Another year done...

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr4LS9qylTw

So the racing is over. We took 5th overall in a very competitive fleet. However, as they say Cream Rises... and Tom Reese and Peter Katcha were undoubtedly the best on the course this week.

I have to thank the crew of Strategery - Craig, Scott, Dave, and Don. They really gave it their all this week. Scott gets the walking wounded award, having sprained/broken his finger during a mark rounding. On the last day of racing we blew apart the mainsheet system not once, but twice in the 20 knot breeze. Craig wins the MacGyver award for lashing it together so that we could keep on racing. Don did a great job trimming with the new system considering that he couldn't cleat the mainsheet. Dave kept his head in the racing, with his trimming allowing us to grind our way back from a poor start in the last race to a respectable 5th place finish. At one point we were at least 3/4 of a mile behind the fleet, so I was pretty pleased we were able to reel back some competitors.

That's all for now - hope you enjoyed the blog - sorry it wasn't as consistent as it could have been, but things got a bit busy down here.

Breeze on, breeze off...

So yesterday was a story of good news/bad news. Good news is that we had a great start and led at the top mark - bad news is that they cancelled the racing due to lack of wind on the downwind leg...Arrggghhhh.

Today the racing is postponed until at least 1:30 when the breeze is supposed to fill in. I think this is a great move on the part of the race committee, since we really are all here to race.

More later - obviously no change in the standings...

C.

Finally we raced

Sorry for no post yesterday - and had a longer post written for this one, but the computer locked up and I'm beat, so this will be brief.

Too much wind, so sailing was cancelled yesterday - you can see the conditions on the Jobson Sailing daily video at http://www.jobsonsailing.com/ Here's a pic of Peter Katcha practicing in the heavy air.

Today was close racing. Tom Reese is in the lead - sailing well with his crew and sailing guru Todd Hudgins.

We're in 5th place after 3 races - it wasn't our best day, but it's still early on and lots can happen.
Stay tuned.

Cliff.

Morning of Day 1

So it's finally here. The morning of Day 1. Forecast this AM is for a max of 24 knots. The problem is that observations are showing low 30's with gusts up to 40knots. That's close to trimaran tipping weather. Now trimaran tipping is a lot like cow tipping to me - I've heard about it, but never seen it done. I'm hoping to keep it that way. Can't be pretty trying to right one of these things in the middle of a race course.

That being said, we typically favor the heavy stuff, but there's a rumor that racing may be cancelled. It will be interesting to see if they hold races today - I sure would hate to be on any committee boat in this weather. Anchoring offshore in seas/wind like this is sure to make for some unhappy stomachs.

The boat is ready to run, the guys hopefully got some rest last night and we're going to see how this boat handles in the really heavy stuff. More later.

C.

Breeze on!

Quick update - the lastest wind forecast:

KWRW 2008

So we've made it down, gotten settled and have had a few hours practice. Tomorrow the big breeze should start, with the forecast showing 25 knots for the next 2 days, down to 18 knots on Tuesday. We'll see...

Some of you have asked me what exactly Key West Race Week is. I've attached a link to the site, but basically it's the largest/best regatta in the US. It attracts sailors from around the world, both pro and amataeur to test themselves against one another.

Here's a press release talking about this year's event:

Star Studded International Fleet Heading for Key West
--- Acura Key West 2008
Racing Begins January 21

Racing sailors from 18 different nations
are on their way to the southernmost point in the continental U.S. Acura Key
West 2008, presented by Nautica will welcome a record 60 foreign boats and US
entries from 35 different states.

The weeklong competition will
feature world class competitors and top regional programs competing in 16
different classes on four separate courses.

“The global reputation
of Acura Key West continues to grow as evidenced by the record number of foreign
entries,” longtime event director Peter Craig said. “One would be hard pressed
to find a year where there was more talent, with this 21st edition featuring an
impressive list of champions from the America’s Cup, Olympic and Volvo Ocean
Race arenas.”
A quick glance at the
scratch sheet tells that story – among the tacticians are Cayard, Barker,
Butterworth, Bekking, Isler ,Hutchinson and Warden-Owen to name but a few.

The debut of new designs is always a much anticipated component of
the Key West extravaganza. The list of new boats this year includes Dan Meyer’s
Judel/Vrolijk 66-footer Numbers, John Brim’s R/P 55 Rima 2, a pair of new
J/122s, the Mark Mills designed Sllim 37 and 2-time Boat of the Week winner
Irvine Laidlaw’s latest Highland Fling, a swing keel Wally 80.

Teams will unite to compete in the 11th annual International Team
Competition for the Nautica Watches trophy. This “side competition” with a focus
on national pride will feature eleven 3-boat teams from the Farr 40, Melges 32
and Melges 24 classes. Team Switzerland is back to defend their 2007 title
with Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi and Franco Rossini’s Blu Moon joined by
Claudio Recchi’s Let’s Roll.

And with true national representation
it is only fitting that the PHRF National Championship be decided at Acura Key
West. 55 boats in six classes will compete for the title with beautiful Chelsea
Clocks awarded to the top three finishers. Bob Oberg’s (Annapolis, MD) Beneteau
First 10 captured the inaugural championship by the slimmest of margins last
year. The unique championship formula can be viewed on the event
web site.

Nearly 70% of the entries are racing in the one
design arena. Once again the 46-boat Melges 24 class is the biggest class, and
the J/105s have an impressive 34-boat turnout. The 25-boat Farr 40s are starting
their earnest preparation for the 2008 Worlds in Miami next April while the Swan
42s will make their Key West one design debut with an impressive 12 boat
turnout. Melges 32 growth in this country and abroad is clearly exhibited with
their strong 27-boat showing.

The IRC, Farr 40 and Melges 32
classes take their first step toward the highly regarded Acura Grand Prix
trophies, awarded to the combined winners at the conclusion of the Acura Miami Grand Prix in March.

Emerald-colored waters, sunny skies, dependable breezes and warm
temperatures make the southernmost point in the continental U.S. a popular
sailing destination in the midst of the northern hemisphere’s winter.

Follow the results and the racing at Premiere-Racing.com. Blogging from
all four courses, Kattack race tracking, and daily video
reports will bring the action home. Be sure to check ESPN.com each evening for a 4-5 minute Gary
Jobson production that will feature racing highlights of different classes each
day.

Getting Closer...

The guys made it safely - boat is rigged and ready to run tomorrow. We're spending the night in Marathon with the kids, and Mark and his family have the chase boat in Orlando - hoping to be here tomorrow afternoon.

This week is looking like a good mix of weather - Heavy air days Mon/Tuesday and dropping for the remainder of the week. We'll see if I'm right or not.

C.

Loaded and ready to roll...

The guys came by last night and we finished the packing/loading of the boat. It took less time than usual, which either means we're getting better at this or we forgot something...

Strategery leaves on Thursday, with the guys driving through the night to set up the boat early. Kim and I head down with the kids on Thursday afternoon. Mark and Robin head down with the chase boat some time Thursday PM with a planned day at Disney on the way.

Forecast is all over the place, but I think we'll see heavy air on Monday/Tuesday, then a drop off, with a build again in the later part of the week. That said, it's early and things do change.

More later - Good night.

C.

Gearing Up for KWRW

Sunday is about done.

We had some good practice sessions this weekend before loading the boat for it's ride to Key West. Craig and Dave traded off working a mark boat to set a line to practice starting. Phil from the club was a great help today since Dave had Reagan aboard the chase boat.

So now we do some cleaning/refitting of broken/worn out boat parts, empty the boat and repack it for the guys to leave on Thursday.

Stay tuned!

C.