Acura Key West 2007

Five fabulous race days marked the 20^th anniversary of this renowned international regatta. Boats and crews from over 20 countries enjoyed outstanding competition and reveled in the type of conditions for which the southernmost point in the continental US is famous.

Steady 10-14 knot winds, sunny skies, temperatures in the 80s, and relatively flat water off the Conch Republic, welcomed over 2,800 sailors from across the country and around the world to Acura Key West 2007, presented by Nautica.

Top caliber competition meant that many class champions were not determined until the 9^th and final race with trophies awarded to 17 very deserving class champions on Friday evening. A first ever PHRF National Champion was crowned. A number of classes awarded their own Mid-Winter Championships and the Corsair 28R class celebrated their 2007 National Championship.

“Today was champagne sailing in every respect,” remarked IRC 2 champion Magic Glove’s owner Colm Barrington (Dublin, IRL) on Friday. “You’re out there on emerald waters with the sun shining brightly and the wind blowing strong. It’s all quite breathtaking.”

“This was the perfect Key West. We had terrific weather, wonderful conditions, fantastic race management and tremendous competition,” IRC 1 champion Dan Meyers said. “Hats off to Peter Craig and his entire team for giving us sailors another great regatta.”

Key West debuts were made by new designs and royalty. HRH Prince Frederik of Denmark competed in the ultra-competitive Farr 40 class, with Volvo Ocean Race veteran Bouwe Bekking calling tactics. “The fact I can sail only a few weeks out of the year and still have an opportunity to compete against the real rock stars of the sailing world is very exciting, a real adrenaline rush,” the Crown Prince said.

Esmeralda, owned by Japanese industrialist Makoto Uematsu and hull No. 2 of the Club Swan 42 one-design, made its competitive debut at Acura Key West 2007. Builder Nautor’s Swan is projecting a 12 boat class start for this German Frers design in 2008.

Boat of the Week - The Acura Trophy

The ultimate prize at Key West is the Acura Trophy, awarded to Key West’s Boat of the Week. This prestigious award is presented to the boat which triumphs in the class with the closest, most competitive sailing. Hailing from the 47-boat Melges 24 class, Giacomel Audi Racing (Italy) came from 9 points back to vault from 4^th to 1^st in the final race to win this very competitive class.

“When you are racing in a class that is this big and this close, things can change quickly”, said Riccardo Simoneschi. “We maintained our focus and improved a couple of places every day.”

PHRF National Championship

Four PHRF class leaders entered the final race of the series in contention for the title. “It was an interesting competition and an extremely close one,” said Bruce Bingman, chairman of the event PHRF Consortium, who created the formula for the first ever National Championship (posted at premiere-racing.com). “First, second and third place were determined by the tiniest margin.”

The final point total was very tight between runner up Rhumb Punch (PHRF 5 - Linda and John Edwards’ J/29) and champion NKE Electronics (PHRF 3 – Robert Oberg’s Beneteau 10R) with Rhumb Punch having the best average corrected speed for the week and NKE Electronics the best class competitiveness factor with the dual criteria.

Bobby Oberg, a 35-year-old New Jersey native who sailed at St. Mary’s College, was thrilled to win the inaugural PHRF National Championship. “It’s pretty exciting because 20 years from now, somebody is going to win this award and our name is going to be on there first,” Oberg said.

1. NKE Electronics (Beneteau 10R), Bobby Oberg, Annapolis, Md. PHRF 3 19.3 pts

2. Rhumb Punch (J/29), John & Linda Edwards, Solomon's Isl, Md. PHRF 5 19.2 pts

3. AS IF (SR-33), Jeff Kitterman, Kemah, Texas PHRF 4 18.7 pts

International Team Competition – The Nautica Watches Trophy

Eleven 3-boat teams participated in what has become an exciting Key West tradition.

Alinghi, the Switzerland-flagged Farr 40 and current America’s Cup holder led Team Switzerland to victory in the International Team competition. Artemis, a Swan 601 owned by Torbjorn Tornqvist, placed third in IRC 1 class while Franco Rossini’s Blu Moon took third in Melges 24 to complete a strong showing by Team Switzerland, which earned the Nautica Watches Trophy by a mere 4½ points over Team France.

Team Switzerland: 102.5 points Artemis, Alinghi, Blu Moon

Team France: 107 points Magic Glove, Twins, Partner and Partner

Team United Kingdom-1 137 points Yeoman 32, Kokomo, Excellent

Class by Class Recap

IRC 1 – Dan Meyers’ Numbers and Edgar Cato’s Hissar battled all week long with the two Farr 60’s routinely finishing within seconds of one another. The class win came down to the very last race which featured numerous lead changes and Numbers rolling over her rival on the second downwind leg and holding on for the win. “It basically took until the last leeward mark rounding. There were a heap of tacks and gybes thrown in today to keep everyone on their toes. It was a heck of a lot of fun,” Meyers said.

Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis with Russell Coutts calling tactics took 3^rd place and prevailed in the Swan 601 sub-class. Pioneer Investments by Cuordileone edged out Jim Swartz’ Moneypenny on a tie breaker for 2^ndin the Swan sub class.

IRC 2 – The outcome in this class also came down to the last race with skipper Colm Barrington steering Magic Glove to a second place finish in Race 9 to secure overall victory. The good-natured Irishman was making his Key West debut with a recently-launched Ker 50 and placed first or second in six of nine races against a loaded fleet.

Robert Greenhalgh, a member of the victorious ABN AMRO crew in the last Volvo Ocean Race, called tactics aboard Magic Glove, which opened the regatta with a sixth then reeled off three straight bullets. Samba Pa Ti and Windquest, a pair of TP 52s, placed second and third, respectively.

