PREMIERE RACING HOME    |      PRESS RELEASES      |       RACE WEEK NEWS     |      PHOTO GALLERY

RESULTS:   DIVISION 1   |   DIVISION 2   |    DIVISION 3   |    DIVISION 4

Race Dates for Key West 2006:   January 16- 20

Jan. 26, 2005

Would You Believe . . . 170 Starts, No General Recalls

KEY WEST, Fla.---Winners of high profile classes at Key West 2005, presented by Nautica, included Pegasus Racing's Melges 24 from Hawaii, with San Diego's Bill Hardesty driving and Olympic gold medalist Kevin Burnham aboard; Hasso Plattner's Farr 40 from Germany, Makoto Uematsu's Transpac 52 from Japan, Tom Coates' J/105 from San Francisco and Andrzej Rojek's Swan 45 from Newport, R.I.

From across the country and across two oceans they came, 295 boats and some 3,000 sailors strong, perhaps the greatest gathering of eagles alongside recreational racers that North America has ever seen. An unofficial count tallied 21 Olympic medalists with 29 medals across the span of two decades and enough America's Cup veterans to reach from Auckland to Valencia, sailing in the 20 various of classes of boats from 24 to 75 feet.

But you probably knew all of that from last week's reports. Apart from the obvious---mild climate, good breeze, intense competition---is another reason why the world's best sailors keep coming back: race management. Over five days in challenging conditions ranging from 25 knots down to 2, the principal race officers on the four courses---Ken Legler, Bruce Golison, Dave Brennan and Wayne Bretsch---started a total of 170 races.

Without a single general recall.

"I don't do that," said Brennan, who ran the two largest fleets of 58 Melges 24s and 40 J/105s on Division 3. "This was my fifth year and I haven't had any."

Event director Peter Craig, who ran Division 2 before Golison succeeded him, said, "I had one before Bruce arrived, and that would be pre-1999."

At Key West, the starting process is managed not by calling everybody back when a few are over early but by identifying those who were guilty and hailing their numbers by radio.

Golison, running the big PHRF-1 boats, including five TP52s, on Division 2, said, "I have been on the big boat course for six years . . . and there has not been a general recall in that time. A lot of it is philosophy. In one of our first races two boats were over. In the third race 7 of the 10 were over, and we called those seven back. After that we didn't have one boat over in that class. They were still all lined up bow to bow, but they were 20 feet off the line."

Ken Legler, on Division 1 with the Farr 40s, Swan 45s, Mumm 30s and 1D35s, said, "The last
one I signaled was on the Melges course in 1996."

Bretsch, managing the smallest boats on Division 4: "This year we almost had one with the
Tartan 10 class, but instead we individually recalled 7 out of 9 boats."

Professional sailors expect that level of efficiency, and there were plenty of them at Key West. For a seminar on tactics in the "big top" reception tent one night the panelists were, left to right, Terry Hutchinson, Ken Read, Ian Walker, John Kostecki, Dave Ullman, John Cutler and Kevin Burnham, with Mike Toppa as emcee. Mark Reynolds was scheduled but was still out practicing on Philippe Kahn's Farr 40.

Other notables across the seascape of the Conch Republic included Russell Coutts, Brad Butterworth and the core of the Alinghi crew, Morgan Larson, Chris Larson, Hamish Pepper and Luna Rossa's America's Cup helmsman James Spithill, who sailed a Melges 24 to second place. His crew included Seattle brothers Jonathan and Charlie McKee, each an Olympic double medalist, and perhaps the youngest sailor in the regatta: 10-year-old Mac Agnese of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., a member of the U.S. Optimist Dinghy Association Development Team whose 60 pounds hardly counted against the class weight limit.

But if race management is the heart of Key West competition, the lesser known racers are the soul, and winning in that class of company becomes a lifetime achievement. It took Coates seven years.

"It feels fantastic," Coates said after Masquerade won the next-to-last J/105 race in light and tricky conditions to clinch his victory. "When we realized we were going to be second last year, it took us about five minutes to say we were coming back with the same crew to try and get over the hump. Key West is a phenomenal event. To win this regatta in a very deep and talented 40-boat fleet is very rewarding."

Masquerade charged out of the gate to win the first two races and was chosen as Nautica Boat of the Day on Monday. Other Boats of the Day:

--Peter de Ridder's Farr 40, Mean Machine, from Monaco and Holland on Premiere Racing Day Tuesday;
--Maspero Giovanni's Melges 24, Joe Fly, from Coto, Italy on Mount Gay Rum Day Wednesday;
--Chris and Kara Busch's 1D35, Wild Thing, from San Diego on Industry Partners Day Thursday;
--Jim Bishop's J/44 (PHRF-2), Gold Digger, from New York, N.Y. on City of Key West Day Friday.

Melges Performance Sailboats of Zenda, Wis., swept overall honors. The Pegasus Racing Melges 24 was Boat of the Week. Kahn drove the team's Farr 40 while Hardesty drove the Melges, which was honored for winning the most competitive class. He had help. Also on board were Burnham, Sweden's Freddy Loof, winner of a bronze medal at Sydney in 2000; Mark Ivey of Newport Beach, a four-time collegiate all-American, and Midge Tandy of Pensacola, Fla.

The new Melges 32, with Jeff Ecklund as skipper, won the Key West Trophy as PHRF Boat of the Week by winning PHRF-3.

The International Team Competition for the Nautica Trophy matched a designated eight pair of Farr 40s and Melges 24s. The dogfight ended with four teams separated by two points, led by the USA East team composed of Barking Mad and Neil Sullivan's M-Fatic from Annapolis, driven by Olympic silver medalist Morgan Reeser. They edged Europe A (Mean Machine and Team SBAB) by one point, followed by Europe B (Atalanti and Joe Fly) and Italy (Mascalzone Latino and Blu Moon).

Because of severe winds and sea state early in the week, the Mumm 30s, Corsair 28R catamarans, PHRF-3 and the small boats on Division 4 sailed only eight of the nine scheduled races. All boats except those on Division 1 discarded their worst scores.

Key West 2005 sponsors are Nautica, Mount Gay Rum, B&G, Lewmar, Samson Rope Technologies, and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport is the Official Site.

Support also comes from a record number of 29 Industry Partners.

Premiere Racing is also managing the new Acura Miami Race Week 2005 ("the SORC renaissance"). Race dates are March 10-13, 2005, with ocean and Biscayne Bay racing. Many Key West entrants were planning to store boats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and return for more South Florida racing.

CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

Division 1

Plattner and Coutts may have made themselves the favorites for the Farr 40 Worlds at Sydney in March. "This is my first win in a big [Farr 40] regatta," Plattner said. "The difference with Russell is that he doesn't put me in tough situations. He stays calm in a critical situation. That helps me as a driver and also the crew not to get nervous and excited."

In the Swan 45s, Rojek jumped Better Than from sixth place last year to first, "the direct result of hard work," he said. "We came in early to practice and put more time into preparation." Ryan Malley was helmsman and Chris Zaleski tactician.

Past winners Chris and Kara Busch of San Diego returned 10 months after having a baby boy to win the 1D35s again---Chris' first inshore regatta since regaining his amateur status. "Except for the Transpac in 2003 (when Wild Thing won class), the last time I drove was in an Etchells regatta in 1994," Busch said. "It was nice driving our own boat to a win."

Deneen Demourkas of Santa Barbara boosted her status as one of the top woman drivers in an international class with her runaway win in the Mumm 30s. "The team sailed really well and with a positive attitude," said Demourkas, who had never won a major Mumm 30 event. "I couldn't be more pleased. I've been working very hard for a long time with a lot of bumps in the road for a moment like this."
 

Division 2
Makoto Uematsu plans to sell his Transpac 52, Esmeralda, but it left its mark in PHRF-1 with only one finish worse than second in nine races, in all kinds of conditions. Tactician Ken Read said, "We had good karma going all week. Our crew work was spot-on and we were able to maneuver the boat well in any situation." Tom Hill's Titan 12, a Reichel/Pugh 75, won five of the last six races on corrected time despite owing Esmeralda 48 seconds per mile, but it wasn't quite enough.

PHRF-2 was Pretty Woman's domain. George Gamble's Beneteau 1st 47 from Pensacola won five of the first six races and coasted home.

The new Melges 32 came out of the box and fought off Rick Orchard's Farr 36, Grins, and Peter Hunter's Thomson 30, Wairere to claim PHRF-3.
Fears were for light wind on the final day, especially aboard helmsman Kurt and brother Bobby Muller's Andrews 38, Pamlico, in PHRF-4. "This boat just doesn't move in anything less than 8 knots," Kurt said. "[But it] started at 8 and just kept creeping up. We were like 'Yeah, we can deal with this.' " Pamlico won by four points over the Beneteau 40.7 Dame Blanche, a former PHRF Boat of the Week owned by Othmar von Blumencron of Annapolis.

George Petrides' Avra, New York, N.Y., won the J/120s wire to wire, but in the J/109s Bill Sweetser's Rush, Annapolis, Md., barely held off Mike Manila's Antaean by a point when the Southlake, Tex., rival won the last four races in lighter wind. Sweetser said, "It feels fantastic, especially since the competition in this class was so strong. We won three races by less than a boat length."

Floridians Todd Hudgins and Peter Freudenberg had sailed Corsair 28R trimarans at Key West for two years, finishing fourth and second, and broke through to first after recruiting Keith Notary, who won Olympic silver with Randy Smyth in 1992. "It's the first time we had a true multihull guy on the crew and it definitely helped," Hudgins said. "Keith was great at calling lay lines and keeping everyone focused." Smyth finished second sailing Rocketeer II.

Division 3
Philippe Kahn couldn't sail both his Farr 40 and Melges 24 so he reluctantly chose the former, turning the smaller tiller over to Hardesty. "Pegasus Racing is a team atmosphere and the other sailors pick who is going to be on the boat and what they will be doing," Hardesty said. "When Philippe asked me if I could be available for Key West I was honored. This program is five-star all the way. We've got the best team in the world and these guys tell me what to do. Freddy kept us in the right place on the course while Kevin focused on trimming for speed. My job was pretty easy: to keep us out of trouble." They swapped first place all week with Joe Fly, but when the Italians had to restart in the last race and finished 20th, it was all over. "That's my new team," Kahn said. "I have mixed feelings because Bill [Hardesty] was filling in for me [as helmsman]. Obviously, he did a good job."

Coates clinched the J/105s with a day to spare. Chris Perkins, whose Good Timing has won every major J/105 event, was tactician on Masquerade. "Chris is the best tactician in the class and he was on his game as usual this week," Coates said. "I thought the entire crew was fantastic. We were very steady and consistent throughout the week."

The J/80s were a three-way fight won by Rick Shaffer's C'est Nasty from Ft. Worth, Tex. over Mac Kilpatrick's Sooner Magic, Oklahoma City, and John Storck Jr.'s Rumor, Huntington, N.Y. C'est Nasty's win on Thursday clinched it by one point with a race to spare.

Division 4
Chuck Simon's locally based Tartan 10, Liquor Box, with Bill Buckles at the helm, put together another impressive series to win five races and finish second in another to earn their fifth consecutive title at Key West. With victory assured on the final day they went out for fun---and won again. "What we've done in the past is put everyone's name in a hat and draw for positions on the boat," Buckles said. "One year, the bowman got to drive and I had to work the foredeck."

Bob Wilson's Trumpeter from Toronto trailed Tom Sawchuk's Breakaway, Lawrenceville, Ga., by one point before the last C&C 99 race and finished first to Breakaway's third.. "We just tried to sail smart, stay clean and focus on boat speed," Wilson said. "It's really awesome when a major regatta like this comes down to the final day. It makes things so exciting."

In PHRF-6, Usual Suspect, owned by Bryan Sims of Bronte, Ontario, barely hung on to win. The C&C 43 took a three-point lead over E-Ticket into Friday's race, but the latter, skippered by Dan Myers of Lighthouse Point, Fla., finished first and almost put three boats between itself and Usual Suspect to win on a tiebreaker. "We dodged a bullet," Sims said. "We knew we had to get no worse than third and we barely did so."

John and Tony Esposito's Hustler, City Island, N.Y., won the J/29 class by blitzing the fleet in the first six races---the regatta's longest unbeaten streak.

John Fries' Remedy from Mystic, Conn., won double honors in PHRF-5 and the sub-class of six Evelyn 32s.

Amethyst, the Davies/Eppig J/27 from Glen Cove, N.Y., cruised through PHRF-7 with four firsts, while Denny Manrique's S2 7.9, Island Flyer, from Tonka Bay, Minn., faltered in light wind through the last three races but held off by three points each a late charge by the Wavelength 24s from Long Beach, Miss., sailed by Keith duBose and Sam Vasquez.

