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HOT OFF THE PRESS.......
1/9/01 - An Americas Cup Convention at Key West
12/28/00 - Yachting Key West Race Week off the Charts
12/14/00 - Sponsors Have Warm Feelings for Key West, Too
11/15/00 - One-Designs Flock to Key West in Record Numbers
10/20/00 -America's Cuppers, Olympians Sail Back to Key West
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 9, 2001
AN AMERICA'S CUP CONVENTION AT KEY WEST
KEY WEST, Fla. -- Yachting Key West Race Week has been voted the best regatta in the country, for a lot of reasons. Readers of the new Web site YachtRacing.com recently rated the event tops based on a combination of factors, including shoreside activities as well as competition.
That's one reason all those America's Cup sailors will be at Yachting Key West Race Week 2001 next week, when 326 boats will be racing on four courses over five days, Monday through Friday. There won't be an International America's Cup Class, but the personnel will be prominent.
Ken Read, the designated driver for Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes, said, "From now on, every bit of sailing I do will be looking toward New Zealand [in 2002-2003]."
Read will be at the helm of Makoto Uematsu's Farr 50 Esmeralda, and the 38-boat Farr 40 class will be overloaded with superstars calling tactics for owner-drivers.
Dean Barker, now the leader of Team New Zealand, will be aboard Hasse Plattner's Farr 40 Morning Glory from Germany, John Cutler (ex-America True, now Oracle) on David Thomson's Peregrine from New Zealand, Gavin Brady (ex-AmericaOne, now Prada) on Steve Kaminer's Predator, Morgan Larson (ex-AmericaOne, now One World) on Philippe Kahn's Pegasus,
Russell Coutts calling tactics on Ernesto Bertarell'is chartered Farr 40 , and Peter Isler (Stars & Stripes) on Brack Duker's Revolution.
They'll talk about their prospects at an America's Cup panel discussion following Wednesday's racing. For them, the campaign for 2002-2003 starts here.
Besides Read, Esmeralda's crew will include sailors from various teams.
"It's a great crew and the core of it has been sailing with Mr. Uematsu for a number of years," Read said. "We'll have team members from Seattle [One World], Oracle and Stars & Stripes."
In that regard, sailing is unique in sports.
"The grand prix sailing community has gone toward that for quite a while now," Read said. "Who you're married to one day is your archenemy the next. At Admiral's Cup one year you looked around and half of those guys were on your team the next week, and half of your guys were the enemy. We all have great friends that are on other teams. We have the ability to go out on the water and do battle with them, and then come in and have a beer with them."
Few of the competitors will envy their peers currently at sea in The Race of the Millennium and the single-handed Vendée Globe.
"Reading about Ellen MacArthur dodging icebergs and clew patches tearing out of main sails two days into a race around the world, no, I'm glad I'm not in either of those [races]," Read said.
"The Volvo [Ocean Race, formerly the Whitbread] has always been slightly enticing, but ... it's never been a great fit. Both of these events are great for the sport. Anything that brings the sport to the headline news is awesome."
Panel discussions scheduled:
Sunday, Jan. 15, 4 p.m. -- Key West tactics, presented by North Sails.
Monday, Jan. 16, 5:15 p.m. -- Boat Speed/Tune and Trim to Win.
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 5:15 p.m. -- The 2003 America's Cup.
Thursday, Jan. 18, 5:15 p.m. -- PHRF Issues for KW Race Week 2002, presented by Quantum Sails.
Tuesday's racing will be followed by the popular Saucony 5K Fun Run, with individual and team awards.
The final party and awards presentations are scheduled Friday at 6 p.m.
Sponsors and Suppliers of Yachting Key West Race Week 2001 include Mount Gay Rum, Lewmar Marine, SailNet.com, B&G Electronics, Grand Banks Yachts, the Kenwood Cup, Sam Adams, Saucony and Vascodagama.
Since 1998 the Florida Keys & Key West, their Tourist Development Council, local businesses and the community have been major supporters of Race Week, embracing this early winter regatta which attracts sailors from around the world.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 28, 2000
YACHTING KEY WEST RACE WEEK 2001 OFF THE CHARTS
KEY WEST, Fla. - The only official hand count Florida will see is complete, and Yachting Key West Race Week 2001 is the winner. The Jan. 15-19 regatta has a record number of 327 entries.