IRC 3 – Esmeralda triumphed over Spirit of Malouen by the narrowest of margins. Tactician Ken Read was pleased with the Club Swan / NYYC 42 debut. “We came into this regatta with the plan of learning the boat and getting it set up properly. We had no expectations results-wise, so this is a pleasant surprise,” said Read, a North Sails executive. “We have some specially-designed IRC rocket ships in this class while we’re set up completely in one-design trim. It appears this is a one-design that the IRC rule likes.”

“The IRC classes truly brought together some of the top sailing minds in the world. People like Russell Coutts, Dee Smith and Kenny Read, just to name a few, really elevated the sailing level of the IRC boats here,” said Bruce Golison, principal race officer on Division 2, which included all three IRC fleets. “The overall talent level made for awesome starts, tight mark roundings and close finishes. The crew work as a whole was outstanding. No lead was safe and no deficit was too great to overcome.”

Farr 40 – Alinghi was still in its berth at the Galleon docks when the fleet left the harbor for the last race on Friday morning. Swiss skipper Ernesto Bertarelli and crew clinched overall victory in the Farr 40 class on Thursday and decided to get a head start on returning to their America’s Cup base in Dubai, Saudi Arabia. Tactician Brad Butterworth called a near perfect week which began with Boat of the Day honors on Monday.

Former St. Mary’s College All-American Mark Ivey called tactics on Helmut Jahn’s Chicago entry Flash Gordon 5. Jahn, an architect from Berlin, Germany, has been in the Farr 40 class six years, and his second place finish was a best ever.

Melges 32 (Mid-Winter Championship) – This was the second Key West appearance for these high performance flyers, and an impressive 20 boats came to play. Claudio Recchi (Italy) rolled in Let’s Roll, with 5 first place finishes and no worse than a 5^th (which was discarded).

Key West veterans Mike Carroll and Marty Kullman (New Wave, St Petersburg, Fla) edged out Texan Glenn Darden’s Hoss for second.

Mumm 30 – This was another closely contested class decided on the final day. Southern Sun, the Australian entry skippered by Bruce Eddington, held onto its lead, winning on a tie-breaker by virtue of posting more first place results during the 9-race series. Dutchman Peter De Ridder and his Mean Machine crew did all they could to put the pressure on Aussies by winning Race 9.

Armando Giullietti’s Calvi Hiroshi took 3^rd place honors, edging Deneen Demourkas’ Santa Barbara, CA entry in a tie-breaker.

Melges 24 (Mid-Winter Championship) – Italian skipper Riccardo Simoneschi and his crew aboard Giacomel Audi Racing captured the highly-competitive Melges 24 class in dramatic fashion. Simoneschi got the gun in the last race to vault from fourth to first in the 47-boat fleet, largest of the regatta. His move to the top also earned him the prestigious Acura Trophy, symbolic of Boat of the Week. Perennial class favorites Joe Fly (Como, Italy), Blu Moon (Lugano, SUI), and Pegasus 505 (Santa Ana, CA) were 2^nd through 4^th respectively, all within 8 points of the class leader.

J/105 (Mid-Winter Championship) – Class honors for the second largest class in Key West (33 boats) were still in doubt going into Friday’s last race, but Thomas Coates and his team aboard Masquerade shut down any thoughts of a come-from-behind victory by Donald Wilson’s Convexity. Chris Perkins made all the right tactical calls as Masquerade got the gun in Race 9 to seal its third straight title in the J/105 class.

“We were talking on the way back to the dock and everyone agreed the competition here this year was better than it’s ever been,” said Coates, a San Francisco resident. “All the teams are further along on the learning curve. That makes this win even more special than the previous two.”

J/80 (Mid-Winter Championship) – Kerry Klingler’s consistent strong performance (3 firsts, 4 seconds) gave he and his Larchmont, NY Lifted crew a solid victory over John Storck Jr.’s Huntington, NY Rumor. Magnus Tyreman representing the Swedish J/80 fleet took third place in this 17-boat class.

Corsair 28R (National Championship) – Race week’s sole multihull class was competing for their 2007 National Championship. Steve Marsh and Todd Hudgins (Stuart, FL) dominated with 8 bullets earning the class champion (professional) honors. Bob Harkrider’s Bad Boys and Peter Katcha’s Relentless were separated by a mere two points, taking second and third places respectively.

Cliff Farrah’s Strategery (Destin, FL) was awarded the class Presidential (amateur) recognition, followed by Tom Reese’s Flight Simulator (Youngstown, NY) and Bruce Jenevein in Ranger (Dallas, TX).

J/109 (Mid-Winter Championship) – Another hotly contested one design class with Gary Mozer’s Current Obsession winning a tie-breaker over Stephen Tedeschi’s Tastes Like Chicken. Mozer, from Long Beach, CA, notched a third on Friday and thus was able to throw out a seventh from Race 8 and deadlock Tedeschi (Newport, RI) with 20 points. Current Obsession, which was making its Key West debut, was lifted to victory by back-to-back bullets in the sixth and seventh races.

PHRF 1 – Extensive Key West experience, smooth team work and three bullets put Pete Hunter’s Thompson 30 Wairere crew on top in PHRF 1. This was Hunter’s 14^th Key West Race Week. Two 1D35s battled it out for 2^nd, with Spaceman Spiff, Robert Ruhlman’s Cleveland, OH entry finishing three points clear of Robert Hesse’s Plowhorse from Youngstown, NY.

PHRF 2 – The largest PHRF class was one of the most competitive with six different boats winning races. Lloyd Griffin’s Hadley 40 Cash Flow defeated Bill Hanckel’s J/120 Emocean, who also took the J/120 sub-class honors. Three boats finished within 2 points of one another for the 3^rd place series trophy with Hunt Lawrence’s J/120 Peregrine prevailing.

Last year’s champion Rick Wesslund’s El Ocaso (San Francisco, CA) was not on the podium until Friday of this year, when he rallied to win Friday’s race and the Acura Boat of the Day award.

