News

January 18, 2008

Peter de Ridder’s crew warm up for some steaming competition in Miami for the 21st Acura Key West regatta

The Mean Machine crew are busy warming up the most recent addition to the Mean Machine family for a regatta that’s set to make big sailing news. With 25 boats from 10 different countries, the recently launched Farr 40 will be racing against some of the sport’s finest sailors, from the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and Olympic arenas. Paul Cayard (Warpath), Dean Barker (Morning Glory), Brad Butterworth (Alinghi), Bouwe Bekking (Nanoq) and Vasco Vascotto (Nerone) are just a selection of the names on the star-studded entry list for this legendary US regatta.

The bay of Miami will play host to this high profile five day event which is set to include ten windward-leeward races. The ever-competitive one-design Farr 40 class is sure to be a focal point of this important regatta in the world sailing calendar. The crews will be fighting for those precious podium spots for a number of reasons: not only are there prizes up for grabs over the next few days, but the boat with the combined best score in the Acura Key West and the Acura Miami Grand Prix (March 6 – 9, 2008) will also be given with the Acura Grand Prix award. The push for the podium doesn’t stop there though: the teams will be also be looking to get the momentum going with a view to the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds, also in Miami in three months time (April 16-19).



For Mean Machine number 21 this is an important test of strength. Following her recent debut in the 10th Anniversary regatta (Nov 30th – Dec 2nd) the team will be looking to maximise the boat’s potential and find that all-important racing ‘mojo’. The return to the Farr 40 class has been a conscious decision by Mean Machine founder and owner Peter de Ridder to consolidate the team’s sailing platform. That means sailing in many different classes and reaping the benefits of that on a holistic level; what’s good for Farr 40 is good for the TP 52 season ahead…etc. It’s all part of strengthening the team’s strong foundations.

The last time the team came to Key West was in 2007 with the Mean Machine Mumm30. It was a happy ending indeed, with a win in the Acura Miami Grand Prix and a second place finish in at the Acura Key West regatta. The team have also raced here in the Farr 40 class, where they came 3rd in 2005, and also savoured victory as winners and “boat of the week” in 2004. De Ridder, Ray Davies and crew are hoping to add another chapter to their Miami story here at Key West next Friday by taking another step onto the podium.