Key West Dead

MR.CLEAN

MR.CLEAN

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The event that will always be the most magical for me is no more.  I proposed to my wife on the Friday of the 2006 event as the sun set on Mallory Square, and have had innumerable memorable stories from that odd little island at the end of Hwy 1.

And all the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Key West Race Week together again.   Scuttlebutt, US Sailing, Sailing World, the STC, ORC, IRC - all the promoters kept taking Devos' money while pretending things were great, never talking about the grave issues with the regatta,  and the inevitable ensued.  We contacted several STC folks once Premier was gone to help, but they didn't want our help.  Apparently, working with SA is way worse than utter failure?

The official PR claims they will maybe be back in 2019, but don't anybody hold their breath. Sponsorship nearly impossible to find thanks to the event's tiny competitor and media footprint over the past 5 years.  

AFTER EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION AND DELIBERATION THE STORM TRYSAIL CLUB HAS DECIDED NOT TO ORGANIZE AND HOLD KEY WEST RACE WEEK IN JANUARY 2018. MANY FACTORS LED TO THIS DIFFICULT DECISION. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT WITH DECLINING PARTICIPATION, THE EVENT HAS BECOME HEAVILY DEPENDENT UPON SPONSORSHIP MAKING THE EVENT UNSUSTAINABLE IN ITS CURRENT FORMAT. OUR PRIMARY SPONSORS REMAIN VERY SUPPORTIVE AND THE STORM TRYSAIL CLUB IS COMMITTED TO EXPOLRING ALTERNATIVE FORMATS FOR THE FUTURE THAT ADDRESS CHANGING CONDITIONS IN OUR SPORT. THE CLUB ANTICIPATES THAT THIS COULD LEAD TO ANOTHER EDITION AS SOON AS 2019. 

THE STORM TRYSAIL CLUB WISHES TO THANK ESPECIALLY QUANTUM SAILS (THE TITLE SPONSOR FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS) AS WELL AS THE CITY AND COMMUNITY OF KEY WEST FOR THEIR GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY AND HELP IN UNDERWRITING THIS EVENT WHICH HAS SPANNED THE LAST 30 YEARS. MANY THANKS AS WELL TO ALL OUR OTHER SPONSORS, SUPPORTERS AND PAST PARTICIPANTS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THE EVENT AND OF THE SPORT OF SAILING. MOST IMPORTANTLY WE WISH TO THANK THE COUNTLESS VOLUNTEERS, STORM TRYSAIL CLUB MEMBERS AND OTHERS WHO MADE KEY WEST RACE WEEK POSSIBLE AND PRODUCED A WORLD-CLASS EVENT.



LEONARD SITAR                                                            

COMMODORE - STORM TRYSAIL CLUB



JOHN FISHER

QUANTUM KEY WEST RACE WEEK
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Great Red Shark

Great Red Shark

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Nice all-caps release.   The red MAGA hat was probably covering the Caps-Lock key.

One of our traditionally biggest events here in Hawaii - the Memorial day Around-Oahu race looks about as healthy - I hear we have a whopping 9 entries as of the skipper's meeting.   Yeah,  Ocean racing for regular folks is in sustained decline.

 
sr chief

sr chief

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Great Red Shark said:
Nice all-caps release.   The red MAGA hat was probably covering the Caps-Lock key.

One of our traditionally biggest events here in Hawaii - the Memorial day Around-Oahu race looks about as healthy - I hear we have a whopping 9 entries as of the skipper's meeting.   Yeah,  Ocean racing for regular folks is in sustained decline.
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NINE???? Jeez ,remember when we had 30 plus!? The parties at KYC , Pokai Bay and then WYC were epic fun! Great sailing, and what a cast of characters. 

Same here the Mills Race in 2 weeks use to have a hundred entries not sure there  are even 30 today. The Melges 32s took a 6 SPM hit  to 15 SPM...  we use to race the boat in 10 -12 races during the season. Now maybe half that and then Lauderdale to KW every year. Doing the Cove Island cse in this years  Port Huron to Mackinac, under ORR. 

