Rich Roberts Reports
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Click on Burgee to go to ABYC's site All photos by Rich Roberts LONG BEACH, Calif.--So Andy Mack and Adam Lowry of Seattle validated their top ranking on the US Sailing Team by coming from behind to win the 49er class in the 42nd Olympic Classes Regatta at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Sunday, but where does that put them in the international picture? "We're going to find out next week," Mack said. They were off to Spain Sunday night to compete against the best 49er sailors in Europe in the Princess Sofia Regatta on the island of Majorca. The competition may be keen but the conditions won't be any tougher than they found over three days in Long Beach, including the final day with 18 knots of chilly breeze and lumpy water even inside the breakwater where their acrobatic class performed.
It was gnarly well before noon. Several boats in various classes took one look and returned to the harbor; others dropped out through the afternoon. But most of the 143 entries in nine classes considered the outing well worthwhile in the pursuit of their Olympic dreams---even Laura Corbit The 27-year-old UCLA student finished last in all 10 Laser races---but she finished every race, which is more than some of her peers did. "The worst that could happen is if I quit," she said. She has been sailing a Laser only two years and weighs only 109 pounds, which was a severe handicap Sunday. "But the more time you spend on the water, the better you get," she said.
Meg Gaillard, 28, of Jamestown, R.I., also sailed every race, even though she had the Europe class wrapped up with one to spare. She won 8 of 10 races, including the last seven. The effort earned her top ranking in her class for 2002. Peter Wells already was assured of such status. Wells, 28, of Newport Beach, Calif., was able to sit out the last two Mistral races after winning the first eight. His closest competition was 16-year-old Philip Muller of Ft. Pierce, Fla. "Phil is good in light winds," Wells said earlier in an assessment that will be expanded after this weekend. Farther offshore, veteran Finn campaigner Darrell Peck, 37, of Gresham, Ore. steamrolled the fleet in winning all three races Sunday, dropping Bryan Boyd of Jacksonville, Fla. to second. Honolulu's Andrew Lewis, 19, also scored a triple Sunday for 8 wins in 10 Laser races, but San Francisco's Russ Silvestri---the 40-year-old American Finn rep at Sydney in 2000---made his extra heft pay with second and third places before copping an OCS (premature start) in the last race. In the absence of any names such as Reynolds, Cayard, Brun and Doyle,
big Mike Dorgan---veteran world-class Star crew turned skipper---and
crew Eric Weintraub from San Diego cruised to victory. They had four
wins and no finish worse than third, except a double DSQ port-starboard
incident with As for Mack, 31, and Lowry, 27, their win was special. On the same course in 1997 they competed in the 49ers' first major event in the U.S. after the class was granted Olympic status. Now they stand to be heirs apparent to world champions and 2000 bronze medallists Jonathan and Charlie McKee, if the McKees choose not to campaign again. "They're busy with the America's Cup [with the OneWorld Challenge] right now," Mack said, "and for now they are planning to do the Trials. We've been pushing ourselves hard. We'll just have to wait and see." Class winners (protests pending): LASER (47 boats)-1. Andrew Lewis, Honolulu, Hawaii FINN (15)-1. Darrell Peck, Gresham, Ore. MISTRAL MEN (7)-1. Peter Wells, Newport Beach, Calif. MISTRAL WOMEN (2)-1. Sherry Burgess, Victoria, B.C. STAR (13)-1. Mike Dorgan/Eric Weintraub, San Diego, Calif. 49ER (20)-1. Andy Mack/Adam Lowry, Seattle, EUROPE (23)-1. Meg Gaillard, Jamestown, R.I. SOLING (7)-1. Jim Medley/Marc Hulbert, Seattle SNIPE (6)-1. Ken Redler/Julie Redler, San Diego INFORMATION Co-chairmen: PUBLICITY
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