Quantum Newport's Tim Healy just returned from the 2012 J24 Midwinters where he was tactician for 11th Hour Racing skippered by John Mollicone with Geoff Becker in the cockpit, Colin Leon on mast and Gordy Borges on bow. The team experienced a variety of tough wind conditions throughout the event, but was able to earn a second place finish. The team used Quantum's TH-2 Dacron Main, Technora Tri-Radial Geona and the Full Radial .75oz Spinnaker. When asked what the number one thing they took away from the event, Healy said, “Keeping a flexible game plan, staying active with crew weight and anticipating the set by making sure the spinn is on the deck before reaching the offset mark.”
 
Top 10 Quantum® sails results:
 
Team Tarhill, Peter Bream
11th Hour Racing, John Mollicone
Pegasus, David Marshall
Jesus Lizard, Daniel Borrer

By Jack Klang

Last summer in Northern Michigan where I live, a local teen died after going for a swim in a marina. Although officially classified as drowning, his death was caused by electrocution after he entered the water where there was a field of stray electrical current. In technical terms, this tragedy is referred to as an Electric Shock Drowning (ESD); it’s a scenario that plays out many times each year in marinas around the world.  ESD gives no warning and leaves no marks on its victims. It can happen to anyone. How can we prevent this tragedy?

Where does the electricity come from?

Alternating electrical currents (AC) can leak into the water from faulty wiring in a marina’s electrical system. When the AC comes in contact with the water, it can create an electrically charged field in the marina waters. On board, an improperly installed appliance or a defective shore power supply can create an electrified field around a boat. When faulty shore power or wiring comes in contact with a boat’s grounding system, all metal objects on the boat become electrified with 120-220 volts of shore power. Following this path, stray current can form an electrified field in the water under and around the boat. 

What should you know about ESD?

Alternating current (AC) must ground itself to complete an electrical circuit.  When a person enters charged water, the human body becomes the pathway to completing the electrical circuit. Electric shock survivors say the initial feeling is a shock followed by paralysis, which renders a person unable to swim. Most victims are unable to call for help. It only takes a small amount of current (50-100 milliamps) to quickly cause death. That’s not even enough AC to trip a ground fault interrupter.

ESD occurs almost exclusively in fresh water because it is a poor conductor of electricity compared to salt water. Of the hundreds of case histories on file, all ESDs have occurred in fresh water. 

A cooling dip in the marina may be tempting on a hot day, but it can be deadly. Never swim in fresh water marinas or around boats that have access to shore power.

What can boaters do to be safe?

It is almost impossible to know if water is free of a stray electrical current. Although you may be confident that your boat is safe, you never know about the boat docked next to you, or about the power post in your marina. Here are some safety tips:

• Never swim in fresh water marinas or around boats that have access to shore power. 
• Take precautions on your own boat: check for loose or damaged wires, plugs, and connections.
• Use only marine approved shore power cords and plugs which cannot be reversed (never household extension cords).
• Any boat with electrical wiring that has been altered, improved, or newly installed is suspect – have it checked by a knowledgeable marine electrician.
• Encourage your marina to use devices that immediately detect AC leakage.
• Ask if your marina has had its electrical systems professionally inspected and certified.

Electric Shock Drownings can occur anywhere water is near an electrical current. Remember to look for the potentially dangerous conditions so that you can boat and swim safely.

 

About the Author: Jack Klang is a Cruising Consultant for Quantum Sail Design Group. He has shared his vast experience with thousands of sailors through his seminars, a syndicated newspaper column, magazine feature articles, television and movie appearances. He is the author of  “Cruising with Quantum” a series of how-to articles covering all aspects of sailboat cruising as well as an instructional video. Jack is recognized as one of the country’s five best sailing speakers, appearing at boat shows across the country. For the past five decades, Jack has sailed the Great Lakes, Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. He earned his first Coast Guard captain’s license at age 18 and has logged over 30,000 miles under sail as a cruiser, ASA instructor, charter captain and delivery skipper. Jack sails Michgan's Great Lakes out of of the beautiful harbor of Suttons Bay, MI. 

Great video today of a team in Spain sailing with Q stock class J80 sails.
 

On behalf of the Farr 30 Class:
 
We are pleased to announce the Farr 30 North American Championship will be held on the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis MD at the Sailing World Annapolis NOOD May 4-6, 2012. We expect to have close to 20 boats in attendance.
 
Event Details can be found at http://www.sailingworld.com/nood-regattas/annapolis
 
·       Online Registration is now open. Register early

·       Boat storage and commissioning will be held at Bert Jabins Yacht Yard – www.bjyy.com/

·       Class gin pole will be available for stepping and unstepping masts.

·       Pre Race Tune up Wednesday May 2 at the AYC Wed Night Race Series and Thursday May 3.

·       Charter opportunities may be available if you cannot bring your boat to Annapolis. Call Brad Kauffman for details.

·       Event Registration and weigh-ins Thursday May 3. Place and time TBD.

