Photo Courtesy of Quantum Key West

At Quantum Key West Race Week, the third day was the charm for Bella Mente Racing, which won all three of its races in IRC A. The team holds the class lead going into day four of the regatta.

“Today was the first time this week that we had nice conditions,” said Bella Mente Racing Coach, Tom McLaughlin adding that the day brought clear skies, flat water and breeze between twelve and sixteen knots of wind. “The good thing about today was that the calm weather gave the boat and the crew time to settle in, and we learned quite a bit because we were able to change things onboard and then look at the results. The bad thing about the day was that we lost our chief competitor Shockwave right after the start of the first race due to a serious problem with their propulsion system. However, we expect that they will be back on the racecourse tomorrow with their gloves off.”

Thursday’s forecast is comparable in terms of wind speed, but will be accompanied by a cold front and rainstorms similar to what competitors experienced earlier this week.

Bella Mente Racing Crew Boss Mike Sanderson:

“We are here in Key West to kick-start our 2014 season and test out the new modifications to the boat on the water. It was great sailing today and we are looking forward to the rest of the week.”

Quantum Key West Race Week begins tomorrow, and after months of off-the-water preparation the Bella Mente Racing Team is ready to get down to business on the racing end. The team of 22 sailors, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, has spent the last four days practicing for the week-long regatta, and after Bella Mente’s 2014 optimizations and paint job the 72-foot custom mini maxi is performing famously (kudos to Peter, Ryan, Kyle for getting the boat to the starting line in stellar condition).

Temperatures have been chillier than what is normally expected in Key West, Fla. this time of year, and the cold front is forecasted to remain throughout the week. The moderate conditions that the team experienced over the weekend are expected to wane tomorrow and Tuesday, but pick up again for the latter end of the series.

“We are all looking forward to getting back on the race course against some friendly and familiar competition,” said Bella Mente Racing’s Project Manager Rob Ouellette, adding that Shockwave, Caol Ila R, and many other fantastic teams will be on the starting line tomorrow.

The harbor start is at 10 a.m. and two races are scheduled daily, as the Race Committee is aiming to get ten races in overall.

Tune in here for nightly for team recaps during Quantum Key West Race Week, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

To keep up with more action during the event, visit http://www.premiere-racing.com/