Race Week News writer Bill Wagner contributed to this final report.
 

Complete results: Premiere-Racing.com

Photos: PHOTO GALLERY

Video replay: www.t2p.tv

CONTACTS

PREMIERE RACING, Inc.
67B Front Street, Marblehead, MA, 01945
Tel: (781) 639-9545, Fax: (781) 639-9171
KWInfo@Premiere-Racing.com

PRESS OFFICER
Rich Roberts
Cell (310) 766-6547
richsail@earthlink.net

 

Jan. 21, 2005

A Happy Birthday for Hasso, But No Boat of Week Back Flip By Burnham

Friday's weather: Wind 8-10k, W-NW

KEY WEST, Fla.---As dockside victory celebrations go, most were muted after Key West 2005, presented by Nautica, Friday as winners and losers alike hoisted their 295 boats out of the water and hustled home to 14 countries and 36 states.

Hasso Plattner was met at the dock by his wife and yellow Lab, Claude, and quietly toasted his 61st birthday, which happened to coincide with his first place in the marquee Farr 40 class.

"This is my first win in a big [Farr 40] regatta," he said after defeating world champion Jim Richardson's Barking Mad from Newport, R.I., by three points.

Plattner, the software CEO from Kiel, Germany, and tactician Russell Coutts also were congratulated by Richardson and his tactician, Terry Hutchinson.

Meanwhile, a couple of gangways away, there was a more spirited celebration among Deneen Demourkas' victorious Mumm 30 crew highlighted by champagne showers and crew dunkings. Even the skipper went swimming.

The event's talent included 18 Olympic medalists representing 28 medals, including Kevin Burnham of Miami Beach, who won gold with Paul Foerster on a 470 dinghy at Athens last summer. This time, on a larger boat, Burnham won again as part of the crew for helmsman Bill Hardesty on Pegasus Racing's Melges 24, entered by another software giant, Philippe Kahn of Santa Cruz, Calif., developer of the cell phone camera.

That team won the last race and three of nine and received the Key West 2005 Boat of the Week Trophy for winning the most competitive class. Pegasus swapped the lead daily with Maspero Giovanni's Joe Fly. The Italians were over early Friday and finished 20th, slipping to fourth in the standings behind Australia's James Spithill, the Lunna Rossa America's Cup helmsman, and Neil Sullivan's M-Fatic from Annapolis.

Two other boats won high-profile classes in style by winning their last races: Chris Busch's 1D35, Wild Thing from San Diego, and Demourkas' Groovederci from Santa Barbara, Calif.

The International Team Competition for the Nautica Trophy matched a designated eight pair of Farr 40s and Melges 24s. The dogfight ended with four teams separated by two points, led by the USA East team composed of Barking Mad and Neil Sullivan's M-Fatic from Annapolis, driven by Olympic silver medalist Morgan Reeser. They edged Europe A (Mean Machine and Team SBAB) by one point, followed by Europe B (Atalanti and Joe Fly) and Italy (Mascalzone Latino and Blu Moon).

Kahn, from Santa Cruz, Calif. and Hawaii. drove his Farr 40 but prefers the Melges. "That's my new team," he said. "I have mixed feelings because Bill [Hardesty] was filling in for me [as helmsman]. Obviously, he did a good job."

Other crew members were Sweden's Freddy Loof, an Olympic medalist; Mark Ivey of Newport Beach, Calif., a four-time collegiate all-American, and Midge Tandy of Pensacola, Fla.

Morning Glory won three of nine races and was fourth in the final. Plattner gave his tactician, Russell Coutts, ample credit.

"The difference with Russell is that he doesn't put me in tough situations," Plattner said. "He stays calm in a critical situation. That helps me as a driver and also the crew not to get nervous and excited."

Coutts said it wasn't easy. "It was tough [tactically] because three boats were in the game, so we had to play the fleet."

Morning Glory had a strong start but went to the right side of the course when the wind was favorable on the left. The wind was 8-10 knots from the west and northwest Friday, relatively steady compared to Thursday's fading zephyrs but considerably lighter than the first three days of the week-long regatta.

"We were not winning this regatta until the last 300 meters when we passed three boats [to finish fourth]," Coutts said. "We got a couple of little shifts and puffs and that was it."

Barking Mad won the last race, followed by Atalanti, a two-time Key West winner for Greece's George Andreadis, who was sixth overall.

Morning Glory won three of the nine races. Dutch rival Peter de Ridder, the defending Key West champion sailing Mean Machine, was third one point behind Barking Mad. Most of the 18 competitors were pointing toward their world championship at Sydney in March.

While Busch and Hardesty and their crews were busy packing their boats, Demourkas' husband John, who sailed their Farr 40 to a commendable eight place, greeted her with a spray of champagne as she slid into the slip. She won four of the class's eight races, including the last one in a runaway, and it was special.

Although second in the 2002 Farr 40 Worlds and a contender in most Mumm 30 events, she said, "We hadn't won a race since our first Farr 40 regatta in Long Beach [Calif.] in 2002. I spent the whole race thinking about all the things that could go wrong, because they usually have."

For Busch, it had been a longer time between wins as a helmsman. Although he and his wife Kara sailed on the boat when it won at Key West in 2002, he was then a sailmaker by trade and thus ineligible to drive as an industry professional.

"Except for Transpac in 2003 [when Wild Thing won its class], the last time I drove was in an Etchells regatta in 1994," Busch said. "It was nice driving our own boat to a win. I progressively got better during the week."

Wild Thing won three of the last four races to beat Stig Osterberg's Midsummer from Port Townsend, Wash. by three points.

"We were happy that the breeze was up today," Busch said. "We made a big gain on the first run and really cranked the boat hard to stay ahead."

Burnham, 48, who hadn't sailed on a Melges 24 in several years, said, "I just loved it. To have a team like Philippe put together is so rewarding. This is a campaign to win the Melges 24 Worlds at Miami in December."

But as they crossed the finish line, Burnham did not do a back flip out of the boat like the one he did at Athens that was shown around the world.

Hardesty said, "My team gave me all the confidence in the world coming into today. They just said, 'Do your thing and get off the starting line in good shape and we'll do the rest.' We went out with the attitude of winning the race. We knew that the only way to guarantee we would come out on top. Regardless of all the credentials aboard the boat, no one had an ego."

Andrzrej Rojek of Brooklyn, N.Y., sailing Better Than, won the Swan 45 class on a tiebreaker with Craig Speck's VIM, Newport, R.I. Next year the Swans will return to Key West in force for their Gold Cup world championship with an international fleet of about 20 boats.

