Key Largo Steeplechase V2.0

Key Largo, FL

December 13-14, 2014

The Steeplechase this year was a little different than years past. Due to venue issues the fleet wanted to try something a little different. We ditched Gilberts and Anne’s breach and reversed the course using the Islander Resort and the Upper Keys Sailing Club as our staging (start/finish) and UKSC as our overnight landing. Staging out of the Islander has reinvented this race! For those that haven’t been to the Islander it is open, quiet and inviting. It’s a bit more high end than what we as beachcat sailors are used too but it’s well worth the duckets. A big thank you to Dennis Green for working with the fleet and making the arrangements with the Islander. Being welcomed at the venue was a big improvement. Also a huge thank you is owed to Ginette Hughes the Fleet Captain and the Upper Keys Sailing Club. Stepping off the boat and into the club bar was great way to end the day and begin the evening! Now on to the race.

Day 1 started on the ocean side sending us north to Angelfish. We basically sailed the first 45 miles of the Florida 300 on day one. We started with a 15 to 18 knot tight reach turning more on the nose as we made our way north to Angelfish creek. As you would expect the fleet got pretty spread out as we made our way to the first turn. Bret and Kenny on the M20 slowly stretched out with Todd Riccardi not far behind, followed by the Sonnenklar boys on Royal Orange and Royal Yellow with the Jake and Laura getting in there way. Shortly after the start Mike Phillips blew up his main traveler putting them dead in the water while they jury rigged a fix. Eric Roberts on the ARC22 broke his jib halyard a little past John Pennekamp which was pretty much the last haul out point until we made our way to the inside. Eric couldn’t fix the issue offshore and had to land briefly to pull off the jib so they could continue on. Mike and Eric’s problems put them well in the back of the pack with a lot of ground to recover. By the time we got to Anglefish Mr Phillips was passing the fleet and heading back to the front. As we entered AngelFish Creek we saw the expected flood and to top it off it was a reach… a freaking REACH! Needless to say we were in and out of AngelFish with barely enough time to suck down some water and grab a quick bite. Once out of the creek it was pretty much a one jibe run to the Card Sound bridge. By the time we got to the bridge most of the F18’s and N20’s were in a full on dogfight I think we were all in the creaks at the same time including the ARC 22 which had made up a huge deficit . There were many lead changes and we were often within inches of each other it was freaking rush hour in Jewfish creek and we were 50+ miles into the race, it was Epic! Most of the fleet made it through the creeks and the shallows between. Jake and Frank decided it was important to inspect the bottom of their boat and you know Jake once he decides something needs to be done it’s gonna get done.   Ricky must have been feeling the pressure decided they needed to lighten the boat and and shed their paddle. It didn’t really make sense to me but it seemed to work, they quickly slipped away. It was an amazing first day with perfect conditions! Once we put our boats on the hard and made a visit to the UKSC bar it was time to clean up and attend the Lohmeyer feast and a feast it was! Steve and his crew of cooks always exceed expectations. As we feasted on homemade goodness and told exaggerated stories of our brilliance and had a good laugh about our less than stellar moments of the day.

Day 2 started where Day 1 left off. We had an on the water start right off the UKSC peer. This put us on a tight spin reach to first cut about 1 mile away. Some took the high road and some took the low road but in the end we all pretty much went through the cut at the same time and this is where Day 2 really began. About 1/3 of the fleet split immediately and began working the shore the remaining part of the fleet sailed deeper into FL Bay. Looking back sailing deeper into the bay was the right call. As we sailed south downwind the breeze slowly ticked up giving us awesome VMG in the 17 knot range. But as we approached the turn (Channel 5 Bridge) the breeze began to fade. The Mastroms and the ARC were in their element and stretched out quickly. Riccardi on his F18 was moving well and separated from the F18 fleet. New comers ….. on their Hobie Tiger had it working and hung in there with the F18 fleet all day. As we went under the Channel 5 bridge and began to work our way upwind towards the Islander the breeze began really drop off. Even with the fading breeze the fleet was done by 12:30 PM setting a new course record which promises to stand for quite a while.

I’ve been sailing the Steeplechase since the late 90’s and this was easily my favorite one. The conditions and venue were simply off the chain! I’ve already spoken to UKSC and they are making plans for us to be there again next year! If you’ve never done the Steeplechase before it’s time to give it a go. If you’ve done it and feel like you’ve been there done that… well the course is really different going the other way! It’s like learning it all over again! Join us next year you won’t be disappointed!

David Ingram

Results:

Overall

Leg 1

Leg 2

Overall