Two Irish boats completed Key West Race week in Florida yesterday as the series closed with lightning, thunder and torrential rain.
In IRC 2, Tschüss, a MAT 1180, skippered by Christian Zugel with Cork Harbour connections and a big Irish crew onboard, including Maurice O'Connell, finished fourth from five according to provisional results. The Royal Irish Yacht Club's Checkmate C&C 30, skippered by Nigel Biggs, was sixth from 11. Results are here
Organisers were debating if the conditions were safe to proceed with two races to finish the J/70's, Melges 24's and C&C 30's in Division 2 and one for all other classes.
With several titles at stake, but bad weather threatening, this was not an easy call. Forecaster George Carras from Commander's Weather described the moist tropical conditions in the atmosphere as "juicy and unstable," with a chance for more cells, but with nothing on the radar the fleet headed out of one more day of battle.
When they got out the harbor and headed into the southerly, the forecasted 8-15 knots turned out to be 20+ and building, with monstrous seas enhanced by the south-flowing ebb tide, especially in the Division 4 and Division 1 pre-start course areas. These seas hampered the Race Committees in their efforts to set marks and establish their race courses, so the PRO's pulled the plug for these classes for the day.
