Key West

Since my last post I've done a lot of sailing and not much writing.
The three days in Marina Del Rey were very light. Excellent conditions for sailing a new boat with a new team that has been experiencing teething pains during the commissioning process. Maxi race boats are never delivered 'ready'. It takes months of modifications and calibration to get them competitive. It's generally in it's second year that a program begins to reach it's potential, but by the fourth year her outdated design becomes the limiting factor.
  After the high design and build costs, it's hard to commit additional resources to this stage of the process. Fortunately, this Pendragon team understands that pushing the budget hard this year will prolong the yachts golden years.
   The month's second project was also a success. The Denali program recently purchased a 55 footer that has been proven through and through with previous owners. She passed her prime about five years ago, but will be the perfect platform for this team's schedule and goals. It was our first time on the boat with none of the original crew, so our challenge was to sort out the rig tune and sail cross over chart as efficiently as possible and keep everyone safe. The boat has intricate block and tackle systems to avoid any hydraulics. Very rare these days and a fun challenge to calibrate.
We sailed well in a stiff down winder, completing the 160 mile course in just under 15 hours with few mistakes. Brother Sam and the 68 foot Bella Mente crushed everyone in just over 11 hours.
   After arriving in Key West at 5am last Thursday, I slept as long as I dared before switching accommodations to the Titan team and prepared for the week ahead. After five races in varied conditions we are sitting in second, one point out of first. There are only four boats in our class, but all are extremely well funded and at the top of their game. Great racing!
Today's postponement due to lack of breeze has given me a much needed opportunity to update this blog.
Boat call in 10. Bye for now.