·       Class membership required. Farr30 Class Membership Renewal Online: Renew online here

·       NOR and further information available soon

·       This event will also serve as the MidAtlantic Championship with the “Battle for the Chesapeake Trophy” up for grabs. Barking Mad holds this title from 2011 and Turbo Duck won it in 2010.

·       Charleston Race Week will have a class start April 19-22 if you are looking to get on the water prior to the NA's

For additional information, please contact Brad Kauffman, the Chesapeake Fleet Captain.
Cell: 410-279-6150 Email: bkauffman@vocus.com

Pictured here is the reigning Farr 30 North American Champion from 2011, Deneen Demourkas owner of Groovederci 706.

Meridian X, W.S. Shelhorse, USA
3rd Place, Farr 400 Class

Winner of the Quantum Radial Optimist Sail at the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta was Nina Spillas from Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. Congratulations Nina! We wish you great success this year with your new sail! Pictured with Nina is Mark Kamilar, Director of Youth Sailing and past Commodore at Coral Reef Yacht Club (site of the Orange Bowl). The regatta included over 200 competitors from 28 states and 25 countries. 

After a three-year break, Quantum Sail Design Group has signed a new affiliate for its Western Australia (WA) operations. Brent Fowler will be managing the latest addition to the Quantum Sails Australian group, trading as Quantum Sails Western Australia.

Previously the Quantum brand held a large presence in Western Australia with its Fusion M® products winning many events from S80’s to Geographe Bay Race Week and one-design sails dominating in the Optimist, 420 and Pelican fleets.

Brent completed his apprenticeship with Quantum Sails WA before taking a break from sail making during which he was involved with top-end racing in the region. This experienced reinforced for Brent, the valuable grass-roots level of sailing relationships and the importance of quality service.  “I am committed to spending more time with sailors as our organizational structure allows the flexibility to race, coach and tweak every sail or inventory we supply,” commented Brent.

Carl Crafoord, Director of Quantum Sails Australasia, says “We approached Brent after he competed in the Soto 40 Class at the Audi Med Cup using primarily Quantum Sails; his sail making background and forward thinking fits perfectly within the group.”

QSDG president Ed Reynolds is delighted with the re-opening of the Western Australian loft. “Our brand recognition in WA is already at a high level, it makes sense that we have a strong presence there. We visited many options; however, with Brent having been previously involved in the group, and as a young, energetic sailor, he is the right choice. Brent brings new life to Quantum in the region.”

Contact Details
Quantum Sails Western Australia
Brent Fowler
bfowler@quantumsails.com
(+61) 0400 735 983

 

 

By Bill Wagner
 
Key West, Fla — It was a frantic finish at Quantum Key West 2012 as several boats snatched victory with strong performances on the fifth and final day.
 
   Barking Mad pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the 25-year history of the regatta, winning the Farr 40 class despite suffering a dreaded DNF. Barking Mad, skippered by Jim Richardson of Newport, R.I., did not finish Race 2 after a scary man overboard incident.
 
   That type of result usually proves fatal in a no-throwout series, but the Barking Mad team kept plugging away – winning three of the final five races to pull out an improbable one-point victory.
 
   "I wasn't too optimistic that we could win the regatta after what happened in that second race, but we just had to keep sailing with the understanding that every point was crucial," Richardson said. "We got better as the week went along and everything just sort of fell into place at the end."
 
   Richardson steered the boat to a third place finish in Friday's first race, passing Provezza 8 at the finish line. That one point would ultimately prove crucial as Barking Mad wound up winning Race 10 and beating Enfant Terrible (Rossi Alberto, Italy). It was Richardson's second victory in Farr 40 class at Key West.
 
  "We were four points behind Struntje Light and one ahead of Enfant Terrible going into the last race so we figured we had to win and hope those two boats beat each other up," Richardson said. "I think Enfant sat on Struntje a bit and pushed it back to sixth. Things just played out perfectly for us."
 
   Skipper John Kilroy and the Samba Pa Ti team held off a stiff challenge from Pisces to capture the talent-laden Melges 32 class. Pisces, skippered by Benjamin Schwartz, briefly took the lead by posting a pair of bullets on Tuesday, but Samba responded by placing fourth or better in five of the last six races to win by 12 points.
 
   Samba Pa Ti was selected as Quantum Boat of the Week for winning the closest, most competitive class at the 25th anniversary regatta.
 
   "It is always great to win in a high-caliber fleet like this," Kilroy said. "What I like about this 32 class is that there are so many great sailors and so many well-prepared boats. You have really got to be on top of your game to win any regatta in this class, much less one as competitive as Key West."
 
  It was the second Key West victory in Melges 32 class for Kilroy, a Los Angeles native who also earned Boat of the Week honors in 2010. Italian pro Lorenzo Bressani called tactics while countryman and close friend Federico Michetti trimmed the jib and spinnaker. Harry Melges, whose Wisconsin-based family builds the boats, trimmed main while Justin Smart (pit), Max Bulger (bow), Lucas Tomasetti (mast) and Martino Tortorolo (all-around) completed the crew.
 
  "It was a quintessential Key West race week with fantastic weather and super sailing conditions," Kilroy said. "We had a lot of confidence in our boat speed and our crew work was excellent all week."
 
