West Coasters Take Top Spots in Key West

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On the penultimate day of the Acura Key West Race Week presented by Nautica, Newport Beach sailmaker Dave Ullman and his Pegasus 505 crew were lying in fourth place, 11 points out of first in the 46-boat Melges 24 class. A day later they capped the regatta with an impressive 1-2-1 on the breezy final day, vaulting to first when second-place finisher Franco Rossini’s Blu Moon, with Italian ace Flaio Favini at the helm, could only mange a ninth.

"It was a great day," Ullman said. "We always like the breeze because we always do well in the breeze."

The win was Ullman’s sixth Melges 24 class win in Key West. Elsewhere in the top five, the West Coast contingent finished strong, with Marina del Rey’s Allan Field on WTF in third and Bruce Ayres’ Monsoon in fourth, also winning the Melges 24 Corinthian trophy. The top Bay Area finisher was Tiburon’s Peter Lane in 16th.

In the 34-boat J/105 class, San Francisco’s Tom Coates and his Masquerade crew won their fourth straight Key West J/105 title with four bullets and nothing lower than a third to finish 42 points clear of second. In the 15 boat Mumm 30 class, 2005 winner and Santa Barbaran Deneen Demourkas’ Groovederci led the regatta wire to wire. In IRC 1, John Kilroy Jr.’s Samba Pa Ti finished third in a talent-laden class. James Madden’s J/125 Stark Raving Mad of Newport Beach won the closely contested PHRF 1. In the 10 boat PHRF 6,  San Francisco’s Hall Palmer and his Wyliecat 30 Lucky Ducky notched a third-place finish.

Congratulations to not just the class winners and top finishers, but to all the Bay Area and West Coast boats who made the commitment to go to Key West. We don’t have the space to get everyone in here but you can find complete results at the event website.