Key West Race Week racers are on the course.
It’s not only ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) sailors who swoop into Key West Race Week for its turquoise waters and competitive week of racing January 15 – 20. The event attracts contenders from the West Coast and around the globe. For the second year in a row Peter Wagner and Skeleton Key J/111 crew earned a first after five days of racing, logging a tally of 25 (8-3-1-1-4-1-3-2-1-1). By scoring an 8 then a 3 right off, the crew found themselves digging out for the comeback.
This year saw nine boats on the line, and Wagner reports that the entire fleet had raised its competitive game. Wagner purchased the boat in 2015 and competes with an entirely West Coast crew, including his main sail trimmer who is a college mate and fellow All-American sailor from Harvard.
Racing at the Southern End
Gary Panierello (Sausalito, CA) has been racing in Key West since 2010, initially in the J/80 and now the J/88 class. He chartered a boat for his bi-coastal Courageous crew. “This year was super competitive and racing was tight. Conditions were fantastic, but at this venue you really need to focus; this is a challenging place to race.” Courageous scored a 37, earning a 4th in the fleet of seven.
Snow Brigden’s (Menlo Park, CA) crew campaigned Cool Story Bro., placing 20th in the competitive J/70 division of 41 boats. In the C&C 30 division, Anema & Core sent Southern California sailors Will Tetrick at bow and Kevin Abbink as mast/grinder; RoXanne relied on tactician Steve Hunt. Says Tetrick, “This event has a large participation of boats, grand prix and PHRF, and organizers provide a great social venue. Racers at Key West Race Week are treated very well with educational debriefs and panel discussion, plus good food and beverage. This event is on many racers’ bucket list.”
Quantum Key West Race Week is managed by Storm Trysail Club, which also hosts the Block Island Race, plus offshore events such as the biennial Pineapple Cup race to Montego Bay, the Transatlantic Race and various others along the Eastern shore of the U.S.
Key West Action Back in 2021
In January 2018, organizers made the difficult decision to not hold Key West Race Week. Racers are delighted to see it return in 2021, with renewed focus on safety and health for all racers, guests and visitors due to Covid-19 global conditions. For 2021, two events are planned. One is January 16-18. The second is March 5-7.
Organizer Karl Felger says, “Our goal is to provide a grand prix racing experience, while planting the seeds for the future. Our focus is on offering multiple great races each day over the two weekend format, leveraging resources provided by the J/111 owners, and with the help of a world class PRO. We have secured the services of a full service marina, allowing the fleet a venue to launch, haul-out, and store their boat between two events. Boat owners then have an option for dockage at any marina of their choosing.”
Full photo album here: https://renegadesailing.com/key-west-race-week-2017.html