QUANTUM SAILS Remains Title Sponsor(Larchmont, New York)- Quantum Key West Race Week will continue thanks to the organizational expertise of a new ownership group and the on-going support of its title sponsor – Quantum Sail Design Group.
The Storm Trysail Club (STC) is pleased to announce that it has taken over ownership and management of the prestigious regatta. Established in 1938, the club is well known for running Block Island Race Week, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer. STC also organizes the Lauderdale-to-Key West Race that has long served as feeder for Key West Race Week.
“Key West Race Week is a terrific bookend to the club’s long-standing Block Island Race Week,” Storm Trysail Club Commodore Lee Reichart said. “We believe we will be able to utilize our experience at Block Island to ensure that Key West remains the most prominent winter big-boat event in North America.”
Quantum Key West Race Week 2016 will be held Jan. 18-22, 2016 with many of the same elements that made the regatta so popular remaining in place. Quantum Sail Design Group came aboard as title sponsor of Key West Race Week in 2012 at a time when its future was uncertain. Quantum and its backers provided the financial support that enabled Premiere Racing to continue organizing the regatta. “We recognize Key West Race Week is the flagship regatta in this country and has been for well over two decades,” Quantum President Ed Reynolds said. “This midwinter, big boat regatta is very important to North American and international sailboat racing. STC is uniquely qualified and we’re excited about the future of the event under its direction.”
Yachting Magazine founded Key West Race Week in 1987 and seven years later brought Peter Craig aboard as race chairman. At the time, it was a single division regatta with 112 boats. Craig took over as event director in the late 1990s and under his leadership Key West Race Week evolved into an iconic international keelboat event. Craig and assistant Jeanne Kleene, the two principals of Premiere Racing, are happy to hand off the event to capable new stewards.
STC
members are in the process of contacting old and new sponsors. J/Boats,
a worldwide leader in high-performance sailboats, has pledged its
support to the event. Hundreds of J/Boats sailors have competed at Key
West Race Week over the years, either in one-design, PHRF or IRC
classes. “Key West Race Week has been a favorite for J sailors since its
inception 20-plus years ago,” said Jeff Johnstone. “We’re very excited
to see Storm Trysail Club take the helm and we encourage all of our
sailing industry peers to join us in supporting this great event that
means so much to the sailing community. We’re looking forward to being
back in sunny, breezy Key West next January.”STC announced that longtime member John Fisher will serve as event chairman for Key West Race Week. Fisher has been involved with Block Island Race Week since 1999, serving as chairman for three editions of the biennial regatta. “Key West Race Week has long been the best winter venue the U.S. has to offer, given the consistency of conditions and obviously the incredible weather,” Fisher said. “Veteran competitors at Key West have come to expect top-notch race management and that will not change! Storm Trysail Club is a proven commodity when it comes to on-water organization.”
In other good news on the logistics/ management side of the event, Dick Neville, another STC veteran, has been appointed race committee chairman. Neville has been working Key West Race Week for nearly two decades as right-hand man to Division 2 principal race officer Dave Brennan. Neville is expecting to conduct starts in most of the classes that have traditionally competed at Key West. Furthermore, Fisher said Nick Langone will serve as shore-side committee chairman while John Storck Jr. will oversee mobile marina logistics.
The Storm Trysail Club hopes to retain the services of numerous dedicated volunteers that worked for Premiere Racing for many years. “It is important to point out that many Storm Trysail Club race committee members have been involved with Key West Race Week over the years. So we are not novices when it comes to this particular regatta and its unique elements,” Fisher said. “Because of the accumulated knowledge available to us, I expect the transition from Premiere Racing to Storm Trysail Club to be very smooth.” Sailing photo credits- Sharon Green/ Ultimate Sailing. For more Quantum Key West Race Week 2016 sailing and registration information
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