Ken Stanek ­— For The Capital An Annapolis crew sailed NKE Electronics to a PHRF 3 Division title and a PHRF national championship at last week’s Key West Race Week in Florida.   Annapolis team jolts Key West competition NKE Electronics dominates PHRF 3 class, captures national crown By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer Annapolis Yacht Sales owner Garth Hichens was displaying the new Beneteau 10R at the Philadelphia Boat Show last weekend. Bobby Oberg and his Annapolis-based crew aboard NKE Electronics gave Hichens added ammunition for his sales pitch on the new design. Oberg skippered the Beneteau 10R to a dominant victory in PHRF 3 class at Acura Key West 2007 and also captured the inaugural PHRF National Championship. NKE Electronics placed first or second in seven of nine races and clinched the 13-boat class with one day remaining in the regatta. Hichens was so happy he hurriedly created a banner that announced the Beneteau 10R as the newly crowned PHRF National Champ to visitors at the Philadelphia Boat Show. Bruce Bingman, an Annapolis sailor and chairman of the PHRF consortium at Acura Key West 2007, determined the championship through a complicated formula that emphasized average corrected speed and class competitiveness. NKE Electronics had similar boat speed as PHRF 5 winner Rhumb Punch throughout the week, but benefited from a smaller time disparity between the first and fifth place finishers in PHRF 3. Winners of all six PHRF classes at Acura Key West were eligible for the national championship and four were still in contention entering the final day of racing. "It's pretty exciting because 20 years from now, somebody is going to win this award and our name is going to be on there first," said Oberg, who has installed electronics equipment for Annapolis Yacht Sales the past nine years. Winds held steady between 10-14 knots throughout Acura Key West 2007, held Jan. 15-19. Oberg was impressed with how the racer-cruiser excelled in the medium to light breeze. "The conditions we got this week were perfect for the boat," he said. "I think the combination of the T-shaped keel bulb and asymmetrical sails make it a terrific light air performer." Oberg was racing Hull No. 5, the first 10R delivered to Annapolis Yacht Sales from the Beneteau builder in France. He spent the summer testing the boat with basically the same crew in preparation for Acura Key West 2007. NKE Electronics competed in five events on the Chesapeake Bay, easily capturing class honors in the Annapolis Yacht Club Fall Series and placing second at the IRC Championship. Farr Yacht Design created the Beneteau 10R and president Russ Bowler sailed with Oberg to assist with the shakedown process. "We wanted to figure the boat out as quickly as possible and make any improvements we could prior to coming to Key West," Oberg said. Matt Beck of North Sails-Chesapeake regularly raced on the Beneteau 10R to help develop a sail inventory for the class. He then served as tactician on NKE Electronics for Key West. Oberg believes that extensive boat and crew preparation paid off at Acura Key West as NKE Electronics started the series on fire, posting a pair of seconds before rattling off four straight bullets. "I think a lot of our success resulted from what was done before we hit the water," Oberg said. "We spent a lot of time figuring out the right people to go sailing with." Oberg, a 35-year-old New Jersey native, has been competing in various dinghy and small keelboat classes since arriving in Annapolis after graduating St. Mary's College. He captured the High Point Trophy in Star class this past season and showed his helming skills transfer to a big boat. "At a major regatta such as Key West where you have a large, competitive fleet, there is a major premium on starting," Beck said. "Bobby got nine good starts in a row, which is hard to do." Oberg and Beck met while members of the St. Mary's College sailing program and have become close friends. They have spent many hours sailing together around Annapolis and have the chemistry needed between a tactician and helmsman. "I was able to put my head down and focus on driving because I trust Matt 100 percent," Oberg said. "It's impossible to hit every shift, but Matt did an amazing job of putting us in good position most of the time." Chris Humphries, service manager for Annapolis Yacht Sales, played a major role in organizing the program - booking flights for crew members and arranging housing while also working the pit onboard. Jib trimmer Jay Herman of Annapolis Rigging provided NKE Electronics with a cordage upgrade and helped Beck with rig tune. Scott Snyder (main), Adam Doyle (mast), Scott Walter (bow) and Ja ke Ermer (trimmer) completed the crew, which drew high praise from Oberg. "We were perfect around the corners all week. There was never a problem getting the sails up or down," he said. Oberg and crew had to sail at a high level in order to beat Man-O-War, a J/35 owned by Tom Beery of Pascagoula, Miss. Dave Curtis, a 10-time world champion in multiple classes and two-time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, called tactics on Man-O-War - the class runner-up by five points. "We had three or four races in which we were boat-on-boat with the J/35 and we won those battles," Oberg said. Published January 25, 2007, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. Copyright © 2007 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.