COMMENT FROM JEFF JONES & JOHN PORTER AFTER RACES SIX AND SEVEN IN KEY WEST
After racing today Fiona Brown spoke to Jeff Jones of USA497 "Kilroy" and John Porter of USA449 "Full Throttle".
FB - Jeff, you had a much better day today, why was that?
Jeff Jones - It was a good day, we enjoy heavy stuff. We had it going good up wind which was the best thing, we were getting into Key West chop mode which was a good thing for us. It was a big improvement for us to get up in the top ten twice today.
FB - What brings you back to Key West year on year?
JJ - The weather, the water, the people, the regatta's run well and the food and restaurants are fantastic. It's just a great event.
FB - John, you too seemed to finally find that secret ingredient today. How did you day pan out?
John Porter - The first race there was a little more breeze than we've had before, around 12-15 knots. There was heavy current at the start against the boats so some of them had a hard time making it up to the line. In particular Flavio started a little bit to weather of us and we had a good start on him and eventually forced him to the right.
The tendency was for everyone to get to the right. Flavio got a little bit of a jump on everyone over there, plus he's steering his boat very well, he's fast all the time and makes very few mistakes so he came out up the first beat first. Luca Santella was second and we were third.
The breeze was just slowly building there down that first downwind leg. It was hard to get the boat in the groove with the chop, there wasn't that much breeze to get thru those waves. We sailed a good race and were lucky to get thru Santella at the top of the second weather leg. Flavio had increased his lead a little bit at that point and we just went round the race course and finished like that. It got us all a little bit closer overall in the regatta.
The next race we started again in the middle and everyone just had such a hard time getting to that line in both races. We started in the middle but to weather of the centre line boat and Santella started with us right there and the two of us were really pushing one another and we pushed one another right up to the line. I think we were the only ones close to the line, everyone was just late which was so opposite to the first day when we had all the recalls. No one was close to the line, I think we were closest and we were like a boat length and a half off the line. The two of us just went off the start there and Morgan Larson did a good job too and led round the boy. We lost a little bit and rounded fourth, we overshot a little bit at the mark but then we had great speed downwind, we got in a groove, there was a little more wind, with those waves and we were able to keep up. We went round the left leeward mark which was the right choice although Santella went around the other mark and he hooked up in there, but he and Morgan Larson were the only ones.
Flavio Favini was going fast all day, he had good speed, every time we were near him he was always hanging in there real well, not giving away an inch so he's fast. Flavio is fast, we were fast and we sailed well today. I don't think we've ever had a regatta with such great starts, we've had seven really good starts and don't really have a lot to show for it which is very disappointing. Earlier in the week we had so many races where we were sixth or tenth in the race where we really had a chance at the first buoy to be first or second and there were little shifts we missed and little things we didn't do that well. But today was a fun day and I'm hoping we can do it again tomorrow! We're having the best time, this is the best place in the world to sail, Key West is the best regatta going, it's the greatest!"
Our thanks to Jeff and John for speaking with us after racing.
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