PHRF 3 – NKE Electronics, a Beneteau 10R skippered by Bobby Oberg of Annapolis, clinched on Thursday. Oberg, tactician Matt Beck and crew hit Duval Street to celebrate, but made sure they started on Friday as the PHRF National Championship was still on the line. That decision proved wise as NKE Electronics wrapped up the inaugural championship by the narrowest of margins.

The Beneteau 10R got some terrific exposure in their Key West debut, with a 5-boat sub-class and Craig Sheard and Dave Curtis’ Manic taking 3^rd place in PHRF 3. Tom Beery’s J/35 Man-O-War (Pascagoula, MS) beat Manic in the final race break to earn 2^nd in series.

PHRF 4 – Jeff Kitterman and his Kemah, TX crew on the SR 33 AS-IF won with a comfortable 10-point margin over Scott Piper’s Tripp 33 Pipe Dream XIV.

The J92s made its Key West debut with a 4-boat sub-class within PHRF 4. Three generations of Johnstones sailed Polar Express to sub-class honors and 3^rd place in PHRF 4. Rod celebrated his 70^th birthday during race week with granddaughter Rachel and son Jeff, the current President of J/Boats.

PHRF 5 - Rhumb Punch, the J/29 owned by John and Linda Edwards of Solomon’s Island, MD had a great week in this competitive 9-boat class. Four of their wins were by less than a minute on corrected time.

Chuck Simon and Bill Buckles’ perennial contender T-10 Liquor Box (Key West and Ohio) took a 2^nd place over Bert Carp’s Donovan 27 Remedy (Annapolis, MD)

PHRF 6 – Dan Romano’s Mariah 27 Jazzy Jr (Farmington Hills, MI) made its fifth trip to Key West and he achieved his first class win. Denny Manrique’s S2 7.9 Island Flyer followed with a close second over Paul Jenning’s Noe 27 En Charette.

The J/24s had 5 boats in class with local Peter Goldsmith’s Blah Blah Blah winning the sub-class trophy.

Boats of the Day – awarded to the winner of the day’s most competitive class

Monday – Nautica Watches Day

Alinghi - Farr 40, Ernesto Bertarelli, Geneva, Switzerland

Tuesday – City of Key West Day

Let’s Roll - Melges 32, Claudio Recchi, YC Italiano, Italy

Wednesday - Mount Gay Rum Day

Pegasus 505 - Melges 24, Dave Ullman, Santa Ana, CA

Thursday - Industry Partner Day

Southern Sun - Mumm 30, Bruce Eddington, Narre Warren, Australia

Friday - Acura Day

El Ocaso - PHRF 2 - J/120, Rick Wesslund, San Francisco, CA

The Acura Grand Prix Awards – presented to the combined class winners of Acura Key West and the Acura Miami Grand Prix (March 8–11, 2007) have become some of the most sought after trophies on the international racing circuit. Perpetual awards are in the offing to the Farr 40, Mumm 30, Melges 32 and IRC big boat classes.

TV and Internet Productions will bring the racing excitement right into homes and offices around the world. Acura will sponsored a special daily internet production available nightly on JobsonSailing.com and ESPN.com. Additionally a special Jobson Sailing production will be aired on ESPN 2, Sunday March 11 at 1:30 PM EST.

Event Sponsors
Title Sponsor Acura is the Official Vehicle. Presenting Sponsor Nautica Watches is the Official Timekeeper. Day Sponsor Mount Gay® Rum is the Official Rum. Supporting sponsors are B&G (Official Marine Electronics), Everglades Boats (Official Mark Boat), Lewmar (Official Marine Hardware), New England Ropes (Official Rope), SLAM (Official Technical Gear), and Sperry Top-Sider (Official Footwear). Supplier Spaten is the Official Beer.

Acura Key West is also supported by The Florida Keys & Key West Tourism Council. The Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight is the Official Site.

About the Industry Partner Program
Thirty-four Industry Partners bring their support through a program that is now in its 6th year.

Press and Public Relations: Bill Wagner

About Acura

Acura offers a full line of technologically advanced luxury performance vehicles through a nationwide network of more than 260 dealers throughout the United States. The 2007 Acura lineup features five distinctive models, the RL luxury performance sedan, the TL performance luxury sedan, the TSX sports sedan, the turbo-charged RDX luxury sport utility vehicle and the award-winning MDX luxury SUV. For more information about Acura vehicles, please visit www.acura.com For media inquiries, please go to www.acuranews.com

Acura Key West 2007 – Final Standings after 9 races

Farr 40 (no discard)

Alinghi, Ernesto Bertarelli, Geneva, Switzerland, 2-1-1-5-16 –1 - 6- 1-18dnc, 51
Flash Gordon 5, Helmut & Evan Jahn, Chicago, IL, USA, 6-10-2-7-1-7-5-15-1, 54
Twins, Erik Maris, Newport, RI, USA, 11-2-13-4-2-11-11- 5-5, 64

Melges 32

Let’s Roll, Claudio Recchi, YC Italiano, ITA, 1-1-3-1-1-(5)- 2-1-2, 12
New Wave, Carroll/Kullman, St. Petersburg, FL, USA, 4-4-(9)-4- 3-1 -7-4-3, 30
Hoss, Glenn Darden, Ft. Worth, TX, USA, 2-2-5-7-4-6-(8)-7-4, 37

Mumm 30 (no discard)

Southern Sun, Bruce Eddington, Narre Warren, AUS, 4-4-4-1-5-1-2-1-5, 27
Mean Machine, Peter De Ridder, Monaco, 5-3-6-2-2-2-3-3-1, 27
Calvi Hiroshi, Armando Giulietti, Rimini, ITA, 1-1-2-6-11-4-1-5-8, 39

J/105 (no discard)

