Today was another tough day for us on Ironbound. Yesterday, our problems, along with many others here in Key West, were seaweed-related.  Today, our problems were unfortunately more of our own making, although lady luck certainly had her part to play. A judgement error on the start line saw us over in Race 1, and although we stayed close to the fleet, when there are very few shifts and only five boats, it's very difficult to make any great inroads. 

On my way down to the boat this morning, I remembered someone once told me, “You're only as good as your last race.”  Today’s forecast showed a slight right trend all day, which had me thinking this was shaping up to be a pretty easy day to get around the racecourse. Just protect the right.
 
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
 
Instead, the day turned out to be another episode in my personal Willy Wonka land. Not only did we have to deal with the crazy “Gloop” weeds again, but there was significant current swirling around the course.
 
Race 1 

© Michael Lovett

Russell Coutts: The man, the myth, the jokester.

One of the perks of Key West Race Week is it affords everyday racers the opportunity to mingle with the best in the sport. Today, I got to rub shoulders with Russell Coutts, literally. I was the guest crewmember on the RC 44 Oracle Racing, and my spot at the back of the boat put me right next to Mr. Coutts. We shared the windward running backstay as a handhold—very romantic.

At about 3 a.m. this morning, Key West Race Week started with a bang—then a flash of light, another bang, and a swoosh as the heavy rain poured through the gutters. That unexpected alarm clock jolted me awake, and then my brain turned into question mode.