Let the sun shine.....

....over 300 boats will shake off the cold and frost and are heading for Key West during the third week of January

The Terra Nova Trading/Yachting Key West Race Week 2002 which runs from 21-25 January is racking up the entries.

Entries for the Northern Hemisphere's premier winter regatta slowed to a trickle in the days following Sept. 11, but the initial deadline passed three months later with a pre-Christmas flood of applications that pushed the total to 315 boats and continues upward toward the record of 326 that competed last January.

Event Organizer Peter Craig commented that; "Given the economic climate and recent world events, it's extraordinary,"

Biggest worry might be the traffic out on the water with 30 or more J/105s expected and sharing one of the four race courses with the Melges 24s, whose World Championship will be at stake. The Melges have exceeded the most optimistic expectations with 77 entries to date, including 24 foreign entries.

Altogether, there are currently 53 foreign entries, topping the record of 50 set a year ago. One-design classes have outweighed the mixed bag of handicap boats in recent years, but the PHRF side of the competition filled the mailbag with 40 of its 95 entries in the last five days before the first deadline, December 12.

Some will show up with new boats, including four Farr 395s, which will make their Key West debut after recently receiving best racer/cruiser and overall Boat of the Year awards, along with the new J/109 and Aerodyne 43.

One design class counts to date follow: Melges 24 - 77; J/105 - 28: Farr 40 - 26; J/80 - 21; Mumm 30 - 20; J/29 - 17; 1D35 - 13; F28-R - 13. The current entry list, event information, and media registration information are available on the Web site: www. Premiere-Racing. com.

The final deadline, subject to late fees, is December 26 -- Boxing Day in the United Kingdom and a good day to strike a blow for the sport.

Check out James Boyd's preview of Key West 2002.