Key West Race Week 2010: Something for Everyone (Almost)

Key West 2010: Coming Soon! January 18 - 22

If you've never witnessed the spectacle that is Key West Race Week, get ready to enjoy the show. Better yet, take the week off and head down to tropical southern Florida to enjoy spectating in person – or better still, take part! Who wouldn't want to do just that, in January?

So what is Key West Race Week? What's all the fuss about? Never a dull moment, that's what! It's just a never-ending carnival of sailboat racing mayhem out there.

Key West Race Week is a world-class racing event covering the full spectrum of sailboat racing, from 20 to 85 feet in length. The event contains three main Divisions: One-Design, PHRF, and IRC (the latter two Divisions refer to two main handicapping systems). Ten races, over five days, for each of several classes within the three Divisions. And every race, every class, is hard-fought.

Not only does each class crown a first, second, and third place winner after the full ten races, but several specialty trophies and awards are given, as well. There's a Boat of the Day for each day of the week, a Boat of the Week, an International Team award, and, new in 2009, the Paul Washburn Award "For Love of the Sport."

Steve Washburn, veteran member of Premiere Racing, the professional race organizers who put on both Key West Race Week and the Miami Grand Prix, established the perpetual award to honor the memory of his young son, Paul. This award goes to Key West Race Week participants who show dedication to sailboat racing, good sportsmanship both on and off the course, and who have worked to help grow the sport.

Last year's inaugural Paul Washburn Award went to Key West Race Week veterans John & Linda Edwards, affectionately known as Papa and Mama to the crew of their boat, Rhumb Punch. (They also won their class, the Farr 30.)

Key West Race Week is open to monohulls from 24 - 85 feet in length overall, plus Corsair multihulls (28R and Sprint 750), and, new in 2010, a special class just for 20-foot sportboats.

Which boats are sure to be seen at Key West? Melges 24 has historically been a strongly-represented class, and one of the most difficult to win. Farr 40, Melges 32, and, at the larger end of the scale, J/80 boats are also expected to show a strong turn-out. The Farr 40 fleet has made a habit of using Key West Race Week as an excellent warm-up outing in preparation for the World Championships to be held in April.

So far, the following 20-foot designs have been approved for this year's new Key West class: K-650, Laser SB3, Audi Melges 20, Open 570, Open 650, Ultimate 20 and Viper 640. Total registration numbers will determine if these sportboats will compete in one handicapped fleet, or as separate one-design classes.

Have one of these boats, or know someone who does? Go on, you're just itching to enter, aren't you? But you'd better hurry! The deadline for completed entry forms is 1700 hours, December 18, 2009.