No question about it,  this regatta has a lot going for it. Scheduled in “mainland” US’s most tropical clime, about a month after things really start getting cold up north it has the “thawing out” attraction going for it. It’s an “everyman’s” regatta that really works to cater to classes and fleets – its got the “you bring ‘em – we’ll fit you in mentality”. And the regatta organizers have a history (count them – all 25 years) of delivering the goods – with excellent – really cutting edge race management and an instant yacht club in the form of the race village. 

© Oracle Racing

Peter Isler

I love this place. I’ve been coming to Key West since I was a kid, and it still has that great “outside of mainstream U.S.” tropical feel in some parts of town. We sailed into town a couple days ago after a pretty brutal race down the coast from Fort Lauderdale on the Rambler. We had 12 of the 21 team members who survived the capsize of the R100 in last summer's Fastnet Race. It was the first time we’d all been together since being “shipwrecked” in Baltimore, Ireland, and you can be assured that the pre-race safety briefing held special meaning for everybody on board.

© Kaitlin Storck

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Some things never change. For me, many aspects of Key West Race Week are a given.

First is the anticipation of the week to come. There's the excitement of seeing your sailing buddies who you haven't seen since the summer, along with the guarantee of high-quality racing and competition. The mood sets in right after the New Year. For those of us traveling from colder climates, the potential of warm sailing conditions is another source of happiness to get you through the lead up.