NAUTICA 2002 STAR CLASS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
California Yacht Club/Aug. 18-23

*** Results, photos, video and more at http://www.starworlds2002.com ***

Aug. 19, 2002 For Immediate Release

TORBEN GRAEL LEADS RETURN TO FORM ON SANTA MONICA BAY

Monday's weather: Winds 8.5 to 10.5 knots, southwest.
Tuesday's forecast: 12 knots, southwest.

Brazil'sTorben Grael (left) sails close cover on Bermuda's Peter Bromby at finish of second day's race. Grael won by 11 seconds to take command of the Nautica 2002 Star Class World Championship with four races remaining.

MARINA DEL REY, Calif.---A bright red Prada stripe across his main sail makes Torben Grael easy to spot among 103 otherwise indistinguishable boats, but he hasn't been hard to find in the Nautica 2002 Star Class World Championship, anyway. The Brazilian veteran and his longtime crew, Marcelo Ferreira, are the guys way out in front.

The 1990 world champions and 1996 Olympic gold medallists---Grael also has two Olympic bronze medals---followed Sunday's opening third place with an 11-second victory over Bermuda's Peter Bromby/Martin Siese Monday. They stand 10 points in front of France's Xavier Rohart/Yannick Adde, who are second with a quiet 6-8 line, followed by Ireland's Mark Mansfield/Killian Collins (2-13) and San Francisco's Paul Cayard/Hal Haenel (7-9).

Weather conditions on Santa Monica Bay stabilized under sunny skies that brought steady breezes of 8 ½ to 10 ½ knots that had crews hanging off the windward side to keep the little keel boats flat for maximum speed.

"This was the first time all week we've had a good hike," Bromby said. "Today was a better race in terms of conditions. Consequently, the cream came back to the top."

Indeed, the results did seem to follow form. Among the first five finishers Monday, three---Grael, third-place Alan Adler, also of Brazil, and fifth-place Mark Reynolds---are former champions, while Bromby is ranked No. 4 in the class and fourth-place Iain Percy of the UK is 17th. Mansfield is No. 2 and Rohart No. 10.

Magnus Liljedahl takes a bath as Mark Reynolds drives back into contention with a fifth-place finish.

Sunday's winners, San Diego's No. 8-ranked George Szabo and crew Austin Sperry, finished 20th Monday and stand fifth overall.

Four races remain through Friday. With five races in the book, everybody will discard their worst scores---good news for Reynolds, who can toss Sunday's 78th place and be back in the hunt, barring further disasters.

With the fleet packed like ducklings around the middle committee boat on the 1,000-meter-long line, there were two general recalls Monday before the fleet got away on the third try. Although normally some boats would play the ends of the line, the fact that the middle committee boat was deliberately positioned ahead of the ends was irresistible to most.

Grael said, "We had a good start and went right."

The right side, he explained with a smile, was good "just because the left was good before."

A pack converges at the leeward gate in 10 knots of breeze.

Reynolds led at the windward mark, with Adler on his hip and Grael three boat lengths back. Grael worked into the lead at the next windward rounding and led a tight four-boat pack downwind, where he opted for the right-hand pylon at the gate.

"It opens more options for tactics," he said. "You don't have to go behind anybody."

But Bromby took the left side, picked up successive shifts and came from fifth place past everyone except Grael. Near the finish, Grael tacked three times to cover Bromby and protect his shrinking lead.

"[Bromby] went left on the second half of the beat and that was a pretty good move," Grael said.

Grael, a member of Prada's America's Cup afterguard, has sailed only four events this year, three in Brazil and another with 70 boats at Viareggio, Italy, but Adler said his countryman hasn't lost his touch.

"We'd come in first and second but normally he'd beat us," Adler said.

Grael's brother Lars Schmidt Grael is in 18th place. Adler left the class to sail Solings in 1996 and returned to Stars only last year. Clearly, the boys from Brazil are back.

Nautica International, the Gold Star Title Sponsor, is a leading global fashion and lifestyle company with

Former world champions Eric Doyle (right), with Rodrigo Meireles hiking seriously, and Colin Beashel approach the windward mark.

products ranging from men's, women's and children's sportswear and accessories to a complete home collection.
Nautica is a subsidiary of Nautica Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: NAUT) which, through its subsidiaries, designs, sources, markets and distributes apparel under the following brands: Nautica, Nautica Competition, Nautica Jeans Company, John Varvatos, Earl Jean, E. Magrath and Byron Nelson.

Other sponsors of the Nautica 2002 Star Class World Championship at various levels are: Silver Star---RB Zack and Associates and California Yacht Club; Blue Star---Bang and Olufsen; Green Star---Samuel Adams Beer, Sea Wynde Pot Still Rum, Quantum One-Design Sails, North One-Design Sails, Domaine Danica Winery, Brophy Clark Cellars, Presidio Winery, Dry Creek Vineyard, Star Frozen Foods, pyacht.com.

The leaders (after 2 of 6 races):

1. Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, Brazil, (3-1) 4 points.
2. Xavier Rohart/Yannick Adde, France, (6-8) 14.
3. Mark Mansfield/Killean Collins, Ireland, (2-13) 15.
4. Paul Cayard/Hal Haenel, San Francisco, (7-9) 16.
5. George Szabo/Austin Sperry, San Diego, (1-20) 21.
6. Iain Percy/Steven Mitchell, UK, (19-4), 23.
7. Gavin Brady/Rodney Keenan, New Zealand, (11-12) 23.
8. Philippe Presti/Jean Philippe Saliou, France (9-17) 26.
9. Alan Adler/Ricardo Ermel, Brazil, (26-3), 29.
10. Paul-Ambroise Sevestre/Vincent Berenguier, France, (4-27), 31.

NAUTICA STAR WORLDS GENERAL CHAIRMAN
Alex Benson
California Yacht Club (310) 823-4567
alexbenson@baywoodinn.com

PRESS RELATIONS
Frank Gleberman
(310) 823-0284
FGleberman@aol.com

PUBLICITY
Rich Roberts
(310) 835-2526
cell phone (310) 766-6547
richroberts@compuserve.com

NAUTICA PRESS CONTACT
Mary Ellen Barone
(212) 887-8114
maryellen.barone@nautica.com