   Competition was fierce all week in PHRF 1 class with four different boats winning races. Teamwork, a J/122 owned by Robin Team of Lexington, N.C., fought its way through the fray to edge the J/111 Mental (Paul Stahlberg, Barrington, Ill.) by four points. It came down to the final day and Teamwork was up to the challenge, winning Race 9 and placing second in Race 10.
 
  "We come down here to Key West to get the best competition we can find and boy did we this year," Team said. "We could not believe how close the racing was in this class. Tres Hombres, Mental and Rush were all very well-sailed and pushed us from start to finish."
 
  This was the second Key West victory for Team, who won in 2003 with a J/120. North Sails professional Jonathan Bartlett called tactics while fellow Annapolis residents Jeff Riedel and Kevin Ryman trimmed the jib and spinnaker. It was a particularly special win for Team since he had brother Adam and sons Alston and Coleman aboard.
 
  "We were as well prepared as we ever have been for this regatta and it's a good thing because our competitors were really, really good," said Team, who also took top honors in the J/Boats Subclass.
 
  Things were equally tight in the new High Performance class with the newly-launched Carbonado beating the GP 42 Stray Dog (Charles Engh, Lusby, MD.) by a mere three points. Carbonado, a McConaghy 38 owned by Rob and Sandy Butler of Ontario, Canada, is a cutting edge design with all carbon-fiber hull and rig. Quantum pro Marty Kullman called tactics for Rob Butler, whose wife worked the pit and 14-year-old son Riley served as a grinder.
 
  "Considering we got on the boat for the first time a few days before the regatta we are very pleased with this outcome," Butler said. "The boat performed well, the crew came together and we had a lot of fun sailing in such a beautiful location."
 
  Things were still in doubt going into Friday's action, but Carbonado sealed the deal by closing with a first and a second. "It's a new boat and a new crew and we learned both very quickly. The boat is fairly easy to sail right out of the box and our crew work got better as the week went along," Kullman said.
 
  Some classes were already decided going into the final day, but that did not stop the leaders from going out on the water and putting an exclamation point in their victories. Ran, a Judel-Vrolijk 72-footer owned by Niklas Zennstrom of the United Kingdom, ran away from the competition in the Mini Maxi (IRC 1) class. Seasoned British pro Adrian Stead served as tactician aboard Ran, which won all 10 races and also captured the IRC Midwinter Championship.
 
   "This is by far the best we've ever sailed the boat. This is our fourth year racing the boat so we know it really well and have it set up perfectly," said Zennstrom, who called Key West a "fantastic regatta" and praised the race committee work. "Our crew work was flawless all week. We did not have one bad gybe, one bad set or one bad mark rounding."
 
   It was a similar story in Farr 30 as skipper Deneen Demourkas (Santa Barbara, Cal.) and the Groovederci crew compiled an entire line of bullets. Phillipe Mourniac called tactics aboard the reigning class world champion, which won most of the races going away.
 
   West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes put forth a strong performance in Melges 24 class with seven victories in 10 races. Skipper Bora Gulari and his Detroit-based team built an insurmountable lead after Race 9 and called it a regatta – sitting out the final race and still beating runner-up WTF (Alan Field, Los Angeles) by four points.
 
   The 52-foot class was expected to be a bare knuckle brawl with all eight entries filled with fully professional crews. There were two brand new designs in the fleet with Highland Fling XII (Reichel-Pugh) and Interlodge (Botin Partners) both tricked out for the IRC rule. However, it was an older design still configured to the TP52 rule that stole the show as Quantum Racing finished first or second in all 10 races and defeated runner-up Powerplay (Peter Cunningham, Cayman Islands) by a whopping 18 ½ points.
 
   It was somewhat fitting that Doug DeVos, primary shareholder for regatta sponsor Quantum, skippered the victorious 52-footer. Terry Hutchinson, skipper for America's Cup challenger Artemis Racing of Sweden, did a brilliant job of calling tactics for DeVos, who mathematically clinched victory with three bullets on Thursday, but still sailed Friday and tacked on two seconds and earned the Quantum Boat of the Day honor in the process.
 
  "What a great regatta we had this week. We had those classic conditions you always find in Key West and it just made for some great sailing," DeVos said. "The competition in the 52-foot class was very good, but what makes this event so fun is the town and the night life and catching up with so many friends from the sport of sailing."
 
   Willem Wester finished second at Key West last year so the Netherlands native decided to up the ante, buying a new boat and bringing some major talent aboard. Wester upgraded from a Grand Soleil 43 to a Grand Soleil 46 and hired Volvo Ocean Race veteran Bouwe Bekking as tactician. Those moves paid off as Antilope won seven races and led from start to finish in winning IRC 3 class by 19 points.
 
  "It is always great to win a major international regatta, but even better when you do it in the type of conditions we had here this week," Wester said. "It was absolutely perfect out on the water today – blue skies, 15-18 knots of wind – you couldn't ask for better sailing weather."    
 
