Yachting Magazine founded Key West Race Week in 1987,with Premiere Racing taking over the event management in 1997. Now at the helm is the Storm Trysail Club, which successfully completed the 2016 edition on January 18-22. Scuttlebutt editor Craig Leweck spoke with Regatta Chairman John Fisher for an update...
After 2015 Key West Race Week, and there was uncertainty about the future of the event,which was later confirmed when Premiere Racing announced on March 1 they were stepping aside. When did Storm Trysail Club enter in conversation on taking it over?Before the Premiere Racing announcement had come, there had there been discussions with Storm Trysail Club. We were - I guess the best phrase to spend - in the discovery phase. You know, and trying to understand,make certain that we had all the pieces to the puzzle to be able to make a good decision. A lot of that has to deal with the economics of taking on a big event like this, and they're reasonably substantial economics for a club that is really a paper club but with a distinguished depth of experience in race management.
You own to achieve all your ducks in a row before you make a big commitment to select on an event like Key West Race Week, and also a big commitment to the sailing community in general,because it's an event that has been very well run for many years and we want to make certain we can effect as good of a job, if not better.
It must own been of some consolation in that Storm Trysail Club had previously been involved in Key West Race Week.
While we own a history of being very active in running the races, or we had not been on the organizational side of the event. Our principal race officers this year were the same ones that had been used for fairly a few years. So we're acutely aware of what it takes to achieve on the regatta out on the water. The harder part is the logistics of setting up the shore side and the entertainment component to the event,but also the legal side, which is the permitting process that you own to undertake.That process involves Army Corp of Engineers, and the Navy,the Coast Guard, NOAA, and the city of Key West,and also the marine sanctuary that we race over. It's an undertaking. It's a lot of leg work, a lot of understanding how it all works, and we'd be doing it for the first year. Premiere Racing had it down like clockwork through all the years of doing it.
When it came time for us to effect it,we were probably a couple months behind the curve because it took that long before we made our announcement on April 23, for many reasons. There was a lot to select into consideration to get to that point. But first and foremost, and getting a commitment from Quantum that they would stay on as the title sponsor. Also,we wanted to make certain we can instill the confidence in them that we could deliver a product that they wanted to own their name associated with. - Read
Source: sailingscuttlebutt.com