WOW, it seems that the competitor were flying (through the air and water!). I am surprised that the record was not broken (Matt Struble and WF Oliver finished in 5h:10m to 5h:11m). Maybe it was TOO extreme this year for optimum speed?
I was in Key West for the record race and saw lots of carnage near the finish. One Hobie Tiger was knocked over several times by 30kn + gusts and cartwheeled a half dozen times. It got so bad that the crowd on the beach was yelling for the Tiger crew to stay down, as though they were a badly beaten prize fighter.
I think that the second place boat was a Marstrom 20 sailed by Robbie Daniel, who told me that the light weight Marstrom was "terrifying in those conditions".
I was impressed by Matt and WF, as they seemed SO calm and collect.
They had their Tornado disassembled and in their trailer before the bulk of the fleet finished (mostly I-20s).
The Hog's Breath has provided a lot of great racing through the years and I enjoyed following them down road and at the finish. I will make it a point to check out the 2007 event, as I seemed to miss a great one this year.
