January 19, 2015


Off to a Great Start at Quantum Key West Race Week 2015

There is no better sight than a steady stream of
racing boats either sailing or motoring out of the Historic Seaport harbor
around 10 a.m. on Monday. That’s a sure sign that the annual race week
held off Key West is starting on time and with enough wind to get the regatta
underway.
Quantum Key West Race Week 2015 got off to a strong start with the
principal race officers on all three divisions able to complete two good races
in 8-14 knot northeasterly winds.
“It was a good day of racing. Conditions were ideal and the courses were
good,” said Hap Fauth, skipper of the mini maxi Bella Mente.

Fauth had reason to be happy as Bella Mente was atop the standings in
IRC 1 after the opening day of action. Tactician Terry Hutchinson played the
shifts well as the Judel-Vrolijk 72-footer posted results of first and second.
“Terry did a good job of putting us in sync with the puffs and our
maneuvers were good,” said Fauth, who is breaking six new sailors into his
crew of 18.

Hutchinson wasn’t happy about losing the lead in Race 1 as Bella Mente
sailed into a patch of choppy air, which allowed the 66-foot Numbers to win
on corrected time. Bella Mente must beat Numbers, which is being chartered
by Florida resident Gunther Buerman, by just over three minutes in order to
save its time over the smaller boat.

It was a very good day on the water for skipper William Coates and his
crew aboard Otra Vez. The Ker 43 leads both IRC 1 and the High
Performance Rule sub-class after getting two good starts and displaying
superb upwind speed.
“We have a good boat with a great crew and we did a lot of preparation to
get ready for this regatta,” said Coates, a resident of Houston, Texas.
Otra Vez made its debut at Quantum Key West 2014 and Coates said the
program got better as the year went along, capturing class honors at the
New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta. Mike Buckley, an All-American sailor
at Washington College, is calling tactics for Coates.

“This boat was designed for IRC racing, which is why we’re kind of surprised
to being doing well in HPR,” Coates said. “Our motto is never give up. We
were really deep in that second race and gained it all back on the last lap
just by staying in phase with the shifts and puffs.”

Event Blog: http://premiere-racing.com/2015blog/
Event Website: http://wwww.premiere-racing.com
Skipper Jason Carroll and the boys aboard Argo are the early pa


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