Masquerade, Thomas Coates, San Francisco, CA, USA, 1-7-1-2- 3- 4-24-3-1, 46
Convexity, Donald Wilson, Chicago, IL, USA, 2-1-4-4-25-1-10-2-4, 53
Max Power, Gerrit Schulze, Cape May, NJ, USA, 6-4-17-14-5-7-2-4-1, 61

J/80

Lifted, Kerry Klingler, Larchmont, NY, USA, 2-1-1-2-(7)-3,-1-2-2, 14
Rumor, John Storck, Jr., Huntington, NY, USA, 1-3-4-5-(6)-2- 3-1-1, 20
Emotional Rescue, Magnus Tyreman, Stockholm, SWE, 4-8-3-3-(10)-4,2,4-8, 36

Melges 24

Giacomel Audi Racing, Riccardo Simoneschi, 4- 9- 3-(17)- 6-5-8-6-1, 42
Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero, Como, ITA, 1-2-1-3- 2-(20)-12-12-14, 47
Blu Moon, Franco Rossini, Lugano, SUI, 2-7-2-(10)-5-8-6-9-8, 47

Corsair 28R

Dealers Choice, Marsh/Hudgins, Stuart, FL, USA, (3)-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1, 8
Bad Boys, Bob Harkrider, Augusta, GA, USA, 1-7-2-2- 2-(8)-4-8-6, 30
Relentless, Peter Katcha, St. Petersburg, FL, USA, 4-(8)-3-3-4-2-3-3-2, 32

J/109

Current Obsession, Gary Mozer, Long Beach, CA, USA, 5-3-3-2-1-1-2-(7)-3, 20
Tastes Like Chicken, Stephen Tedeschi, Newport, RI, USA, 3-2-2-3-4-2-3-1-(5), 20
Mojo, Steven Rhyne, Seabrook, TX, USA, 2-(dsq)-1-5-2-4-4-2-1, 21

IRC 1

Numbers, CM 60, Daniel Meyers, Newport, RI, USA, 1-2-4-2-1-2-1-1-(7), 14
Hissar, Farr 60, Edgar Cato, Newport, RI, USA, 3-1-2-1-3-1-2-2-(8), 15
Artemis, Swan 601, Torbjorn Tornqvist, Stockholm, SWE, 6-(8),1-5.5-4-3-3-3-2, 27.5

IRC 2

Magic Glove, Ker 50, Colm Barrington, Dublin, IRL, (6)-1-1-1-3-1-2-3-2, 14
Samba Pa Ti, TP52, John Kilroy, San Francisco, CA, USA, 1-3-5-3-1-4-1-1-1, 15
Windquest, TP52, Doug DeVos, Holland, MI, USA, 2-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-(4), 18

IRC 3

Esmeralda, Club Swan 42, Makoto Uematsu, Seabornia, JPN, (2)-2-1-1-2-1-1-1-2, 11
Spirit of Malouen, Sinergia 40, Stephane Neve, La Trinite-Mer, FRA, 1-1-(3)-2-1-2-2-2-1,12
Better Than, Swan 45, Andrzej Rojek, Newport, RI, USA, 4-4-5-3-3-3-3-3-(6), 28

PHRF 1

Wairere, Thompson 30, Pete Hunter, Kill Devil Hill, NC, USA, 9-3-3-1- 2-2- 3-1-1, 16
Spaceman Spiff, 1D35, Robert Ruhlman, Cleveland, OH, USA, 2-6-2-6-3-1-6-3-4, 27
Plowhorse, Robert Hesse, Youngstown, NY, USA, 3-5-4-4-5-(7)-1-6-2, 30

PHRF 2

Cash Flow, Hadley 40, Lloyd Griffin, Elizabeth City, NC, USA, (7)-3-2-1-2-3-1-1-2, 15
Emocean, J/120, Bill Hanckel, Charleston, SC, USA, 1-(4)-1-2-4-2-3-3-4, 20
Peregrine, J/120, Hunt Lawrence, Oyster Bay, NY, USA, 3-6-(9)-4-3-1-5-8-3, 33

PHRF 3

NKE Electronics, Beneteau 10R, Robert Oberg, Annapolis, MD, USA, 2-2-1-1-1-1-2-3-(4), 13
Man-O-War, J/35, Tom Beery, Pascagoula, MS, USA, 3-1-2-3-(4)-3-4-1-1, 18
Manic, Beneteau 10R, C. Sheard/Cape Yachts, So Dartmouth, MA, USA, 1-3-3-2-3-2-3-(5)-2,19

PHRF 4

As-If, SR-33, Jeff Kitterman, Kemah, TX, USA, 2-2-1-1-2-2-1-(3)-1, 12
Pipe Dream XIV, Tripp 33, Scott Piper, Miami, FL, USA, 3-3-2-4-(5)-3-3-2-2, 22
Polar Express, J/92s, Jeff Johnstone, Newport, RI, USA, (4)-1-3-3-4-4-2-4-4, 25

PHRF 5

Rhumb Punch, J/29, John & Linda Edwards, Solomons, MD, USA, 1-1-1-1-(2)-1-1-1-1, 8
Liquor Box, T-10, Simon/Buckles, Key West, FL, USA, 2-3-2-(6)-1-4-2-4-2, 20
Remedy, Donovan 27, Bert Carp, Annapolis, MD, USA, 6-2-3-2-4-6-3-3-(8), 29

PHRF 6

Jazzy Jr., Mariah 27, Dan Romano, Farmington Hills, MI, USA, 1-1-(2)-1-4-1-3-1-1, 11
Island Flyer, S2 7.9, Denny Manrique, Lake Minnetonka, MN, USA, (7)-2-1-3-1-2-1-3-2, 15
En Charette, Noe 27, Paul Jennings, Branford, CT, USA, 2-3-3-2-3-3-(5)-2-5, 23

January 19, 2007 – For Immediate Release

Acura Key West 2007 –“Stuck on Gorgeous”

-- Ideal Weather and World Class Competition Make 20^th Race Week Special

ESPN commentator Gary Jobson stated it accurately and perfectly in one of his daily reports on Acura Key West 2007, presented by Nautica.