Tom Hill's R/P 75, Titan 12, the biggest boat in the regatta, came on in lighter winds the last three days to correct out on its PHRF-1 opposition in five of six races but couldn't overtake Makoto Uematsu's Transpac 52, Esmeralda. The Japanese entry, driven by Tom Lihan with Ken Read as tactician, enjoyed a four-point margin by winning the other four races.

The Farr 40s also awarded their new class Corinthian prize to Tom Neill's Nitemare, Chicago, one of three boats eligible for sailing with no more than two professionals instead of three and only three new sails on board. Nitemare placed 16th in the fleet of 18.

Key West 2005 sponsors are Nautica, Mount Gay Rum, B&G, Lewmar, Samson Rope Technologies, and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport is the Official Site.

Support also comes from a record number of 29 Industry Partners.

Premiere Racing is also managing the new Acura Miami Race Week 2005 ("the SORC renaissance"). Race dates are March 10-13, 2005, with ocean and Biscayne Bay racing. Many Key West entrants are planning to store boats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and return for more South Florida racing.

More details about the Keys, including web cams, are available at www.fla-keys.com or by calling
1-800-FLA-KEYS.

 

Jan. 20, 2005  -  Tricky Winds Bedevil the Best at Key West

Thursday's weather: Wind 14k, NE-NW, dropping to 2.

Friday's forecast: Wind W-NW, 5-10k. 

KEY WEST, Fla.---Some of the smartest sailors in the world sailing some of the most high-tech machines found themselves at the mercy of fickle winds Thursday that bedeviled most of them on the next-to-last day of Key West2005, presented by Nautica.

The breeze, following blasts to 25 knots that overpowered some competitors early in the week, was a satisfying 14 knots for the 10 o'clock starts up and down the four courses along the south side of the island. But then it steadily dissolved into the day's second race until all the cool and calculating world-class minds were at their wits' ends.

Chris Busch, a former Key West winner sailing his 1D35, Wild Thing, from San Diego, said, "It was frustrating for everybody. It's tough mentally when you have to keep trying to figure it out all the time. We're not used to that stuff at Key West."

That said, Busch followed a fourth place in the first race with a win in the second to lead by two points with the ninth and final race scheduled Friday. His team's performance earned them Industry Partners Boat of the Day honors for the 295-boat fleet.

Busch felt blessed. "The top four finished within 30 seconds," he said. "The only difference was that we got a little puff at the end. We would have been happy with fourth."

Miami's Kevin Burnham, who with Texas' Paul Foerster won America's only Olympic sailing gold medal last summer, is sailing on Pegasus Racing's contending Melges 24, which went from a first to a 24th on the day. "It was worse than Athens," Burnham said. "There was a huge right shift on the last [upwind leg]. We were caught on the wrong side of that." 

But his boat is only one point behind Maspero Giovanni's frontrunning Joe Fly, of Canottieri Lecco, Italy.

A new threat is Australia's James Spithill, sailing with double Olympic medalists Jonathan and Charlie McKee of Seattle. Spithill and the McKee brothers are members of Italy's Luna Rossa America's Cup team. They suddenly became contenders Thursday when they not only notched fifth- and seventh-place finishes but, after seven races, were allowed to discard their worst score: 59 points for starting over the line in the first race Monday.

The crew also includes 10-year-old Mac Agnese of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., a member of the U.S. Optimist Dinghy Association Development Team whose 60 pounds hardly count against the class weight limit.

Spithill said, "We've sailed pretty well since we've been under the gun with our discard used up. We've just had to keep out of trouble. Nothing like doing it the hard way."

Deneen Demourkas of Santa Barbara, sailing her Mumm 30, Groovederci, extended her lead in the Mumm 30s, despite an 11th-place finish that broke her string of all firsts and seconds. But she said with exhaustion, "Lord, it was frustrating. Somehow we managed to gain points."  

Germany's Hasso Plattner, steeled for a final Farr 40 dogfight Friday after a third and first Thursday, said, "Why we won over Mean Machine and Barking Mad, I don't know. In [only] 3½ knots of wind, with shifts and puffs, it was luck."

Plattner, with Russell Coutts at his side, leads Holland's Peter de Ridder on Mean Machine by one point; current world champion Jim Richardson's Barking Mad of Newport, R.I., is another five points back.  

And if that's what the leaders say, how do to the others feel?

Well, Richard Bergmann of San Diego, two-time defending champion in the J/105 class, is out of the chase this time but said, "It's a beautiful day, good competition and the California boats are going good. It's still the best regatta." 

Another Californian, Thomas Coates of San Francisco, has clinched the J/105 victory after winning his third of eight races. Winners in seven other of the 21 classes also are determined.

Joe Fly, with Gabrio Zandona at the tiller, would probably be the happiest boat here even if it weren't leading. The Italians, guided by American tactician Morgan Larson of Santa Cruz, Calif., have smiled their way through the week, even after their two worst races Thursday---join the club---with a 21st and eighth. They held onto their slim lead by tossing the 21.

The Pegasus team is composed of Burnham, fellow Olympic medalist Freddy Loof of Sweden, helmsman Bill Hardesty of San Diego, four-time collegiate all-American Mark Ivey of Newport Beach, Calif. and one female member, Midge  Tandy of Florida.  

Spithill's team shares fourth place with Neil Sullivan's M-Fatic from Annapolis, driven by yet another Olympic medalist, Morgan Reeser. After a fourth and third, Reeser said, "We wanted a light and squirrelly day to make something happen."

The lesson there is to be careful what you wish for. The forecast for Friday indicates more of the same.

Barking Mad and M-Fatic form the USA East team that has taken a tight grip on the International Team Competition with a 12-point lead over Italy's entry of Franco Rossini's Melges 24, Blu Moon, and Vincenzo Onorato's Farr 40, Mascalzone Latino.

Key West 2005 sponsors are Nautica, Mount Gay Rum, B&G, Lewmar, Samson Rope Technologies, and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport is the Official Site.

Support also comes from a record number of 29 Industry Partners.

Premiere Racing is also managing the new Acura Miami Race Week 2005 ("the SORC renaissance"). Race dates are March 10-13, 2005, with ocean and Biscayne Bay racing. Many Key West entrants are planning to store boats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and return for more South Florida racing.

More details about the Keys, including web cams, are available at www.fla-keys.com or by calling: 1-800-FLA-KEYS.

