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KEY WEST RACE WEEK, January 19-23, 2009
First Overall, PHRF 1
PHRF Boat Of The Week “Key West Trophy”
By Steven M Stollman, Owner/Skipper
 Key West Race Week is the pinnacle of our sport and the title for which hundreds of yachts from all corners of North America and Europe compete annually. Only meticulously equipped racing machines and finely honed teams bother to attend this five day, 10-race event that challenges crews and tests vessel integrity like no other.
In January 2006, just two months after taking delivery of Primal Scream, we competed in our first KWRW. It was a cruel and humbling experience for the Primal crew as we faced repeated hardware failures and were consistently out-sailed during five days of 20-30 knot breezes. Repairing and jurry-rigging our boat each night, by sheer will we made it to the start line every morning. We finished in 13th place. However, in the end we were much smarter about what it would take in terms of crew and vessel competency to compete at the “Grand Prix” level.
In 2007 we returned to KWRW and finished 4th after an impressive claw back from laying 9th after day two. We knew then that we had it in us. Just as 2006 taught us how to sail in heavy air, 2007 offered a lesson in light winds with peak winds for the week around 12 knots.
Last year, with only half the crew “regulars”, we finished 2nd, pleased with our standing but knowing we could have done better.
After three years of dialing in the boat, three years of training and painstaking attention to hardware and rigging functionality, we knew we had the experience it takes to win. With our expanded North Sails inventory and an elevated sense of confidence following a string of successive wins (including the recent 2008 SE Florida PHRF Championship), we came to Key West feeling this was to be our year. And so it was......
KWRW 2009 was host to two strong cold fronts, ushering in brisk but unsettled 20 knot conditions early in the week, and then settling in to a consistent northerly 10-17k breeze. We capitalized on our heavy air strengths during the first two days of racing, driving deep on the downwind legs against our sprit-boat competitors. We finished Tuesday with three bullets and a deuce in our holster and a comfortable 9 point lead on the J-120 El Ocaso, our closest competitor.
 At this point, as expected, every boat in the class had Primal Scream in their cross-hairs, camping on us whenever possible. Being the slow boat in the Class (PHRF rating 66), it was at times a challenge to finesse a clear air lane. On Wednesday, in wildly shifty conditions, Primal Scream lost two points to El Ocaso, finishing the day with only a 7 point lead.
On Thursday we honed in on El Ocaso in an attempt to wrap up the regatta. A late wind shift on the final run of Race 7 gave us a timely boost and by Race 8 we focused solely on El Ocaso. Our scores for the day were 3 & 6 while El Ocaso scored a 5 & 7 - our lead going into Friday was up to 10 points.
Knowing too well “it's not over till the fat lady sings”, we approached the races on Friday (Races 9 & 10) with the same focus and enthusiasm as we did for Race 1 on Monday.
We posted a 4th & 3rd on Friday - the last race being arguably the best we sailed all week - and finished the regatta in 1st place with a total of 26 points.
The tables turned on the last day for the balance of the “Podium Finishers” with Wairere (a Thompson 30) and Kali (a BH 36) eclipsing El Ocaso for 2nd and 3rd places respectively with 34 and 39 points.
In addition to PHRF Class 1 Overall winner, Primal Scream won the Key West Trophy, which is awarded to the PHRF Boat Of The Week (Most Competitive Class).
Achieving First Place and PHRF Boat Of The Week at Key West 2009 represents the culmination of three years of hard work by those crewmates fortunate to have been there, and also by those who could not but have contributed countless hours to the dream. Our common passion for yacht racing brings us together, drives our ambition and is the catalyst which fuses diverse personalities into a cohesive team.
Congratulations to the crew of Primal Scream for a stellar performance and outstanding achievement! It is your victory to savor. |