Event Sponsors are Title Sponsor Quantum Sails and Day Sponsors Lewmar/Navtec (Official Marine Hardware), Mount Gay® Rum (Official Rum), and Nautica Watches (Official Timekeeper). The Supporting Sponsors are B&G (Official Marine Electronics), Marlow Ropes (Official Rope), Gill and Layline (Official Technical Gear and Retailer) and Sebago (Official Footwear).
 
Key West Race Week is also supported by The Florida Keys & Key West Tourism Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight is the Official Marina. The Ocean Key Resort and Spa is the Official Hotel. Sapporo USA is the Official Beer Supplier and Regatta Ginger Beer is the Official Ginger Beer.
 
27 Industry Partners bring their support through a program that is now in its 11th year.
 
Quantum Key West 2012 is a US SAILING sanctioned event.
 
Event information, results and photos: www.Premiere-Racing.com 
 

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Results for Quantum-powered Boats

It was great to see so many Quantum customers at Quantum Key West Race Week. Thank you for supporting the event and congratulations on your success!

 

Place, Yacht Name, Owner/Skipper, Country

52 Class (IRC 2 – 8 Boats)

1. Quantum Racing, Doug DeVos , USA 

 

IRC 3 – 5 Boats

2. Vitesse, Jon Halbert, USA

3. Cool Breeze, John Cooper, USA

 

Farr 40 (One Design – 7 Boats)

1. Barking Mad, James Richardson, USA

5. Charisma, Nico Poons , Monaco 

6. Groovederci, Farr 40, John Demourkas, USA

 

Farr 400 (One Design – 5 Boats)

3. Meridian X, W.S. Shelhorse, USA 

 

High Performance (4 Boats)

1. Carbonado, Rob & Sandy Butler, CAN 

3. Big Booty, Pat Eudy , USA 

 

Melges 32 (One Design – 19 Boats)

2. Pisces, Benjamin Schwartz, USA 

5. Warpath, Stephen Howe, USA

6. Heartbreaker, Robert Hughes, USA

9. Mojo, Steve Rhyne, USA

10. Sicktrix, Geoffrey Pierini, USA

11. Flat Stanley, T. Sheehan/T. McSweeney, USA

Melges 24 One Design – 15 Boats)

9. Zingara, Richard Reid, CAN

12. Tramp, Rhomas Ritter, USA

Farr 30 (One Design – 7 Boats)

1. Groovederci, Deneen Demourkas , USA 

2. Theend, Richard Goransson, SWE 

3. Mummbles, Brad Kauffman , USA 

6. Rhumb Punch, John and Linda Edwards

 

J/80 (One Design – 18 Boats)

5. Church Key, Chris & Liz Chadwick, USA

10. Cool J, Alexander Kraus, USA

11. Andale, Ale Poindexter, USA

13. Courageous, Gary Panariello, USA

14. Blind Faith, Kristen Berry, USA

16. Bear Instinct, Dave Manheimer, USA

17. Frivolous, Daniel Goldberg, USA

PHRF 1 (ToD) (PHRF – 10 Boats)

3. Tres Hombres, 1D35, Kitterman, Tyer, Ghormley; USA 

4. Rush, J/109, Bill Sweetser, USA

5. Wicked 2.0, J/111, Douglas Curtiss, USA

7. Revolution, 1D35, Prelle, Buckner, Womack, USA

PHRF 2 (ToD -11 Boats)

3. Kalevala II, Grand Soleil 37 B&C, Tapio Saavalainen, USA

6. Still Crazy, J/95, Ed Palm, USA

7. Island Flyer, Centurion 40s, Denny Manrique, USA

  

J Boats Subclass (ToT – 7 Boats)

2. Rush, J/109, Bill Sweetser, USA 

4. Wicked 2.0, J/111, Douglas Curtiss, USA

Boat of the Day Honors

Lewmar/Navtec Boat of the Day

Rush, J/109, Bill Sweetser, USA

Nautica Watches Boat of the Day

Groovederci, Farr 40, John Demourkas, USA

Quantum Sails Day Boat of Day

Quantum Racing, 52 Class, Doug DeVos, USA

See full results here: http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=547

 

 

Quantum Key West Race Week 2012 – Thursday Report by Andrew Scott

 

Today on the Quantum Racing we have been working on some new rig setups. We wanted to sail with a little more rake to increase rudder angle but needed to keep the jack pressure the same. Once the breeze filled we were able to go upwind and test the new settings. With Vspars running we were able to quickly verify our new settings and know we were on the right track to increase the boat’s performance. 

 

The second race today was our hardest of the event so far. We got a good start and the boat was going well. The majority of the fleet tacked after the start for one reason or another. Half way up the beat it was clear the right was favored and we got to the first weather mark in last. Terry's call was to keep chipping and let’s work back to fifth for this race. Everyone on the boat worked hard and kept focused on their jobs for the next run and we gained a couple of boats and some valuable distance. Up the next beat we kept working hard and positioned ourselves to take advantage of a few shifts and had gotten up to third at the weather mark. Continued chipping away and everyone on the boat kept doing their jobs at the highest level and by the finish line we finished right on the transom of the lead boat that owed us some time.  Corrected over them and got ready for the next race. 

