There is no better sight than a steady stream of racing boats either sailing or motoring out of the Historic Seaport harbor around 10 a.m. on Monday. That’s a sure sign that the annual race week held off Key West is starting on time and with enough wind to get the regatta underway. Quantum Key West Race Week 2015 got off to a strong start with the principal race officers on all three divisions able to complete two good races in 8-14 knot northeasterly winds. The J/70 is the largest class in the regatta with 54 boats at its Midwinter Championship, and the goal going into the first day was to avoid that deep finish that could prove costly. “You can’t win the regatta on Monday, but you sure can lose it,” Heartbreaker skipper Robert Hughes said. “You don’t want to sail your drop race on the first day.” After finishing 11th in Race 1, San Diego skipper Bennett Greenwald got the gun in Race 2 and is the early leader while also earning City of Key West Boat of the Day honors. Hughes, who trails Greenwald by three points and leads Carlo Alberini (Calvi Network) by one, had a similar day with results of 13th and second. In fact, the top five boats on Monday all had one result of fifth or better and another result of 11th or higher. “We almost had a great day,” said Hughes, who lost seven places on the final leg of Race 1. “I’m pleased with our speed. We have new sails and have made some changes to the rig setup. This is the best this boat has ever gone.” Photos are available on the J/70 Class Facebook page, the event blog is athttp://premiere-racing.com/2015blog/, and the event website/full results at www.premiere-racing.com target=_blank>http://wwww.premiere-racing.com.

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