Acura Key West 2006 - Race Week News

Friday - Issue 5 - January 20, 2006

Saturday - Issue 6 - January 21, 2006

Listening closely, you could almost hear a collective sigh on Thursday morning among the crews who worked hard battling for position on Tuesday and Wednesday in the fresh 20-plus knots of breeze. True to Key West's tropical spirit, Thursday's welcome easterly rustled through the palms sending the fleet to smoother sailing. Many of the class leaders continued to increase their winning margins going into day four with a virtual lock on the overall standings. No one takes the top slots for granted. With the depth of sailing talent across all four divisions, there's no margin for error and mistakes are costly. In a week of spectacular sailing, there are show stealers and show stoppers alike.

The final day of Acura Key West 2006 will determine who will return home with top honors in a majority of classes. If luck is measured in a series of three's, then six is a double-dose of good fortune. In the Mumm 30, PHRF-2 and Corsair 28R classes, six bullets each for the top performers hints to more than just luck. A glance at Thursday's scoreboard caused one passerby to exclaim, "That's unbelievable!" Nelson Stephenson's TeamBOLD had notched six first-place finishes in a row, only to give way to Kevin Young's Black Seal in the seventh race. Jim Bishop and the crew onboard Gold Digger are shining with six straight bullets in PHRF-2. Ken Winters and Randy Smyth on Rocketeer II have flown through the Corsair 28R class the entire week posting a flawless set of firsts.

Division 1

There was a dramatic change in the Swan 45 World Championship while the Farr 40 class remains close going into the final day of the week-long regatta.

Bellicosa, a New York entry skippered by Massimo Ferragamo, posted a first and third on Thursday to seize the lead in Swan 45 class. Howie Schiebler is calling tactics for Bellicosa, which vaulted from third to first in the overall standings.

"I would call it a good day any time we can get a first and a third in this kind of fleet," Ferragamo said. "I think everything is in sync, everyone is doing their job and, starting from me, I have to make sure that I don't make mistakes."

Things did not go as well for Goombay Smash, which had led the series for the initial three days. Skipper William Douglass (Newport, R.I.) posted a 6-12 line and now trails Bellicosa 29-31.

Tactician Chris Law said Goombay dropped from third to 12th in Race 7 after hitting a mark and having to perform penalty turns."We did two penalty turns when perhaps we only needed to do one," Law said. "I take responsibility for today's mistakes and the fact we suffered a 10-point loss to Bellicosa on the day."

Vinnie drives the boat well and is pretty relaxed. It's the Italian factor. The whole team is laid back." Russell Coutts, Mascalzone Latino.

Law said Goombay Smash remained in a "winning position" and needed to stop being conservative. Ferragamo said the Bellicosa crew will focus on going fast more than covering Goombay Smash on Friday.

"We are all doing well, we have a great team and everything is coming together," Ferragamo said. "For tomorrow, we have no hopes, or the same hopes as today - to continue to sail well."

Mascalzone Latino, skippered by Vincenzo Onorato, took control of the Farr 40 competition with scores of 2-3 on Thursday. Three-time America's Cup champion Russell Coutts is calling tactics for Mascalzone Latino, which leads fellow Italian entry Fiamma (Alessandro Barnaba) by eight points.

"It was certainly a good day for us. We just need to keep doing what we've been doing for one more day," Coutts said.

Mascalzone entered Thursday tied for first with Warpath (Fred & Steve Howe) and Coutts said the Italians "tacked on" the Californians a couple times. The New Zealand native said Mascalzone will cover the competition again on Friday.

"We'll see who is close on points and keep an eye on them," said Coutts, who has enjoyed teaming with Onorato for the first time. "Vinnie drives the boat well and is pretty relaxed. It's the Italian factor. The whole team is laid back."

Division 2

A heated battle is also brewing in Transpac 52 class, which is professionally-crewed a la the Swan 45s and Farr 40s. Stay Calm II, a class newcomer owned by Stuart Robinson of London, clings to a two-point lead going into the last day. "This is our first regatta with a new boat in a very competitive fleet so we are quite happy with where we stand," said Robinson, who took delivery of the TP52 on January 6. "I've been very pleased with our teamwork and boat speed."

