Rich Roberts Reports
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A PERFECT DAY, ESPECIALLY FOR LEWIS AND WELLS LONG BEACH, Calif.--Mike Dorgan, Andrew Lewis and Peter Wells had no complaints, but many of their peers took a detour through the protest room to the Friday night party after opening day of the 42nd Olympic Classes Regatta at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. Dorgan, from San Diego, and crew Eric Weintraub sandwiched two firsts around a second to take charge of the Star class, while Lewis, Honolulu, and Wells, Newport Beach, notched three bullets apiece to further validate their stature in the Laser and Mistral classes, respectively. An entry list of 141 boats in seven classes found a bit of a chill
in the dependable southwesterly Long Beach sea breeze, but it filled
in on schedule with 10 knots at mid-day and built to 15 through a brilliantly "What a beautiful day," Dorgan said. "I love sailing here." Racing is scheduled to start at 11:15 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, conditions permitting. The Finns, Stars and Solings are sailing on the open ocean, the Europes, Mistrals and Lasers are inside the breakwater, while the 49ers are sailing off the beach. Dorgan, for years an ample presence on the international Star circuit as crew for Vince Brun, is driving his own boat now. He is one of the few Star skippers who outweighs his crew, but the combination seems to work. The Lasers launched the largest class with 47 boats, including Russ Silvestri, the USA's Olympic Finn representative who is trying to get the hang of a different single-handed class. "I think I'm too heavy for this," Silvestri said with a rueful smile, although his 10th-place standing was no disgrace in a deep and talented fleet. Bryan Boyd of Jacksonville, Fla. topped a tough Finn turnout ahead of Darrell Peck, Mo Hart, Geoffrey Ewenson and Andrew Kern. It's a good bet that the American 49er to succeed 2000 bronze medallists
Jonathan and Charlie McKee will come from this fleet, which features
some of the teams that chased them to Sydney two years ago. But when
Andy Mack/Adam Lowry and Dalton Bergan/Zack Maxam wound up in a protest
in the However, that lead was subject to the protest, which was unresolved at this report. There are only two guys among 21 gals in the Europe class, and one of them-Robert Dean of Northridge, Calif.-held a one-point lead over the favorite, seasoned campaigner Meg Gaillard from Jamestown, R.I. Class leaders (protests pending): LASER (47 boats)-1. Andrew Lewis, Honolulu, Hawaii (1-1-1), 3 points. FINN (15)-1. Bryan Boyd, Jacksonville, Fla. (1-2-2), 5. MISTRAL MEN (7)-1. Peter Wells, Newport Beach, Calif. (1-1-1), 3. MISTRAL WOMEN (2)-1. Lynn Olinger, San Francisco (6-DNS-7), 23. STAR (13)-1. Mike Dorgan/Eric Weintraub, San Diego, Calif. (1-2-1), 4. 49ER (20)-1. Tim Wadlow/Pete Spaulding, San Diego (2-1-1-1-4), 9. EUROPE (23)-1. Robert Dean, Northridge, Calif. (1-2-2), 5; 2. Meg Gaillard, SOLING (7)-1. Ian Wareham/Colin Baden/Andrew Vance, Eastsound, Wash. INFORMATION Co-chairmen: PUBLICITY |
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