 
Great Red Shark

Great Red Shark

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Yeah Chief - I can remember a year when we had eight J-24s doing the 3-Day !  and that was PLUS IOR(5-6 boats) , PHRF 1( 6-8 boats)  ,2 (8-10 boats) , 3 (10-12 boats)  & C (6-10 boats)   -- ( the Js raced PHRF 3 + class honors )  good times  ( I'm guessing 1987 )

More owners got sick of the "arms race" and tired of developing ever-larger crews - in some respects,  a couple of the most keen competitors did it to themselves - they made relevant participation so expensive most folks gave up,  or in the case of the guy that killed One Design racing in town - made competing in a regatta so offensive they walked away and never looked back.

Either way,  our sport idoes not have a good prognosis.

 
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sr chief

sr chief

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Great Red Shark said:
Yeah Chief - I can remember a year when we had eight J-24s doing the 3-Day !  and that was PLUS IOR(5-6 boats) , PHRF 1( 6-8 boats)  ,2 (8-10 boats) , 3 (10-12 boats)  & C (6-10 boats)   -- ( the Js raced PHRF 3 + class honors )  good times  ( I'm guessing 1987 )

More owners got sick of the "arms race" and tired of developing ever-larger crews - in some respects,  a couple of the most keen competitors did it to themselves - they made relevant participation so expensive most folks gave up,  or in the case of the guy that killed One Design racing in town - made competing in a regatta so offensive they walked away and never looked back.

Either way,  our sport idoes not have a good prognosis.
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We won it on Charlie Dole's J-24 in 2001! The wettest I have ever been,  slogging 30 miles up wind to Kaneohe Bay with 7 ! The J-35s finally  caught us at Makapuu. Second day surfing down the coast with all the fishing gear out ,  we hook into something HUGE , Big L has like the 5k test shit out we abruptly come off the step and almost pulled the stern rail out of Charlie's boat! Kite , jib and his Cal 20 loose luffed as a an inside stay sail, SNAP the piano wire breaks,  back on the step guessing a big tiger shark... That was a FUN year! 

 
Great Red Shark

Great Red Shark

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Yeah,  for every success story - like this year's rising program from Keehi,  the Ranger 33 Knot Right ( a real blue-collar racing program) there are two tales like the guy that couldn't handle a 44 footer program so he got a TP52,  or the guy that had great sailing on a 40-foot racer-cruiser and went up to a full-race 46...and is out of racing 3 years later.

We've seen it how many times ?   I swear,  the first thing I do when someone tells me they want to buy a boat is to lop off 10 feet from whatever they are dreaming of

 
S

SSN

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MR.CLEAN said:
The event that will always be the most magical for me is no more.  I proposed to my wife on the Friday of the 2006 event as the sun set on Mallory Square, and have had innumerable memorable stories from that odd little island at the end of Hwy 1.
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You did as much to kill the event as all the other variables. Stop with the fake sincerity and get on with your victory dance.

 
sr chief

sr chief

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I'm racing this weekend on my buddy;s Santana 35. Did the Mac on it last summer, had a blast! Nothing like standing head room , a dry bunk, hot coffee.  The arm's "racing" on the coasts and Caribbean has tamed the sport and sadly you are correct...c u in November! 

 
Q

quezal

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Clean you did nothing to promote Key west except bad mouth the event after they never asked you back .seems to be a trend not Many clubs or events want you anymore 

 
Great Red Shark

Great Red Shark

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I like how you guys never miss an opportunity to take a shot at Clean !  On one hand he's irrelevant,  on the other his criticism of the event killed it - either he's far more influential than you'll ever admit,  or you are blaming the cheerleaders for the team's drubbing.   

Key West,  and the Heydays of the SORC went on the slide when folks changed how they raced.

 
Snaggletooth

Snaggletooth

SA's Morrelle Compasse
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It mabey time foura Stock Iland Race Weeke, whattia thick?  Itted be teh same butte diffentte.

:)

 
Parma

Parma

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jesposito said:
It was dead years ago when they started catering to the big boys, and forgot about us pee ons.

Block will be next if the prices keep sky rocketing  
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exactly

higher entry costs and the huge boats soaking up all the crew who want to be back at the docks before sunset

 
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