Jan. 19, 2005

A Long Day of Racing Sorts Out the Key West 2005 Contenders

Wednesday's weather: Wind 17-12k, NE.

Thursday's forecast: Wind N 15k morning, NW 10k afternoon.

KEY WEST, Fla.---Nobody complained about a lack of competition Wednesday at Key West 2005, presented by Nautica. An ambitious race committee gave competitors all the racing they wanted, running three races for all but the smallest boats and shaking out some contenders to the top.

"We had 17 legs of racing today," said Andrzej Rojek of Brooklyn, N.Y., who sailed his Swan 45, Better Than, to two firsts and a second. "I think Duval Street is going to be suspiciously quiet tonight."

Sailors too tired to party? With a five-point lead and three races remaining Thursday and Friday, Rojek's crew had the most to celebrate at the Swan fleet's party Wednesday night.

The small boats on the Division 4 course sailed the usual two races, but for the first time since the Melges 24 Worlds were incorporated in 2002 the event ordered three go-rounds for everybody else. After Monday's high winds that allowed only one race, that got almost everyone back on schedule for the full nine.

Division 1---Swans 454s, Farr 40s, 1D35s and Mumm 30s---will have no throwouts, but everyone else can discard one after seven races.

The Farr 40s evolved into a four-boat battle with six points separating, from the top, Peter De Ridder's Mean Machine from Holland, Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory, Germany; world champion Jim Richardson's Barking Mad, Newport, R.I., and John Coumantaros' Bambakou, Newport, R.I.

Plattner's boat was 1-10-2 on the day, but a double-circle penalty turn after hitting a mark cost him at least five spots. "It could have been our best day," he said, "or it could have been our worst day."

Richardson (3-1-7) said, "The boats are so close that even in the race we won we led at the first four marks, Mean Machine caught us but we were able to get a starboard tack advantage and win by half a boat length."

Mean Machine, the defending champion and Boat of the Week, was a steady 5-2-6, the latter its worst finish so far.

Deneen Demourkas of Santa Barbara, Calif., with New Zealand's Hamish Pepper as tactician, made a strong move on the Mumm 30s with two wins and a second, following a pair of deuces Tuesday, for a four-point lead over Bodo von Der Wense's turbo duck (lower case is correct) out of Annapolis. The race committee had the M/30s sit out Monday because of the severe sea state on the Division 1 course.

Demourkas didn't mind having that day off. She injured her left arm while practicing in Sunday's heavy winds when the boat swerved out of control.

"I was just as happy not to race," she said. "My [left] arm was still sore. When we jibed we did a 'death roll' and I was washed back by a big wave. I was completely underwater holding onto the tiller and wrapped around a stanchion."

Tuesday and Wednesday were better, although blowing a spinnaker may have cost them a win over turbo duck. "

Husband John Demourkas is driving their other Groovederci, a Farr 40, with Olympic silver medalist Ross Macdonald of Vancouver, Canada as tactician. John Demourkas is less experienced. In the past he has been a member of his wife's crew and, like other competitors, was concerned about the conditions early in the week.

But he said, "The anxiety of leaving the dock was a lot worse than getting out there and doing it."

Tom Hill's Reichel/Pugh 75, Titan 12, the largest boat among the 295 competing, stretched out in the lighter winds, not only finishing first as usual but stretching out enough to correct out over the top three Transpac 52s for first place in all three PHRF-1 races Wednesday.

Tactician Ben Mitchell said, "The 52s just light it up when it's windy, but with 17 knots or under we're close to saving our time on them."

However, with three seconds following three firsts earlier, Makoto Uematsu's TP52, Esmeralda, has a seven-point lead on Titan 12 for the PHRF-1 title.

Uematsu said, "To tell you the truth, we can't touch the Titan, but we managed to stay close three times the hard way. It's very good competition in very good conditions."

Uematsu is trying to win his fourth champio0nswhip in five years at Key West, the first in a TP52.

This is Rojek's ninth year at Key West. Ryan Malloy is the helmsman, Chris Zaleski the tactician.

"If not for the experience we've had here over the years we wouldn't be where we are," Rojek said.

Maspero Giovanni's Melges 24, Joe Fly, from Canottieri Lecco, Italy, rode a 6-2-2 surge into first place by eight points over Pegasus Racing's entry, but there could still be some serious shuffling in that 58-boat fleet in the last three races.

Helmsman Gabrio Zandona summed up the day: "Good wind, good sun, good team. We had very good starts all three times and always raced in the middle [of the course] in a conservative way and had enough speed to beat the rest of the fleet."

The tactician is Morgan Larson, the current world 505 champion from Santa Cruz, Calif. "Thanks to him we were going the right way," Zandona said.

Larson demurred, "They just brought me here to pick out the pubs."

Key West 2005 sponsors are Nautica, Mount Gay Rum, B&G, Lewmar, Samson Rope Technologies, and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport is the Official Site.

Support also comes from a record number of 29 Industry Partners.

Premiere Racing is also managing the new Acura Miami Race Week 2005 ("the SORC renaissance"). Race dates are March 10-13, 2005, with ocean and Biscayne Bay racing. Many Key West entrants are planning to store boats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and return for more South Florida racing.

More details about the Keys, including web cams, are available at www.fla-keys.com or by calling: 1-800-FLA-KEYS.
 

Jan. 18, 2005

The World Has Come to Key West to Win

Tuesday's weather: Wind 21 knots from 020-015.
Wednesday's forecast: Wind N-NE 15 knots.

KEY WEST, Fla.---Walk around the docks at Key West 2005, presented by Nautica, and you'd think you were being bombarded by a battalion of Berlitz instructors. Original or reflected in accented English, the phenomenon is as much a part of the Conch Republic atmosphere this week as the 20-knot-plus northerly winds sweeping the four race courses this week.

Consider:

The Farr 40 leader after 3 of 9 scheduled races is Dutchman Peter De Ridder's Mean Machine, which swapped wins Tuesday with German runner-up Hasso Plattner, each with a New Zealand tactician, Tom Dotson and Russell Coutts, respectively.

The PHRF-1 class's undefeated leader is Japanese industrialist Makoto Uematsu's Transpac 52, Esmeralda, with America's Ken Read calling tactics for Uematsu and alternate helmsman Tom Lihan.

