Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 - Press Releases On Site

GUSTY WINDS BLOW RACERS TO VICTORY AT KEY WEST

KEY WEST, Fla.---Italy's Flavio Favini finished off a repeat Melges 24 triumph with a flourish at Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 Friday, while some of his successful peers played the hefty breeze like snake handlers hoping just to hold onto leads and claim class titles.

Wind was still whistling through the rigging as boats returned from a single windup race and the winners discussed their good fortune.

"This is our best win," said Alexandra Geremia, who shares ownership with helmsman Scott Harris in the Farr 40 Crocodile Rock from Santa Barbara, Calif.

Like Croc, Australia's Richard Perini also was delighted with a ninth place that earned him his second consecutive Key West championship in the aggressively International Mumm 30 fleet. The first six boats were from five countries.

With the 1D35 title assured, David Kirk's Détente, Chicago, along with all but one of the rest of the class, sat out the day. The exception was Doug and Dick DeVos' Windquest, which sailed to a solitary victory and second place overall.

The 14 Corsair 28R trimarans also stayed in port, allowing Bob and Doug Harkrider of Belvedere, S.C., sailing Bad Boys, to stand on their three-point lead over Donald Wigston's Whipper Snapper, Atlanta.

Favini, discarding a 12th, had no other finish worse than seventh and ran away on a 4-1-3-2 streak the last 2 1/2 days. Somehow, rivals have marveled, he just seems to make a Melges 24 go faster than anyone else, even after a year's absence with Vincenzo Onorato's America's Cup campaign.

The Key West Trophy for the International Team Championship---as close to a world championship of inshore sailing as the sport has these days---was won by Italy for the fourth time in five years by two points over Germany. The Italians' boats were Onorato's Farr 40, Breeze; Pierpaolo's Cristofori's Mumm 30, Printel Wind, and Maspero Giovanni's Melges 24, Joe Fly.

The Terra Nova Trading Boat of the Week Trophy was won by Zuni Bear, Richard Bergmann's J/105 from San Francisco. Zuni Bear started slowly but won three of the last four races to edge Jim Sorensen's Wet Leopard, Sag Harbor, N.Y., by one point, with three others within three points.

Among the heavyweights on the Division 2 course, George David's Nelson/Marek 50, Idler, from New York, had IMS wrapped up but returned to the elements to claim a second trophy by overtaking Bandolier, Charles Burnett III's 1D48 from Seattle, and win PHRF 2 by two points. Read, helmsman for Team Dennis Conner in the America's Cup challenger trials, drove the boat the first two days until David arrived Wednesday, then called tactics.

"Today was the best day by far," Read said of the uncommonly cold northeast winds of 20 knots gusting to 27. "This is what you go sailing for. It was a little chilly, but compared to Auckland this was a balmy summer day. I had fewer layers [of clothing] on here."

Perini, judging the weather by Australian standards, didn't entirely agree. "It's the coldest race I've ever done with the sun out," he said.

The day's high temperature was 57 degrees, a record Key West low for the date in the 137 years of local weather tracking, but it was far warmer than where many of the competitors came from.

Small craft advisories were posted as the fleet left port 1 1/2 hours later than usual, counting on a forecast that the early morning's 25-knot winds would ease to 20 by mid-day. Roger Sturgeon and his Rosebud crew from San Francisco felt right at home in the breeze as they nailed down PHRF 1 with their third win in four races to complete a turnaround, week-long domination of the other two Transpac 52s from California, David Janes' J-Bird III and Mike Campbell's Victoria 5.

"We were hoping to improve," said Sturgeon, 58, a retired software developer. "We had training wheels on for a while."

Bob Harkrider, who drives, is a semi-converted monohull sailor---lightnings, mainly---and he led Bad Boys' comeback from a 7-1-7 start with a 2-1-2 finishing string.

"In our first race we missed a shift and wound up on the wrong side," he said. "Then on Tuesday one of our crew, Doug Fisher of Ullman Sails, got sick and was unable to sail. My wife Sharon filled in and did a really good job. Finally, the luck turned and went our way. If you hang in there long enough it will sometimes happen that way.

"We were fast all week and that's always good. When you get into trouble it's easier to climb out of it."

Harkrider also said, "I was strictly monohulls until my brother took me out on a Corsair. It took one leg of one race to sell me on multihulls. It's a blast to be sitting there and going those kinds of speeds."

With the race committee deciding in advance to sail only one race Friday, Crocodile Rock had all but a lock following Thursday's disqualification of Jim Richardson's Barking Mad, Newport, R.I., in a three-way collision with Croc and Vincenzo Onorato's Breeze from Italy.

Croc's boat manager, Austin Herlihy of San Diego, prefaced post-regatta comments with a tribute to Fred Kirschner, a longtime successful ocean racer of the Coronado Yacht Club who had died two days earlier.

"We'd like to dedicate this win to Fred," Herlihy said. "He was a beautiful man."

Because most of the crew members are from San Diego, Harris said, "People think we're light-air sailors, but we love the heavier breeze."

Vince Brun, a 13-time world champion in various classes, was tactician. "Vince was awesome," Harris said. "When he's on board we're a very quiet boat, which I think makes it a faster boat. Everyone just knows his job and does it."

Geremia does her job, too---whatever is required. She bought the boat three years ago. "It's been a long time getting to this point," she said, "but we've worked hard. The guys are wonderful. We make a good team."

Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 sponsors include Terra Nova Trading L.L.C., Mount Gay Rum, RealTick(r), Lewmar Marine, Nautica Watches, Nautica Eyewear, Pearson Yachts, Samson Rope Technologies, Saucony and the Florida Keys & Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight is the Official Site.

The Performance Sailing Industry Partner Program is in its second year, with 24 members at press time. Participating companies and details about the program are on the event web site.

Racing is scheduled Monday through Friday, Jan. 20-24, on four circles off the south shore of the island. Registration is on Sunday, Jan. 19. The regatta is open to entries in PHRF, one-design and IMS classes of 24 to 85 feet LOA. PHRF entries must have a rating of 175 or lower.

Class winners (8 races, except 7 in Div. 2; worst races discarded after 7, except no discards in Farr 40, 1D35 and Mumm 30):

FARR 40 (24 boats)---Crocodile Rock, Scott Harris/Alexandra Geremia, Santa Barbara, 2-2-4-17-5-4-4-9, 47 points.
1D35 (8)-Détente, David Kirk, Chicago, 2-2-1-1-1-1-1, 9.
MUMM 30 (15)-Foreign Affair, Richard Perini, Sydney, Australia, 2-3-4-1-4-1-3, 27.
MELGES 24 (57)---Blu Moon, Flavio Favini, Switzerland, 2-4-(12)-7-4-1-3-2, 23.
J/105 (29)---Zuni Bear, Richard Bergmann, San Francisco, 6-12-11-(13)-1-4-1-1, 36.
J/80 (22)---Warrior, Craig and Martha White, Fort Worth, Tex., 1-2-1(9)-1-3-4-1, 13.
J/29 (10)---Rhumb Punch, John Edwards, Solomon, Md., 2-3-2-1-1-4-(5)-1, 14
TARTAN 10 (8)---Liquor Box, Robert and Bill Lehnert, Cutchogue, N.Y., 1-2-1-1-1-1-1-(9), 8.
CORSAIR 28R (14)---Bad Boys, Bob and Doug Harkrider, Belvedere, S.C., 7-1-7-2-2-1, 20.
IMS (4)---Idler (N/M 50), George David, New York, 1-1-(2)-1-1-1-1, 6.
PHRF 1 (5)---Rosebud (Transpac 52), Roger Sturgeon, San Francisco, 1-1-2-2-1-3-1, 8.
PHRF 2 (6)---Idler, (6)-1-3-1-2-3-2, 12.
PHRF 3 (12)---Tsunami (Farr 395), Ostberg/Aras/Daily, Annapolis, 1-1-2-1-(5)-3-2, 13.
PHRF 4 (10)---New Wave (Henderson 30), Michael Carroll, Clearwater, Fla., 1-1-1-1-5-1-(11), 10.
PHRF 5 (13)---Teamwork (J/120), Robin Team, Beaufort, N.C., 1-(9)-2-7-3-2-2, 17.
PHRF 6 (12)---Defiance (B-32), Scott Taylor, Long Beach, Calif., 1-4-(13)-2-1-1-3-5, 17.
PHRF 7 (10)---Invincible (N/M 30), Brian Lees/Jeff Gastrau, Annapolis, 1-1-1-1-2-1-1-(11), 8.
PHRF 8 (9)---Hot Ticket (Farr 37), Jim Hightower, Houston, Tex., (5)-1-4-1-4-1-1, 12.
PHRH 9 (10)---Areopagus, Ed Tillinghast III, New York, (5)-5-1-1-3-1-2-2, 15.
PHRF 10 (12)---Rumblefisch (J/24), Peter Fischel, Savannah, Ga., 1-3-1-4-2-1-1-(13), 9.

Complete results at www.Premiere-Racing.com

BOATS OF THE DAY
Monday, Nautica Day: Fitikoko (Tripp 38, PHRF 5), Andrew Wilson, Annapolis, Md.
Tuesday, City of Key West Day: Rock N' Roll (Melges 24), Argyle Campbell, Newport Beach, Calif.
Wednesday, Mount Gay Rum Day: Zuni Bear (J/105), Richard Bergmann, San Francisco.
Thursday, Lewmar Marine Day: Crocodile Rock (Farr 40), Scott Harris/Alexandra Geremia, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Friday, Terra Nova Trading Day: Mammy! (Mumm 30), Diarmuid Foley, Cork, Ireland.

Boat of the Week: Zuni Bear (J/105), Richard Bergmann, San Francisco

Jan. 23, 2003

CROCODILE TAKES A BIG BITE AT KEY WEST

KEY WEST, Fla.---Big winds, collisions and a contentious crocodile have brought Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 to its climax Friday. A new weather front sweeping the southernmost corner of the country was forecast to hit town with winds up to 25 knots and accelerate the action into frenzy.

How rough was it Thursday? The grounds around the race jury tent looked like a Farr 40 class meeting afterward. The heaviest protest activity revolved around a three-way contretemps in which Jim Richardson's Barking Mad from Newport, R.I. claimed it was bitten by a denizen of a nearby swamp---namely, the Scott Harris/Alexandra Geremia Crocodile Rock from Santa Barbara, which wound up crunched between Barking Mad and Vincenzo Onorato's Breeze from Italy.

The race jury disagreed and Barking Mad was disqualified for failing to yield to Croc. Unlike the other three courses, there are no throwouts in Division 1, which also includes the 1D35s and Mumm 30s, so the jury's decision is not only final but sometimes fatal.

