from the brink

Bill Canfield and a group of Storm Trysail volunteers stepped up last summer for the long, tough slog to try to rescue West Race Week from certain death, and with 119 boats on the line, the event scored its first increase in overall fleet size in 12 years.  With the event finished, we grabbed Bill to see what he thought of the event and where its future lies, for another SA “Innerview”.
SA: First off, who was behind this big effort?  Of course there are volunteers and clubs and classes that help, but a success like this requires guys and gals who are unstoppable forces.  Who gets the credit?
BC: The credit needs to be spread around for sure. In the case of Quantum Key West Race Week, it was a strong group of past Commodores from The Storm Trysail Club who worked tirelessly for over 6 months in all aspects of the event. We needed an early commitment from all our industry sponsors but that began happening when we received word that Quantum Sails was willing to come back as our title sponsor. The next big stumbling block was winning over the town of Key West and gaining their support physically and financially. While they had a strong relationship with the previous organizer, we were just another out-of-town yacht club to the city fathers. The US Navy-controlled Truman Annex was essential to run our mobile marina and we had to convince them we were both credible and responsible partners as few events have access to this property. The businesses and home owners on Caroline St. allowed us to set up regatta headquarters at a great inconvenience to their day to day operations. To say the logistics of this regatta were difficult would be a major understatement. The partnerships have now been reformed and our future in KW is far more certain than when we started operating in Key West.
SA: When exactly did you know you’d be taking over the event?
BC: We got the go ahead in late May but as a new Trysail member I did realize that Block Island came first.  Not only was it Block Island’s 50th anniversary but Block is the STC’s signature event, so we really didn’t hit the ground running until late July. At that point we were 90 days behind schedule but there was no panic. The Club has long been good at event management and the confidence to succeed was there but the road was not always clear and often complicated.
SA: That’s an amazingly short amount of time, especially for something as big as Key West.   What about next year?
BC: Next year we go full bore from March 1 on.
SA: How did you decide what to prioritize – in other words, what did your plan look like for 2016, and what does it look like for the next 5 years?
BC: Wow, wish I knew! Seriously year one we were committed to doing everything as efficiently as we could, which meant continuing to do a lot of basic things the way they’d been previously done, but with a touch of Storm Trysail mixed in. I believe we accomplished that! I have lots of ideas where I would take the event in upcoming years but our first priority will be a debrief with three components to study and breakdown.
First we look at every expense line on the P&L and decide how to do it better, but with an eye on dollars spent. Which services should remain in house and what should be farmed out to other professionals? Next we look at the overall team of volunteers and discuss where we were weak and what any new volunteers would be expected to accomplish with an emphasis on local involvement. Finally, what do the entered racing teams want out of KWRW? We have already gotten a lot, but always want more input from competitors and sponsors, and we’ll continue to seek it out. We need the next 60 days to answer this question sensibly.
SA: Another year, another handicap rule.  What is ORCi, how does it compare to IRC, and what is the future in windward/leeward handicap racing?
BC: I’m unfortunately not a technical person and don’t understand handicapping rules as well as others. I do know this, most of my sailing and event management had been spent using the Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) Rule. It’s 50 years old, it’s simple, it’s cheap, it’s tweaked each year to stay current, when other rules are compared with our results most boats and classes are highly satisfied. To me this is what makes a handicap rule good for the average sailor. We will not go to CSA for their rule but strangely enough, Caribbean events continue to grow in numbers especially with boats from Europe, and that is not generally the case in the US. My point is for classes that were not one-design, we introduced ORC club as an alternative to the always-unpopular PHRF. We are hoping to draw families and club sailors back to Key West. Early days, but I believe we are on the right track with this addition.
SA: Is there anything else you can take from the Caribbean regattas?  They certainly seem more diverse in format than most of the big US regattas.
BC: One direction the Caribbean events are going is a day or two of racing around rocks and islands. This is also very popular and I again point out our numbers are up or at the very worst stable. We plan on listening to the sailors at Key West to create more interest for the non-pro driven boats.
SA: Many ‘racy’ regattas have added cruising classes with varying degrees of success, though your first shot at it seems to have missed.  Is there a future in it?
BC: I go back to the last answer and say yes. We did not market our cruising class well and time was short this year. Can we get boats to do feeder races from east and west coast of Florida? Why not – it’s the perfect time for South Florida racing.  Once those feeders get to Key West for an event that’s been tweaked to attract them, we believe those boats will enter race week. This will remain a Grand Prix type of event most certainly, but can we draw a few dozen boats to a cruising type race, yes!
SA: Series are all the rage, and there’s been noise for years about ‘rekindling SORC’.  Is there a place for KWRW in that kind of concept?
BC: Many of The Storm Trysail Club’s current members gained their entry to blue water racing from the SORC so there is a strong connection to that series. The quick answer is yes, but not yet! With my Caribbean experience I hope to be a bridge and work closely with the southern events that run from February through April. Our goals include the organizing of transport from Florida to St. Thomas or Antigua to catch the Caribbean 600, St. Thomas International and Les Voiles to name a few. We will also build back up our race to Jamaica which is a fantastic race. No series yet but many possibilities exist for this in the near future.
SA: Two small races to Cuba have already happened, and the third starts in just days, with the big Miami-Havana race in just weeks.  How does the opening of Cuba impact racing in South Florida and the Caribbean?  As a Caribbean guy, what potential does Cuba open up for winter racing?
BC: Having lived in Key West for the 5 months Cuba has been opened to Americans,  I’m a bit skeptical about their preparedness to host events. Its my belief these regattas are really pushing the envelope in a negative way unless they remain small. Exciting, “bucket list” for sure,but not yet for us. it will eventually happen. Southern Florida boats will flock to Cuba but let Cuba get a bit more structure in place first.
