--- 26th Edition Event Set to Deliver Great Competition
Key West, Fla - Excitement is building for Quantum Key West 2013 as the scratch sheet continues to
grow. With still a month and a half before the first entry deadline, top competitors from more than 12
countries and 20 states have submitted their official entries.
Farley Fontenot, Executive Vice President of Title Sponsor Quantum Sail Design Group says, “It is
exciting to watch the entries come in, with everything from the new J/70 class, to the return of highly
competitive fleets like the NYYC Swan 42 Class. Quantum is committed to helping bring great racing
and a wonderful sailing experience to everyone who participates in Quantum Key West Race
Week. We’re looking forward to another great event in 2013.”
Swan 42s will again grace the starting line, with seven boats registered to date. Most of these
elegant racers hail from the northeast. Close competition and friendly rivalries will be renewed in the
warm waters of the Florida Keys.
The IRC 52s US Super Series begins with a Key West prelude to their March World Championship in
Miami. Doug DeVos’s Quantum Racing (Ada, MI) will defend his 2012 Key West title against custom
thoroughbreds from as far away as Argentina, the UK and the West Coast.
Featured one design competition will again center on Melges mania with the Melges 24 and 32
classes producing some of the world’s very top sailors. World and European ranking Champion
Riccardo Simoneschi (Milano, Italy) challenges a Melges 24 fleet that has many other ranked sailors
including last year’s Key West Champion Bora Gulari (Detroit, MI) and Bruce Ayres (Costa Mesa, CA).
"Key West has always been a great regatta for the Melges 24 class," said U.S. class VP Rob Britts.
"Every year it gives us a chance to compete against some of the top Melges 24 sailors from across the
country and around the world in conditions that only Key West can provide in January!"
The Melges 32 fleet already has its full international hallmark, with entries from Italy, Japan,
Switzerland and Russia. Newly crowned World Champion - Californian John Kilroy and the Samba Pa
Ti crew won class honors at Quantum Key West 2012 and will be returning to defend in 2013.
While the Grand Prix boats and international champions may draw the headlines, the heart and soul
of race week is the one design and handicap classes that are present year after year. One designs
such as the J/80s, and the many PHRF competitors come for the racing, camaraderie, and dependable
south Florida sunshine and wind.
“We’re certainly pleased to see so many quality programs making their plans for Key West,” said
Event Director Peter Craig. “Every year brings a different mix of classes and boats, but always top tier
talent that produces the Key West hallmark – great racing. Along with Title Sponsor Quantum Sails,
we’re looking forward to another five star regatta next January.”
There is always something new at race week. The J/70s are making their Key West debut with over
25 of these popular new sport boats helmed by Key West newcomers and veterans alike.
January 2012 saw the latest High Performance designs make a debut in a subclass. This time around
they will have their own class start with more new boats on the line. Steve and Heidi Benjamin’s new
Carkeek 40 will challenge a class that includes Farr 400s, another Carkeek 40 and the GP 40, Stray
Dog, with Larry Leonard calling tactics.
Regatta dates are January 20 – 25, 2013.