 

 

Photo by Sara Proctor of SailFastPhoto.com

 

Quantum Key West Race Week 2012 – Thursday Report by Marty Kullman

 

When I grew up sailing all I worried about was shifts, starts, hiking harder. Several years down the road I pay more attention to boat preparation. Today was a good example of how we are learning a new boat (Carbonado, a McConaghy 38)  and trying to find where the rig should be in the boat and how to trim the sails to get the best out of the boat.  We spent several hours yesterday deciding what rig changes we needed to do and made the changes. Results were positive and helped us move up the leader board to first. Never under estimate how important rig tune is on any boat. 

 

Thursday Report by Jason Currie

 

Tough day on the water for team Sick Trix but a very good day for Quantum® sails in the Melges 32 fleet. Conditions were tough on the course with very shifty NE winds of 8-12 knots.

 

Currently Pisces led by Ben Schwartz sits in second place overall well within striking distance of leader Samba Pa Ti. Pisces rounded out the day with a 6,8,2 and currently sits 4 points off the led with the drop race now in effect. 

 

Bob Hughes on Heartbreaker had an excellent day with a 1,3,4 and this moves the team into third place just ahead of Steve Howe’s Warpath. Currently Quantum has three teams in the top 4 overall.

 

The last race of the day was a good one for team Sick Trix, finishing up with a 5th. A very strong race for all Quantum-powered Melges 32s with Warpath taking the win, Pisces in 2nd, Heartbreaker with the 4th and Sick Trix in 5th.

 

Friday’s forecast shows slightly more breeze for the two remaining races and eyes will be on Samba Pa Ti and Pisces for the overall win.

    Jason Currie of Quantum Atlantic is sailing on Melges 32 Sick Trix at Quantum Key West Race Week 2012. 

 

KEY WEST, FL—Following a series of meetings held during Quantum Key West Race Week, members of the TP52 class are pleased to announce its plans for grand prix racing in 2012 and beyond.

Rob Weiland, TP52 Class Manager, says the class is forming a management group owned and controlled by members that will be responsible for event management, event marketing, sponsor and media coordination as well as recruiting new teams to join 52 racing.

“There is strong support and enthusiasm for this structure, not only among owners, but also potential sponsors who have been part of the discussions. TP52 racing will continue in 2012 and beyond at the same high-caliber level as in previous years,” says Weiland. “With class ownership and control, we expect to establish a strong, stable racing program that will continue to expand and excel.”

This year, the class will be racing in a circuit with consistent race management including on-the-water umpiring. The circuit winner will be the best-performing boat in five qualifying events. The regatta schedule will include:

- Palma Vela, Palma, April 18 – 22 (tune up event)

- Trofeo Conde de Godo, Barcelona, May 23 – 27

- Sardinia Cup, Porto Cervo, June 11 – 17

- Royal Cup, Palma, July 10 – 14

- Copa del Rey, Palma, July 16-21 (does not count toward trophy)

- France Cup or One Ton Cup, TBD in France, September 18 – 22

- Valencia Cup, Valencia, October 9-13

Weiland says IRC 52 and Soto 40 teams are invited to join in the racing. “We’d like to increase the participation, which not only makes for more exciting competition, but will also provide a chance to race for the Sardinia Cup, a team event with two-boat teams consisting of a 52 and a Soto 40.

For all events except the Copa del Rey, the 52s—whether a TP52 or IRC52—will race boat-for-boat. “The  IRC52s will have to be within a TCC limit for this,” says Weiland. “That limit is set slightly above the TCC that a TP52 has in order to accommodate features such as carbon rigging, which under IRC carry a rating ‘penalty’.

“Just as we are experiencing at Quantum Key West Race Week, this will provide close and exciting racing,” adds Weiland. “Level rating, as such, is not a novelty, but the mix of level raters and box rule 52s is unique. For sure there is a lot to learn; we will start with an open mind and very few limits.”

At Copa del Rey, Weiland says the 52s will race under IRC. “That suits the event organization better and maximizes the number of boats on the start line. We hope to see well over ten teams competing in Palma.”

Weiland says the class will begin working with the clubs involved in the 2012 program immediately, while the organizational details are finalized for the management group. The 2013 calendar will be announced no later than August 2012. Plans for next year tentatively call for a return to the Americas early in the season.

For more information, contact:

Rob Weiland, Class Manager
Doeslaan 14
2351SR Leiderdorp
Holland
Mobile:  +31 622549566
Mail: robswei@attglobal.net

 

Thursday Report from Division 3

By Gary Leduc 

 

We are sailing aboard a J/111 named Wicked 2.0 owned by Douglas Curtiss, which has a full crew from southeastern Massachusetts. Our home waters are in Buzzards Bay.

 

The class is very competitive with Rush, which we all know is very tough to beat. The J/122 Teamwork is also sailing very well. Our PHRF 1 (ToD) division also has four one-design 35s, including one with Terry Flynn from Quantum Seabrook.