I don’t see much interest from Caribbean events in Cuba as it really is another competitor for the same entries with little ability to work together at this point due to time, distance and lack of local structure. A regatta in the Caribbean can offer a much better product than Cuba if curiosity is not considered. As we say in St. Thomas “soon come” but not quite yet for us.    Virgin Gorda with 1000 residents is far better equipped to handle a major event then is Cuba at this point in time.
SA: KWRW has become fairly non-diverse.  By that, I mean that just two one-design classes make up the majority of the regatta, with a smattering of other boats.  Is this what we can expect from future KWRW fleets. What fleets do you think can be persuaded to come sailing in KW?
BC: That’s an open ended question but the answers are plentiful. Let me turn it around and ask what large one-design fleet would not like to sail in KW? The regatta has ended up where it is for many reasons but as these reasons and problems are dissected and solved the future is open to all classes and types of boats in these waters. Just on the surface the water portion of the event is already fabulous with great conditions and talented, creative and forward thinking race committees. That is an excellent place to start and few venues can equal these facts.
SA: A quick look at the media output at KWRW shows very little difference from the past few years – in other words, a largely amateur effort with weak exposure.  Is there some way to bring KWRW into the modern age of the internet?
BC: Finally the zinger question I’ve been expecting. Hey, we came a long way this year without much “big pimping” from some groups. If you really and fairly look at where we are, I believe we have arrived in the modern age of Internet and social media. We had event apps at both Block and KW. Our bloggers and face book teams screamed out the news and pictures each day. Was it perfect? Of course not, but it was humming on 4 or 5 cylinders in a positive fashion. Our membership is not young but we are smart enough to know the future of all regattas is social marketing and the Internet. We spent 10 times our initial budget on solving these problems and a really close look at our accomplishments by SA I believe would change your opinion.
SA: KWRW had big one-design multihull fleets more than a decade ago, long before they became ‘acceptable’.  With the exception of the GC32s (who said they’d never come back) and a couple of cruising cats this year, multis are still a no-show.  Is KW the right place for things like Corsairs and Farriers and M32s and the like?  If so, do you plan on trying to bring them into the fold?
BC: I’m a big fan of multihull fleets and was extremely disappointed things did not break our way this year. I’m not sure our conditions lend themselves to the GC 32’s. Last year they were breaking down and the need for a crane launch did not favor that group with KW conditions and inter structure.  I worked long and hard with the M32’s this year which are non foiling and beach launched but for now stationing in Bermuda made more sense in the short term. It was also a year that a group of Gun Boats went south to St. Thomas event but both groups are expected next year along with other multihull fleets.
SA: Our research indicated a number of reasons KWRW nearly died, but by far the biggest reasons were (1) Owners and crews of smaller boats felt like second-class citizens, and (2) both regatta management and Key West rentals and marine businesses inflated their prices to unsupportable levels.  Have these trends been reversed?  How have you addressed them?
SA: I’m not sure either reason is totally valid as stated but… In older days point 1 was the case but is no longer true. The J70 class has found a home here and I don’t believe they are slighted or feel slighted in any way. KW is an expensive destination. In many ways it makes Newport appear inexpensive.
The town and its marinas are simply full to over flowing for six months of the year. There is no price gouging here but simply high demand. The key to attaining event financial success down here is an early commitment 6 months out. You simply cannot wait till the end as prices will rise as the island begins to fill up. They will be higher 3 months out than 6. My advise to all is commit early and save money.
SA: What big announcements do you have for 2017?
BC: Tough question considering we have not had a meeting nor time to debrief the entire race week. Let me personalize this a bit and put an individual’s ideas out there. Bill Canfield will be pushing the J 70, C&C 30, J88 and J 111 class to use KW to hold a championship like Nationals, NA’s or Midwinters at our event. I will be going after Gunboat owners and the M 32 cats to be present at KW. It’s my goal to have an afternoon exhibition in Truman Annex for teams to do some match racing for fun with the town of Key West invited to watch. The M32’s would be perfect for this spectator friendly exhibition after racing doing the day.
I’m hoping to introduce a Yacht Club Challenge next year where a fleet of brand-new Far East 24’s would be available at a low charter fee to yacht clubs. This would open Key West Race Week to a whole new generation of young sailors. Hopefully our biggest announcement will being named as host to one of two TP 52 Super Series events most likely coming to Florida next winter. Lots of things in the process pipeline. Stay tuned.
Hey, do I get to pose a question to SA?
Will we get support from Sailing Anarchy to help promote the event in the future?  It seemed you were strangely passive this year which is unusual for your web site. Are you convinced QKWRW is on its way back?
SA: Well, not usually, but for this once.  We appreciated your reaching out to us early in the process but we were quite skeptical that STYC could bring it back from the brink with so many years of mismanagement.  Rather than harp on why we weren’t optimistic, we chose to stay quiet and stay neutral, even going so far as to turn down your advertising dollars to ensure we could report on your progress without internal conflict.  Remember, Bill, the last guy literally hated us so much that he pretended we didn’t exist, long after we were indisputably the country’s most popular sailing site.  Historically, we didn’t have much faith, so we adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
To your second question, my answer is unequivocal: Yes, and if you continue to do what you say you are doing – especially listening to your competitors, sponsors, and advisers, there is no question that the event will grow.  It is an incredible place to race at a perfect time of the year, and no competitors have popped up to steal the show.  There is one caveat, though: If you spend too much time focusing on the TP52, M32, Grand Prix part of the show, the numbers will start to fall again.  The engine that runs Key West Race Week has always been the Average Joe looking to escape the Northern winter while having fun on a race course.  The last guy forgot that, and Joe now saves his money for Charleston Race Week.