Header - Ads / PCD

Close

Member Login

Logging In
Invalid username or password.
Incorrect Login. Please try again.

Not a member? Register Now!

Signing up could earn you gear and it helps to keep offensive content off of our site.

Home ›

Key West 2012

Recent Comments

Blog Listing

Syndication

Google Reader or Homepage
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My AOL

Key West 2012

January 24, 2012

Key West: Fantasy Island

by Jeremy Wilmot

Quantum Key West 2012 was the first time the team aboard West Marine Rigging sailed together, but they developed the synergy needed to win the event quickly.

Key West Race Week delivers an environment impossible to compare with any regatta in the world. Personally, it felt like someone dragged Reno, Nevada to the oceanfront, and ran one of the most amazing spectacles in sailing: bull riding, carny activities, jet pack rides, pirates heckling you on the street. . . I found myself in the middle of the spectrum between "Mad Max" and "The Real World." For our team, West Marine Rigging, it became a story of amazing success and survival.

January 23, 2012

A Mixed Bag of Emotions

by Mark Towill
image-towill368
© Courtesy Mark Towill
Towill368

Key West Race Week served up highs and lows for us aboard the Melges 32 Warpath.

Friday was another tough day onboard the Melges 32 Warpath, probably the most challenging of the entire week. We went into the day in fourth place, with a shot at third and a chance at second place. Samba Pa Ti, after stringing together consistent results all week, was nearly untouchable. 

January 21, 2012

Final Thoughts on a Race Week Gone By

by Peter Isler
image-isler368
© Oracle Racing
Peter Isler

Flying home from Key West, I had a few ideas on how we can bank the lessons we learned on the racecourse.

Race Week ended with a great day of “T-shirts and shorts” trade wind sailing. In our Mini Maxi class, RAN continued to set the pace and finished the week undefeated, with ten straight bullets. Sure, it was only a three-boat class, but we put up a good fight at times on SHOCKWAVE, as did Dan Meyers and his always sharp NUMBERS team. Hats off to the RAN guys for sailing a nearly perfect regatta. They were fast, and they sailed smart—a tough combination to beat.

January 21, 2012

Conservative on Quantum

by Terry Hutchinson

Terry Hutchinson ends conservatively at Quantum Key West 2012, and appreciates a spectacular week of racing and camaraderie.

Just got back from the trophy presentation, and what a week! I think Boat of the Week winner John Kilroy Jr. summed it up best when he thanked Quantum Sails for making this event happen. It is not a mystery to anybody that without Quantum's support, the event would not have taken place. I know I speak for all competitors, amateurs, and professionals when I say THANK YOU! The week was one of the best of recent memory!

January 21, 2012

Gains at the End

by Nick Turney
image-NickB
© Nick Turney
--

Team Spaceman Spiff's hard work pays off on the final day of racing in Key West.

Quantum Key West 2012 has come to an end, sadly, but I think my liver and wallet are very pleased! Team Spaceman Spiff ended the week on a very good note. Each day, we improved and learned more about the boat and the rig, and today we showed that this team can compete. All of our hard work paid off in the end. Our owner/skipper, Rob Ruhlman, is very excited to sail the boat more and compete in this new one-design class. Lesson learned here: no matter how bad your scores seem, or how poor your boathandling and tactics are, never quit. And always try to improve.

January 19, 2012

Risk Brings Reward

by Terry Hutchinson

Quantum Racing takes a big risk in the second race of the day to come out ahead of the competition.

A tough day today on the Quantum Racing, but a good day! The Division 1 racecourse delivered up some incredibly challenging conditions. A light-to-moderate Northeasterly breeze was one of the more challenging conditions that I have seen in the last 17 years of racing in Key West. An approaching cold front wreaked havoc on race 1, and continued on through race 2 until finally in race 3, the sun made an appearance. As I said, it was a tough day, but a good day for us onboard.

January 19, 2012

Think Three Steps Ahead

by Nick Turney
image-NickB
© Nick Turney
--

Nick Turney reflects on a challenging, shifty day of racing on the Farr 400 in Key West.

A good way to describe today aboard Spaceman Spiff would be, “Think three steps ahead." It was a great day for yacht racing; the conditions offered some challenging tactical sailing, with a passing front and a tidal change halfway through the day. You really had to be on your game. 

January 19, 2012

Challenging Day on the Water

by Kaity Storck

After three close races in the J/80 division, Kaity Storck's team sits within striking distance for the final day at Key West.

Today was a beautiful day for sailboat racing. Three very tight races were held for the J/80s in 5 to 13 knots of breeze. The Rumor moved up one more place, and within closer reach of the top three. Although delightful, the sailing was anything but easy with a shifty breeze, unsteady velocity and a talented fleet.

January 19, 2012

Finding a Rhythm

by Mark Towill

Warpath puts up several good scores on the fourth day of racing, which Mark Towill attributes to battling hard, and a little bit of luck.

Tuesday was another up and down day aboard Warpath. After a bad first race, we were finally able to settle in, and put up two good scores. The shifty and choppy conditions were challenging, and Steve did an excellent job keeping the boat moving. Luck wasn’t always on our side, but we battled hard all day. It’s amazing how a little bit of luck can go a long way, especially in this fleet, as every boat is competitive. It’s definitely a game of inches out there.

January 19, 2012

Lay Day Key West

by Jeremy Wilmot

Jeremy Wilmot's team comes out of the gate firing during the first two days of racing in Key West.

A smart man, I call him ‘coach’, once told me ‘you can’t win the regatta on the first day, but you can lose it.’ However, the ‘coach’s’ words of wisdom rarely seem to apply to Air Force Racing’s helmsman Bora Gulari. . . talk about a guy who comes out of the gate firing.

Page 1 of 3
next >