Key West Racers Off In Light Winds

Key West Race Start (Photo by Paige Brooks)

In completely contrary conditions to the prior weekend, 55 boats set off for Key West from Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 72 degrees and a light northerly breeze. As forecast, the wind is creating a ‘jibefest’ for the boats heading in a south westerly direction, basically dead down wind. The navigators will work now to keep their boat along a pretty narrow line, between the Gulf Stream to the left and the coral reefs to the right. “Slow or Stop,” are the options to the sides of the course, neither of which is desirable. Everyone loves to watch the big sexy boats, and the eye candy was certainly there at the start today. Rambler, Privateer, Bella Mente and several others in the IRC A fleet were gunning for the pin end and causing a lot of bad air to swirl around for the slightly smaller IRC B boats as they started together. Several of the boats in the fleet are posting to the race blog linked here: www.keywestrace.org. The lower keys are showing a bit more breeze, but it looks like the boats will finish a little later in the morning than we first thought.

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Posted by admin on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 9:05 pm
Filed under Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race, Latest News, Rambler · Tagged with Ace, Alegra, Badfish, Bandana, bella mente, Blew Yonder, Bluto, Carinthia, Catnip, Chasing Rainbows, Cheekee Monkee, Crosswinds, Decision IV, Different Drummer, Double Trouble, Dragon Fly Plus, Finnesse, Flight Simulator, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race, Ft. Lauderdale, Full Deck, Island Flyer, Jammin, Jasmine, John Gehrig, Just Right, Karma, Key West, Kokomo, Loki, Lucky Star, L’Outrage, Macushla, Matador, Meridian 2, Merlin, Mirage, Munequita, Ocean Dancer, Patroit, Primal Scream, Privateer, Rambler, Rim Shot, Ringle, Samba Pa Ti, Santarella, Sea Turtle, Second WInd, Sempre Amantes, Soap Opera, Sunquest, Tangent, Teamwork, Thin Ice, Tiger, Trident, Unicorn, USA93302, Vela Veloce, Wild Woman, Wind Pirate

Fort Lauderdale To Key West Race 35th Edition All Set For Wednesday’s Start

Rambler (Photo by George Bekris)

The Fort Lauderdale to Key West race 35th edition is all set to start Wednesday with a full line up old favorites and newcomers. With 55 boats signed up, the race committee is seeing it’s biggest numbers in the past 15 years.

All competitiors are hopeful for a shot at this year’s overall and division trophies of this 160nm sprint, including Privateer, Bella Mente Vela Veloce, Rambler, and S. Florida local favorites like Pineapple Cup winner Thin Ice and PHRF Key West winner Primal Scream.

Hap Fauth’s R/P 69 “Belle Mente” and Richard Oland’s R/P 52 “Vela Veloce” are both hopefuls for a shot at the course record (10 hours, 24 minutes and 2 seconds) set in 2005 by another Reichel Pugh boat, the 81 foot “Carrera.”

The race is starts off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale in the early afternoon of January 13th. Competitors follow the coast of Florida southwest into the night, and with a good breeze, finish in the Key West channel at dawn.

The 35th Annual Fort Lauderdale–Key West Race is hosted by the Lauderdale Yacht Club & the Storm Trysail Club, and organized & managed by the SORC Professional Race Management Team.

