions, four affiliated hospitals, including Parkland Memorial, the teaching hospital, and biomedical research...

, and is an ophthalmologist. His father, Frank, is also an ophthalmologist, and his mother, Kathy, supervises their practice. He lives in St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...

.

1985–91; Early career

In 1985, at the age of 15, Mendelblatt was part of a five-person U.S. Optimist dinghy team, along with his brother Mark, that took third place in the 25th International Optimist World Championships in team racing in Finland. It was the best U.S. finish ever in dinghy racing. He also won the Optimist Pram National Championship, over his brother Mark who came in second.

In 1987, Mendelblatt and Caj Flyn won the Bemis Cup, the most prestigious junior sailing race in the US, in Massachusetts. In 1988, Mendelbatt was part of a four-person team from St. Petersburg High School

St. Petersburg High School

St. Petersburg High School, founded in 1898, is a secondary school located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school's current building, a historic landmark, was built in 1926 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The school was billed as the nation's first million dollar...

 that won the 1988 National Interscholastic High School Sailing Championships, in Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...

. He was a winner of the ISSA's Mallory Trophy, school sailing’s oldest trophy.

In 1989, at the age of 19, he teamed with his 16-year-old brother Mark to outrace 21 other entries and win the Laser II North American Championships in Maryland. In 1990, he was honored as first-place skipper in the Laser II North American Championships. In 1991, he was part of the team that won the US Sailing

US Sailing

The United States Sailing Association, better known as US Sailing, is the governing body for the sport of sailing in the United States, particularly yacht, dinghy, windsurfing, and radio sailing racing...

 Team Racing Championship, the "George R. Hinman Trophy".

1995–present; Sunfish

In 1995, Mendelblatt won the United States Sunfish Midwinters with a near-perfect score, against 88 other boats.

In 2006, he came in second in the Sunfish World Championship. He also won the Florida Southeast Regional title for the third time. In 2006 and 2007, he won the Florida State Sunfish Championship.

In 2009, he came in third in the Sunfish World Championship, in the Bahamas

The Bahamas

The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...

. In 2010, he came in second in the Sunfish World Championship in Italy to Jonathan Martinetti, of Ecuador.