Wainer Wins 4th 'Linda' Title As Sunday Fogged Out

Claudia Wainer (yellow vest), the leader after day one, waits out the fog that wiped out the second day of racing in the Linda Elias Memorial Women's One Design Challenge. Photo by Rich Roberts

LONG BEACH---Claudia Wainer, sailing for the host Long Beach YC, won her fourth title in five years when the Linda Elias Memorial Women's One Design Challenge was cut short by fog Sunday. After waiting two hours as the soup only got thicker with visibility as little as 50 feet in the outer harbor, the race committee abandoned racing. That left only Saturday's four races that had Wainer with 8 points (3-1-1-3), one point ahead of a combined Balboa/San Diego YC entry helmed by 1998 winner Annie Nelson (1-3-3-2).

Six teams sailed Catalina 37s in the 12th edition of the event renamed for the late Linda Elias, a three-time winner who died last January after a nine-year battle with cancer. Results: 1. Claudia Wainer, Long Beach YC (3-1-1-3), 8 points; 2. Annie Nelson, Balboa/San Diego YC, (1-3-3-2), 9; 3. Carla Thorson, Women's Sailing Association of Santa Monica Bay (6-2-2-1), 11; 4. Colleen Cooke, Southwest YC (2-4-4-4), 14; 5. Jenny Nelson, Dana Point YC (4-5-6-6), 21; 6. Laura de Legorreta, Puerto Vallarta YC (5-6-5-5), 21.

 

Carla Thorson (4) leads Claudia Wainer to the leeward gate. Photo by Rich Roberts	Carla Thorson (4) drives into the weather mark with Annie Nelson (3) on her hip in Saturday's racing. Photo by Rich Roberts