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Sarasota's Fisher wins NOOD's Melges 24 class

Sarasota's Doug Fisher won the Melges 24 class at the National Offshore One-Design regatta on Tampa Bay, taking five of the seven races in the category.

The competition was the largest of the event, sponsored by Sailing World magazine, which enjoyed its largest turnout in five years. Ranging in length from 20 to 31 feet, 156 boats from 11 states, Canada and Ireland competed in 13 classes.

Eight of the classes designated this regatta as their midwinter championship.

Fisher had Olympian Morgan Reeser aboard, and had the measure of the fleet of 31 boats.

"We learned a lot at the Key West worlds," Fisher said. "Between Morgan and I, we've been finding a few new gears."

Peter Galloway of Wilton, Conn., repeated his winning performance of the Sonar class midwinters last week.

But he said he enjoyed the breezes of the weekend better than Friday's drifts.

"We're about 80 pounds overweight as a crew, which really helped in the windy race," Galloway said. "Once it got lighter it wasn't as easy."

Friday's racing was delayed because of a lack of wind until early afternoon for the southern course, and the northern course lacked wind until midafternoon. The J-24 class tried to sail, but conditions were not favorable.

Saturday featured winds from 15 to 20 and an opposing current, producing short, steep waves. In many classes, boats that did poorly in the light air reveled in the blow. William Boston of Ontario led the eight-boat S2 7.9 class after the first day.

"I've always been able to do well in that type of stuff," Boston said. "I think it's because I'm patient."

When the wind increased, however, his nephew, Skip Boston, won, enjoying the more physical aspect of the sport.

"This is the first time in the water for our boat after a refit," he said. "Everything worked really well and we have had the same crew for quite a while."

Clearwater's Mike Carroll on the Henderson 30 New Wave, with St. Petersburg's Marty Kullman steering, finished with three consecutive wins.

"We had good starts, sailed really fast, went the right way and had great crew work," tactician John Jennings said. "That works."

Also, St. Petersburg's Doran Cushing, with Olympic hopeful Robbie Daniels aboard, sailed to victory in the nine-boat Corsair trimaran fleet.

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