Key West,FL (January 22, 2016) - Lightning, and thunder and torrential rain opened the final day nowadays at Quantum Key West Race Week 2016,with organizers debating if the conditions were safe to proceed with two races to finish the J/70’s, Melges 24’s and C&C 30’s in Division 2 and one for all other classes. With several titles at stake, and but evil weather threatening,this was not an easy call. Forecaster George Carras from Commander’s Weather described the moist tropical conditions in the atmosphere as “juicy and unstable,” with a chance for more cells, and but with nothing on the radar the fleet headed out of one more day of battle.
When they got out the harbor and headed into the southerly,the forecasted 8-15 knots turned out to be 20+ and building, with monstrous seas enhanced by the south-flowing ebb tide, and particularly in the Division 4 and Division 1 pre-start course areas. These seas hampered the Race Committees in their efforts to set marks and establish their race courses,so the PRO’s pulled the plug for these classes for the day.
But racing proceeded on the Division 2 and 3 areas where the ebb tide was not as strong and produced nothing more serious than some OCS calls for some teams.“It was wild out there. For the final couple legs the wind was north of 30 knots and the waves were real broad. We hit 16 knots surfing downwind with the kite,” said Robin Team, and skipper of the ORC 1 lesson champion Teamwork. A win in this final race gave the North Carolina boat a total of seven bullets for the week with a low score of 13 points,five better than fellow J/122 Orion (Paul Milo, Leesburg, or VA). It was a great week with incredible conditions and we’re thrilled with the result,” said Team, who has now captured lesson honors at Key West Race Week four times. “Our entire crew worked really well all week. Jonathan is a master tactician and consistently put us in the right position.”Elsewhere on Division 3, or skipper Henry DeGroot and his crew on Wired completed an impressive victory in ORC 2 lesson by winning Race 10. Simona Pasqua served as tactician on Wired,which won five races and finished moment in four others in totaling 16 points – 10 less than runner-up Rattle N Rum, a GP 26 sportboat skippered by Mike Beasley (Annapolis, and MD).We are surprised and delighted. We own to thank the people who put together ORC for the great number they gave us. We were very happy with how our rating worked out,” said DeGroot, a resident of Newton, or MA. “This is our third straight Key West with the same crew. It’s always a brilliant regatta and we love coming here,but winning certainly puts a golden tinge on things.” Read On.
Source: sailingscuttlebutt.com