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Acura Key West Race Week—It’s a Ten!
espite financial jitters and an historic presidential inauguration in the middle of it, a couple thousand sailors, race committee members, and media pros gathered from all around the country and Europe in southern Florida January 19-23 for the 2009 edition of Acura Key West Race Week presented by Nautica. In what ended as the kind of steady, 10-race week that gives Key West its reputation as an outstanding race venue, 13 classes competed in three divisions. All three racing circles were visible from the popular Southernmost Point Monument, where video-camera-wielding tourists had no idea that there weren’t always that many sailboats on the horizon. As always, there was an impressive showing of Chesapeake sailors in the mix on race and race committee boats. They call 68 degrees “cold” in Key West, but most Bay sailors took off from home in 20-degree-weather and needed all their weather gear just to get to the airport. As for how the regatta compared to past events, Annapolis sailor Bill Sweetser shares other sailors’ sentiments when he says, “I sensed no change in the atmosphere at the regatta other than it was widely known that boat registrations were down from prior years. The parties were great and seemed to be more energized than last year.” On the water, Division One included two IRC classes, S42s, Farr 40s, and Farr 30s (formerly known as Mumm 30 and M30). John and Linda Edwards of the Solomons-based Farr 30 Rhumb Punch crew had a memorable Key West experience even before they started racing. At the Sunday night skippers’ meeting, they won the new perpetual award, The Paul Washburn Award for the Love of the Sport. The award will be given annually at the skippers’ meeting to recognize Key West participants who have obvious passion for the sport and growing it and who show true sportsmanship on and off the race course. “I was totally surprised,” says John, noting that they’ve certainly won a few awards over the years— Governor’s Cup, Screwpile Regatta, and Key West twice. “I think this is the most significant award we’ve ever won,” he says and points to his heart. “This one
Annapolis sailor Gerry Taylor and his team on the Cape Fear 38 Tangent got eight bullets on topped their class in the 10-race Acura Key West Race Week January 1923. Photo by Shannon Hibberd/SpinSheet
The Annapolis-based Mummbles crew, skippered by Brad Kaufmann, won four races and second overall in the 10-race Key West Race Week. Photo by Shannon Hibberd/SpinSheet
Send racing news & photos to molly@spinsheet.com Chesapeake Bay Sailing
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