2002 SNIPE WESTERN HEMISPHERE AND
ORIENT CHAMPIONSHIP
Sept. 24-28 / Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, Long Beach,
Calif.
www.abyc.org
Sept. 25, 2002 For Immediate Release
PARADEDA/FERNANDES SWEEP INTO COMMANDING LEAD
 |
| Miami's Augie Diaz and crew Jon
Rogers lead at windward mark of windy second race Wednesday.
They finished third. Photo by Rich Roberts |
LONG BEACH, Calif.---Brazil's Alexandre
Paradeda and crew Flavio Fernandes won both races Wednesday
to take a runaway lead and leave rivals wondering what it
will take to stop them from winning the 2002 Snipe Western
Hemisphere and Orient Championship.
Through three of the seven scheduled
races, the reigning world champions have finished second in
fog and the next day won in light wind as well as in a blustery
15 knots of breeze.
"It's going to be difficult to
get them," said Ivan Pimentel. The 63-year-old Brazilian
Snipe class legend who pushed the pair to a six-second victory
in Wednesday's windy second race. That was after they had
come from out of nowhere to beat Tuesday's winners, San Diego's
Randy Lake and Piet Van Os, by 56 seconds in the first race.
 |
| Snipes sail downwind toward backdrop
of billowing smoke from the Angeles Forest wildfires behind
Los Angeles. Photo by Rich Roberts |
Miami veteran Augie Diaz and crew Jon
Rogers had their chance, too, leading Paradeda/Fernandes until
the second downwind leg of a windy 5.5-nautical mile race
on an Olympic-style course---one triangle lap followed by
a windward-leeward to an upwind finish.
"We had a good opportunity but
we couldn't hold it at the end," said a disappointed
Diaz, who has three third-place finishes. "We needed
to be in that race. Those were our conditions. We needed to
beat him at least once. We've got our work cut out now."
Paradeda, smiling broadly, said, "It
was a lucky day."
 |
| Brazil's Ivan Pimentel and crew
Pedro Tinoco lead a pack into the leeward gate. Winners
Alexandre Paradeda and Flavio Fernandes are at right.
Photo by Rich Roberts |
His reference was to the first race,
which was sailed in only 6 to 7 knots of wind after three
general recalls by the overanxious 25-boat fleet. Paradeda
went left, which looked to be a disaster until the wind shifted
15 to 20 degrees his way about two-thirds up the first windward
leg and gave him a slingshot into first place.
Between races the sea breeze arrived
from the southwest at 12 knots and built to 15 with three-foot
waves. The 15 1/2-foot dinghies were diving into the troughs
and surfing on the crests, as Diaz and Rogers launched themselves
into a quick lead with a perfect pin-end start and then fought
off one Brazilian after another. But they couldn't fight off
Paradeda.
On the final beat Paradeda even gave
up the favored right side to get back to the middle of the
course to cover Diaz, who had gone left. "Augie is very
close in the championship," Paradeda said. "I got
there to be safe."
 |
| Don't worry, they're
not sinking. Augie Diaz and Jon Rogers are just bottoming
out in a trough during the windy second race Wednesday.
Photo by Rich Roberts |
Then Paradeda had to meet Pimentel's
late charge---all the time fighting a gear breakdown that
left Fernandes to deal with a whisker pole that kept falling
off its mount along the boom, making it difficult to tack.
"The secret [of success] is me,"
Fernandes said, laughing.
The Brazilians have 3.5 points (the
Snipe class still uses the old scoring system that awards
three-quarters of a point for first place). Lake (1-2-6) is
next at 8.75 and Diaz has 9. No one else is currently in the
running---San Diego's George Szabo/Brian Janney duo is fourth
with 24---but competitors may discard their worst races after
six.
 |
| Alexandre Paradeda and crew Flavio
Fernandes, the world champions from Brazil, have a commanding
lead with two first places and a second. Phot by Rich
Roberts |
Thursday is a day off; there will be
two races each day Friday and Saturday, conditions permitting.
The leaders (3 of 7 races):
1. Alexandre Paradeda/Flavio Fernandes,
Brazil, (2-1-1), 3.5 points. 2. Randy Lake/Piet Van Os, San
Diego, (1-2-6), 8.75. 3. Augie Diaz/Jon Rogers, Miami, Fla.,
(3-3-3), 9. 4. George Szabo/Brian Janney, San Diego, (8-11-5),
24. 5. Marcos Mascarenhas/Pedro Caldas, Brazil, (5-13-7),
25.
Complete results, photos and other information
are available at www.abyc.org. High-resolution photos suitable
for print reproduction are available upon request.
CHAIRMAN
Gordon Brown
(562) 434-9955
abcy@abyc.org or browgrdn@aol.com
PUBLICITY
Rich Roberts
Cell phone (310) 766-6547
Richsail@earthlink.net
