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January 11, 2011
When I was just a young, Junior Bear Cub in my first week at Melges in January 2005, I had been assigned my first Tyvek suit and was preparing to crawl into the nose of an E Scow to install some hardware when I was given the news that instead of spending 2 weeks in the frozen tundra of Zenda, I would be joining Andy and Harry in Key West to support the large fleet of Melges 24s, and help debut the brand new Melges 32. The caveat of course was that I would be driving the Melges van from Zenda to KW, and for those who have not driven a stripped out sailing van full of tools and spare parts, it basically sounds the same as jumping in an empty drier with some wrenches, forks and spoons for 24 hrs…but what did I care…I was going to Key West to race a Melges 32 in the highest profile regatta in the US…I was as happy as…well…a bear cub with a jar full of honey.
At the time, Key West was the winter destination that was on every sailors’ dream list of regattas to attend, and while this post will not be able to capture the essence of this event, the feeling when arriving in KW made every sailor feel like they had reached the big leagues. What was not to love? Racing on clear blue, Carribean-like waters in the middle of winter with boats and sailors that were regularly featured in sailing magazines, reliable breeze with big seas, warm temps, great onshore fun, and in the center of it all, the massive, fully packed, Premiere-Racing tent with an endless supply of Mount Gay Rum, and Top Gun music blasting as rewards were given out on a big stage for the top daily performers. With over 300 different types of racing boats at the height of this longstanding event, Key West truly was where the best sailors in the world came to race, and the event that weekend warriors planned for at the end of their summer sailing.
Blame the economy, decisions by race organizers, decline for sailing in general, or the longstanding belief that a good thing cannot last forever, but whatever the reason, the 2011 version of Key West Race Week will be a fraction of its former self, and the talk amongst longstanding KW veterans is that it may be the last KWRW as we know it. The tent is gone (cue the tumbleweed), entries are hovering around 135 boats, and with Premiere-Racing recently canning its other revenue generating event, Miami Race Week which was scheduled to take place in March, the writing seems to be on the wall; unless KWRW and Premiere-Racing get a few shocks to the chest in the ER, North America’s top drawing event is on track to become the latest “remember when” story.
But while some of the toppings on the Sundae may be missing, the guts of Key West are still in place; the wind and the waves don’t get weaker because KWRW is a much smaller event, and the racing itself is still run with a professional Race Committee. Premiere-Racing has made a huge effort to reduce costs of attending, and with a few high profile Maxi and mini-Maxi teams racing, a strong Melges 24 fleet, and the addition of the RC 44s to the mix this year, there are plenty of top level teams coming to the southern most point in the U.S. to race. The Melges 32 fleet continues to carry momentum after its 30+ fleet at the Worlds and 21 Melges 32s will be competing, including 2010 KW Champs and Boat of the Week, John Kilory’s Samba Pa Ti who will be tough to beat with current World Champ trimmer Federico Michetti and 2009 World Champ Nathan Wilmot as tactician being added to the team. Warpath, Goombay Smash, Red, and Leenabarca will all be looking to start 2011 on the right note and add to their impressive track records.
As for myself, I will be joining a new team from the Caribbean, INTAC Racing, and while we have plenty of talent on board, there are always some initial challenges when getting started in the Melges 32 fleet…like gybing in 25 kts of breeze while doing 18kts of boatspeed. But I am confident we’ll be able to accelerate our learning curve and with guys like Peter Holmberg, Anthony Kotoun and a boat full of talented amateurs, we should be able to get into the mix and throw some elbows around (I know I have used this link before, but it just gets better every time and is worth incorporating this type of mentality into your daily life).
Besides looking forward to de-thawing from what has been a harsh Minnesota winter, I will be taking in the full KW experience since this may be the last we get of this longstanding, very well run, Premiere-Racing event. It is uncertain where we will go from 6-8pm every night which was normally occupied by going to the main tent, enjoying Mount Gay Rum and rehashing the day, but I am sure we will find a suitable establishment. Stay tuned for daily reports from the Melges 32 course, and from the mean streets of KW.
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