Outdoors

Chilean trio wins 58-boat regatta

By DAVE ELLIS
Published March 21, 2005

Tito Gonzales of Chile used speed and strategy to emerge victorious over the 58-boat fleet of Lightning class sailboats on Tampa Bay.

Sailing with crew Fernando Gallyas and Diego Gonzales, they were well ahead in points by winning two of the five races and never placing below fourth.

In second place was Allan Terhune Jr. of New Jersey, with crew Katie Riddiford and Andy Hayward. They were one point ahead of class champion Jody Swanson and crew Tom Starck and Conor Healy of Buffalo, N.Y.

Tampa Bay sailors Jeff Linton, Amy Smith Linton and Mark Taylor were fourth, breaking a tie with David and Joe Starck and Jared Drake of Buffalo. Showing the strength of that Buffalo fleet, Tom Allen Jr., with crew Bill Pictor and John Humphery, were one point back in sixth place.

The Masters class was won by Richard Hallagan, with crew Tammi Jamison and Hendrix Ten Eyck of New York.

George Fisher of Ohio, along with crew Laura Jeffers and Tom Eych, placed second in the 10-boat Masters division.

The class rules for the three-regatta Southern Circuit state five races are to be held in each. Savannah, Ga., and Miami regattas were held last week with St. Petersburg being the largest of the three events.

Principal race officer Bob Johnson and class officials took into consideration the weather forecast for little or no wind on Sunday and held all the races on Friday and Saturday.

"Sailors said that they thought this was the best two-day regatta they've had," official race scorer Meridel Weaver said.

A 19-foot sloop originally designed to be of wood construction, the Lightning has become a popular racing boat for three-person crews. Although a dinghy with a pivoting centerboard, the craft sails more like a small keelboat.

Unlike a keelboat, however, the crew must use its weight over the high side of the hull to balance the boat in a breeze. An ample spinnaker is flown on off-wind directions, putting a premium on boat handling.

Lightning class sailors have been visiting the St. Petersburg Yacht Club for their mid-winter event for nearly 60 years. Some of the old-timers recalled races of years ago.

In one memorable event in the early 1960s, Bruce Goldsmith had a good points lead with one race to go. The only way Bill Shore could catch him was to finish many places ahead in the last race.

The last race day dawned to a nearly dead calm off the Pier. "Perfect," Shore said. This was the only wind condition that a leader could not simply sail with his competition.

Shore managed to garner enough points over Goldsmith in that drifter to win the regatta.

[Last modified March 21, 2005, 01:50:19]