Freezin'

Dobbs Davis reports from the final day of racing at Key West

The real story here today was not who needed to beat who on the final day of racing, but who needed to leave the dock in the sub-zero wind chill and brave the cold and wet for those few precious points. The promised cold front roared in last night with record low temperatures of 8 degrees and northerly winds of 20-25 knots.

When race managers announced at 0830 their intention to postpone the harbour start until 1000 and conduct only one race for the day, fates were sealed in many classes, so many competitors chose not to even leave the dock. This was particularly true in the 1D35, IMS, and Melges 24 classes.

However, the attrition rate in the Farr 40 class was minimal, with all but Atalanti XII gearing up for the 5-leg windward-leeward course. (Curious why the Greeks stayed away, given their mid-week lead of the class and Boat of the Week Trophy title to defend...)

Sporting full mains and #4 jibs, the class looked impressive powering upwind and surfing down, with the Group surprisingly tight given the conditions. Leading comfortably around the first top mark, Bob Hughes' Heartbreaker looked as though they were in good position to add a third bullet to their scoresheet. But the more veteran players - John Coumantaros' Bambakou, Vincenzo Onerato's Breeze, and Jim Richardson's Barking Mad - were able to slip ahead, as did Peter de Ridder's Mean Machine.

But it was Crocodile Rock who sailed to yet another top-ten finish to take their first Key West win. As always, consistency is what wins in this competitive class, and led by tactician Vince Brun they scored only one double-digit finish in the week. A controversial protest between Rock and Barking Mad over an incident in Race 7 led to the latter earning a DSQ, much to the surprise and chagrin of tactician Gavin Brady.

"I was very surprised at the outcome," said Brady, who was still shaking his head this morning. "I'm not sure how much closer the owners want to make this game, but that incident was a no-win situation."

While the Farr 40s may have seemed impressive, they were eclipsed by the Mumm 30s in pure entertainment value. Our 26-foot powerboat equipped with twin 225-hp 4-stroke engines was just managing to keep pace with Diarmuid Foley's Mammy!, the giggling crew of Irishmen crowding the stern pushpits after survived a knockdown broach while gybing. The Irish enjoyed their first win by leading the class around the track, followed by class president Nelson Stevenson on Bold 2 who found what he termed "excellent"
speed upwind and the guts to join Mammy and Michelle Perris' Dangerous but Fun in being the only three boats to set masthead kites offwind.

We braved the cold and spray to watch for the new Farr 36 perform on the Division 2 course, but their absence was for good reason: while reaching at 13 knots with main only prior to the start, the spar fractured between the step and partners. The rig stayed upright, but repairs will be needed before the boat competes in the Acura SORC in March.

In all and despite the cold, this Race Week I'd have to consider another success, as it continues to deliver all the elements that keep it on the short list of top international events. Big names, good boats, new designs, great race management, fun shoreside venues, and active industry support will aid event director Peter Craig from Premiere Racing when he shops for a new title sponsor for 2004 and beyond.

Chris Doubek from Tera Nova Trading said of his two-year tenure of providing title support "This has been great for us. I think we've made great progress in promoting our name and business philosophy of Preparation, and we're hoping to stay involved in some capacity in future events."