Tuesday has been full of black skies, low clouds, and a pressure system that has kept PROs on their feet. The Division 1 course seems to be sitting under a cone of silence, however, with the AP still up at 1:30 after the other two divisions have already gotten in a race. Part of the problem? Squalls, white caps, and 40-degree shifts that make it difficult to set a line.
The story is a little different over in Division 1, however, where the warning gun sounded at 12:05. Over 15 boats were over early, but Chesapeake Bay racer and Annapolis J/70 owner James Allsopp managed to take the weather mark in first and never looked back. Around the course, there were plenty of knockdowns, with skilled boathandling being the biggest key to success.
Allsopp's Moxie wasn't the only Bay boat that did well. Kathy Parks' Sundog came in 14th, Rick Pfarr's Little Rascal came in 24th, Catharine Evans was in 37th on Mojito, and Kristen Berry's Danger Mouse came in 59th after dealing with a spinnaker halyard issue (apparently).
In Division 3, Jeff Jordan's J/80 Wild Horses finished strongly in fifth, with Bert Carp's USA 11 and Dave Manheimer's Willy T closing out the fleet in 11th and 12th, respectively.
Bay Boats are owning Division 3's PHRF fleet, too, with Bill Sweetser's Rush and John Edwards' Rhumb Punch taking first and second place. Bow Down, Martin Casey's Olson 30, finished fourth.
Keep checking this space for more Quantum Key West Race Week action.