Before protests were resolved, Crocodile Rock, with two fourth places Thursday, was in first place by nine points over Barking Mad, which then fell to fourth as Croc walked away from the hearing with a near-insurmountable 20-point lead over John Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti. George Andreadis' Atalanti XII, looking for its fourth consecutive title here, was a distant third and all but out of the hunt.

Barking Mad, Crocodile Rock and Breeze were near the second windward mark in Thursday's second race, with Breeze on starboard tack and the other two on port. Barking Mad, windward of Croc by less than an arm's length, bore away to duck Breeze at about the same time Croc started to tack. Moments later, all three boats were three abreast, stalled head to wind and slamming sides.

Back on shore, the mood of Richardson's tactician, Volvo and America's Cup veteran Gavin Brady, was appropriate to the boat's name.

"Quite simply, Crocodile Rock put us and then the Italian boat in a situation where there was no way to avoid a serious collision," Brady said. "We were one foot apart and we were just dipping to duck the Italians and [Crocodile Rock] just spun up."

Crocodile Rock helmsman Scott Harris and tactician Vince Brun did not immediately comment, but two crew members and a sailor on another boat not involved in the incident said Crocodile Rock was forced to tack to avoid a collision with a second Italian boat, Bottadi Culo, which was following Breeze on the starboard tack layline.

A Croc crew member said his boat followed the rules because "we hailed Barking Mad for room to tack and then hailed them again. By then we didn't have any choice."

Nobody was seriously injured and the boats sustained superficial damage. Buddy Cribbs' 1D35, Victory, from Palm Beach, Fla., was not as lucky. Victory took what Cribbs called a "full-on T-bone" in the middle of its port side from Hugh O'Brien's Ripple, Stonington, Conn. A gaping hole was patched over with a heavy application of duct tape.

Cribbs' sail trimmer, Jon Rogers of San Diego, said, laughing, "I almost got killed today. When we were on the starboard tack layline. When they were 20 boat lengths away on port tack, I got a little nervous, and when they were six lengths away I yelled, 'Don't even think about it!' "

A chagrined O'Brien, who suffered a cut index finger, said, "We thought we had 'em [crossed]. We didn't have 'em. We withdrew. We had no leg to stand on."

David Kirk's Détente, Chicago, clinched the class with its fifth consecutive win, and Richard Perini's Foreign Affair from Sydney, Australia, has a vise grip on defending the Mumm 30 title he won last year.

In the International Team Competition for the Key West Trophy, there are 10 teams but only two contenders. Going into the last day, Italy's Breeze (Farr 40), Printel-Wind (Mumm 30) and Joe Fly (Melges 24) has gone from one point behind Germany's Struntje light, Rainbow and Blu Moon, respectively, to one point ahead, 84-85.

Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 sponsors include Terra Nova Trading L.L.C., Mount Gay Rum, RealTick(r), Lewmar Marine, Nautica Watches, Nautica Eyewear, Pearson Yachts, Samson Rope Technologies, Saucony and the Florida Keys & Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight is the Official Site.

The Performance Sailing Industry Partner Program is in its second year, with 24 members at press time. Participating companies and details about the program are on the event web site.

Racing is scheduled Monday through Friday, Jan. 20-24, on four circles off the south shore of the island. Registration is on Sunday, Jan. 19. The regatta is open to entries in PHRF, one-design and IMS classes of 24 to 85 feet LOA. PHRF entries must have a rating of 175 or lower.

Class leaders (after 7 of 9 races, except 6 of 9 in Div. 2):

FARR 40 (24 boats)---Crocodile Rock, Scott Harris/Alexandra Geremia, Santa Barbara, 2-2-4-17-5-4-4, 38 points.

1D35 (8)-Détente, David Kirk, Chicago, 2-2-1-1-1-1-1, 9.
MUMM 30 (15)-Foreign Affair, Richard Perini, Sydney, Australia, 2-3-4-1-4-1-3, 18.
MELGES 24 (57)---Blu Moon, Flavio Favini, Switzerland, 2-4-(12)-7-4-1-3, 21.
J/105 (29)---Wet Leopard, Jim Sorensen, Sag Harbor, N.Y., (12)-1-7-1-3-9-7, 28.
J/80 (22)---Warrior, Craig and Martha White, Fort Worth, Tex., 1-2-1(9)-1-3-4, 12.
J/29 (10)---Hustler, John and Tony Esposito, City Island, N.Y., 1-2.2-1-(3)-3-2-3, 12.2.
TARTAN 10 (8)---Liquor Box, Robert and Bill Lehnert, Cutchogue, N.Y., 1-(2)-1-1-1-1-1, 6.
CORSAIR 28R (14)---Tie between Hot Flash, Robert Gleason, Wareham Mass., 1-3-1-6-6-3, and Bad Boys, Bob and Doug Harkrider, Belvedere, S.C., 7-1-7-2-2-1, 20.
IMS (4)---Idler (N/M 50), George David, New York, 1-1-2-1-1-1, 7.
PHRF 1 (5)---Rosebud (Transpac 52), Roger Sturgeon, San Francisco, 1-1-2-2-1-3, 10.
PHRF 2 (6)---Bandolier (1D48), Charles Burnett III, Seattle, 2-4-1-2-3-2, 14.
PHRF 3 (12)---Tsunami (Farr 395), Ostberg/Aras/Daily, Annapolis, 1-1-2-1-5-3, 13.
PHRF 4 (10)---New Wave (Henderson 30), Michael Carroll, Clearwater, Fla., 1-1-1-1-5-1, 10.
PHRF 5 (13)---Fitikoko (Tripp 38 ML), Andrew Wilson, Annapolis, 3-2-1-3-7-5, 21.
PHRF 6 (12)---Defiance (B-32), Scott Taylor, Long Beach, Calif., 1-4-(13)-2-1-1-3, 12.
PHRF 7 (10)---Invincible (N/M 30), Brian Lees/Jeff Gastrau, Annapolis, 1-1-1-1-(2)-1-1, 6.
PHRF 8 (9)---Hot Ticket (Farr 37), Jim Hightower, Houston, Tex., (5)-1-4-1-4-1-1, 12.
PHRH 9 (10)---Areopagus, Ed Tillinghast III, New York, (5)-5-1-1-3-1-2, 13.
PHRF 10 (12)---Rumblefisch (J/24), Peter Fischel, Savannah, Ga., 1-3-1-(4)-2-1-1, 9.
Complete results