The Melges 24 leader is Philippe Kahn's Pegasus 575, driven by San Diego's Bill Hardesty, with Sweden's Freddy Loof and America's 48-year-old Olympic golden boy, Kevin Burnham, on the crew. At 1-6-1, they're one point ahead of Italy's Maspero Giovanni's Joe Fly, with Gabrio Zandona driving and American Morgan Larson as tactician.

Kahn, meanwhile, a native of France long settled in Santa Cruz, Calif., and Hawaii, is driving his Farr 40---Pegasus 80808---in fourth place, which combined with Peg 575's score puts the USA West team in first place in the International Team Competition for the Nautica Trophy.

And, finally, this personal note: John Kostecki of San Francisco, who skippered a Volvo Ocean Race victory for Germany's illbruck team in 2001-02, is calling tactics on Michael Brennan's Sjambok from Newport, R.I. Mean Machine's floater is Anne Marie Kostecki, his wife since May 22, 2003.

"We met during the '97-98 Whitbread," Kostecki said, "in La Rochelle, France."

Is this an international regatta or what?

All six Swan 45 owners list U.S. home ports---but the boats are built by Nautor Swan in Finland. Alice Martin's sky blue Painkiller from Chicago, with Great Britain's Chris Law at her side, shares the lead with Andrzej Rojek's Better Than, from Newport, R.I., although Painkiller was facing a pair of protest hearings later Tuesday night.

Martin, who hadn't raced the boat before this week, is becoming comfortable at the helm, as she demonstrated with a 1-2 Tuesday. Although the wind was somewhat lighter than Monday, she said, "The waves were bigger today. It's harder to drive when [the wind is] lighter. We left the dock a little earlier today and did some jibing practice, and we had perfect jibes all day."

For Plattner, 4-1-4 so far, Key West 2005 is a major step toward the Farr 40 Worlds in Sydney in March. Coutts will continue with the team through that event, then switch to Plattner's maxZ86 for the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii in July.

"We're trying to do all the little things better," Plattner said, smiling. "We're sailing well, but it's only been two days."

Coutts said, "Hasso was driving very well. We had good speed, I think we learned something about our downwind sails Monday."

Esmeralda is one of five TP52s having their way in PHRF-1 with five big handicap boats, including Daniel Meyers' Farr 60, Numbers, from Newport, R.I. with five Kiwi members of Alinghi's America's Cup crew on board. The TP52s are first, second, third, sixth and seventh, with Tom Hill's R/P 75 Titan 12 and Numbers fourth and fifth.

Numbers tactician Brad Butterworth noted, "We do pretty well with the 52s upwind, but when they turn downwind they're gone."

Read said, "I think we have the boat dialed in. We've had pretty much the same crew going on two years now. It makes it good from a tactical standpoint because you can do anything you want to do and it works—and it doesn't hurt being fast."

Titan 12 has easily finished first in all three races but owes everyone handicap time, which sometimes makes it difficult to cover its rivals from so far ahead.

Crew member Jim Alsopp said, "We just cover our lunch."

After Tuesday's Melges 24 racing Giovanni was laid out on the dock while a crew member massaged his injured left knee. Otherwise, he felt no pain after dodging disaster in the second race to wind up 1-3.

"We thought we might be over early at the start," he said, "but when they spoke our number on the radio we heard [bow number] '32,' not '42.' So we kept going until we were about 100 meters upwind and they called it again. Then we went back [to re-start] and passed the first windward mark in 35th place [out of 58 boats]. We were very happy to finish third."

Mean Machine is sailing with something of a pickup crew. "A lot of the amateur crew members are in school now," Jon Gunderson said, "and the bowman's wife just had a baby."

The new bowman, Jeff Reynolds, brother of main trimmer Matt Reynolds, formerly sailed on John Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti. He said, "We had good speed and good crew work. But there are some tough boats here. [Jim Richardson's] Barking Mad is the world champ, Mark Reynolds is on Pegasus, Russell Coutts on Morning Glory. Any one of several boats could win."

And it could be from almost anywhere on earth.

Key West 2005 sponsors are Nautica, Mount Gay Rum, B&G, Lewmar, Samson Rope Technologies, and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport is the Official Site.

Support also comes from a record number of 29 Industry Partners.

Premiere Racing is also managing the new Acura Miami Race Week 2005 ("the SORC renaissance"). Race dates are March 10-13, 2005, with ocean and Biscayne Bay racing. Many Key West entrants are planning to store boats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and return for more South Florida racing.

More details about the Keys, including web cams, are available at www.fla-keys.com or by calling
1-800-FLA-KEYS.

Complete results: Premiere-Racing.com

Photos: http://www.premiere-racing.com/05_KW_Photo_Gallery/KW_2005_Photo_Gallery.htm

High-resolution photos available royalty free on request to jhardway@yahoo.com

 

Key West 2005,  presented by Nautica                              Jan. 17, 2005

Star-Studded Key West 2005 Starts With a Blustery Bash 

Monday's weather: Wind N low 20s, gusts to high 20s.

Tuesday's forecast: Wind NE 15-20.

KEY WEST, Fla.---Bright sun and big breeze ushered in Key West 2005, presented by Nautica, with a Farr 40 photo finish, a Melges 24 victory of Olympian proportions and Esmeralda's continuing high adventures in South Florida.

Because of winds in the mid-20s gusting into the mid-30s, the race committee kept all 295 boats in port until noon and thus logged only one of two races scheduled, leaving eight on the burner through Friday. The sea state to the west was so rough that the three smallest boat classes in Divisions 1 and 2---Mumm 30, PHRF-3 and Corsair 28R trimarans---were grounded for the day.

Many of the 58 Melges 24s on Division 3 struggled, some shunning their asymmetric spinnakers entirely. But San Diego's Bill Hardesty, though at the tiller of one of the lively sport boats for the first time, drove Philippe Kahn's Pegasus 575 through a mid-race crash to first place over veteran Dave Ullman and former world champion Flavio Favini, driving Franco Rossini's Blu Moon from Switzerland.

John Coumantaros drove Bambakou across the line a quarter-length in front of world champion Jim Richardson's Barking Mad in a friendly Farr 40 feud between Newport, R.I. rivals.

Ken Read and Chris Larson, sailing on Makoto Uematsu's Transpac 52, Esmeralda, followed last week's thriller in the Ft. Lauderdale to Key West "unofficial feeder race" by winning PHRF-1. Earlier, on Carrera, the Reichel/Pugh 81 owned by Joe Dockery of Stamford, Conn., they led a record-breaking charge despite losing three-fourths of their rudder in a knockdown near the end.