Jobson described the weather in Key West this week as “stuck on gorgeous.”

Gorgeous indeed and how fitting the 20^th anniversary of the renowned international regatta would deliver the type of conditions for which the southernmost point of the United States is famous.

A fleet of 260 boats carrying more than 2,000 sailors enjoyed sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s all five days of the regatta, organized by Premiere Racing. Adding to the spectacular scene were top-notch sailing conditions – steady 10-14 knot winds and flat water off the Conch Republic.

Meyers and his high-level crew aboard Numbers won a week-long battle royale with Edgar Cato and Hissar. The two Farr-designed 60-footers entered the ninth and final race separated by just two points and predictably engaged in a match race duel.

Hissar led until the second downwind leg, but Numbers rolled over its rival and held the lead during the upwind finish. “It basically took until the last leeward mark rounding. There were a heap of tacks and gybes thrown in today to keep everyone on their toes. It was a heck of a lot of fun,” Meyers said.

Hamish Pepper, an America’s Cup winner with Team New Zealand, called tactics aboard Numbers. Meyers had high praise for his entire crew, which also included such Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup veterans as John Barnett, Tim Dawson, Jerry Kirby, John MacGowan and Erle Williams.

“I cannot express how grateful I am to the crew. We had one guy fly in from Dubai, another from Spain. Guys came from New Zealand and California,” Meyers said. “To see the smiles on their faces at the end of the week is very rewarding. We try to have a relaxed atmosphere onboard and I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”

IRC 2 class also came down to the last race with skipper Colm Barrington steering Magic Glove to a second place finish in Race 9 to secure overall victory. The good-natured Irishman was making his Key West debut with a recently-launched Ker 50 and placed first or second in six of nine races against a loaded fleet.

“I am absolutely ecstatic about this result,” Barrington said. “We made a lot of changes to the boat over the last few months. We tweaked the rig and got some different sails and it all seemed to work out.”

“We came out of the gate with an awful finish, but Robert kept us on the right track and we were fairly consistent the rest of the way,” Barrington said. “It was interesting because the TP 52s are so much lighter and quicker. We had to really focus on staying close and saving our time on them.”

Magic Glove managed to do exactly that on Friday, finishing second behind Samba Pa Ti on corrected time. “Today was champagne sailing in every respect. You’re out there on emerald waters with the sun shining brightly and the wind blowing strong. It’s all quite breathtaking.”

Italian skipper Riccardo Simoneschi and his crew aboard Giacomel Audi Racing captured the highly-competitive Melges 24 class in dramatic fashion. Simoneschi got the gun in Race 9 to vault from fourth to first in the 47-boat fleet, largest of the regatta.

“We got a great start and our tactics were almost perfect,” said Simoneschi, who rounded the first windward mark in first place and extended the lead to 400 meters by the finish.

Simoneschi’s decisive move in the standings – going from eight points down to a five-point victory – also earned Giacomel Audi Racing the prestigious Acura Trophy as Boat of the Week. Officials with Premiere Racing determined that the Melges 24 class featured the closest, most competitive racing over the course of the week.

“It was a nice comeback. We started a little slow, but got better as the week went along,” said Simoneschi, who counted all single-digit finishes. “When you are racing in a class that is this big and this close, things can change quickly. We maintained our focus and improved a couple places every day.”

Giacomel Audi Racing stood in eighth place after two days of racing, but steady clawed its way up the leader board. Snatching overall victory in the final race was a fitting turnaround for Simoneschi, who led going into the last day and finished fourth at Acura Key West 2006.

Matteo Ivaldi served as tactician for the Italian team, which launched a brand new boat for this regatta and spent the first couple days tuning the rig. Week-long leader Joe Fly found trouble on Friday as helmsman Gabrio Zandona was forced to perform two penalty turns for hitting a mark and finished 14^th. California sailmaker Dave Ullman started the day in second, but was over early at the start and wound up 12^thin the last race. Those disappointing results left Joe Fly 5 points behind in second and Pegasus 505 in 4^thoverall.

Mumm 30 is another grand prix class that was decided on the final day. Southern Sun, the Australian entry skippered by Bruce Eddington, held onto its lead by the skin of its teeth. Dutchman Peter De Ridder and the Mean Machine crew did all they could to put the pressure on Aussies by winning Race 9.

Southern Sun was in sixth place with 100 meters remaining on the last leg, but picked off a boat and placed fifth – good enough to finished tied with Mean Machine on points. Eddington won the tiebreaker by virtue of posting more first place results in the regatta.

“We have a new team with three young guys who are first timers to the Mumm 30. They all did a great job and we improved throughout the week,” said De Ridder, who has announced his intention to mount a Volvo Ocean Race campaign. “I think our problem is that we didn’t floss enough in the first couple races. There are huge patches of weed out there and you have to clear it on the runs.”

NKE Electronics, a Beneteau 10R skippered by Bobby Oberg of Annapolis, clinched PHRF 3 on Thursday and celebrated hard. Oberg, tactician Matt Beck and crew hit Duval Street hard until the wee hours of Friday morning, but drug themselves out of bed to go racing Friday because the PHRF National Championship was still on the line.

That decision proved wise as NKE Electronics wrapped up the championship by the narrowest of margins over Rhumb Punch, a J/29 owned by John and Linda Edwards of Solomon’s Island.

Four PHRF class leaders entered the final race in contention for the title with a ties for first place and third. “It was an interesting competition and an extremely close one,” said Bruce Bingman, chairman of the PHRF consortium, and the mastermind that produced the formula for the newly-created national championship. “Both ties were broken on the water by the tiniest margin.”