A SHORT BUT SWEET KEY WEST DAY FOR ONE OF THE LITTLE GUYS

KEY WEST, Fla.---Nick Maxwell is a successful general surgeon from Madison, Wis., which answers the question sweeping the Melges 24 fleet after the third day of Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003: Who?

"I was very lucky," Maxwell said after winning Wednesday's race, and he means it. The victory lifted him into, uh, 35th place in the 57-boat fleet, still behind a couple of world champions and other world-class talent overall but thoroughly enjoying his moment of glory.

When dying wind brought abandonment of the day's competition after only one race, Maxwell had no complaint. That meant he could enjoy it the rest of the day and all night long, because Thursday's forecast looks gnarly. It calls for ideal breeze to 15 knots in the morning followed by a cold front bringing a sustained blow of 20-25 knots in the early afternoon when the second race should be under way.

"Wait 'til tomorrow when the wind picks up," Maxwell said. "I think we'll have a little more trouble. This is the best race I've ever done in this boat. It was great to hang with the big boys. Usually, we just see them going by, but today we went by them."

Wind shifts---including one of 100 degrees that shuffled the Farr 40s, 1D35s and Mumm 30s on a different course---may have played a part in Maxwell's success, but he also said, "We had a very loose rig with a lot of power."

While the Division 1, 3 and 4 courses managed one race, the biggest boats on Division 2 called it a day when the wind swung so far, principal race officer Bruce Golison said, that "there was no way to get a finish line [placed] due to the rocks." That left Rosebud, Roger Sturgeon's Transpac 52 from San Francisco, in command of PHRF 1 ahead of Bill Alcott's Andrews 70 turbosled, Equation, from Detroit.

The Farr 40s remained muddled as George Andreadis' Atalanti XII (Robbie Haines on tactics) from Greece and the Scott Harris/Alexandra Geremia Crocodile Rock (Vince Brun), Santa Barbara, swapped spots on the leaderboard and John Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti (Paul Cayard), Los Angeles---dead last in Race 4---appeared to be running away until the monster shift kicked it back to seventh place.

Atalanti XII struggled from the start and was recovering nicely until the shift dumped it into 15th place in the race and second in the regatta, two points behind Crocodile Rock.

The day's winner? Stuart Townsend's Virago (Steve Benjamin) from Chicago finished first, but opted for a 20% alternative penalty on the water rather than risk a DSQ on a protest by Alex Krstajic's Honour (Tony Rey), which claimed leeward rights at the start. That made John Coumantaros' Bambakou (Chris Larson) the day's low scorer in second place, although still in mid-fleet overall.

It was clear that the race committee had its hands full, but the sailors seemed satisfied that the difficulties were handled as well as possible. Gavin Brady, the tactician on Jim Richardson's Barking Mad, Newport, R.I., has raced in the top level all over the world and had high praise for Division 1 PRO Ken Legler, although he didn't know his name.

"The race committee guy on that course is the best I've ever seen," Brady said. "He doesn't make it a mystery for the competitors. He talks to us [by radio] and lets us know what's going on: 'Hey, guys, I'm only going to do one race today . . .' He needs to write the book on how to run a race committee."

The 1D35 class is now in the grip of David Kirk's Détente, Chicago. Kirk said, "The wind gods smiled on us." Détente has a string of 2-2-1-1-1 finishes after Wednesday's win.

The strong West Coast group is absent this year, but Chris Busch, who won six of seven races with Wild Thing last year, is sailing on Détente to wind down from service with Team Dennis Conner's America's Cup campaign. Kirk recruited Busch to make his boat more competitive.

"Our biggest shortcoming was boat speed," Kirk said. "Tactically we had enough depth, but Chris is extremely familiar with how to get these boats going. Last year we weren't even in the game. They sent the Coast Guard out for us a couple of times."

Among the Melges 24s, while Maxwell had his fun defending champion Flavio Favini benefited from leader Bruce Ayres' 21st-place finish and slipped into first place overall with a fourth. Favini is four points ahead of Ayres' Newport Beach, Calif. colleague Argyle Campbell, with Ayres another 10 points back.

Favini blitzed the fleet last year when the prize was the delayed 2001 class Worlds title, but he hadn't sailed a Melges since while participating in the America's Cup.

"It's a nice place to sail, but you face a lot of different conditions," he said. "We were over the line at the start, so we had to go back. But [the wind] was streaky, and when it's streaky you have a chance to get back."

