TERRA
NOVA TRADING KEY WEST 2003 / JANUARY 20-24
www.Premiere-Racing.com
Jan.
18, 2003 For Immediate Release
A
REALLY COOL REGATTA SET TO GO MONDAY
Monday's
Forecast: Temperature upper 60s; wind 15 knots,
N-NE; water temperature 71.
KEY WEST, Fla.---They're all here from everywhere
for Terra Nova Trading Key West 2003. World-class
sailors from 20 countries and working-class folks
from 30 of the United States, racing 290 boats
in nine one-design and 11 handicap classes, will
start five days of competition in the 16th running
of the premier wintertime regatta Monday---with
the emphasis on winter.
"There
are a lot of big names here, [including] some
of the America's Cup guys on their extended grants,"
Iain Percy noted with dry British humor. "They
all seem to be showing up."
It's
a long way from Auckland, where their teams were
eliminated from the challenger trials, but Volvo
racers like Stu Bannatyne, a member of illbruck's
victorious campaign, should have felt right at
home over the weekend. Temperatures plunging to
highs in the mid-50s---nearly 20 degrees below
the norm here---and winds gusting to 20 knots
sent competitors scrambling for warm clothes and
foul-weather gear for their practice sailing.
The
conditions, part of the Arctic High that has had
the eastern third of the U.S. in its grip, were
expected to moderate to the upper 60s and 15 knots
by race time at 10 a.m. Monday. Nine races are
scheduled on each of the four courses set between
the south beach and a reef five miles offshore.
The
weather already claimed one victim. Island Flyer,
Denny Manrique's S2 7.9 from Minnesota, got only
to Findlay, Ohio where the trailer jack-knifed
on an icy overpass, tipped the boat over onto
the railing and cracked the hull.
The
van Heeckeren family from Gates Mills, O., had
better luck. They brought their Melges 24, Elektra,
through safely and are ready to go---dad Dan driving,
Ingrid working the bow, William on tactics and
Chris navigating.
That's
the backbone of the event, when recreational sailors
line up alongside marquee talent, often with startling---and
humbling---results.
Percy
has become something of a "name" himself
the last three years, first winning the Finn class
gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, then
the Nautica Star Worlds with crew Steve Mitchell
last summer. This week he'll be directing moves
for Dr. Wolfgang Schaefer on Germany's Struntje
light in the Farr 40 class, alongside other celebrity
tacticians.
He
isn't taking anything for granted. He doesn't
yet see himself in the same league with Bannatyne,
Paul Cayard, Robbie Haines, Vince Brun, Jeff Madrigali,
Jesper Bank, Chris Larson and Tony Rey, to name
a few of the rivals with whom he'll be matching
wits. Calling tactics on a Farr 40 isn't much
like sailing a Star.
"Some
of the older guys that have done both are probably
better at it, but it is difficult for me making
the swap," said Percy, 26. "After a
while you're able to just flip a switch. For me,
it's sometimes completely different, and I worry
about going back the other way, as well.
"They
emphasize different things. The Star, a lot of
it's physical and you need just two people to
sail. With this you have to blow out your thinking."
Nevertheless,
Struntje light placed second in last year's European
championship, when Percy's task was largely verbal.
On the Star with Mitchell, he said, "We talk
very little. It's telepathic. We were 150 days
a year together in the Star. With a crew like
this it's different. You have to communicate everything
you're thinking and what you're doing."
Struntje
light also is part of the German team seeking
the Key West Trophy in the International Team
Competition. Ten teams in each of three one-design
classes---Farr 40, Mumm 30 and Melges 24---will
be scored apart from their peers and combine their
points.
Several
boats used the annual race from Ft. Lauderdale
to Key West as a tune-up this past week. Bill
Alcott's Andrews 70 Equation (formerly Magnitude)
was the first monohull to finish the 160 downwind
nautical miles in 13 hours 51 minutes 37 seconds,
only 41 minutes behind Team Raider US, a Raider
309 catamaran from Miami. Overall winner on corrected
time was Charles Vaughn's Hobie 33. The race was
sponsored by the Storm Trysail Yacht Club and
Lauderdale Yacht Clubs.
Terra
Nova Trading Key West 2003 sponsors include Terra
Nova Trading L.L.C., Mount Gay Rum, RealTick(r),
Lewmar Marine, Nautica Watches, Nautica Eyewear,
Pearson Yachts, Samson Rope Technologies, Saucony
and the Florida Keys & Key West Tourist Development
Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West
Bight is the Official Site.
The
Performance Sailing Industry Partner Program is
in its second year, with 24 members at press time.
Participating companies and details about the
program are on the event web site.
Racing
is scheduled Monday through Friday, Jan. 20-24,
on four circles off the south shore of the island.
Registration is on Sunday, Jan. 19. The regatta
is open to entries in PHRF, one-design and IMS
classes of 24 to 85 feet LOA. PHRF entries must
have a rating of 175 or lower.
CONTACTS
PREMIERE
RACING, Inc. 67B Front Street, Marblehead, MA,
01945
Tel:
(781) 639-9545, Fax: (781) 639-9171
Event
Email: KWInfo@Premiere-Racing.com
Event
Web Site: www.Premiere-Racing.com
Terra
Nova Online: www.TerraNovaOnline.com
Race
headquarters at Key West: (305) 295-9966
PRESS
OFFICER
Rich
Roberts
Cell
phone: (310) 766-6547
Media
Center: (305) 295-9988
richsail@earthlink.net
