Monday morning in Key West

To walk the docks in the morning of day one, you are keenly aware of the energy created by this event. By 8:00am, crew activity was well underway as teams prepared for the 10:00am start. Looking to buy a coffee, I eventually found a store that was NOT finishing up huge sandwich orders for the entrants (probably a lot of sandwiches were made this morning). Plenty of logistics to get off the dock, with some crew on cell phones simply trying to find their boats.

As the fleet left, you could feel the air getting sucked out of town. A small town like Key West does a good job of absorbing the 3,000 sailors, plus the sizeable event crew that is running the event. The tent is the hub of the event, with many of the boats docked nearby. Inside the tent are sponsor booths, merchandise sales, the huge Mount Gay Rum bar, but during the day it is quiet, with race admin scurrying around to handle any details before the fleet returns.

The weather forecast was for light winds, which has caused the first race to be delayed. However, the racing is underway - with results posted soon.

The event tent

Crowds in a local store

The boats, the teams - first day activity

The shwanky Quantum Sails support boat