KEY WEST 2016: RECAP
North Sails clients enjoyed a full week of sailing in Key West, winning eight classes at the annual regatta put on this year by the Storm Trysail Club. The prevailing NNE was too strong for sailing on Tuesday, yet otherwise delivered four days of big breeze racing.
Dedicated teams hit the water early for pre-regatta sessions with North Sails Offshore One Design scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Sailors in the J/70, C&C30, J/111, and IRC classes spent a full day in clinics before wind speeds kept them on the dock for all of Sunday. While practice was blown out, J/70s sailors gathered on the ramp for a tuning clinic with top North one design sailors Tim Healy, Geoff Becker, and Bill Hardesty accompanied by J/70 pro, Willem Van Way. Conversation centered on the fresh trend of sailing wing on wing in mid-range breeze (9-13kts). Look for an instructional video coming soon from North Sails One Design.
The regatta kicked off with the windiest and waviest racing of the week on Monday; NNE at 22kts gradually dropping to 16kts. Racing resumed on Wednesday with steady conditions that lasted through Friday. Pete Wagner’s North-powered Skeleton Key was fast out of the blocks and consistent all week, ultimately winning the competitive J/111 class. In the Melges 24, Blind Squirrel held a firm lead until Black Seal surpassed them by a point in the arms race for first. Both boats raced with stock North one design sails. In IRC, Steve Benjamin’s relaunched TP52 Spookie sailed a solid regatta off the back of his Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year award last week. North clients won their classes in the J/70, Farr 280, ORC 1, ORC 2, Performance Cruising, and Multihull.
