The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011

Clearwater to Key West Race

In 1986, CYC answered the call from sailors around the state for a distance race to make up for the loss of the old St. Pete to Habana Race. The first Clearwater to Key West Regatta was organized by Norb Zebny and Charlie Brown. Sixty-three boats raced in the inaugural regatta. Many other CYC members joined the competitors by cruising, driving, or flying down to join the fun in Key West (Dooley, 1994). By 1988, the regatta had taken on a life of its own. CYC continued to serve as the host club, but the regatta was incorporated as the Clearwater to Key West Race, Inc., under the direction of Charlie Brown and Marc Bershaw. In 1988, “80 boats raced and more cruised down. In total, nearly 1500 people assaulted the gentle island of Key West… and if there’s one thing that the gentle island of Key West truly enjoys it’s a good assaulting” (Dooley, 1994:3). A Naples to Key West race was added to the regatta in 1993 and the name changed to the Key West Conch Quest. Throughout most of the 1990s, the regatta continued to draw a large number of competitors and great hordes of partiers. In 2000, Charlie Brown announced he would not be able to continue to organize the regatta and CYC, with Fairlie Brinkley as race organizer, once again became the sponsoring body for this regatta. On May 5, 2000, the St. Petersburg Times reported: “Despite a late change in sponsorship and dates, the annual Clearwater to Key West race sailed from Clearwater Thursday morning with a smaller-than-usual fleet of monohulls and multihulls bound for the conch republic…In recent years this event has attracted more than 70 boats, but scheduling conflicts…and late changes in the dates and sponsorship of the race left the host Clearwater Yacht Club struggling to keep it alive. The club took over the organization of the race in April when the previous race chairman, Charlie Brown, announced there would be no race this year.” By 2001, the race was back in full swing and the parties at the club and in Key West were roaring along again with sailors and those who joined them for the fun. Over the years, several other starts were added (including Sarasota and Boca Grande). Like the original St. Pete to Habana races, this regatta truly became a multi-club event. In recognition of the various start locations, the name was changed once again to Key West Rendezvous . In 2006, Tim Roberts (commodore 2009–2010) built new bases for the historic silver trophies won by Haligonian in 1930, 1933, and 1935. These bases now bear the names of the top finishers in the Key Wet Rendezvous—a fitting legacy to the famous St. Pete to Habana races of the past.

Chapter 6: Big Boat Racing: The Legacy of the Haligonian 71