Favini, an Italian, again is sailing Franco Rossini's Blu Moon from Switzerland, which is part of the German team that took over the lead from Italy in the International Team Competition for the Key West Trophy by a single point. The other two are Dr. Wolfgang Schaefer's Farr 40, Struntje light, and Bent Dietrich's Mumm 30, Rainbow.

There is only one unbeaten boat remaining---Mike Carroll's Henderson 30, New Wave, with four wins in PHRF 4, which was unable to race Wednesday.

Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 sponsors include Terra Nova Trading L.L.C., Mount Gay Rum, RealTick(r), Lewmar Marine, Nautica Watches, Nautica Eyewear, Pearson Yachts, Samson Rope Technologies, Saucony and the Florida Keys & Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight is the Official Site.

The Performance Sailing Industry Partner Program is in its second year, with 24 members at press time. Participating companies and details about the program are on the event web site.

Racing is scheduled Monday through Friday, Jan. 20-24, on four circles off the south shore of the island. Registration is on Sunday, Jan. 19. The regatta is open to entries in PHRF, one-design and IMS classes of 24 to 85 feet LOA. PHRF entries must have a rating of 175 or lower.

Class leaders (after 5 of 9 races, except 4 of 9 in Div. 2):

FARR 40 (24 boats)---Crocodile Rock, Scott Harris/Alexandra Geremia, Santa Barbara, 2-2-4-17-5, 30 points.
1D35 (8)-Détente, David Kirk, Chicago, 2-2-1-1-1, 7.
MUMM 30 (15)-Foreign Affair, Richard Perini, Sydney, Australia, 2-3-4-1-4,14.
MELGES 24 (57)---Blu Moon, Flavio Favini, Switzerland, 2-4-12-7-4, 29.
J/105 (29)---Wet Leopard, Jim Sorensen, Sag Harbor, N.Y., 12-1-7-1-3, 24.
J/80 (22)---Warrior, Craig and Martha White, Fort Worth, Tex., 1-2-1-9-1,14.
J/29 (10)---Rhumb Punch, John Edwards, Solomons, Md., 2-3-2-1-1, 9.
TARTAN 10 (8)---Liquor Box, Robert and Bill Lehnert, Cutchogue, N.Y.,1-2-1-1-1, 6.
CORSAIR 28R (14)---Hot Flash, Robert Gleason, Wareham Mass., 1-3-1-6, 11.
IMS (4)---Idler (N/M 50), George David, New York, 1-1-2-1, 5.
PHRF 1 (5)---Rosebud (Transpac 52), Roger Sturgeon, San Francisco, 1-1-2-2,6.
PHRF 2 (6)---Bandolier (1D48), Charles Burnett III, Seattle, 2-4-1-2, 9.
PHRF 3 (12)---Tsunami (Farr 395), Ostberg/Aras/Daily, Annapolis, 1-1-2-1, 5.
PHRF 4 (10)---New Wave (Henderson 30), Michael Carroll, Clearwater, Fla.,1-1-1-1, 4.
PHRF 5 (13)---Fitikoko (Tripp 38 ML), Andrew Wilson, Annapolis, 3-2-1-3, 9.
PHRF 6 (12)---Dr. Evil (Olson 29), Tom Treat/Cliff Davis, Milford, Conn.,3-1-3-1-3, 11.
PHRF 7 (10)---Invincible (N/M 30), Brian Lees/Jeff Gastrau, Annapolis,1-1-1-1-2, 4.
PHRF 8 (9)---Hot Ticket (Farr 37), Jim Hightower, Houston, Tex., 5-1-4-1-4,15.
PHRH 9 (10)---Ruby My Dear (Express 37), Grosse Point Park, Mich.,3-4-2-2-2, 13.
PHRF 10 (12)---Rumblefisch (J/24), Peter Fischel, Savannah, Ga., 1-3-1-4-2,11.
Complete results at www.Premiere-Racing.com

KEY WEST, Fla.---Is Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 building to a Big Fat Greek Winning again?

With apologies to Hollywood and no offense of George Andreadis intended, the Athens banker has won the Farr 40 class three consecutive years and event Boat of the Week the last two years, and Tuesday he sailed Atalanti XII into first place after two days of the five-day event.

Another defending champion, Richard Perini from Sydney, Australia, rose to the top with a 4-1 day. Perini's Mumm 30, Foreign Affair, sits one point ahead of Pierpaolo Cristofori's Printel Wind, the runner-up in the class worlds.

Also in Division 1, David Kirk of Chicago drove his 1D35, Détente, to a pair of wins to take over first place from Doug and Dick DeVos' Windquest.

Atalanti XII, with first- and second-place finishes following Monday's 11th and third, has as commanding a lead as that rough-and-tumble class allows with 17 points to 26 for Crocodile Rock, the Scott Harris/Alexandra Geremia entry from Santa Barbara, Calif. that led after day one.

Close does not begin to describe it. The starts were cavalry charges and the mark roundings gridlocks. Dr. Wolfgang Schaefer's Struntje light from Germany won the second race Monday but got squeezed out at a mark Tuesday, fouled a rival and while doing a 720-degree penalty turn (two complete circles) almost ran over a photographer who was in the water.

And what happened to Samba Pa Ti? John Kilroy's entry from L.A., the third-place boat in the recent class Worlds and with a fairly experienced tactician named Paul Cayard on board, finished dead last in the 24-boat fleet in the second race.

