Photos and Story By Rich Roberts

As Published In the Long Beach Press-Telegram

Liz Hjorth (center, behind mast) drives Cal YC entry downwind to Women's One-Design Challenge victory.

LONG BEACH, Calif.---With five wins in as many races and only two to go, Liz Hjorth and her California Yacht club crew from Marina del Rey should have been cruising to victory in the 11th Women's One-Design Challenge Sunday, but the fates weren't about to let them off easily.

In agonizingly light wind, their hearts were in their mouths for an hour until the finish of the next-to-last race because they feared they might have been over the line at the starting signal.

They weren't, but three other boats were. Two returned to restart properly, and when the recall flag remained flying on the host Long Beach YC's committee boat Hjorth's women thought the third might be them.

Carla Thorson, representing women's Sailing Association of Santa Monica Bay, has San Diego's Colleen Cooke (9) bearing down on her as she rounds leeward mark.

They finished second two boat lengths behind Laura Legorreta's Puerto Vallarta YC team, but they cared less about that than the penalty for jumping the gun: nine points, which would have dropped them into second place behind San Diego's Colleen Cooke.

"We got all bound up thinking we were over early," Hjorth said. "We weren't even thinking about winning [the race]."

Hjorth's tactician, Kathy Patterson, said, "We knew that because of our [first place] position we probably should have gone back [to restart], but we trusted our bowperson, Liz Tran."

Tran, standing on the bow for the start, assured them they were behind the line, and the horn signaling their finish made it official.

"We were quite relieved," Hjorth said.

Puerto Vallarta YC's Laura Legorreta leads Liz Hjorth to finish line in the first race the Cal YC entry didn't win.

With a seven-point lead, then, all Hjorth's team had to do to win the regatta was to finish the last race. They sailed ultra-conservatively to fifth place, taking no chances on committing fouls---or starting early. Hjorth also won in 1997.

Eight all-woman teams sailed Catalina 37s in seven races over two days on the Long Beach outer harbor. Cooke's Southwestern YC entry was second overall. Carla Thorson's team representing the Women's Sailing Association of Santa Monica Bay was third.

Cooke lost her chance to overtake Hjorth in the next-to-last race when she was one of the early starters. She restarted and recovered to finish fourth, but Hjorth was then beyond reasonable reach.

Christine Robertson (1) of Bahia Corinthian YC leads a pack around the windward mark.

Besides Patterson and Tran, Hjorth's crew included Sue Herrschaft, Gwen Gordon, Dawn McIntosh, Carrie Dair, Alice Leahey, Ann Chamberlin, Marylyn Hoenemyer and Tiffany Brain.

"Everybody brought something to the program," Hjorth said, "from handling the paperwork to bringing the sandwiches.

"It was Dawn [McIntosh] who put the team together and asked me to join. Unlike last time, I didn't have to organize everything, which took a lot of pressure off. The stress level was way down."

Valerie Navarro's crew celebrates winning the last race after a hard-luck regatta. They finished fifth overall.

With the program in place, McIntosh was asked if Cal YC will return to defend in 2003.

"If we can get this team again, why not?" she said.

 

 

 

Final standings (7 races):

1. Liz Hjorth, California YC, 1-1-1-1-1-2-5, 12 points.
2. Colleen Cooke, Southwestern YC, San Diego, 2-2-2-2-2-4-6, 20.
3. Carla Thorson, Women's Sailing Assn., Santa Monica Bay, 5-3-5-3-3-3-2, 24.
4. Laura Legorreta, Puerto Vallarta YC, 6-5-3-4-6-1-4, 29.
5. Valerie Navarro, Long Beach/Los Angeles Women's Sailing Assn., 4-4-4-7-5-9-1, 34.
6. Christine Robertson, Bahia Corinthian YC, 3-7-7-5-4-5-3, 34.
7. Lisa Maria Kackowski, Women's Yacht Racing Fleet, 7-6-6-6-7-6-7, 45.
8. Annie Taylor, Women's Ocean Racing Sailing Assn., 8-9-8-8-8-7-8, 56.