Oberg, a 35-year-old New Jersey native who sailed at St. Mary’s College, was thrilled to pick up the inaugural PHRF National Championship.

“It’s pretty exciting because 20 years from now, somebody is going to win this award and our name is going to be on there first,” Oberg said.

J/105 class was still in doubt going into Friday, but Thomas Coates and his team aboard Masquerade shut down any thoughts of a come-from-behind victory by Convexity. Veteran accountant Chris Perkins made all the right tactical calls as Masquerade got the gun in Race 9 to seal its third straight title in J/105 class here at Key West.

Convexity fouled another boat and was forced to perform a penalty turn, but skipper Donald Wilson still managed to fight his way back to fourth in the final race to finish seven points behind Masquerade.

“Our goal today was to sail our own race while also paying attention to where Convexity was at all times,” Coates said. “This is a great way to finish the regatta. We are absolutely thrilled with the three-peat.”

Another hotly contested class was J/109 with Gary Mozer’s Current Obsession winning a tiebreaker with Stephen Tedeschi’s Tastes Like Chicken. Mozer, from Long Beach, Cal., notched a third on Friday and thus was able to throw out a seventh from Race 8 and deadlock Tedeschi (Newport, R.I.) with 20 points. Current Obsession, which was making its Key West debut, was lifted to victory by back-to-back bullets in the sixth and seventh races.

Alinghi was still in its berth at The Galleon docks when the fleet left the harbor on Friday morning. Skipper Ernesto Bertarelli and crew clinched overall victory in the Farr 40 class on Thursday and decided to get a head start on returning to their America’s Cup base in Dubai, Saudi Arabia.

Alinghi, a Switzerland-flagged syndicate and current America’s Cup holder, picked up some additional hardware on Friday despite not sailing. Bertarelli’s victory in the 17-boat Farr 40 class led Switzerland to victory in the International Team competition. Artemis, a Swan 601 owned by Torbjorn Tornqvist, placed third in IRC 1 class while Franco Rossini’s Blu Moon took third in Melges 24 to complete a strong showing by Team Switzerland, which earned the Nautica Watches Trophy by a 4 ½ points over Team France.

El Ocaso, a J/120 owned by Rick Wesslund of Tiburon, Cal., was victorious in some incredibly close racing within PHRF 2 class on Friday. El Ocaso’s performance in holding off overall class winner Cash Flow (Lloyd Griffin) earned Wesslund and crew the Acura Boat of the Day honor.

January 18, 2007

Down to the Wire at Acura Key West 2007

-- 12 Winners to be Decided in Final Race

Dan Meyers stood on the dock in front of the Westin Hotel and simply shook his head when asked how close the competition has been in IRC 1 class.

Meyers and his crew aboard Numbers have engaged in a battle royale with Edgar Cato and the Hissar team with the two Farr-designed 60-footers sailing around the course in constant contact.

“It’s been absolutely fantastic racing. We have battled back-and-forth all week and we have to do it one more day,” said Meyers, who steered Numbers to a pair of bullets on Thursday to take a two point lead over Hissar.

Those victories didn’t come easy as Cato was breathing down the back of his Newport (R.I.) neighbor all the way to the finish. “These two boats are incredibly even. They go the same speed and have similar caliber crews. We had a race today in which the lead changed hands twice in the last 60 seconds.”

IRC 1 is among 12 classes still in doubt going into the final day of Acura Key West 2007, presented by Nautica. Organizers with Premiere Racing are planning to start one race on Friday and it will be do or die for Meyers and many other skippers.

“It’s all on, winner-take-all. There’s nothing better than to have a great regatta like this go right down to the wire,” said Meyers, who did not hesitate when asked what Numbers’ approach will be in the ninth and final race. “For us, it’s two words: Sail clean. We can’t worry about Hissar or any other boat. We just have to sail the best we can and let the chips fall where they may.”

Only two points separate the first and second place boats in IRC 2 and 3 as well. In the J/109 class, Tastes Like Chicken and Current Obsession are only one point apart. Surprisingly, the Farr 40s are one of the only five classes already determined after four days of racing.

Skipper Ernesto Bertarelli steered Alinghi to its fourth victory of the series on Thursday to clinch overall victory in Farr 40. The team from Geneva, Switzerland holds an insurmountable 20-point lead over Flash Gordon 5 in the 17-boat class.

Alinghi does not need to leave the dock on Friday, but tactician Brad Butterworth said the team is inclined to go out on the water one last time.

“We came here to go sailing so why not do as much as we can,” Butterworth said. It would be nice to end the regatta on a good note. I guess we’ll see what the boss thinks.”

Bertarelli came to Key West with five members of his America’s Cup crew, figuring warm and sunny Florida would provide a nice break from preparations to defend the Auld Mug. Butterworth praised the trimming of Lorenzo Mazza and Warwick Fleury and said Pieter Van Niewuenhuyzen is such a good bowman “it’s like having two guys up there.”

However, six other members of the crew were not professionals – per class rules – and had to blend in with the Cup sailors. “This crew had never sailed as a group so we weren’t sure how it would go. It turns out we worked very well together,” Butterworth said.

While the boys on Alinghi can relax tomorrow, the intensity will be high in most of the other professional-laden, grand prix classes. Magic Glove, Colm Barrington’s brand new Ker 50, will try to protect a narrow advantage over the TP52s Samba Pa Ti (John Kilroy) and Windquest (Doug DeVos).

“It’s anybody’s regatta at this stage. Three boats are still very much in the hunt,” said Barrington, an Irishman making his Key West debut. “We’ve really got to sail our own race because our rating is so much different than the Transpacs. We’ve looked at the numbers and considered all the scenarios. We know what we have to do, now we just have to go out and do it.”

