The perfect conditions at Quantum Key West Race Week made for great week of racing.  Although we came out on the wrong side of the results, Bella Mente Racing took away plenty to build on for the long season ahead.  Match racing with Shockwave was intense and very close.  Hats off to the Shockwave crew for a well sailed regatta. Below are recaps of racing from day three, four and five.

Day Three of Quantum Key West Race Week had fantastic conditions with 17 to 20 knots out of the Northeast. We again had very close racing with Shockwave. 

Race Five was a four leg windward leeward course. Bella Mente out to the left of Shockwave.  After a few tacks in the middle of the track, both boat worked towards to the port layline.  Shockwave held a small lead around the weather mark and both boats were flying downwind with 17 to 20 knots of boat speed. With Bella Mente closing the gap, Shockwave led at the gates and held Bella Mente off until the second top mark.  After several gybes, Bella Mente crossed Shockwave and led across the finish line, but Shockwave won with corrected time.

Race Six was a five leg windward leeward. Bella Mente had a good start and was close to leeward of Shockwave.  The boats traded tacks up the left hand side of the course.  Bella Mente slowly extended for a nice lead at the Windward mark and then extended again on a very quick run. Bella Mente continued to extend for the final three legs and won with corrected time (by approximately two minutes). This was by far the best race for us in the regatta.

For Day Four of Quantum Key West Race Week the team experienced breeze in the high teens coming from the Northeast and dying down to the mid-teens by the end of racing.

Race Seven was a four leg windward leeward and Bella Mente pushed hard to start to the right of Shockwave. In the last 30 second of the pre-start, Shockwave had Bella Mente locked out at the boat.  Just prior to the start, Bella Mente swung hard to leeward of Shockwave’s transom, crossed the line and immediately tacked.  The two boats instantly went into an intense tacking duel for the first half of the beat.  Bella Mente gaining on each tack, holding the right side of the course and eventually getting around Shockwave and leading around the top mark.  Shockwave carried a bit more pressure down to Bella Mente on the run and after two simultaneous gybes; Shockwave rolled Bella Mente right before the gates. The boats split at the gates rounding at approximately with Bella Mente taking the right side and extended to hold a small lead around the top mark. Both boats kept the jibs up for the run and as the breeze began to die the call on Bella Mente was to drop the jib and swap to the staysail. During the gybe we wrapped the top batten of the jib around the headstay, by accident, which cost us some time. Bella Mente crossed the line finishing barely ahead of Shockwave, but lost the race with corrected time.

Race Eight was a five leg windward leeward. Bella Mente won the right at the start with Shockwave sailing just to leeward.  Bella Mente extended on the beat and took a small lead around the top mark. Bella Mente controlled most of the race with Shockwave staying close and in phase.  Bella Mente crossed the line first, but without enough margin to correct.  Shockwave wins on corrected time.

Quantum Key West Race Week, the final day of the regatta, had breeze of about 12 to 15 knots coming from the Northeast

Race Nine was a four leg windward leeward. The pre-start circling ramped up on the final day of racing and Bella Mente pushed Shockwave down toward the pin and in the final 20 seconds it was clear that Shockwave had been pushed beyond the pin-end layline.  Bella Mente tacked in the final few seconds of the pre-start to cross the line on port with Shockwave trailing.  The boats then traded a few tacks up the beat and Bella Mente extended to a small lead at the first top mark.  After good sets by both boats, Shockwave carried some pressure down to Bella Mente and closed the gap prior to the gates.  On the second beat, Bella Mente extend and led around the second top mark.  We had a good final run and crossed the line ahead with enough margin to win on corrected time.

Race Ten was a five leg windward leeward. Again, the pre-start circling was ramped a bit and Bella Mente starting to the left of Shockwave.  Bella Mente didn’t have enough space to cross on the first beat so a small tacking duel ensued.  At the top mark Shockwave lead by two boat lengths and bore away to a standard set. The call on Bella Mente was for a Sambuca (essentially a gybe set, without running the kite gear around the headstay prior to the hoist) so the boats spit sides on the run.  As the boats came back together, Shockwave held a 1.5 boat length lead and held this small lead to the gates.  The boats again split gates and traded a few tacks up the beat with Bella Mente slowly closing in.  At the second top mark, Shockwave held the lead by one boat length. Bella gybed first on the run and passed Shockwave for a small lead around the second gate rounding.  Bella Mente took the right side of the beat and the boats traded several tacks up the beat with Bella Mente trying to push Shockwave further behind.  Bella Mente crossed the line first, but Shockwave still took the win with corrected time.

Next up for us is the RORC Caribbean 600, sailed out of Antigua, starting on February 18th.  The Bella Boys are currently prepping for the first leg of the “Caribbean 3000” (1200nm delivery to Antigua + the RORC Caribbean 600 race + the 1200nm delivery back to Florida).   We will be looking for a weather window and departure from Florida in early February.