John Yonover's J/109, evonne.com/2, was dismasted before the start of its race on Division 2.

Chris and Kara Busch's Wild Thing, the 2002 Key West champion, was leading the 1D35 fleet on the first run when it crash-jibed into a roundup and had five boats sail past as it lay on its side. Busch, at the helm for the first time since regaining his Category 1 (amateur) status, blamed driver error.

"I turned too hard and couldn't recover. It's funny, because we had no problems practicing in stronger wins [Sunday]. I guess I was a little complacent."

The entries represent 14 countries and 36 states and include, at last count, 17 Olympic medalists with 26 medals among them, led by Athens winners Kevin Burnham of Miami, Fla. and Sofia Bekatorou of Greece, serving as crew on Pegasus 575 and Greek businessman George Andreadis' Farr 40, Atalanti, respectively.

Kahn, who has said he has more fun on a Melges 24, instead drove his Farr 40 to sixth place in that 18-boat fleet. Hardesty took over with a crew of Olympic medalists Kevin Burnham and Sweden's Freddy Loof, Mark Ivey and Midge Tandy. They led all the way, despite sustaining minor damage when T-boned by Simon Strauss of Larchmont, N.Y. near the first leeward gate.

Hardesty said, "I thought they were trying to cross us, but they tried to jibe and go behind us at the last moment and had a boat-handling problem. It got ugly after that. Their pole hit us and then their bow hit us at the rail."

Strauss dropped out. "They came over to us on the dock and offered to take care of all financial responsibility," Hardesty said.

Hardesty admitted that with the heavy conditions he was nervous driving a Melges 24 for the first time, "but [the crew] made it easy for me. They hiked hard and we had good speed. It felt a lot like my old Laser days."  

Bambakou and Barking Mad swapped the Farr 40 lead twice before Coumantaros, with Britain's Ian Walker calling tactics, regained the lead on the last windward leg and held it with a bold move on Richardson, who was backed up by tactician Terry Hutchinson.

"We were on starboard at the last cross but we lee-bowed him because we wanted to guard the right side," Coumantaros said. "It was very close, but Terry was a very gracious competitor. Another competitor might have thrown a [protest] flag."

Russell Coutts is sailing on Hasso Plattner's Farr 40, Morning Glory, from Kiel, Germany, which finished fourth behind defending champion Dirk De Ridder's Mean Machine from Holland. His former Kiwi and Alinghi teammates are aboard Daniel Meyers' Farr 60, Numbers, from Newport.

With recent travel problems on the East Coast, Coutts said, "It took me six hours to get here from New York. They tried to drag me out last night, but I know where that leads."

Brad Butterworth, his longtime friend and former tactician, said, "We both still live near each other in Switzerland, so we stay in touch."

Except on the water at Key West, where they're sailing on different courses.

Key West 2005 sponsors are Nautica, Mount Gay Rum, B&G, Lewmar, Samson Rope Technologies, and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport is the Official Site.

Support also comes from a record number of 29 Industry Partners.

Premiere Racing is also managing the new Acura Miami Race Week 2005 ("the SORC renaissance"). Race dates are March 10-13, 2005, with ocean and Biscayne Bay racing. Many Key West entrants are planning to store boats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and return for more South Florida racing.

More details about the Keys, including web cams, are available at www.fla-keys.com or by calling

1-800-FLA-KEYS.

Complete results: Premiere-Racing.com

Photos:  http://www.premiere-racing.com/05_KW_Photo_Gallery/KW_2005_Photo_Gallery.htm

 
Jan. 15, 2005

Big Winds for Bigtime Warriors at Key West 2005

Monday forecast: Wind N-NE 20-25 knots, 70 F.

KEY WEST, Fla.---Olympic medalists, America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race sailors and weekend warriors from 14 countries and 36 states, they're all the same to the brisk conditions expected for Key West 2005, presented by Nautica, running Monday through Friday.

Athens Olympic gold medalists Kevin Burnham of the U.S. and Sofia Bekatorou of Greece, silver medalists Charlie Ogletree of Rockwall, Tex. and Ross Macdonald of Canada, three-time AC winning skipper Russell Coutts, his former Alinghi mates and John Kostecki will be among some 3,000 sailors on 295 boats dealing with strong winds forecast for early in the week.

The Northern Hemisphere's largest and glossiest keelboat regatta is an egalitarian classic featuring world-class competitors side by side with a horizon full of deadly serious amateurs.

Nine races are scheduled on four courses over five days. All of the entries, including class splits, Sailing Instructions, Notice and Conditions of Race, schedule of events and much more are posted at www.Premiere-Racing.com

If the Storm Trysail and Lauderdale Yacht Clubs' annual Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race---the unrelated but "unofficial feeder event"---was a preview, it should be an interesting week. With following north/northeast winds and regular 25-to-30-knot gusts, the majority of competitors finished Thursday faster than the old records, which were 13 hours, 14 minutes, 21 seconds set in 1995 for monohulls and 13 hours, 10 minutes, 14 seconds set in 2003 for multihulls. The overall winner on corrected time was Key West 2005 entry Sjambok, a TP52 owned by Michael Brennan of Annapolis, Md., which also broke the race record in 11 hours 35 minutes 38 seconds, 71 minutes behind the R/P 81 Carrera that led the 43-boat fleet.

Bekatorou, who with crew Emilia Tsoulfa won gold in women's 470 before the Acropolis backdrop of her country, will sail on countryman George Andreadis' Farr 40, Atalanti, the Farr 40 winner in 2002 and '03. That gives Atalanti two gold medalists on board, counting tactician Robbie Haines in '84. Andreadis was an Olympic director and also is one of six ISAF international vice presidents in the new regime.

"He has been helping a lot in many things, [especially] in Greece," Bekatorou said. "It was normal for me to help him."

She has sailed enough on big boats to be comfortable.

"The main thing more difficult in a big boat is that you have to synchronize with more people. I will be helping to pull down the spinnaker, and then [store it] inside the boat because I'm the lightest crew member. We have really good trimmers and tacticians. I would like to help as much as I can, and I hope soon I can help more in tactics. You learn more things that you can apply to an Olympic campaign."

Besides Burnham, Bekatorou, Ogletree, Macdonald, Coutts (gold in 1984), Kostecki (silver in '88) and Haines, other Olympic hardware heroes include JJ Isler, Mark Reynolds, Jonathan and Charlie McKee, Jeff Madrigali, Randy Smyth and John Bertrand, plus New Zealand's John Cutler.

