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January 23, 2011 - For Immediate Release Key West 2011 Sponsors - An All Star Line Up--- Loyal Race Week Supporters Help Celebrate 24th Edition Key West sponsors have always been one of race week’s critical success factors. As another successful race week concludes, Premiere Racing would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their loyalty and support.
The prestigious roster includes: Presenting Sponsor Nautica, with Nautica Watches the Official Timekeeper; and Day Sponsors Lewmar / Navtec, Official Marine Hardware, Mount Gay® Rum, Official Rum, and Sperry Top-Sider, Official Footwear. The Supporting Sponsors are B&G, Official Marine Electronics, Marlow Ropes, Official Rope; and SLAM, Official Technical Gear.
January 21, 2011 - For Immediate Release Thrilling Finish at Key West 2011 -- Multiple Grand Prix Classes Come Down to Last Leg of Last Race
Key West, Fla -- It doesn’t get any more thrilling than this! Victory literally came down to the last leg of the last race for many of the grand prix classes at Key West 2011, presented by Nautica. No class was more exciting than the RC44, which Mascalzone Latino captured via tiebreaker over Team Aqua by winning the final race. Skipper Vincenzo Onorato and crew not only got the gun in Race 10, but also managed to put a boat between themselves and Team Aqua to forge the tie with 22 total points apiece. The Italian team was declared the victor by virtue of having more first place finishes than the American syndicate. “This is wonderful! It’s like a date with a beautiful woman,” an elated Onorato said upon returning to the dock at Historic Seaport. “It’s always a pleasure to win in Key West. This is one of my favorite places in the world to sail.” Mascalzone Latino has been selected as Challenger of Record for the 34th America’s Cup. In an interesting twist, the RC44 was co-designed by Russell Coutts, skipper and CEO of current America’s Cup holder Oracle Racing. Coutts was skippering his own entry in RC44 class at Key West 2011 and placed third overall. The New Zealand native was the first to congratulate Onorato, smiling and jokingly stating “You got lucky you son of a gun.” Mascalzone Latino went from the agony of defeat to the thrill of victory after placing last in Race 9. Tactician Francesco Bruni quickly realized the Italian team had to win Race 10 and have Team Aqua finish third or lower. “We knew it was a difficult situation and it didn’t help that we got a bad start (in Race 10),” Bruni said. “Everyone went right so we decided to try the middle and had a little luck that enabled us to get back into the race.” Mascalzone Latino was leading on the second upwind beat when it pulled the move that ultimately won the regatta. Oracle Racing was struggling to free itself from a crab pot and that allowed Team Aqua to briefly move into second. Bruni wisely dropped back and engaged Team Aqua in a tacking duel, which gave Oracle time to get back to speed and regain second place. “We decided to slow down and help Oracle. We made a few tacks on Aqua,” Bruni said. “Anyone would have done the same. That is just part of racing tactics.” Over the docks in front of the Westin Hotel, Vela Veloce skipper Richard Oland sported a Cheshire Cat grin after snatching victory away from Anema & Core in the last race. The Canadian-based Southern Cross 52 trailed the Annapolis-based Judel Vrolijk 52 by two points going into Race 10, but wound up winning by one point after posting a bullet and watching Anema & Core place fourth. “We knew we had to win the last race and put two boats between us and Anema & Core. We just kept our cool and didn’t make any mistakes in that last race,” said Oland, who resides in Saint John, New Brunswick. “It was a very close, competitive class and we are very happy to come out on top.” Richard Clarke served as helmsman while fellow professional Stu Bannatyne called tactics aboard Vela Veloce, which closed the regatta with back-to-back bullets. Vela Veloce made its debut at Key West 2010 and placed last in IRC 1 so to come back a year later and win IRC 2 was quite satisfying. “The boat was brand new last year and we were still learning how to sail her. Since then we have made a lot of improvements in the boat and put together a much better crew,” Oland said. “It involved a lot of hard work, but winning a regatta such as this makes it well worth it.” Boston resident Dan Meyers was equally exuberant after skippering Numbers to victory in IRC 1 class. The JV 66 won Friday’s initial race then held on for a one-point victory over Shockwave (George Sakellaris, Newport, R.I.) after placing fourth in the last two races. “This is a fantastic regatta, without question the best in the United States. Any time you win here you have accomplished something special,” Meyers said. “We had picture-perfect conditions this week and the race committee work was terrific. The way they snapped off three races today was very impressive.” Four-time America’s Cup winner Brad Butterworth called tactics for Meyers, whose all-star crew also included recent America’s Cup Hall of Fame inductees Simon Daubney, Warwick Fleury and Dean Phipps as trimmers. In a unique twist, renowned 54-year-old bowman Jerry Kirby was setting and dousing the spinnaker while his 21-year-old son Rome steered Numbers downwind. “All the boats in this class are remarkably close in performance. This could easily have gone another way and I’d