David and Peter Askew of Baltimore onboard the Reichel Pugh 74 Wizard crushed the monohull record for the Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race set in 2005 by Carrera, with Ken Read at the helm.
At 11:23:50 p.m. on January 11, the Askew brothers and crew set a new record of 10 hours, 18 minutes, and 50 seconds. Wizard had a well-rounded crew of Annapolis sailors, including Matt Beck, Billy Jenkins, Chris Larson, and Grant Spanhake, as well as Charlie Enright as tactician, and a bunch of his Team Alvimedica Volvo Ocean Race mates as crew.
The race was a bit of a sleigh ride, thanks to a cold weather front that had been visiting the area.
Here's a video of their start:
Shortly after Wizard crossed the line, Jason Carroll's Gunboat 62 ELVIS finished at11:25.48. This was not enough to set a record. You can watch both boats finish here, with some commentary by the Lauderdale Yacht Club reporter who was admittedly ill prepared to be out catching finishes and thought instead that he'd spend the night at the bar. We are grateful for his dedication to his craft, despite these challenges.