There are no 470s or Tornado catamarans, so Burnham will sail on Bill Hardesty's and Alex Ascencios' Melges 24s, respectively. Macdonald will call tactics on John Demourkas' Farr 40, Groovederci; Kostecki will fill that role on Sjambok.

Philippe Kahn owns Hardesty's entry but will drive his Farr 40, Pegasus, which with the Melges 24 will form the USA West team among eight entries in the International Team Competition for the Nautica Trophy. Combined points will determine the winner.

Reynolds will be Kahn's tactician in an 18-boat fleet that includes world champion Jim Richardson's Barking Mad (Terry Hutchinson) and defending champion Peter De Ridder of Holland with his 2004 Boat of the Week, Mean Machine (Tom Dodson).

Russell Coutts will be on Hasso Plattner's Farr 40, Morning Glory. Former Alinghi mates Brad Butterworth, Warwick Fleury, Dean Phipps and Simon Daubney will carry on without their former skipper on Dan Meyers' CM 60, Numbers, from Newport, R.I.

Australia's James Spithill, the new helmsman for Italy's Luna Rossa challenge, will drive a Melges 24 entered by teammates Jonathan and Charlie McKee.

The entry list includes six one-design winners from last January: De Ridder's Mean Machine; Bodo and Nick von der Wense's Mumm 30, Turbo Duck, from Annapolis; the Richard Bergmann/Shawn Bennett J/105 Zuni Bear, San Diego; Bob Harkrider's Corsair 28R trimaran, Bad Boys, Augusta, Ga.; Bob Wilson's C&C 99, Trumpeter, Toronto, and the Chuck Simon/Bill Buckles T-10, Liquor Box, Key West and Vermillion, Ohio.

Also, the 1D35s' most recent winner, David Kirk of Chicago, leads the class back after a year's hiatus. Their national title is on the line.

The Mumm 30s will be celebrating their 10th year in business by sailing for their North American championship.

PHRF winners returning are Mike Rose's J/133, Raincloud, Kemah, Tex.; the John Dane/Michael Gray Melges 30, Tiburon, New Orleans; David Hudgel's Sydney 36, Bounder, Detroit, and Robert Patroni's Evelyn 32-2, Phaedra, from Pensacola, Fla.

One-design classes include the Farr 40, Mumm 30, 1D35, Swan 45, J/105 (a record 40), J/120, J/109, J/80, J/29, C&C 99, T10, Corsair 28R and the largest fleet of all, the Melges 24s with 61.

Division 1 (Swan 45, Farr 40, Mumm 30 and 1D35) will not discard their worst scores; the other three divisions will discard one race after seven are sailed.

Key West 2005 sponsors are Nautica, Mount Gay Rum, B&G, Lewmar, Samson Rope Technologies, and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport is the Official Site.

Support also comes from a record number of 29 Industry Partners.

Premiere Racing is also managing the new Acura Miami Race Week 2005 ("the SORC renaissance"). Race dates are March 10-13, 2005, with ocean and Biscayne Bay racing. Many Key West entrants are planning to store boats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and return for more South Florida racing.

More details about the Keys, including web cams, are available at www.fla-keys.com or by calling 1-800-FLA-KEYS.

CONTACTS
PREMIERE RACING, Inc.
67B Front Street, Marblehead, MA, 01945
Tel: (781) 639-9545, Fax: (781) 639-9171
KWInfo@Premiere-Racing.com

PRESS OFFICER
Rich Roberts
Cell (310) 766-6547
richsail@earthlink.net
 

January 10, 2005

All Star Sponsor Line Up for Key West
--- Key West 2005, Presented by Nautica Kicks off January 17

Premiere Racing is pleased to announce the sponsors of Key West 2005, presented by Nautica. Their commitment to this event and the sport of sailing makes them stars during race week and throughout the year.

Nearly 300 boats from 35 states and 13 different countries begin a week-long series of racing on January 17, 2005. They'll be warmly greeted by the City of Key West and all race week sponsors.

Nautica returns as Presenting Sponsor. Mount Gay Rum, Lewmar, Samson Rope Technologies, B&G and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council round out the official line-up.

Nautica Watches is the Official Timekeeper and Nautica is the Official Apparel of race week. Design, function and quality are the foundation of the Nautica philosophy. Over the last two decades, the Nautica concept has evolved from a collection of 6 pieces of men's outerwear into a complete lifestyle brand. Today Nautica is available in more than 70 countries around the globe with 2004 retail sales surpassing $2 billion.

Mount Gay Rum is the Official Rum. "2005 will be Mount Gay Rum's 18th consecutive sponsorship of Key West." says Nicholas Guillant, Mount Gay Rum Brand Manager. "This is a sponsorship that our premiere brand values and Key West targets our loyal consumer franchise. We know that sailors look forward to winding down after their day of racing with a Mount Gay Rum at the parties each evening. With our commitment to the sailing market by sponsoring regattas worldwide, our presence at Key West every January is an expected association."

Lewmar is the Official Marine Hardware. The Lewmar name is known and respected by boat builders and yacht owners the world over and they are the leading manufacturer of equipment and systems that provide sailors and power boaters with greater control over their yachts.

Samson Rope Technologies, the Official Cordage, is the leader in high technology rope and the largest rope manufacturer in the western hemisphere. They are experts in current rope applications and are dedicated to ensuring the evolution of rope design.

B&G holds the Official Marine Electronics position. B&G has been at the leading edge of yacht instruments and autopilots for almost 50 years. Service is available in 50 countries worldwide and at all major regattas.

The Key West business community and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council have played an important role in the success of the regatta. A superb host for race week, the Keys are an idyllic destination for any vacationer. More details about the Keys, including web cams, are available at www.fla-keys.com or by calling 1-800-FLA-KEYS.

"Support from our race week sponsors plays a crucial role in enabling Premiere Racing to produce an event with standards that match the level of competition on the water", said Peter Craig, Event Director. "We encourage all racing sailors to show their appreciation and patronize these terrific companies that participate in our sport and sponsor Key West 2005, presented by Nautica."

Support also comes from a record number of 29 Industry Partners. For more information and links to all sponsor and partner web sites, as well as race results and reports, please visit www.Premiere-Racing.com.

Premiere Racing is also managing the new Acura Miami Race Week 2005 ("the SORC renaissance"). Race dates are March 10-13, 2005, with ocean and Biscayne Bay racing.


 

PREMIERE RACING HOME    |    CONTACT US