Key West 2005, presented by Nautica is where gold medalist Kevin Burnham and Luna Rossa helmsman James Spithill, among other sailing celebrities, will be found Jan. 17-21, along with more than 300 other teams, if current entry projections play out.

The J/105s have already surpassed their Key West record turnout of 29 Boats with 31 entered and 40 expected. So far there are 42 Melges 24s from coast to coast and seven countries, matching the number of PHRF entries, And there will be lots more before the deadline.

Burnham became world-famous in photos of his back flip dive at the Athens finish line---a 10.0 in Olympic scoring---after winning the men's 470 class with helmsman Paul Foerster. At Key West he will join a crew on Rocketeer II, a Corsair 28R trimaran entered by Ken Winters of Dallas. Randy Smyth, America's foremost multihuller and a two-time Olympic silver medalist, will also be on board, with Charles Nethersole driving.

Burnham said Winters was a key supporter of him and Foerster. `Ken had been helping Paul and me make ends meet for the Olympic campaign, but I could not sail with him at Key West last year so I contacted Randy. Randy was able to go sailing with my friend and find the crew, too. They all had a great time and are back again. This year I have been invited to join them. I am really looking forward to it. It is one of my favorite regattas.`

With the AC scene momentarily marking time, Spithill will sail a Melges 24. It's somewhat removed from the International America's Cup Class machine he now drives for the Italian syndicate, but the young Australian should feel right at home in one of the event's heavily international fleets.

“It is my first time in [a Melges 24],” said McKee, who owns Olympic bronze and silver medals. “I am really excited. This is not official Luna Rossa business, just a fun event for us. Having said that, we are sailing with mostly Luna Rossa guys, including [brother] Charlie McKee and Manuel Modena, but also a young kid from Miami who sails Optimist.”

Besides the Melges 24s, the Swan 45s, Transpac 52s and Farr 40s also share in the universal zest of an entry list currently showing boats from two dozen countries and five of the seven continents. Only Antarctica has never been represented, but give it time.

Many of those will figure in the intense competition among teams for the International Team Trophy. Peter de Ridder's Mean Machine from Monaco won the Farr 40 class last January as part of the Europe B team that wrested the title from Italy's multi-year dominance.

Dec. 10 is the deadline for entry applications to avoid late fees. Final entry applications are due Dec. 27. The regatta is limited to the first 350 entries.

Entry information and current list, Notice and Conditions of Race, accommodations and much more at Premiere-Racing.com

Anticipated one-design classes include the Swan 45s, which debuted a year earlier; Transpac 52s, Farr 40s, Mumm 30s, 1D35s, J/105s, J/120s, J/109s, J/80s, J/29s, C&C 99s, Corsair 28Rs and the largest group of all, the Melges 24s.

One-off designs and others without the numbers to establish level classes will be assigned to the PHRF, IMS and IRC fleets that traditionally comprise about one-third of the turnout.

Key West 2005 sponsors are Nautica, Mount Gay Rum, B&G, Lewmar, Samson Rope Technologies, and the Florida Keys and Key West Tourist Development Council. The Historic Seaport is the Official Site.

Support also comes from a record number of 29 Industry Partners.

Premiere Racing is also managing the new Acura Miami Race Week 2005 (`the SORC renaissance`). Race dates are March 10-13, 2005, with ocean and Biscayne Bay racing. Many Key West entrants are planning to store boats in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and return for more great South Florida racing.

More details about the Keys, including web cams, are available at fla-keys.com or by calling 1-800-FLA-KEYS.

KEY WEST NOTES: Among the latest entries is Titan 12, Tom Hill's Reichel/Pugh 75 maxi from Newport, R.I. It again will line up as base handicap boat among the big PHRF competitors, alongside Bill Alcott's Andrews 68, Equation, from Detroit, and Daniel Meyers' Farr 60, Numbers, from Newport, among others. . . . Daisuke Kimura of Hayama, Japan, is returning to sail Maleesh, a Beneteau 40.7 he has chartered. Kimura owns the same kind of boat and will bring his own sails. He chartered a Beneteau 36.7 last January. . . . Four of the Transpac 52s planning to compete also will do the `feeder` race from Ft. Lauderdale starting Jan. 12. They are Makoto Uematsu's Esmeralda, Japan, with Ken Read on board; Mike Brennan's Sjambok, Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud and Fred Detwiler's Trader.

Source: Rich Roberts