Entry List

	Sail Number	Yacht Name	Owner’s Name	Home Port	Yacht Type	Length

1.	51	Ace	Frank Pingitore	Miami Beach, FL, USA	Cutter 65	65′
2.	USA 20	Alegra	Peter Garcia	Auburn, ME, USA	Newick Tricia	36
3.	USA 115	BadFish	Bill Bollin	Sylvania, OH, USA	Melges 32	32
4.	USA 42725	Bandana	David Wallace	Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA	Oyster 48	48
5.	USA 45	Bella Mente	Hap Fauth	Minneapolis, MN, USA	Mini Maxi 69	69
6.	USA 1	Blew Yonder	Tom Dodamead	Marathon, FL, USA	Sloop	33.6
7.	USA 53194	Bluto	Nan, Liz & Carloine Hall	Bokeelia, FL, USA	Evelyn 32-2	32
8.	USA 25497	Carinthia	Frank Kern	Grosse Pointe Park, MI, USA	J 120	40
9.	USA 007	CatNip	Victor Mendelsohn	Miami, FL, USA	Catamaran	35′ 10
10.	USA 715	Chasing Rainbows	Del Wiese	Indian Harbor Beach, FL, USA	Hunter Legend 37	37
11.	USA 24	Cheekee Monkee	Ron White	South Bend, IN, USA	Farrier F-31 Modified	33
12.	USA 305	Crosswinds	Michael Cross	Boca Raton, FL, USA	Corsair F-27 Formula	27’1
13.	USA 61300	Decision IV	Stephen Murray	New Orleans, LA, USA	Transpac 52	15.86
14.	USA 42404	Different Drummer	Frank Atkinson / Ted Naughton	Coconut Grove, FL, USA	Cape Bay Fast 40	40
15.	USA 7	Double Trouble	Don Balthaser	Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA	Catana Catamaran 58	58
16.	USA 5310	Dragon Fly Plus	Dr. Ulrich L. Rohde	Marco Island, FL, USA	Swan	53
17.	USA 6697	Finnesse	Rod Komar	Marstons Mills, MA, USA	JonMeri 48	48
18.	USA 64	Flight Simulator	Tom Reese	Niagara Falls, NY, USA	Corsair 28R	28
19.	USA 93302	Full Deck	John Gehrig	Ft Lauderdale, FL, USA	J 46	46.0
20.	USA 96	Island Flyer	Denny Manrique	Tonka Bay, MN, USA	Wauquiez Centurion 40s	40
21.	USA 32204	Jammin	Russ Horn	Pembroke Pines, FL, USA	Evelyn 32-2	32
22.	USA 19	Jasmine	John Evans	Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA	Little Harbor	53.5
23.	USA 52870	Just Right	Joseph Ayash	Sunny Isles, FL, USA	Jeanneau SO 32	31
24.	USA 393	Karma	Hans Conrad	Lighthouse Point, FL, USA	Beneteau 40	39’4
25.	USA 114	Kokomo	Brad Lonstein	Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA	Swan 36	36
26.	USA 50803	Loki	David Bond	Miami, FL, USA	J 105	34.5
27.	USA 73456	L’Outrage	Bruce Gardner	Annapolis, MD, USA	Beneteau First Ten	34.33
28.	USA 169	Lucky Star	Alex Meyer	Key Biscayne, FL, USA	Corsair F31 R AC	31
29.	USA 53225	Macushla	Joel Andrews	Ft. Myers, FL, USA	Beneteau FC 10	34
30.	USA 020	Matador	Rick Tobin	Miami, FL, USA	Corsair F31	31
31.	USA 003	Meridian 2	W.S. Shelhorse	Virginia Beach, VA, USA	Farr 36	36′
32.	USA 500	Merlin	Bob Harkrider	Augusta, GA, USA	Multihull 35	35
33.	USA 3113	Mirage	Christian Schaumloffel	Virginia Beach, VA, USA	Hobie 33	33
34.	USA 43920	Munequita	Charlie Evans	St. Petersburg, FL, USA	Cherubini 48 Schooner	60′
35.	USA 21	Ocean Dancer	Mark Stephenson	Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA	Catalina 387	39′
36.	USA 1	Patriot	Mike Rush	Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA	Catamaran 76	76′
37.	USA 52458	Primal Scream	Steven M Stollman	Key Biscayne, FL, USA	C&C 115	37.75
38.	USA 50009	Privateer	Ron O’Hanley	Newport, RI, USA	Cookson 50	50
39.	USA 25555	Rambler	George David	Hartford, CT, USA	RP 90 Custom	90
40.	USA 36786	Rim Shot	Russell Dunn	Hollywood, FL, USA	Beneteau First 36.7	36
41.	USA 88	Ringle	JM Fifield	Palm Beach, FL, USA	C&C 99	32
42.	USA 23529	Samba Pa Ti	Harold Brandan	Hollywood, FL, USA	Santana 39	39
43.	USA 52615	Santarella	James Scalise	Pittsfield, MA, USA	Beneteau First 40.7	40
44.	USA 84	Sea Turtle	James Miller	Satellite Beach, FL, USA	Beneteau 38	37
45.	USA 63	Second Wind	Mike/Ray Sullivan	Key Biscayne, FL, USA	Dufour 44	44
46.	USA H42	Sempre Amantes	Colin Whittaker	Margate, FL, USA	Hunter Passage 42	42
47.	USA 16	Soap Opera	Scott Self	Rockwall, TX, USA	Hobie 33	33
48.	USA 24	Sunquest	Wilfredo Paredes	Miami, FL, USA	Beneteau Oceanic 43	43
49.	USA 53228	Tangent	Gerald Taylor	Pasadena, MD, USA	Cape Fear 38	38
50.	USA 52939	Teamwork	Robin Team	Lexington, NC, USA	J 122	40
51.	USA 7	Thin Ice	Stuart Hebb	Coral Cables, FL, USA	Aerodyne 38	38
52.	USA 20	Tiger	Alan Jepson	Palm Bay, FL, USA	Flying Tiger 10M	32.6
53.	USA 41507	Trident	Keith Gulley	Dania, FL, USA	Condor 40	40
54.	USA 8	Unicorn	Michael Peteler	Pompano Beach, FL, USA	Creekmore/Croff	36′
55.	CAN 84248	Vela Veloce	Richard Oland	Rothesay, NB, CAN	Southern Cross 52	52′
56.	USA 31790	Wild Woman	Randy Stanton	Miami, FL, USA	C&C 40	39’7
57.	USA 9267	Wind Pirate	Dan Whelan	Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA	Jeanneau	39′