The fleet totals 66 more boats than last year's millennium regatta and is well clear of the 271-boat record fleet from 1999.
"To say that we were overwhelmed by the number of entries would be an understatement," said Premiere Racing's Peter Craig. "We've never really come close to the 300-boat limit in past years, which is why we were reluctant to turn boats away. We haven't slammed the door on anybody. The owners were probably as surprised as we were."
Providing a fourth racing circle has enabled the event organizer to accommodate all entrants.
"The 300-boat limit was there for a reason," Craig said. "By adding a fourth race circle we're able to be inclusive while providing the quality racing that owners have come to expect in Key West."
There are 50 foreign entries from 20 countries, and 32 states are represented, led by New York, Maryland and California.
The fleet breakdown includes a record turnout in most one-design classes: Farr 40 (37), J/105 (25), Mumm 30 (31), Melges 24 (59), J/80 (25), 1D35 (20), J/29 (17), PHRF (103), IMS (10).
Skippers and afterguards include the biggest names in sailing, such as Russell Coutts, Ken Read, John Kostecki, Dean Barker, Buddy Melges, Mark Reynolds, Ian Walker, Dave Ullman, Vince Brun, Robbie Haines, John Kolius, John Cutler and Gavin Brady, to name a few.
The preliminary scratch sheet, PHRF handicaps and location of the four divisions can be found at www.Premiere-Racing.com
Sponsors and Suppliers of Yachting Key West Race Week 2001 include Mount Gay Rum, Lewmar Marine, SailNet.com, B&G Electronics, Grand Banks Yachts, the Kenwood Cup, Sam Adams, Saucony and Vascodagama.
Since 1998 the Florida Keys & Key West, their Tourist Development Council, local businesses and the community have been major supporters of Race Week, embracing this early winter regatta which attracts sailors from around the world.
Dec. 14, 2000
Sponsors Have Warm Feelings for Key West, Too
KEY WEST, Fla. -- As blizzards swept the Midwest, the East Coast turned frosty and
central Europe went wet and chilly, sailors from around the Northern Hemisphere this
week quietly thanked the people who are making Yachting Key West Race Week 2001
possible: the sponsors.
In Key West it was a sunny 78 degrees with a promise of continued fair weather for a
record number of more than 300 contestants in five days of racing Jan. 15-19. The
pilgrimage to worship balmy winter sailing will come from five continents, 32 states and
20 nations. It also includes 18 entries from Chicago, by no coincidence the city hit
hardest by recent storms.
Mount Gay Rum, provider of the sailors' favorite beverage, has been a fixture for years
at Yachting Key West Race Week, founded by Yachting Magazine in 1988. Lewmar
Marine, an official supporting sponsor for the second year, will be visible on racing boats
throughout the fleet in 2001. SailNet is the official Internet results and media host, and
the Internet's premier Web site dedicated to sailing. B&G is the official supplier of sailing
electronics. Grand Banks Yachts is the official race committee boat for the fourth
consecutive year.
Other Supporting Sponsors and Suppliers of Yachting Key West Race Week 2001
include the Kenwood Cup, Sam Adams - the official beer, Saucony which will host the
annual 5K fun run, Vascodagama - the official sunglasses, and the Ocean Key, the
official hotel.
Since 1998 the Florida Keys & Key West, their Tourist Development Council, local
businesses and the community have been major supporters of Race Week, embracing
this early winter regatta which attracts sailors from around the world.
"Managing an event of this magnitude with no facilities in the southernmost point in the
United States is a very expensive proposition," said Event Director Peter Craig. "It just
wouldn't be feasible without participation from of our corporate sponsors and the support
of the Florida Keys & Key West, local businesses and our Official site, the Historic
Seaport."
For the second year in a row, Lewmar will present the Lewmar Marine Trophy to the top
Group-1 owner-driven boat in the IMS class.
"We are thrilled to once again be part of Yachting Key West Race Week," said Randy
Blanton, President of Lewmar. "The participants that sail at Key West are a prime
customer for us. Sponsoring a race of this caliber allows us to not only reach our market,
but to give something back to our customer. It's also a great time. The group at Key
West does an extraordinary job with the regatta."
Sam Boyle, speaking for SailNet, said, "Yachting Key West Race Week is the premier
event of the season and a great way to start off 2001."