have to say that our crew work was the difference,” Meyers said. Melges 32 was another grand prix class that came down to the wire with skipper William Douglass and the Goombay Smash registering a narrow two-point victory over Warpath. Three boats – Goombay Smash, Warpath (Steve Howe, Portland, Ore.) and Leenabarca (Alex Jackson, Riverside, Conn.) – were tied atop the standings with two races to go. Goombay Smash closed with strong finishes of fifth and sixth while Warpath and Leenabarca both endured double-digit results that had to be discarded. “Warpath was over early in the second race and that changed the story with them. We then turned our sights to Leenabarca, and fortunately we were able to sail better than them in the last race,” Goombay Smash tactician Chris Larson said. “All in all it was a tough regatta and I’m super proud of the team for pulling it out under pressure.” Douglass, a resident of Stamford, Conn., was competing in just his second Melges 32 regatta. He has been to Key West seven times before as skipper of a Swan 45 and Farr 40, but had never captured class honors. “It was a battle the whole way and we feel very good to come away with the win,” Douglass said. “Chris Larson did a great job. He was patient and allowed our boat speed to take over.” There was much less suspense in the Melges 24 class as Blu Moon, owned by Franco Rossini of Switzerland, clinched victory by winning Race 8 then placing fourth in Race 9. Helmsman Flavio Favini wound up winning three races and placing fourth or better in four others and that consistency enabled Blu Moon to sit out the final race. That commanding performance in a very competitive class earned Blu Moon the prestigious Boat of the Week honor. Jim Richardson and the Barking Mad team completed an impressive wire-to-wire win in Farr 30 class by posting a strong line of 2-2-3 on Friday. Amateur Marty Kullman called tactics while pros Skip Baxter and Morgan Trubovich trimmed the sails for Richardson, who placed first or second in eight of 10 races in the five-day series. “Marty did a terrific job of putting us in the right place throughout the regatta while Morgan and Skip always know how to make the boat go fast. We also have an outstanding bowman in Curtis Florence,” Richardson said. “Our crew work was top-notch the whole week and that made my job easy.” Skipper Brian Keane and his team aboard Savasana put forth a powerful performance in winning the always competitive J/105 class by 15 points. Savasana wound up winning six of 10 races, including all three that were held on Friday. “We are pretty fired up. Sweeping the day is a great way to close out the event,” Keane said. “I think our speed was competitive, but the real key was that we made smart decisions and didn’t make many mistakes.” Tonnerre de Breskens 3, a Ker 46 owned by Peter Vroon of The Netherlands, won nine of 10 races in running away with victory in IRC 2 class. British pro Kevin George called tactics aboard Tonnerre, which finished with a whopping 18-point advantage over runner-up Antilope (Grand Soleil 43, Willem Wester, Great Britain). Key West local Steve Burns and his team aboard the Capo 26 You Bad Girl notched an equally dominant victory in PHRF 3, winning nine races and placing second in the other. Tom Reese Youngstown, Ohio) sailed his Corsair 28 to first or second place in all 10 races to win the Multihull division by three points over sister ship Evolution (Kathryn Garlick, Terra Ceia, Fla.). Finally, Glenn Darden and his Texas team aboard Le Tigre placed first or second place in nine of 10 races en route to winning the 16-boat J/80 class for the second straight year. Darden also took home The Marlow Trophy for capturing the class Midwinter Championship.
Bill Wagner Press Officer Key West 2011, presented by Nautica +1-617-378-5005 Event details and results: www.Premiere-Racing.com Premiere Racing is pleased to present this year’s race week sponsors. The roster includes: Presenting Sponsor Nautica, with Nautica Watches the Official Timekeeper; and Day Sponsors Lewmar/Navtec, Official Marine Hardware, Mount Gay® Rum, Official Rum, and Sperry Top-Sider, Official Footwear. The Supporting Sponsors are B&G, Official Marine Electronics, Marlow Ropes, Official Rope; and SLAM, Official Technical Gear. Key West Race Week is also supported by The Florida Keys & Key West Tourism Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight is the Official Marina. The Ocean Key Resort and Spa is the Official Hotel. Sapporo USA is the Official Beer and Regatta Ginger Beer is the Official Ginger Beer. Thirty-three Industry Partners bring their support through a program that is now in its 10th year. "We are very grateful to our loyal race week sponsors and industry partners. They all present high quality products and exemplify the best in business practices and customer satisfaction,” said Craig. "We encourage all racing sailors to show their appreciation and patronize these outstanding companies that participate in our sport and provide vital support to events. Key West 2011 is a US SAILING sanctioned event. The racing will be conducted under permit in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary protects 2,900 square nautical miles of critical marine habitat, including coral reef, hard bottom, seagrass meadow, mangrove communities and sand flats. For more information on Premiere Racing, Key West 2011, presented by Nautica and its Sponsors and Partners: Premiere Racing, Inc.