Robinson, who also races a Swan 70, has several members of the GBR Challenge America's Cup team aboard, including tactician Adrian Stead along with trimmers Richard Masson and Lisa McDonald. Stay Calm II must try to hold off Tom Stark's Rush and Doug DeVos' Windquest.

Moneypenny, a Swan 601 owned by Jim Swartz, maintained its one-point lead over Aera (Ker 55, Nick Lykiardopulo) in IRC 1. Those two boats are also contending for the inaugural US-IRC Championship, which combines results from IRC 1 and IRC 2 at this regatta.

Swartz was overall winner of the Swan American Regatta in July, just two weeks after taking delivery of the custom-built boat. "Winning this championship would be huge for the 601 and change the perception that it's not a good IRC boat," he said.

The Melges 32 fleet began with some close sailing. "Any day you go out and come back is a good day," said Buddy Melges, returning to the dock after a fine day of racing. He's trimming for Beck Swanson's Melges 32, XSNRG. "Timing the boat is everything. Start first, stay in front and increase your lead," Melges says.

With the speed pegged at a consistent 14-knots, XSNRG broached on one leg but didn't shrimp the chute. Nick Amendola was at the mast. "When you're up there and you get knocked down, you're just hanging on." The team still had a blast. "It was good competition," said Swanson, entering XSNRG in Key West for the first time. "This is a wonderful venue." They're hoping for some more good wind on Friday. "That's why everybody comes to Key West," said Buddy Melges.

Througout the week, Michael Carroll's New Wave (St. Petersburg, FL) has been making the right moves and leads the fleet. "You just can't make a mistake," said helmsman Marty Kullman. "It's getting the right shifts and having a good crew." Star ranked behind New Wave on Thursday, but owner Jeff Ecklund (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) is ready for another battle. "Every day makes a difference," Ecklund said. Sailing into third, Crash Test Dummies returned to the dock in high spirits. Owner Tim Kimpton (Stamford, CT) is drawn to the challenges of this rather vigorous and slippery one-design.

"You make one mistake and you're buried," Kimpton said. Rick Orchard's Grins (Flowery Branch, GA) is a less than a boat length away and will be putting the pressure on Crash Test.

James Bishop's Gold Digger remains firmly on center stage with Peter Rogers (Hamble, UK) and his smooth-sailing Highlife team taking second. "We believe attitude makes a difference," said Gilles Maillart, Jack Knife's trimmer. Andrew Hall's J/133 (Pwllheli, UK) edged into third by Thursday. The IRC-2 fleet is a tough nut to crack, yet with the good winds and some fantastic sailing, Jack Knife has kept her head up. "We're happy no matter what," Maillart said.

Genesis Racing LLC's Sister Golden Hair has been in a close and edgy battle with the leaders in the PHRF-2 fleet. At the top with Boys Are Back In Town, Golden Hair's team will have to work hard to nose out her rival during the final day's racing. "We'll try to make as few mistakes as possible," says trimmer Michael Macleod. The team thrives on the challenges of close competition. "It's been great sailing," said Werner Schwarz, pit. "The best of the best come here and you can't get any better than Key West."

Division 3

There's a tie in Melges 24 with Dave Ullman's Pegasus 505 and Riccardo Simoneschi's Nautica knotted at 17 points apiece after one throwout is factored. Blu Moon, Franco Rossini's Swiss entry, dropped from first to third - five points behind Pegasus 505 and Nautica.

Simoneschi, an Italian and former Star sailor making his Key West debut, notched a first and second on Thursday to jump up from fifth in the overall standings. Ullman, a California sailmaker, grabbed a bullet in Race 7 to overtake Blu Moon and Partners & Partners.

"We'll just go out sailing and see what happens. It's not a worlds so I'm not going to tack on people," Ullman said. "We'll try to beat the other top boats off the line and sail our own race from there."

Jay Lutz and his Synergy team have made a clean sweep of the J/80 fleet through the week with five firsts. The Texas warrior couldn't be toppled, but C'est Nasty has been sticking close to Synergy's heels like super glue. "We've got new sails and a good crew," said Rick Schaffer, owner of C'est Nasty (Ft. Worth, TX).