Before and after the racing, the sailors and their followers log on to www.SailNet.com for
all the details from competitions anywhere in the world. It will post official results, news
and photos daily.
"SailNet.com is the Internet's premier Web site dedicated to sailing," Boyle said. "It offers
40,000 products through its full-line marine store. SailNet provides sailors with
information, advice, tips, news, research, articles, equipment and techniques, and is a
communication tool that links sailors with other boat owners, sailing schools, charter and
brokerage classifieds, and services for buying, selling, financing, documenting, shipping,
and insuring your boat."
There also is a convenient checklist for competitors in any regatta.
"SailNet has developed a customized list that matches the official safety requirements of
Yachting Key West Race Week 2001," Boyle said. "Participants can use this page as a
checklist to ensure that they have all of required safety gear and purchase anything they
need quickly and easily from the SailNet Store."
Bob Congdon, B&G's West Coast regional manager and national racing boat specialist,
underscored that the event is also good for business.
"It's a great venue and for us," Congdon said. "At Key West we see everything from the
grand prix racers right down to the serious club racers. These are the people that matter
to us. It's a good opportunity for us to meet and talk to our core customers. We'll be
there will bells on."
Bells and whistles are the company's specialty. B&G stands for Brooks and Gatehouse,
recognizing the two former Royal Navy officers who turned their military technology to
recreational boating applications when they started the firm in the 50s. Now their wind
and other sensing instruments, including transistorized depth sounders, are vital tools for
America's Cup competitors, Volvo Ocean Racers, Vendée Globe 2000 single-handed
sailors and the giant catamarans, including Steve Fossett's PlayStation, scheduled to
start the Race of the Millennium Dec. 31.
The entry list has soared well past the record of 271 boats in 1999. Peter Craig and his
staff are still recording a flood of late filings that cleared the Dec. 8 deadline.
Competition in the Farr 40 class, which currently numbers 34, will be intensified by
infighting for an American berth in next summer's Admiral's Cup in England. Key West
will be the second and last phase of trials, following this month's Miami Regatta won by
Philippe Kahn's Honolulu entry Pegasus.
Following Pegasus at Miami, in order, were Jim Richardson's Barking Mad, the 1998
world champion from Newport, R.I.; Chris Doscher's Twisted, Newport, R.I., and Richard
Marki's Raging Bull, Bristol, R.I.
Other notable class turnouts include the Melges 24 (53), Mumm 30 (27), J/80 (25), J/105
(24), 1D35 (20), J/29 (17), along with nearly 100 PHRF competitors and a dozen grand
prix IMS entries.
Publicity: Rich Roberts, richroberts@compuserve.com, (310) 835-2526
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 15, 2000
One-Designs Flock to Key West in Record
Numbers
KEY WEST, Fla. -- Early Christmas shopping can wait. A flood of eager one-design competitors
has already driven the official entry list for Yachting Key West Race Week
2001 to 142, including 23 boats from eleven foreign countries.
Last January, One Design classes accounted for 57% of all entries. 1999 was a record
fleet with 271 boats. Both those records appear to be in jeopardy. Most of
the 2001 entries are in one-design classes. Like birds of a feather, those competitors
are flocking together in greater numbers than ever, with 2000 winners
leading the way.
The regatta is scheduled Jan. 15-19, but apparently many of the world's top sailors
were intent on beating the initial entry deadline of December 8.
Robert L. Hughes of Holland, Mich. sailed his 1D35 Heartbreaker to Yachting Trophy
Boat of the Week distinction by winning the most competitive class last January.
"When you go down there you know you're gonna have eight good races,"
Hughes said, "because the conditions are gonna be good and the
competition is gonna be great -- and our crew loves competition."
His crew includes tactician Bill Bennett of San Diego, who also sailed with Vince
Brun to the Etchells world title last summer.
Other one-design winners returning include George Andreadis' Farr 40 Atalanti XI from
Greece, Jay Lutz's J/80 Syzygy, Houston, Tex., and Brian Porter's Melges 24 Full
Throttle, Lake Geneva, Wis., Andrew Skibo's J/105 Plum Crazy, Ocean City, N.J.
Skibo, who topped a fleet of 18 J/105s, will face as many as 25 this time, including
Alfonso Domingos of Portugal.