"We were over early at the start," Kilroy said, "and on the first run we were outside [the fleet] when a 35-degree shift came."

There also was a problem getting clumps of weed off the rudder and propeller "that was ugly," Kilroy said.

Worse, the Farr 40s' Division 1 course, where the 1D35s and Mumm 30s also are sailing, is the only one of four courses with no throwouts---the others will discard their worst finish after seven races---so one bad race can be fatal.

Atalanti XII, with Robbie Haines on tactics, edged Jim Richardson's Barking Mad (Gavin Brady) for its win Tuesday as the boats finished at opposite ends of the line. Then Andreadis chased home Vincenzo Onorato's Italian entry, Breeze (Adrian Stead).

"We had the lead and lost it," Andreadis said. "It was very close with the other boats."

Crew member Rick Brent said, "Robbie was very good on the tactics, and George settled in after eight months of no sailing. We were fortunate because some of the boats had trouble at the start."

Steve Phillips, who won the Worlds with Le Renard, had a pair of fifths, despite the fact "we hit a lobster pot and couldn't get it off the keel."

Perini is sailing Foreign Affair with a different crew than last year, except for mastman Darren Jones. The others had trouble getting time off, so the boat has four Australians, two Americans and a Canadian. One of the Americans is the veteran Jud Smith of Marblehead, Mass., serving as tactician.

"It's still going pretty good," Perini said. "In the first race, we got a good start and then had to give away two boat lengths to avoid a crab pot that was trailing its line. It forced us to tack off and lose some boats."

Those, along with subtle currents and fickle wind shifts, are the challenges facing the 290 boats on the inshore courses. By the end of the week the winners will have earned their awards.

The event's largest fleet of 57 Melges 24s saw flashes of form when Norway's Kristian Neergaard, sailing with world champion Harry Melges as crew, and California's versatile Morgan Larson scored wins, although overall they lie eighth and fifth, respectively.

Meanwhile, Bruce Ayres of Newport Beach, Calif. has put together two thirds and two eighths to reach first place, three points ahead of defending champion Flavio Favini, sailing Franco Rossini's Blu Moon from Switzerland. Favini, incidentally, sailed on Onorato's America's Cup challenger, Mascalzone Latino.

Neergaard won Tuesday's first race by 70 yards over Argyle Campbell's Rock N'Roll from Newport Beach with a good start and "protecting the right" side of the course. But he was blocked out of that side in the next race and slipped to 15th.

In the International Team Competition for the Key West Trophy, the Italian team of Onorato's Farr 40, Breeze; Cristofori's Mumm 30, Printel Wind, and Maspero Giovanni's Melges 24, Joe Fly, has a two-point lead over the German team composed of Struntje light, Blu Moon and Bent Dietrich's Mumm 30, Rainbow. Italy won the trophy three years running until last year.

The event is scheduled for nine races, but wind prospects for Wednesday were grim, although another cold front was expected to bring back more breeze Thursday and Friday.

Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 sponsors include Terra Nova Trading L.L.C., Mount Gay Rum, RealTick(r), Lewmar Marine, Nautica Watches, Nautica Eyewear, Pearson Yachts, Samson Rope Technologies, Saucony and the Florida Keys & Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight is the Official Site.

The Performance Sailing Industry Partner Program is in its second year, with 24 members at press time. Participating companies and details about the program are on the event web site.

Racing is scheduled Monday through Friday, Jan. 20-24, on four circles off the south shore of the island. Registration is on Sunday, Jan. 19. The regatta is open to entries in PHRF, one-design and IMS classes of 24 to 85 feet LOA. PHRF entries must have a rating of 175 or lower.

FARR 40 (24 boats)---Atalanti XII, George Andreadis, Athens, Greece, 11-3-1-2, 17 points.

TARTAN 10 (8)---Liquor Box, Robert and Bill Lehnert, Cutchogue, N.Y., 1-2-1-1, 5.

PHRF 4 (10)---New Wave (Henderson 30), Michael Carroll, Clearwater, Fla., 1-1-1-1, 4.

PHRF 6 (12)---Dr. Evil (Olson 29), Tom Treat/Cliff Davis, Milford, Conn., 3-1-3-1, 8.

PHRF 7 (10)---Invincible (N/M 30), Brian Lees/Jeff Gastrau, Annapolis, 1-1-1-1, 4.

PHRF 8 (9)---E-Ticket (Moorings 38), Dan Myers, Lighthouse Point, Fla., 1-4-1-4, 5.

KEY WEST STARTS WITH BIG BREEZE AND SOME BANGS
Monday's weather: Clear; wind NE, 15 knots diminishing to 10; air temperature 62.
Tuesday's forecast: Clear; wind E, 10 knots diminishing to 7; air temperature upper 60s.

KEY WEST, Fla.---Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 promised serious sailing this week, but it wasn't supposed to be a swim meet.

That's what happened Monday when 290 boats from 20 countries squared off in a 15-knot breeze to start the competition with a bang---three, actually. There were that many serious collisions in the spirited racing on four inshore courses. Ken Read, recently returned from the America's Cup wars with Team Dennis Conner in New Zealand, found similar intensity in this more bucolic venue.

Read, driving George David's Idler from New York in the IMS class, was knocked into the water a minute and a half before the start of the first race when the Nelson/Marek 50 was tagged in the starboard stern quarter by Larry Bulman's Farr 49, Javelin, from Annapolis.

