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Sailing

New England crew wins Midwinter title

Peter Galloway's boat outdistances 18 others in the Sonar event.

By DAVE ELLIS
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 13, 2003

The Sonar Midwinter Championship drew 19 boats from as far as California and Europe to Tampa Bay.

Perennial champ Peter Galloway and his crew from Wilton, Conn., won the title without having to sail the last race. Among the crew was Rhode Island sailmaker Ched Proctor, who has won many regattas on Tampa Bay.

Steve Shepstone of Watertown, Conn., was second. Included in his crew was Michael Loeb, a Flying Dutchman Olympic contender during the 1960s.

One point separated the top two boats.

Winds for the three-day weekend regatta were moderate with a maximum of 15 knots and only one very light air race.

After the first race Friday, a front came through the bay, bringing a strong breeze and driving rain. The 23-foot Sonar is the official Paralympic boat. Ten boats at the Midwinters were crewed by disabled sailors.

Teams from Germany, Ireland, England and Canada joined the American boats practicing for the Athens Olympics. Jens Kroker of the German Paralympic team was third and won the second race. John Ross-Duggan, in sixth, has a swinging seat mounted on his boat that allows him to be on the windward side on each tack. For his bronze medal performance at the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996, he was strapped in his wheelchair on the starboard side for the entire race.

"It took a couple of years to get used to the seat," said Ross-Duggan, a quadriplegic. "We didn't win the trials for the 2000 Olympics. But we seem to have mastered it now."

Paul Callahan, who won the 2000 trials, recently installed a swinging seat, also designed by St. Petersburg's Gene Hinkle, and is going though the learning process, finishing 14th and placing third in one race.

The St. Petersburg Sailing Center has become the favorite place for disabled sailors worldwide to practice for big events.

"The facility really helps us to have a complete sailing experience," English Paralympic sailor John Robertson said.

"I've been over here seven times to race."

The next major Sonar events in the area are the open world championships in October and the USA Paralympic Trials in November.

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