One champion not defending will be Jean Pierre Dick of France, who won in Mumm 30s
but returns in a Melges 24. With Dick joining a deeply talented fleet of up to
50 boats, Porter may be hard-pressed to duplicate his feat of three first and
There could be as many as 40 Farr 40s -- a staggering number given that they have
never had 30 on a starting line to date. Race Week is the second phase of trials
for the U.S. Farr 40 slot in next summer's Admiral's Cup. At fewest eight are
competing for that. Defending champion Atalanti XI, with Robbie Haines calling
tactics, is not, but Philippe Kahn's Pegasus is, and Kahn has just signed
on the hottest sailor on the planet.
Mark Reynolds, recently honored with his Star Olympic gold medal crew Magnus Liljedahl
as the International Sailing Federation's Sperry World Sailors of the Year,
will be aboard Pegasus.
Others with visions of Cowes are John C. Coumantaros' Bambakou, James Richardson's
Barking Mad, George Carabetta's Diana, Richard Marki's Raging Bull, John
Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti, Mark Bregman's Total Eclipse and Chris Doscher's Twisted.
The J/80s, with Lutz defending, will feature Race Week as their Mid-Winter Championship.
Syzygy won seven of eight races last time, but the class's entries are
leaping from 12 toward perhaps 20 for 2001.
The Mumm 30s also should have a strong international turnout, with many of the finely
tuned World Championship competitors planning their re-matches in Key West.
Look for as many as 30 boats on the line. Vincenzo Onorato, winner of the Mumm
30 Worlds, will take on the Farr 40s in Key West with Mascalzone Latino.
Robert Hughes' not-so-heartbreaking success last January launched him on a run to
the 1D35 season championship, which included victories in class at the Southern
Ocean Racing Conference and the Big Boat Series at San Francisco. In earlier
years he sailed a Melges 24.
"There are two things that make the One-Design 35 class fun," Hughes
said. "The first is the boat itself. It's kind of like a big Melges --
real fast acceleration, fun to sail downwind in the waves, and at Key West
you get a couple of days with some breeze and waves. The second aspect is
the boats all go the same speed and there are a lot of good programs, so
every race is a dogfight."
His biggest dogfights have been against John Wylie's Tabasco. He came from behind
to edge the San Diego boat at Key West and San Francisco.
"Tabasco is a great team," Hughes said. "We had to sail our best
to beat them. We'll have to keep are eyes on those guys."
Tabasco's guys, along with several others, will certainly have their eyes on Heartbreaker.
Event sponsors are The Florida Keys & Key West, Mount Gay Rum, Lewmar
Marine, B&G, Grand Banks, Sam Adams, Saucony and Kenwood Cup.
Yachting Key West Race Week 2001 is open to entries in IMS, PHRF and one-design classes
of 24 to 85 feet LOA. PHRF entries must have a rating of 175 or lower. The
entry limit is 300 boats. The entry deadline is December 8.
Publicity: Rich Roberts, richroberts@compuserve.com,
(310) 835-2526
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Oct. 20, 2000
America's Cuppers, Olympians Sail Back to Key West
KEY WEST, Fla. -- Auckland was exciting and Sydney sensational, but come mid-January many of the world's best sailors will return to the southernmost point in America at the tip of the Florida Keys.
Yachting Key West Race Week 2001 scheduled Jan. 15-19 will draw back familiar and formidable personalities such as Ken Read, John Kostecki and Peter Holmberg who last winter were 10,000 miles away jousting in the America's Cup.
Also expected are freshly decorated Olympic gold medalist Mark Reynolds and silver medalist Pease Glaser, along with a collection of world champions including Vince Brun and Georgio Zuccoli.
But the name-dropping has just begun. With entries projected to top the record of 271 in 1999, those are just a few of the elite to commit early. Initial entries indicate a strong coast-to-coast representation in all 16 classes plus a heavy global presence, especially with a healthy IMS turnout. The last event drew boats from 12 countries.
Key West is a seductive mid-winter Shangri-La for competitors whose home waters are too cold or too quiet, but even world-class sailors from year-round venues find it irresistible.
"I love sailing down there," Reynolds said from San Diego.
"Key West has to be one of the best places to sail in the world at that time of year -- nice breeze, nice clear, warm water, and great competition. It can't get much better than that. That's why I've done it seven out of the last eight years."
