(Key West, Florida)- High-speed foiling catamarans, 72-foot Maxi yachts,
and large classes of exciting sportboats are heading to the Florida
Keys. Quantum Key West Race Week 2015 will once again showcase the full
spectrum of sailboat racing amid the beautiful setting of aqua-colored
waters and warm sunshine from January 18 to 23, 2015.Many of the world’s best sailors will come to the Conch Republic for the 28th edition of Key West Race Week. For the fourth consecutive year, Quantum Sail Design Group will serve as title sponsor of the iconic event, which is organized by Premiere Racing.
“One
important thing Key West has done for Quantum: It’s brought us closer
to our clients,” said Farley Fontenot, a managing partner for Quantum
Sails. “We are a company that wants to help sailors achieve their goals.
A week in Key West gives our professionals a great opportunity to get
out on the docks and interact directly with clients and do whatever
possible to help them improve their boat’s performance.”One-design racing continues to increase in popularity worldwide and there will be several strong classes at Key West. For the third straight year, the J/70 will be the largest class in Key West with a whopping forty-seven boats entered so far. Jud Smith (Africa- Marblehead, MA), Mauricio Santa Cruz (Bruschetta- Brazil) and Carlo Alberini (Calvi Network- Italy) are among many well-known skippers that will be competing this year.
In addition, Premiere Racing is thrilled to have a pair of J/Boat classes making one-design debuts at Race Week. To date, the J/111 has attracted seven boats while the J/88 has six on the scratch sheet.
Cleveland
skipper Rob Ruhlman steered his J/111 SPACEMAN SPIFF to victory in PHRF
1 last year and is looking forward to one-design racing against other
J/111s.“I think it’s absolutely outstanding that we have a one-design start and we are very excited about the caliber of competition,” Ruhlman said. “It’s really a great class because the boats are so evenly matched.”
This will be the 13th Key West for Ruhlman, who is President/CEO of Preformed Line Products. Ruhlman started coming to the Conch Republic in 1994 with a Tripp 26 and has also raced a Mumm 36, Farr 40 and 1D35 in the regatta.
“It’s January and I get the heck out of Cleveland!” Ruhlman said when asked what he loves most about Key West. “Seriously, the whole event is just fantastic. I think the format has greatly improved over the years. Not much has changed on the water- - the race management is still top-notch. However, some of the off-water tweaks the organizers have made over the years have been for the better. There is a sense of camaraderie at Key West that you don’t find at other big events.”
Chelsea Clock is providing their classic “Shipstrike Clocks” for the “Boat of the Day” trophies! Event Sponsors include Title Sponsor Quantum Sails and Day Sponsors Lewmar (Official Marine Hardware), and Mount Gay® Rum (Official Rum). The Supporting Sponsors are B&G (Official Marine Electronics), Marlow Ropes (Official Rope), and Gaastra (Official Clothing and Footwear). Key West Race Week is also supported by The Florida Keys & Key West Tourism Council. Sapporo USA is the Official Beer and Regatta Ginger Beer is the Official Ginger Beer. For more 2015 Quantum Key West Race Week sailing information
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