Bella Mente Racing

Home / Archives for Quantum Key West Race Week 2014

Quantum Key West: Day 4

By Leave a Comment

04133747_WR

Day 4 at Quantum Key West (Photo Credit Onne van der Wal)

It was an all-out battle in IRC A today at Quantum Key West, and Bella Mente Racing experienced the wrath of Shockwave, which came back with vengeance after retiring from yesterday’s races due to equipment failure. Bella Mente holds the lead by three points going into the final day of racing tomorrow.

“It was extremely competitive out on the race course today,” said owner/driver Hap Fauth, adding that Bella Mente finished the first race with a bullet, but the last two races of the day went to Shockwave. “One mistake and you get flushed to the back of the fleet, which is what we did in the second race.”

In race two, Bella Mente was over the line early, and was able to pass Caol Ila R on the first beat, but couldn’t catch Shockwave. The team crossed the finish line in second, but took third place on corrected time.

There were no major obstacles in race three, and though Bella Mente crossed the finish line first, there was too little a time gap, and Shockwave won the race on corrected time.

Keep up to date on Bella Mente Racing at Quantum Key West Race Week  by following the team on Facebook and Twitter.

For real time updates,  follow the event via livestream at http://premiere-racing.com/QKWLive/ 

photo 1 (1)

Quantum Key West: Day 3

By Leave a Comment

day3BMR

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: Day 2

By Leave a Comment

Stormy conditions added more drama to day two of Quantum Key West Race Week, and after an epic battle on the race course Bella Mente Racing came in second place, behind Caol Ila Ron, in IRC A’s only race of the day, putting the team in second overall going into day three.

“The Bella boys did a fantastic job in very tough conditions,” said owner/driver Hap Fauth, adding that the team was first to cross the finish line, but was 10 seconds short of first on corrected time. “It has been excellent racing in the mini maxi fleet and we look forward to what tomorrow will bring.”

The day started after two hours of postponement due to a dramatic wind shift. The race started in 13 knots of breeze and Bella Mente got a clean start at the signal boat. By the time the fleet had made it to the first windward mark, the breeze had died down to nine and a half knots. Bella Mente rounded just behind Shockwave, but caught up on the first downwind leg and passed the team before the leeward mark. A squall hit the racecourse on the second beat, and the fleet experienced heavy winds up to 24 knots. On the second downwind run, Bella Mente held a strong lead, but Shockwave was able to close the gap and narrow the team’s lead. Bella Mente rounded the leeward mark with a 25 second lead on the Shockwave, which then hit its spinnaker sheet on the mark, forcing the team to do a penalty turn. The Bella Mente Racing Team finished the race just short of Caol Ila Ron corrected time.

Keep up to date on Bella Mente Racing at Quantum Key West Race Week  by following the team on Facebook and Twitter.

For real time updates, follow the event via livestream at http://premiere-racing.com/QKWLive/ 

Quantum Key West: Day 1

By Leave a Comment

QKW_Day1_webres

The light breeze and shifty waters that made-up day one of Quantum Key West Race Week proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Bella Mente Racing Team, which was very happy with the performance of its updated boat in the challenging conditions.

Although the postponement flag didn’t drop until 1 p.m. today, race committee was still able to get more than one race off in many of the classes, including IRC A where Bella Mente, Shockwave and Caol Ila R competed in two four-leg windward leeward courses. In race one, Bella Mente barely held the lead around the first mark and finished in third place, but for race two the team came back to claim the bullet, finishing off the day in second place overall.

Light conditions are forecasted again for tomorrow, accompanied by clouds and rain. By Wednesday, January 22nd the breeze is expected to shift for the better, and stay that way for the remainder of the week.

Keep up to date on Bella Mente Racing at Quantum Key West Race Week  by following the team on Facebook and Twitter.

For real time updates, follow the event via livestream at http://premiere-racing.com/QKWLive/ 

Rehearsal is Over, Let the Racing Begin

By Leave a Comment

image003 (1)

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/

image002

About Bella Mente

The original Bella Mente Racing campaign kicked off in 2006 with Key West Race Week, and since then owner and skipper Hap Fauth has had three additional racing yachts in the program.

Launched in September of 2018, the current Bella Mente is a Maxi 72 designed by Botin Partners in Spain and built by New England Boatworks in Rhode Island.

Sign Up for Team Updates

Please enter your email address to get updates directly to your inbox.

Privacy Policy

Sponsors