At Sydney, Reynolds became the first Star sailor to win two Olympic gold medals and the first in nearly a half-century to win Olympic and world titles in the class in the same year. Italy's Agostino Straulino did it in 1952. Reynolds is the only American nominee for the ISAF/Sperry World Sailor of the Year 2000 awards. He hopes to ride that roller into Key West, where he feels right at home.
Reynolds' only regret: he can't sail his Star at Key West. The nearest thing is the Melges 24 class, which Reynolds sailed in the mid-90s. But he feels he hasn't sailed a Melges enough lately to be competitive in close quarters with Zuccoli, the current world champion; wily Dave Ullman, two-time Key West defending champion Brian Porter and others in the huge international class. Reynolds probably will be recruited to call tactics on a bigger boat.
Ullman will have his own Olympic impetus aboard his Melges 24. Glaser, who won silver as crew for JJ Isler in the women's 470 class at Sydney, will return to her position as trimmer.
The owner-driven Farr 40s, with an Admiral's Cup berth at stake, will have over 35 entries that could bleed the pool of tactical talent dry. Key West will be the second and last stage for selecting the U.S. Farr 40 entry in next summer's Admiral's Cup at Cowes.
Brun, a former Melges 24 world champion and new Etchells king, will call the moves for Alexandra Geremia's Crocodile Rock from Santa Barbara. He'll pit his wits against former Olympic gold medalist Robbie Haines aboard George Andreadis' defending champion Atalanti XI from Greece and Terry Hutchinson on James Richardson's Barking Mad, among others.
The fleet also will have the last three world champions -- Barking Mad, John Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti and John Calvert-Jones' Southern Star -- and John Coumantaros' new Boomerang.
A 20-25 boat 1D35 class returns with bragging rights as the class that produced the 2000 Yachting Magazine Trophy winner, signifying Boat of the Week. This owner/driver class routinely produces some of the most competitive racing in Key West.
But the record shows that at Key West a big name may not even be worth a complimentary cone at the town's Ice Cream Factory. The opportunity to knock off a superstar often lifts some lesser-known rivals to new heights.
"Beating a Read or a Kostecki or a Reynolds in even one race can make a sailor's year, not to mention making him a hero back home," said Event director Peter Craig of Premiere Racing.
"An eight-race series over five days of variable conditions is the ultimate test. If a boat does well at Race Week, it figures to be competitive anywhere in the world."
Names aren't the only news at Key West. Since Yachting Magazine organized the first event in 1988 it has not only grown into a gathering of the greats but a test track for new IMS and PHRF designs.
Ken Read will drive Makoto Uematsu's Farr 50 Esmeralda in IMS competition, where he'll be tested by Kostecki's illbruck Volvo Ocean Race team-in-training on the Japanese Farr 47 Seahawk and George David, winner of the Lewmar Marine IMS owner/driver award with his Nelson/Marek 49 Idler.
In the PHRF big boat fleet, eyes will be on Doug Baker's Magnitude in its Atlantic Ocean debut. The Andrews 70 turbosled chased Roy Disney's Pyewacket to a Transpac record in '99 and beat its rival in the Newport-to-Ensenada race last spring. George Collins, with Gary Jobson as tactician, will unveil his Farr 52 Chessie Racing, not to be confused with his former turbosled 70 of the same name that won PHRF-B last January.
High-tech debutantes drawing special attention will include at least two carbon 48-foot J/145 racer-cruisers, including Alex Wallenberg's Ilderim from Sweden; three Australian-built Sydney 38s and Tim Woodhouse's sprit-equipped Thompson 37 Rumours.
Event sponsors are The Florida Keys & Key West, Mount Gay Rum, Lewmar Marine, B&G, Grand Banks, Sam Adams, Saucony and Kenwood Cup.
Yachting Key West Race Week 2001 is open to entries in IMS, PHRF and one-design classes of 24 to 85 feet LOA. PHRF entries must have a rating of 175 or lower. The entry limit is 300, and the deadline is December 8 at 1700 EST.
MORE INFORMATION:
Rich Roberts, richroberts@compuserve.com, (310) 835-2526
Dates to Remember
- Mark Your Calendars!
Future Race Weeks:
January
21 - 25, 2002
January 20 - 24, 2003
January 19 - 23, 2004
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