67B Front Street, Marblehead, MA, 01945 January 20, 2011 – For Immediate Release It’s Down to the Wire at Key West 2011 -- Grand Prix Classes Up for Grabs Going into Final Day It’s down to the wire in most of the grand prix classes at Key West 2011, presented by Nautica. With as many as three races slated for the fifth and final day of the popular regatta, no lead is safe or insurmountable. Take for instance Jim Richardson and his team aboard Barking Mad, which would appear to hold a comfortable nine-point lead in Farr 30 class. Standing on the dock sipping a mudslide, Richardson swore he wasn’t counting his chickens before they are hatched. “There’s a lot that can happen in two or three races so we have to stay focused and not screw anything up,” Richardson said. “Our crew work has been exceptional and we’re going very fast so we feel confident. We just have to go out tomorrow and continue to sail the way we have been.” Barking Mad posted a solid score line of 2-1 in two races on Thursday and has a cumulative total of 11 points. Turbo Duck, sailed by the father-son team of Bodo and Nick Von der Wense, stands second with 20 points after posting a line of 2-1-2 in the last three starts. Things are much closer in several of the other professional-laden classes. A mere two points separate Warpath and Goombay Smash in Melges 32 after the discard was factored in following six races. Skipper Steve Howe (Portland, Ore.) and the Warpath team have 24 points, two better than William Douglass (Stamford, Conn.) and the Goombay Smash squad. Leenabarca, skippered by Alex Jackson (Riverside, Conn.) is just three points out of first place. “I’m sitting here having drinks with Mr. Warpath (Howe) right now. We’re figuring out how we’re going to settle this on the water,” said Chris Larson, tactician aboard Goombay Smash. “All we can do is go out and have two good races tomorrow and see how things shake out. We’ll try to put up a good result in the first race and that will determine how we approach the last race.” Both Warpath and Goombay Smash sailed their throwout race on Thursday and have little margin for error. Leenbarca is in better shape since its discard is a ninth. Two bad starts have produced double digit results for Goombay Smash and Larson stated the obvious when he said the team could not afford any more. “The key all week has been getting off the line. If you get buried at the start in this fleet you are asking for trouble,” he said. Things tightened up considerably in the Mini Maxi class on Thursday as Bill Koch (Palm Beach, Fla.) and the Titan team posted two good results to put pressure on Dan Meyers (Boston, Mass.) and Numbers boys. Titan, a Reichel-Pugh 72-footer that Koch is chartering for the week, placed third in Race 6 and second in Race 7. Numbers, a Judel/Vrolijk 66, finished fourth in Race 7 and now is just one point ahead of Titan. It’s a very similar scenario in IRC 1 class, which consists of five 52-footers. Anema & Core, a JV 52 skippered by Ennio Staffini of Annapolis, Md., reeled off four straight bullets to take charge. However, Canadian skipper Richard Oland has kept pace with the Southern Cross 52 Vela Veloce and is just two points astern of the leader. “We have beaten Anema & Core a couple times this week so we know it can be done,” said Oland, who registered first place finishes in Races 1 and 7. “We are sailing smart and the boat is going quite well so we feel confident we can win the regatta. It will be important to get good starts tomorrow.” There was a three-way tie for first place in the RC44 class after Thursday’s initial race. Russell Coutts and the Oracle crew got the gun in Race 6 to briefly take the lead. However, the standings shook out a bit after Race 7 with Team Aqua using a second place result to retake the lead by one point over Mascalzone Latino (Vincenzo Onorato, Italy). “It’s been a very competitive regatta and all the top boats have gone through some ups and downs,” said Chicago resident Don Wilson, helmsman for Team Aqua. “It’s almost like we’re back to the beginning of the regatta because the points are so tight. It will probably come down to the last leg of the last race.” Blu Moon, skippered by Franco Rossini of Switzerland, took over the lead in Melges 24 class after dropping a ninth sustained in Race 3. Helmsman Flavio Favini steered Blu Moon to results of fourth and second on Thursday and the two-time Key West champions enter Friday with a seven-point lead over UKA UKA Racing, which was forced to drop a 10th endured in Race 7. “Blu Moon is clearly the fastest boat here and something really bad would have to happen in order for them not to win,” said Jonathan McKee, tactician aboard UKA UKA Racing. “We’re more looking behind us than ahead. We have some boats breathing down our necks and will need to work hard to hold our position.” McKee was specifically referring to Hedgehog, skippered by class newcomer Alec Cutler of Bermuda. Veteran pro Andy Horton is calling tactics for Cutler, who has won two races and counts all single-digit results. Hedgehog holds third, just two points behind UKA UKA. Two of the most impressive performances at Key West 2011 have come in PHRF. Gerry Taylor and his team aboard the Annapolis-based Cape Fear 38 Tangent have been remarkably consistent, winning five races and placing second in the other two in totaling a low score of nine points in PHRF 2. You Bad Girl, skippered by Key West local Steve Burns, has been even better – reeling off six straight bullets before finally settling for a second in Race 7. “Why are we going so well? It’s because we have a team of experienced sailors who are very familiar with the boat,” Burns said. “We know how to set the boat up for each day’s conditions and have the ability to change gears when necessary.”
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