Key West, FL (January 21, 2022) – Dive down a few hours south of Miami, and you’ll find yourself among the palm trees, blue waters, and colorful foliage of Key West.

Forget port/starboard: On this island, the roosters roaming the streets have the right of way. Here at the southernmost point of the continental United States, the first-ever Southernmost Regatta presented by Sailing Inc. was held January 17-21, 2022.

The event saw five classes complete 10 or 12 races as scheduled. The week started with three days of non-stop sunshine, perfect wind, and waves that faded over the next two days before a light wind finale. Dock talk will tell you the conditions were prime-time Key West.

There’s something magical about the island lifestyle. Each day after racing, sailors gathered for daily awards at the Sunset Tiki Bar at the Galleon Resort, which was a gracious host. It goes without saying that were plenty of mudslides and Mount Gay cocktails to go around.

The Melges 24 fleet was the largest of the five classes. Today’s finale was a who-beats-who between Peter Duncan’s Raza Mixta and Laura Grondin’s Dark Energy, with Grondin’s team falling hard with a 17th, dropping to third behind Drew Freides’ Pacific Yankee. Onboard with Duncan were Victor Diaz de Leon, Erik Shampain, Matty Pistay, and Greiner Hobbs. Taking the Corinthian trophy was Alex Shafer’s Sweaty Betty from Clermont Sailing Club, Florida.

The race committee team of nine led by PRO Mark Foster completed 40 races throughout the week, rolling out the red carpet for the sailors. The Southernmost Regatta extends its deep gratitude to the vision of the Ruhlman family, Sailing Inc., Regatta Chair Martin Kullman, Evolution Sails, Harken Inc., Mount Gay Rum, J/Boats, EWE Spirit Foundation, Sail22, AA Dive Services, Pirates Lair, the Sunset Tiki Bar at the Galleon Resort, and the City of Key West.

Melges 24 (18 Boats) - FINAL RESULTS
1. Rasta Mixta, Peter Duncan , USA – 3 -2 -1 -1 -9 -1 -12 -4 -2 -8 ; 43
2. Pacific Yankee, Drew Freides , USA – 2 -6 -2 -3 -6 -10 -5 -6 -5 -4 ; 49
3. Dark Energy, Laura Grondin , USA – 1 -1 -6 -5 -7 -3 -6 -2 -4 -17 ; 52
4. New England Ropes, Bora Gulari , USA – 13 -3 -3 -15 -1 -9 -1 -3 -8 -1 ; 57
5. Monsoon, Bruce Ayres , USA – 6 -4 -11 -7 -2 -5 -2 -1 -12 -7 ; 57
View Full Results