Esmeralda, a newly-launched Club Swan 42 owned by Japanese industrialist Makoto Uematsu, has finished first in five races and second in three others yet still only leads Spirit of Malouen, 9 to 11. Tactician Ken Read said Esmeralda can’t let up now, although this regatta has been a success regardless.

“We came into this regatta with the plan of learning the boat and getting it set up properly. We had no expectations results-wise, so this is a pleasant surprise,” said Read, a North Sails executive. “We have some specially-designed IRC rocket ships in this class while we’re set up completely in one-design trim. It appears this is a one-design that the IRC rule likes.”

It’s still wide open in the talent-laden Melges 24 class, largest of the regatta with 47 boats. Joe Fly, the Italian entry owned by Giovanni Maspero, increased its lead over Dave Ullman’s Pegasus 505 to five points, but things can change quickly in such a huge fleet. Franco Rossini’s Blu Moon is one of three other boats still in striking distance.

“Today we just tried to control our closest competition – Pegasus and Blu Moon. We tacked whenever they did,” Joe Fly helmsman Gabrio Zandona said. “We are out in front with one race to go. That is a good position to be in.”

Convexity, skippered by Donald Wilson of Chicago, made a major move in the 33-boat J/105 class – cutting a 19-point deficit to Masquerade down to four. Wilson placed second in Race 8 while Thomas Coates and the Masquerade crew suffered a 24^th in Race 7 to tighten the standings.

“I definitely feel we have a good chance to win the regatta. We are right there with Masquerade in terms of boat speed,” Wilson said. “We will try to continue do the same stuff we’ve been doing and see what happens.”

Southern Sun, the Australian entry skippered by Bruce Eddington, took over the lead in Mumm 30 class with a strong performance on Thursday. Tactician Tim Davis made some great calls on wind shifts as Southern Sun posted a first and a second to take a four-point lead over Mean Machine. That effort also earned Southern Sun the Industry Partner Boat of the Day award.

“I think Tim is an exceptional tactician and that has been evident this week. He’s called the shifts very well and has gotten us out of jail a number of times,” Eddington said. “Tomorrow is a big day as we know anything can happen in sailboat racing. Our worst result so far is a fifth so that is encouraging. We just can’t make any major mistakes.”

Claudio Recchi and his Italian team aboard Let’s Roll clinched victory in Melges 32 class with a first and a second on Thursday. Crew member Topo DiCaprio got tossed in the water upon return to the dock and it was smiles all around for Italians, who dominated a very strong 20-boat fleet on the strength of four bullets.

“We are quite pleased because the top five boats were all very tough,” said Recchi, who is a whopping 17 points ahead of New Wave, co-owned by Michael Carroll and Marty Kullman.

However, the Let’s Roll crew has agreed to go sailing on Friday because Recchi is hopeful of earning the Acura Boat of the Week honor.

Similarly, Bobby Oberg and his crew aboard NKE Electronics intend to do Race 9 despite having clinched PHRF 3 class. Oberg, who counts all first and second place finishes, has his sights set on the PHRF National Championship.

NKE Electronics, one of five Beneteau 10R designs that are making their Key West debut, is tied with John Edwards’ Rhumb Punch in the standings. The championship, a new addition to the regatta, is determined by a combination of average corrected speed and class competitiveness.

Rhumb Punch, a J/29 that has sealed victory in PHRF 5, has a slight edge in terms of average corrected speed. However, a smaller time disparity between the first and fifth place boats in PHRF 3 benefits NKE Electronics.

January 17, 2007

IRC Proving Ground – Acura Key West 2007

--- New Designs, Top Talent and Hot Competition

A major international regatta such as Acura Key West 2007 provides a strong indication of whether a new rating system is becoming popular with sailboat owners.

Based on the number of entries and the caliber of competition, the two-year-old IRC rule is catching on. There are three IRC classes containing a total of 26 boats here this year, a dramatic increase over 2006.

Even more encouraging is the fact all three IRC classes have seen close and exciting racing. A mere point separates the top two teams in IRC 1 and 3 while there is a tie in IRC 2.

“The IRC classes have truly brought together some of the top sailing minds in the world. People like Russell Coutts, Dee Smith and Kenny Read, just to name a few, have really elevated the sailing level of the IRC boats here,” said Bruce Golison, principal race officer on Division 2, which includes all three IRC fleets.

“The overall talent level has made for awesome starts, tight mark roundings and close finishes. The crew work as a whole has been outstanding. With today’s challenging conditions, no lead was safe and no deficit was too great to overcome.”

Hissar and Numbers are engaged in an intense duel for the lead in IRC 1, which features the eight largest entries in the regatta. Hissar, a Farr 60-footer owned by Edgar Cato of Newport, R.I., earned its third victory of the series in Race 6 and enters Thursday one point ahead of Numbers.

Olympian Morgan Reeser is calling tactics while America’s Cup veterans Mike Toppa (main) and Mick Harvey (jib) are the primary trimmers aboard Hissar, which finished a disappointing sixth out of 10 entries in IRC 1 at Acura Key West 2006, but has posted a string of firsts, seconds and thirds this year.

“We had a terrible regatta last year… broke a lot of gear,” Cato said. “The weather has been a bit kinder this year and we’ve been fortunate to put up some good results so far.”

Cato and Numbers owner Daniel Meyers, also a Newport resident, have battled for years in a number of classes. Volvo Ocean Race veterans Hamish Pepper (tactician), Erle Williams (trimmer) and Jerry Kirby (bow) are part of a top-notch crew on Numbers, which has placed first or second in five of six races.

“The committee got off two really nice races today. We had a couple long courses and you had to pay attention because the breeze was plenty patchy and tricky,” said Meyers, whose Carroll-Marine 60-footer placed third here last year.