 

Our division also includes three J/111s including Mental with Stu Johnstone. Mental, which hails from the Great Lakes, is very competitive and had a very good day today. Warlock, owned by Tom Hickey, is sailing with Will Wells From North Sails. 

 

The breeze was bouncing left and right all day, while the wind direction swung from 12 degrees to 340. Wind velocity was up and down as well with the top end at 13 and a low end of 7. The wind shifts made it tough to pick one side or the other. For the eight races so far this week, our scores are 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 2, 3, putting us in fifth place overall leading into the final day.

 

By Bill Wagner

 

Key West, Fla — With eight races in the books and two more still to be contested, the outcome of several marquee classes at Quantum Key West 2012 remains in doubt.

 

To absolutely no one's surprise, the deep and talent-laden Melges 32 class has come down to the wire with Samba Pa Ti holding a slim four-point lead over Pisces. Skipper John Kilroy and the Los Angeles-based Samba team posted a strong score line of 2-4-3 on Thursday and will look to protect its advantage on Friday when two races are expected to be held.

 

"Like most good regattas, it comes down to the last day and probably the last race," Kilroy said. "We just have to relax and minimize our mistakes. We're going to go out there and sail the way we normally do."

 

Kilroy said Italian professional Lorenzo Bressani has done a superb job of calling tactics while the sail program has been well organized by Fuzz Foster, owner of the North loft in Hawaii. "The guys are sailing really well, the boat is going really well and we've giving ourselves opportunities to make gains."

 

Pisces, skippered by Benjamin Schwartz with America's Cup veteran Ed Baird aboard as tactician, is a class newcomer that has performed at a high level all week. The New York-based boat placed second in Thursday's last race and was able to drop the eighth it absorbed in Race 7 and trails Samba, 18-22.

 

Photo by Sara Proctor, SailFastPhoto.com

 

There is a good battle brewing in PHRF 1 as well where Teamwork and Tres Hombres have been exchanging blows all week. Skipper Robin Team and his crew aboard the J/122 beat the 1D35 by one point on Thursday and that is also the difference in the overall standings.

 

Tres Hombres, owned by Steve Ghormley, Mike Tyer and Jeff Kitterman, has notched three bullets and finished second or third in three other races. Quantum pro Terry Flynn is calling tactics on the Texas boat.

 

"This regatta starts tomorrow," Flynn declared. "I was hoping we'd have it locked up by now, but there is still work to do. The Teamwork guys are sailing really well and we still have to worry about the J/111 because it's only three points behind us."

 

Flynn said Tres Hombres, Teamwork and Mental (Paul Stahlberg, Barrington, Ill.) have been so close with one another that it mimics one-design racing. "It's almost boat-for-boat, which makes for great racing."

 

Farr 40 is another class that won't be decided until the fifth and final day of the regatta. Struntje Light, the German entry owned by Wolfgang Schaefer, leads Charisma by four points. Those two were tied going into Race 8, but Struntje Light placed second while Charisma (Nico Poons, Monaco) finished sixth.

 

Barking Mad got the gun in two of three races on Thursday and might well be winning the class had it not lost a man overboard and failed to finish Race 2. Skipper Jim Richardson is still only seven boats out of the lead despite taking eight points for the DNF.

 

"We haven't been sailing to our usual level. Today was the closest to feeling like the old Barking Mad," veteran trimmer Morgan Trubovich said.

 

Organizers with Premiere Racing managed to complete the second three-race day of the regatta and that gave some class leaders a chance to really put the hammer down on the competition. Quantum Racing enjoyed a spectacular day with three first place results to build an insurmountable 14 ½ point lead in the 52 Class (IRC 2).

 

Tactician Terry Hutchinson and navigator Micheli Ivaldi, both of whom have multiple America's Cup campaigns under their belts, have proven a formidable tandem in helping skipper Doug DeVos post a total of six bullets in eight starts. Quantum, a Botin Partners designed 52-footer, finished second in the two other races.

 

"It was a great team performance all day. We had good starts in all three races and great boat-handling," utchinson said. "We were a bit fortunate in the second race. We went to the right side of the course, found a little more pressure and moved from seventh to first."

 

Second place PowerPlay, owned by Peter Cunningham of Grand Cayman, cannot mathematically overtake Quantum in two races tomorrow. Hutchinson said the class leaders will sail on Friday nonetheless.

 

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting us to have this kind of scorecard at the beginning of the week. It's just been one of those events when a lot of things have gone our way," he said.

 

One of the most impressive performances of the regatta has come from Groovederci, skippered by Deneen Demourkas of Santa Barbara, Cal., which has won all eight races in Farr 30 class. Phillipe Mourniac is calling tactics for Groovederci, which is coming off a victory at the class world championships and clearly has not lost a beat. "Felipe did a great job in tricky conditions today. He had a string on the wind and didn't let go," Demourkas said.  

 

Winds were nine knots from the north to start the day, increased to 12 at one point then dropped back down. Demourkas said the Division 2 course saw wind shifts of 30 to 40 degrees. She also praised the work of trimmers Darren Jones and Cameron Biehl, who along with bowman Andy Hudson are holdovers from the world championship crew. "Our boat is set up really well and we just have a few more gears than the other boats," she said.

