Six hours with Ken Legler

For 30 years (1988-2017), Key West Race Week was the ultimate pop-up event. The southern tip of Florida had little infrastructure, with race officers traveling from all corners of the country to assist. Among them was Ken Legler, and with his recent passing, Dave Brennan shares this story from those glory days:

Near the end of the third week of January each year, for 15 years, at 6:00am, my wife Kendra and I would pick up Ken Legler from a friend’s house in Coconut Grove, pick up my powerboat, and make our way to Key West for Key West Race Week.

Ken and I had been friends for years and involved with race management at various regattas, so when he asked me for a ride to Key West, it wasn’t that unusual. We had spent years discussing race management at regattas, on the telephone for a lengthy conversation, or over a beer.

On the trip to Key West, we had the chance to discuss the latest regattas we were involved in, having lunch at a roadside tiki bar, and solve all the problems in regatta land.

Our conversations involved solutions to starting big one-design fleets in a timely matter, grind out what the regattas were all about, what the sailors were looking for at a regatta, and the importance of the different aspects of a regatta.

These discussions included everything from registration, communication with the sailors before during and after sailing each day, the importance of a good jury who could adjudicate in a timely fashion and get the decision right the first time, and a proper social after sailing.

At Key West Race Week, we generally had a debrief/chalk talk each day that Ken would moderate in the regatta tent involving numerous sailmakers, tacticians, coaches, weather experts, etc. Ken as usual was always entertaining.

The social aspect of each event was of particular importance. Ken gave out trophies each day in the tent, and from knowing many of the sailors and the conditions each day, would tell a story about the racing on their course. Ken would make the prize giving very special.

These trips to Key West turned into a chance to have a one-on-one discussion with Ken that lasted six hours or more each trip. Kendra and I looked forward to the trip with Ken each year and discussing the latest thinking from another race officer. The flip side of the coin was that Ken had a captive audience who he could share his latest thinking and sell the concept to another race officer.

I could go on for hours on how special these times were with Ken, RIP my old friend.