It was a nose-to-the-grindstone week for Bella Mente Racing, but that hard work paid off with the team winning IRC 1 at Quantum Key West Race Week (Jan. 18-23). The regatta marks the first of seven high-profile events that owner/driver Hap Fauth and his team of international sailors will be competing in this year.

Bella Mente Racing after claiming class victory at Quantum Key West Race Week (Photo Credit: Rob Ouellette)

“This was a great start to what we anticipate to be our most competitive campaign to-date,” said Fauth adding the year culminates with the Maxi 72 Rolex World Championship in Sardinia this September. “Joining me in the afterguard are Terry [Hutchinson], Moose [Mike Sanderson] and Ian Moore, and they really hit it out of the park for this event. The entire crew performed impeccably.”

Bella Mente Racing had its share of ups and downs throughout the week, including colliding with a submerged object during Wednesday’s racing, but the team rose to the challenge.

“We rebounded from adversity and it showed Bella’s performance after the mid-week grounding. The last two days resulted in three victories in the four races,” said Fauth.

Tactician and Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Terry Hutchinson added, “We experienced the full gamut this week, but you need to go through those highs and lows collectively as a team in order to grow. Boat Captain Peter Henderson and the shore team were extremely prepared when the collision occurred and Bella Mente was back in the water, ready to race the next day.”

Today was the windiest day of event, coming in between 18 and 21 knots, and Bella Mente along with fellow mini maxis Numbers and Shockwave raced two short windward-leeward courses.

“There are a lot of subtleties to sailing these boats well,” added Hutchinson. “For starting and boat handling I give us really high marks. Our goal is to continue to turn our weaknesses into strengths as we move forward.”

“We have a lot of incredible sailors onboard and our goal this year is to streamline that talent so we race as a unit. That, combined with discipline and structure will help us develop the ability to consistently win.”

Bella Mente Racing wrapped up day one of Quantum Key West Race Week with a second and first, respectively, in today’s two races. The team, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, goes into tomorrow holding first place, one point ahead of fellow mini maxi Numbers.

“Today was a solid start to our event,” said Bella Mente Racing Tactician Terry Hutchinson. “Our goal as a team is to continue to focus on improving all aspects of our game.  The boat handling was solid in and out of both top and bottom marks, yet we did not win the first cross with our competitor at either start. There is plenty to focus on with tactics and starting position.  I would give a big nod to Hap and the team for getting every inch on the first beat in both races.  We still have lots of work to do, so we’ll keep pushing forward.”

The team’s Crew Boss Mike Sanderson added, “It’s great to be back on Bella Mente, and what better place to kick off the 2015 program than Key West. The boat felt great today. We have new guys, a new mast and a new sail program. It was very exciting to see our girl [Bella Mente] with new wheels. It’s going to be a great week with great racing. We have two very strong teams to race against so it’ll be a lot of fun.”

Stay tuned for race reports throughout the week at https://bellamenteracing.com/. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.