 

Another boat that is unbeaten is Ran, a Judel-Vrolijk 72-footer owned by Niklas Zennstrom of Great Britain. Adrian Stead has done a brilliant job calling tactics on Ran, which has dominated Numbers (JV 66) and Shockwave (Reichel-Pugh 72) in the Mini Maxi (IRC 1) class.

 

It's a runaway in the 18-boat J/80 class as Glenn Darden has steered Le Tigre to a steady stream of first, second and third place results. John Gluek is serving as tactician on Le Tigre, which holds an 18-point lead over second place Rocad Racing (Mikael Lindqvist, Sweden).

 

Le Tigre was named Mount Gay Rum Boat of the Day for winning the class which had the closest, most competitive racing for the day. The boat is co-owned by Reese Hillard, who works the bow while Karl Anderson trims the jib aboard the Fort Worth, Texas entry. They captured the class world championship in 2006 and are seeking to three-peat at Key West.

 

"Our team is really meshing well. We've had a lot of time in the boat and that makes a big difference," Darden said. "John has done a great job of keeping us in phase and everyone else is just doing their job at a high level."

 

Bora Gulari and the West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes team continue to cruise along in Melges 24 class, counting all first place results after being able to drop the sixth it took in Race 6. That gives the Detroit entry a healthy 10-point lead over runner-up WTF (Alan Field, Los Angeles).

 

L'Outrage, a Benteau 10-meter owned by Bruce Gardner of Annapolis, has finished first or second in all eight races and appears headed to its third class victory at Key West. North pro Kenny Saylor is calling tactics on L'Outrage, which earned PHRF Boat of the Week honors in 2000, leads fellow Annapolis boat Tangent (Gerry Taylor) by six points in PHRF 2.

 

"I'm pleasantly surprised. We knew it would be good competition and were kind of worried about how we would do in the lighter air," Gardner said. "We worked hard to adjust the rig to fit the lighter conditions and it seems to have paid off."

 

Quantum Boats in the Top Three in Class After Eight Races 

See full results here: http://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=547

 

Place, Yacht Name, Owner/Skipper, Country

 

52 Class (IRC 2) (IRC – 8 Boats)

1. Quantum Racing, Doug DeVos , USA 

 

IRC 3 (Shared start with High Performance) (IRC – 5 Boats)

2. Vitesse, Jon Halbert 

 

Farr 40 (One Design – 7 Boats)

2. Charisma, Nico Poons , Monaco 

3. Barking Mad, James Richardson, USA

 

Farr 400 (One Design – 5 Boats)

3. Meridian X, W.S. Shelhorse , USA 

 

High Performance (Shared start with IRC 3) (ToT – 4 Boats)

1. Carbonado, Rob & Sandy Butler , CAN 

2. Big Booty, Pat Eudy , USA 

 

Melges 32 (One Design – 19 Boats)

2. Pisces, Benjamin Schwartz, USA 

3. Heartbreaker, Robert Hughes, USA

  

Farr 30 (One Design – 7 Boats)

1. Groovederci, Deneen Demourkas , USA 

2. Theend, Richard Goransson, SWE 

3. Mummbles, Brad Kauffman , USA 

 

J/80 (One Design – 18 Boats)

3. Church Key,  Chris & Liz Chadwick, USA

 

PHRF 1 (ToD) (PHRF – 10 Boats)

2. Tres Hombres, Kitterman, Tyer, Ghormley , USA 

  

J Boats Subclass (ToT) (ToT – 7 Boats)

2. Rush (J), Bill Sweetser , USA

By Doug Stewart, QSDG Design,Annapolis

It is 35 degrees up here in Annapolis, and from where I sit it looks like, except for a day of the light stuff  yesterday, the weather gods have been kinder to my workmates in Key West than to me here in the office. On my plate this week is a new order for a Tripp 77, a full inventory for a Matt 12 in Australia, and finishing up some final details on a Swan 100 order. Just because it seems like every Quantum employee is at the regatta, the truth is we are a big company and the orders continue to roll in, and designs have to be done in order for the production team to do their job! As I am the designer of record for the Melges 32 class, my Key West will start Monday morning when Scott Nixon walks in the door. Over a couple of espressos, we will go over each sail and discuss what we need to do to make the sails perform better in the range for which they were designed. The nice thing with Scott is that he takes great notes and pictures throughout the regatta and is my eyes on the boat.  As we have already established a set sail designs that have proven to be fast, so nothing is drastic. We discuss shapes, fiber and finishing details, and from there changes are made.  It is these changes that keep Pisces, Warpath, Heart Breaker and more battling at the top.  It is a collaborative effort between pros in the field, designers on the boats and at their desk, and production guys on the floor that get the results!  Whether it is Tp52s, Farr 40s, Farr 30s etc., the model Quantum has in place works.

Good luck tomorrow and push some of that warmer climate northward!

