Well, sailors talked, and the Storm Trysail Club listened!
The Club took over ownership of Quantum Key West Race Week in April, and recently the official Notice of Race was released, citing multiple big changes to the regatta -- changes that are getting us very excited for January. For one, smaller boats are going to be encouraged to attend, with a harbor course planned. Performance cruisers are invited to come in not as spectator boats, but instead join in the Conch Republic fun with a distance race. A three-day 'regatta within a regatta' option is also being offered to those classes who choose it. And, perhaps most significantly, the PHRF rating system will be replaced with the International ORC rating.
John Fisher is the regatta chairman for the event, and he said that the changes were made in response to a survey STC had conducted, asking questions of both American and International sailors. “We believe the sailing constituency that revolves around Key West was looking for something different,” Fisher said. “Many, many elements of the regatta are tried and true, but there are other things that needed to be tweaked. We are listening to the sailors that care about Key West Race Week and are attempting to address their desires and needs.”
The 'regatta within a regatta' option is in direct response to skippers who decided not to make the trip south due to the cost of housing and feeding a crew for an extended week's time. The distance race will send boats on one long race that traverses the keys, and will appeal to those who don't want to bring down a complete crew. Dick Neville, who is the race committee chairman, said that while 42 boats competed in the 2015 Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race, only four of them entered Quantum Key West 2015. "We need to give those boat owners a reason to enter our regatta, and I think one distance race each day could do that," he said. "We could give them a different course each day and finish them near the harbor so they get back to the dock faster."
https://youtu.be/xGTHbVYX5wA
Regarding the move from PHRF to ORC, organizers are attempting to eliminate PHRF racing and switch to ORC. "We had to face the reality that PHRF boats have been disappearing from the regatta and the logical solution is to offer a different rating system that is more popular worldwide," said Neville, further pointing out that nearly 10,000 ORCi and ORC Club certificates will be issued in 2015.
The harbor racing course will be shorter and will hopefully attract more spectators. Several Viper 640s are already signed up for the regatta, and organizers think the harbor course will appeal to them as well as Melges 20s, VX Ones, F18s, and M32 catamarans. "The NYYC Annual Regatta has shown that stadium racing attracts and audience of non-sailors who are onshore," said Fisher. "We would like to create a course that would allow Key West locals and tourists to view some sailboat racing."
We're in. Are you?