Fueled by the windy conditions, John Storck, Jr. and his J/80 Rumor (Huntington, NY) edged out Hoss Racing (Ft. Worth, TX) for third place in the class.

The Robin Team's Sweet Baby J (Beaufort, NC) ranked in the middle of the fleet by Thursday. The J/80 earned her highest score during Wednesday's heavy-air trial, but the crew preferred Thursday's steadier winds. "There was less pressure today than yesterday," said Scott Martin, trimmer. "It was very manageable today."

"We could be at home shoveling snow!" said Dave Gorwitz, Veloce crewmember. Brian Louther's team, from Wisconsin, is happy to be in Key West regardless of their ranking.

There were no major surprises in the J/105 class. Masquerade flew through the course, posting five firsts and two seconds by Thursday and locking herself into the top slot. Zuni Bear maintains a second in the large and highly competitive fleet. Brian Keane's Savasana (Marion, MA) retains third place. "It was a great first race," said a crewmember from Rum At Six's bow. "Then we had a third row start and just got hammered out there." Worth Harris (Beaufort, NC) and his team remain in the top third of the class.

Division 4

"Perfect, Perfect, Perfect," Robert Hibdon and tactician, Henry McCray agreed, "Day 4 couldn't have been better." Temptress (Charleston, SC) leads the PHRF-4 fleet. "There was the crab pot," reminded McCray. He went on to tell the tale of flying along with their competitors far behind. All was well until Temptress suddenly screeched to a halt after snagging the pot. "Everyone blew past us by, cheering and laughing," admits McCray. "As we ran to unhook, magically, it slipped off." Temptress quickly recovered and earned a second ace of the day. With Thursday's two bullets and a class win in hand, McCray and Hibdon are wrestling about going at it again tomorrow. "I don't want to hurt anyone or break anything," McCray argues, pleading conservatism above all.

"This is hard core sailing," says Hibdon. McCray added, "and we broke more stainless steel this week than I've ever seen before."

A splintered spinnaker pole and carbon fiber debris from blown blocks couldn't hold Bob Wilson back. Ashore, pranks and cranks define the ongoing relationship between the C&C 99 crews who delight in good-natured devilry. Breakaway owner Tom Sawchuck has crewed onboard Trumpeter and Bob Wilson's stint as helmsman on Lakota in 2004 served as an introduction to his present crew. Day 1 for Breakaway started with their beloved Redwings flag flying inverted at the masthead.

Word has it that the boys on Dave Roggenkamp's Lakota (Rochester, NY) may have had a little hand in that bit of mischief, but once the gun starts the race it's all business. "We're not professional sailors, but professionalism defines our attitude," Bob Wilson said. "Also, we're not an angry boat. There's no yelling at some guy to do his job, each of us knows his job and we like what we're doing. That's important when you're out there in rough water and heavy wind, hoping the boat holds together and wondering what's going to break next. Basically, we go out, sail smart and don't interrupt the other guys when they make their mistakes."

Despite a trio of aces and a third, Trumpeter (Toronto, ONT) swooped ahead of Breakaway (Lake Lanier, GA) with an impressive 3-1 on Day 3. Bill Titus, Helmsman on Phoebe's Phling,(Newport, RI) says, "This is one hotly contested race class between the J/109s. It's magnificent racing. Conditions here couldn't be better for real sailing, it ramps up everybody's level of performance and makes us sail better. It's really about seamanship and camaraderie among competitors. The thing about one-design racing is it is a true test of seamanship. It was a major effort to get here but believe me it's worth it!"

Billy Burke, mast, said, "This is also the American J/109 Midwinter Championships, which is awesome! In Thursday's second race, we caught a wind shift on the first leg that gave us a 30 boat length lead. It is an honor and a privilege to see everyone in such a great class." Titus added with a chuckle, "Behind us."

"As uncomfortable as it was for us out there, with the heavy conditions, I have so much respect for the PROs pounding around at anchor, and the organization," Says Titus. "Key West Race organizers deserve credit for putting on a class event. Day 5 is going to be amazing; with only 2 points between the top 3 boats. It's going to be about hard work and effort. Charlie Milligan, (owner) won't be with us but we'll be out there trying and hoping for the best."

Writers Brooke Babineau, Rebecca Burg and Bill Wagner contributed to this feature.