"I went flipping over the rail," Read said. "I was fully in the water. I had to swim back to the boat."

Fortunately, the water was 71 degrees and Read's freestyle form was fine.

"We won the race," he said. "That's something to be proud of."

The bad news: "Now I've got to make that fun phone call," Read said. " 'Hey, you've got a little hole in your boat.' "

David, the owner, was delayed on business and won't arrive until Wednesday. But he'd be pleased to learn that eight hours after the incident Javelin was disqualified in a protest hearing. Read, on port tack, said he made a couple of moves to avoid Javelin, which was on starboard tack, and Bulman echoed his comments.

"We just didn't know which way they were gonna go," Bulman said. "They went down and then they went up. We were trying to get out of their way."

Two years ago Javelin was knocked out of the regatta on opening day in a collision with Highland Fling.

"That was my fault," Bulman said. "This one wasn't my fault."

John and Tony Esposito's J/29 Hustler, City Island, N.Y., took a temporarily disabling hit from Paul Anderson's Titillation, Deltaville, Va., while Geoffrey Perini's J/30 Bada Bing, Perth Amboy, N.J., was crunched by Paul Baehr's Fast Company, Montreal. The striking boats were tossed.

Elsewhere on the four courses set along Hawk Channel, the Scott Harris/Alexandra Geremia Crocodile Rock from Santa Barbara, Calif. slipped quietly into first place among the Farr 40s with a pair of second-place finishes, while Doug and Dick DeVos' Windquest scored two wins in the 1D35s.

Robert Hughes' Heartbreaker, Holland, Mich., and Dr. Wolfgang Schaefer's Struntje light, Kiel, Germany, won the two Farr 40 races but couldn't match Crocodile Rock's consistency.

"Our secret weapon was Vince," Harris said, referring to multi-world champion Vince Brun, his tactician for the week. "He's very good with the shifts, and these light spots late in the day were very tricky."

Struntje light, with Olympic Finn gold medallist and new Star class world champion Iain Percy of Britain calling tactics, beat Crocodile Rock by about three feet when Percy called a slam dunk by Schaefer at the finish line. It was so close that the Crocodile Rock crew momentarily reached out prepared to fend off its foe, but no contact was made.

'"After leading the whole race, we didn't want to lose," Schaefer said.

Percy said, "They were all over us like a rash the last two legs."

Remarkable about Heartbreaker's win was that it was over the line early---a common fault among 15 of the 24 Farr 40s in the two races-despite the "I" flag flying, requiring line-jumpers to round the ends of the line to restart. Fortunately, Hughes was at the pin end on the advice of his tactician, two-time Olympic medallist Jeff Madrigali, and simply spun the boat around without losing the fleet. Then they clawed their way back to win.

Ken Legler, principal race officer on that course, said, "The current was a half-knot upwind, but the problem was that the boats were lining up too close to the line, and when a boat ran the line that would sucker them all up. It's easier for us and more fun for them if they start behind the line."

Among the 57 Melges 24s, there were notable performances by Kate Mullin and 14-year-old Samuel (Shark) Kahn. Mullin, driving John Sherlock's boat Frequent Flyer from Toronto, scored a 1-2 day. Kahn, the son of 2001 Transpac winner Philippe Kahn, is driving his own boat this year after crewing in 2002. He finished 22nd and 12th to stand18th overall in a keenly competitive fleet.

Italy's Flavio Favini, who won the delayed 2001 class world championship here a year ago, is stalking Mullin at 2-4. Current world champion Harry Melges and sidekick Jeff Ecklund are crewing for Norway's Kristian Nergaard, who stands eighth with a 4-22.

Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003 sponsors include Terra Nova Trading L.L.C., Mount Gay Rum, RealTick(r), Lewmar Marine, Nautica Watches, Nautica Eyewear, Pearson Yachts, Samson Rope Technologies, Saucony and the Florida Keys & Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight is the Official Site.

The Performance Sailing Industry Partner Program is in its second year, with 24 members at press time. Participating companies and details about the program are on the event web site.

Racing is scheduled Monday through Friday, Jan. 20-24, on four circles off the south shore of the island. Registration is on Sunday, Jan. 19. The regatta is open to entries in PHRF, one-design and IMS classes of 24 to 85 feet LOA. PHRF entries must have a rating of 175 or lower.

Class leaders (after 2 of 9 races):

FARR 40 (24 boats)---Crocodile Rock, Scott Harris/Alexandra Geremia, Santa Barbara, Calif., 2-2, 4 points.

1D35 (8)-Windquest, Doug and Dick DeVos, Holland, Mich., 1-1, 2.

MUMM 30 (15)-Tie between Printel Wind, Pierpaolo Cristofori, Rome, Italy, 1-4, and Foreign Affair, Richard Perini, Sydney, Australia, 2-3, 5.

MELGES 24 (57)---Frequent Flyer, Kate Mullin, Toronto, 1-2, 3.

J/105 (29)---Gigi, David Wagner, Chicago, 4-2, 6.

J/80 (22)---Warrior, Craig and Martha White, Fort Worth, Tex., 1-2, 3.

J/29 (10)---Tie between Patriot, Case Whittemore, Deltaville, Va., 3-2, and Rhumb Punch, John Edwards, Solomons, Md., 2-3, 5.

TARTAN 10 (8)---Liquor Box, Robert and Bill Lehnert, Cutchogue, N.Y., 1-2, 3.