With a difficult forecast of light and variable this morning, we began the day with the standard 9:30am boat call hoping for the best. Unfortunately, the radio call came in for a postponement, until 12 o’clock. That was of followed by two more postponements for 12:30 and 1pm. As predicted, races were blown off for the day. What to do now? For some, it was too late to be able to get a tee-time and a full 18 holes in. Some opted for the pool, others took the coach boats off to go fishing. I went for a harbor cruise around the island with several of our crew members.

Even so little to do today, it has been an action-packed 5 days here. We arrived on Friday evening, practiced over the weekend, and managed to watch all of the football games too. Catching up with old friends and new ones has bee great, as well as seeing manatees and huge Tarpon in the harbor, finding and an endless supply of tourists getting off cruise ships and walking Duval street, listening to live performers in every establishment, trying to find a spot to park your bike at the Quantum regatta tent in the evenings, Key lime pie on a popsicle stick and so on. . . plus some boat work and sailboat racing. There has been no shortage of things to do most days!

Nothing else to report today. Headed for a shower and the Vitesse crew dinner next. Then, hopefully three races tomorrow to get back on schedule. We had a few break downs the first day, so we are looking forward to getting all the races in to get back up towards the top of the results sheet.

George Szabo

By Wally Cross

 

No racing in Key West today and I am happy. I have the pleasure of racing with Robert Hughes on his Melges 32. We have been blessed with two, perfect sailing days however; five races later, my experienced body needs rest.  Bob, who is a 13-year loyal Quantum customer, decided to make his crew younger by inviting Tovar Mirsky and his buddies from Perth, Australia to sail with us on the 32. Tovar is one of the world’s best match racers and will be the tactician for Bob through the Melges 32 worlds in Newport.  Tovar and his young team bring so much energy and spirit I can only laugh when sailing. We could be in last or first and their attitude is the same: push on and have fun. I am not saying I am old, but after sailing with this group in this class I look forward to the hot tub and bed more than ever.

 

With every regatta I sail, the Melges 32 class is getting more serious and younger, more talented teams are required to stay competitive  We are lucky to have a great owner like Bob Hughes that understands the ingredients of a winning team.  We have a great boat captain, Marc Palma, and a wonderful team with Tovar Mirsky and Quantum® sails.  Heartbreaker is currently in 5th place and hopefully, with five more races, we can move up closer to the top. Three races tomorrow and an earlier start, I am off to bed.

By Brian Janney

 

This week is a change of pace for me because I'm not sailing in the regatta but am here helping to take care of the Quantum Racing TP52. As most of you now know, there wasn't any wind out there today so here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the preparations that go in to getting the boat ready for a regatta. 

 

The 52 was sent over from Europe on a ship and delivered to Palm Beach just before Christmas. We then delivered the boat to Ft. Lauderdale. Following a break for holidays, we returned to start getting ready for the race. The deck had just been repainted so we had to re-rig all of the systems. We repainted the keel and laid down new non-skid in the cockpit. 

 

On the Wednesday before the regatta, we delivered the boat to Key West and had a day to clean her up and get ready for the team to come in and practice Friday through Sunday. 

 

A normal day for us means getting down to the boat at least one hour before the race team. We dry off the boat while another member of the shore crew jumps in the water to clean the bottom. After that I reload the boat with water and sport drink for the day’s races. By this time Andrew Scott and Brett Jones show up and begin selecting what sails will go on the boat. In the MedCup, the coach boat can carry extra sails and swap out sails in between races; but in IRC, the boat must leave the dock with all the sails for the day. 

 

While team members are arriving, we load sails onto the boat. Following a brief dock meeting, the boat leaves for the day. We clean up the dock and then generally, head back to our container and make any parts that are needed like sheets and halyards. 

 

We watch the Race Committee blog so we know when the last race happens and when we should be at the dock to meet the boat. Back at the dock, we get a list of anything that broke or needs to be replaced and then get right to work. When work has been completed, we spray the inside of the boat with fresh water, bail it out, plug in the dehumidifier and close her up. After the decks get washed, we can call it a night so we can be ready to go after it again the next day. 

By John Bowden

Quantum Key West 2012 started with a blast of wind ranging from 18-26 knots on Monday. The Big Booty team, a Lutra 42 powered by Quantum® sails, excelled in the heavy air, posting scores of 1-2 and winning the day in the High Performance PHRF class. After returning to the dock, the crew was eager to start the party off right and did exactly that with plenty of mudslides before hitting the showers. The rest of Monday night went, well . . . exactly how you would expect. 

Tuesday conditions were not quite as favorable for Team Big Booty. We struggled in the lighter air, especially the first two, with scores of 4, 4, and 2. The last race was a nice way to end the day and helped overcome the frustration of the previous results. Clearly, more mudslides were in order as soon as we hit the dock. 

Unfortunately the racing was cancelled today due to the wind never showing up. The race organizers postponed us on shore (some people cannot say thanks enough for that decision . . .) for a little while before eventually calling the whole day off. Luckily for our team, our fearless leader took control and managed to find rides for us to all go sport fishing where we totally destroyed the tuna and mahi mahi!!! 

Hopefully Thursday will bring more wind and get us back on the racecourse. But for now, I think I just heard the dinner bell.