It could not be any closer in IRC 2, where Colm Barrington’s Ker 50 Magic Glove and Doug DeVos’ TP52 Windquest are deadlocked at 13 points apiece. Samba Pa Ti, John Kilroy’s newly-launched TP 52, is just four points behind in third.

Magic Glove, a brand new boat designed especially for IRC racing, notched its fourth bullet of the series in Race 6. Barrington, an Irishman making his Key West debut, leads the series after winning the tiebreaker based on number of first place finishes.

“It has certainly been very tough racing. All the boats in the class are so well sailed, there is no margin for error,” Barrington said. “It’s touch-and-go at this stage… anything can happen. I think the TP52s have a slight edge in the light air because they are lighter and accelerate faster. These are not ideal conditions for our boat, but we are hanging in there.”

Annapolis resident John Bertrand is skippering Windquest, which had placed second in every race until taking third in Race 6. Volvo veterans Kurt Oetking (EF Language, Pirates of the Caribbean) and George Peet (ABN AMRO) are serving as tactician and jib trimmer aboard the Quantum Sail Design Group-sponsored entry.

“We made somewhat of a last-minute decision to attend this regatta so I feel very fortunate to be able to pull this caliber of talent together,” said Bertrand, a two-time Olympian for the United States. “We are sailing really well and having a blast.”

Windquest’s IRC speed rating in the class is second only to the Russian’s Rusal-Synergy and owes Magic Glove and Samba Pa Ti considerable time.

“Magic and Samba have both been optimized for IRC racing and we’re giving them both a bunch of seconds per hour so that makes us feel even better about how we’re doing,” Bertrand said.

Esmeralda, the brand new Club Swan 42 owned by Japanese industrialist Makota Uematsu with Read aboard as tactician, has a score line filled entirely with firsts and seconds yet still leads Spirit of Malouen by just one point.

Frenchman Stephane Neve and his crew aboard the Sinergia 40 have equaled Esmeralda with three bullets and trail based solely on a third in Race 3.

A poor performance in the initial race on Wednesday has brought Alinghi back to the pack in the highly-competitive Farr 40 class, which does not allow a throwout. Skipper Ernesto Bertarelli and crew suffered a 16^th in the 17-boat fleet in the fifth race of the week-long series. Alinghi, the current America’s Cup holder, rebounded to win Race 6, but saw its once comfortable lead decreased to seven points over Flash Gordon 5.

“It’s like Ernesto said yesterday, there is still a long way to go in the regatta,” said Helmut Jahn, owner-driver aboard Flash Gordon. “We are very happy to make up ground and get into contention. It is very rewarding because this is a tough, tough fleet. Any of the boats could win a race.”

Former St. Mary’s College All-American Mark Ivey is calling tactics for Jahn, who won the fifth race and now posted single digit finishes in five of six starts. Jahn, an architect from Berlin, Germany, has been in the Farr 40 class six years, but has been sailing with this particular crew for less than one year.

“We are starting to see some of the fruits of staying together, being motivated and having a goal,” said Jahn, who placed 12^th out of 38 boats at the class world championship this past summer.

Ken Legler, principal race officer on Division 1, was impressed with the way Alinghi rebounded to win Wednesday’s second race. Tactician Brad Butterworth, one of five members of the America’s Cup team aboard, got the boat off the line in terrific shape then covered the closest competition brilliantly the rest of the way.

“Alinghi sailed a beautiful race. Their boat was able to out-point the others a bit better and seemed to be sailing a tenth of a second faster,” Legler said.

Jahn is involved with commercial architecture and recently designed Bertarelli’s new headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Sipping a Grolsch beer on the deck in front of Schooner Wharf, Jahn smiled broadly when asked how it would feel to beat the Swiss syndicate to win Key West for the first time.

“It would be like a dream come true, by far our biggest victory in the class,” said Jahn, a part-time Chicago resident who has never won in Key West.

Wednesday’s racing was held under the sunny skies and warm temperatures that have been omnipresent here this week. A northeast breeze that averaged 8-10 knots was a bit unstable and forced skippers and tacticians to stay alert.

“There were some odd cloud lines and big wind shifts. There were some oscillations that lasted long enough to have a major impact,” said Legler, whose course includes the Farr 40s, Melges 32s and Mumm 30s.

Joe Fly, the Italian entry that had been runaway leader in Melges 24 class, also suffered a disappointing result that enabled the tightened the standings. Owner Giovanni Maspero and crew finished 20^th in Race 6 and saw a 14-point advantage reduced to two.

Dave Ullman, a California sailmaker and defending class champion here, won the fifth race then tacked on a seventh to put the pressure on Joe Fly. Former collegiate All-American Bill Hardesty (Merchant Marine Academy) is serving as tactician for Ullman, who has finished no worse than seventh the entire series.

“The Italians are still controlling the regatta because of the throwout, but now they don’t have another one to waste,” said Ullman, a four-time Melges 24 winner in Key West.

Ullman was asked if he was worried after watching helmsman Gabrio Zandona steer Joe Fly to first or second in four of the initial five races.

“Oh, I was totally concerned because they are going extremely fast in light air and it looks like it’s going to be that way all week,” Ullman said. “We’re still at the point of the regatta when you have to take care of yourself, but there comes a time when they become more of a concern.”

Ullman and his team aboard Pegasus 505 earned the Mount Gay Rum Boat of the Day honor on the strength of the first and seventh place finishes. Jorge Fernandez and Brian Hutchinson are trimming for Ullman while Doug McLean is working the bow.

Press and Public Relations: Bill Wagner

Standings after 6 Races:

Farr 40

1. Alinghi, Ernesto Bertarelli, Geneva, SUI,2-1-1-5-16-1, 26

2. Flash Gordon 5, Helmut & Evan Jahn, Chicago, IL, USA, 6-10-2-7- 1-7, 33

3. Kokomo, Lang Walker, Sydney, AUS, 7-6-7-3-13- 14, 40

Melges 32