CORSAIR 28R (14)---Tie between Hot Flash, Robert Gleason, Wareham Mass., 1-3, and Whipper Snapper, Donald Wigston, Atlanta, Ga., 2-2, 4.

IMS (4)---Idler (N/M 50), George David, New York, 1-1, 2.

PHRF 1 (5)---Rosebud (Transpac 52), Roger Sturgeon, San Francisco, 1-1, 2.

PHRF 2 (6)---Bandolier (1D48), Charles Burnett III, Seattle, 2-4, 6.

PHRF 3 (12)---Tsunami (Farr 395), Ostberg/Aras/Daily, Annapolis, 1-1, 2.

PHRF 4 (10)---New Wave (Henderson 30), Michael Carroll, Clearwater, Fla., 1-1, 2.

PHRF 5 (13)---Fitikoko (Tripp 38 ML), Andrew Wilson, Annapolis, 3-2, 5.

PHRF 6 (12)---Dr. Evil (Olson 29), Tom Treat/Cliff Davis, Milford, Conn., 3-1, 4.

PHRF 7 (10)---Invincible (N/M 30), Brian Lees/Jeff Gastrau, Annapolis, 1-1, 2.

PHRF 8 (9)---E-Ticket (Moorings 38), Dan Myers, Lighthouse Point, Fla., 1-4, 5.

PHRH 9 (10)---Ruby My Dear (Express 37), Grosse Point Park, Mich., 3-4, 7.

PHRF 10 (12)---Rumblefisch (J/24), Peter Fischel, Savannah, Ga., 1-3, 4.

Complete results at www.Premiere-Racing.com

CONTACTS

PREMIERE RACING, Inc. 67B Front Street, Marblehead, MA, 01945
Tel: (781) 639-9545, Fax: (781) 639-9171
Event Email: KWInfo@Premiere-Racing.com
Event Web Site: www.Premiere-Racing.com
Terra Nova Online: www.TerraNovaOnline.com
Race headquarters at Key West: (305) 295-9966

PRESS OFFICER
Rich Roberts
Cell phone: (310) 766-6547
Media Center: (305) 295-9988
richsail@earthlink.net

Jan. 18, 2003 For Immediate Release

A REALLY COOL REGATTA SET TO GO MONDAY
Monday's Forecast: Temperature upper 60s; wind 15 knots, N-NE; water temperature 71.

KEY WEST, Fla.---They're all here from everywhere for Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003. World-class sailors from 20 countries and working-class folks from 30 of the United States, racing 290 boats in nine one-design and 11 handicap classes, will start five days of competition in the 16th running of the premier wintertime regatta Monday---with the emphasis on winter.

"There are a lot of big names here, [including] some of the America's Cup guys on their extended grants," Iain Percy noted with dry British humor. "They all seem to be showing up."

It's a long way from Auckland, where their teams were eliminated from the challenger trials, but Volvo racers like Stu Bannatyne, a member of illbruck's victorious campaign, should have felt right at home over the weekend. Temperatures plunging to highs in the mid-50s---nearly 20 degrees below the norm here---and winds gusting to 20 knots sent competitors scrambling for warm clothes and foul-weather gear for their practice sailing.

The conditions, part of the Arctic High that has had the eastern third of the U.S. in its grip, were expected to moderate to the upper 60s and 15 knots by race time at 10 a.m. Monday. Nine races are scheduled on each of the four courses set between the south beach and a reef five miles offshore.

The weather already claimed one victim. Island Flyer, Denny Manrique's S27.9 from Minnesota, got only to Findlay, Ohio where the trailer jack-knifed on an icy overpass, tipped the boat over onto the railing and cracked the hull.

The van Heeckeren family from Gates Mills, O., had better luck. They brought their Melges 24, Elektra, through safely and are ready to go---dad Dan driving, Ingrid working the bow, William on tactics and Chris navigating.

That's the backbone of the event, when recreational sailors line up alongside marquee talent, often with startling---and humbling---results.

Percy has become something of a "name" himself the last three years, first winning the Finn class gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, then the Nautica Star Worlds with crew Steve Mitchell last summer. This week he'll be directing moves for Dr. Wolfgang Schaefer on Germany's Struntje light in the Farr 40 class, alongside other celebrity tacticians.

He isn't taking anything for granted. He doesn't yet see himself in the same league with Bannatyne, Paul Cayard, Robbie Haines, Vince Brun, Jeff Madrigali, Jesper Bank, Chris Larson and Tony Rey, to name a few of the rivals with whom he'll be matching wits. Calling tactics on a Farr 40 isn't much like sailing a Star.

"Some of the older guys that have done both are probably better at it, but it is difficult for me making the swap," said Percy, 26. "After a while you're able to just flip a switch. For me, it's sometimes completely different, and I worry about going back the other way, as well.

"They emphasize different things. The Star, a lot of it's physical and you need just two people to sail. With this you have to blow out your thinking."

Nevertheless, Struntje light placed second in last year's European championship, when Percy's task was largely verbal. On the Star with Mitchell, he said, "We talk very little. It's telepathic. We were 150 days a year together in the Star. With a crew like this it's different. You have to
communicate everything you're thinking and what you're doing."

Struntje light also is part of the German team seeking the Key West Trophy in the International Team Competition. Ten teams in each of three one-design classes---Farr 40, Mumm 30 and Melges 24---will be scored apart from their peers and combine their points.

Several boats used the annual race from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West as a tune-up this past week.