ABYC's annual Labor Day Regatta

Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Long Beach, Calif.

Sept. 1-2, 2007

Sept. 1, 2007
Cool racing for 235 sailors in Labor Day regatta
LONG BEACH---Cool!
While the rest of Southern California wilted in an ongoing heat wave, that's how most of the most of the competitors on 180 boats would describe the first day of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club's annual Labor Day Regatta Saturday.
"It was a nice day out there," said Mark Townsend, who teamed with his wife Robin to lead the Cal 20 fleet with three first places and a fifth.
"But it was like Phoenix a block inland," Robin Townsend noted.
Instead, on two race courses on the outer harbor and the Naples Sabots' course inside on the bay, the 235 sailors from Vancouver, B.C. to San Diego were blessed by a moderate southwest Long Beach sea breeze of 10 knots and 71 degrees F., allowing for lively competition, while non-sailors ashore suffered in the 90s and 100s.
There were 44 Sabots for sailors of all ages, but the largest single class was 48 Laser Radials, where Nick Dugdale leads by nine points after four races---but look out for Ryan Hoeven of San Pedro and the King Harbor YC in Redondo Beach. Hoeven, 16, won the last three of four races after starting the first race over the line and failing to return, leaving him in 11th place with 53 points, 50 of which he'll drop when the throwout kicks in after Sunday's first race.
Hoeven won the Area J title for full-rig Lasers this summer, but chose to sail in the Radial fleet this weekend.
"Bigger fleet, more competition," he said.
Two classes running internal championships started racing Friday. David Rumnaugh and crew Anne Jaeschke of Seattle are dominating the 14-boat Coronado 15 fleet's North American Championship with three firsts and a second, while Jim Grubbs and crew Mark Ryan of ABYC lead the Snipes' Pacific Coast Championship with four firsts in six races.
Racing continues Sunday at noon, conditions permitting.
Class leaders
(After 4 of 8 races; one throwout after 5)
FINN (19 boats)---Andrew Kern, Des Plaines, 3-1-1-1, 6 points.
LASER (22)---Abe Torchinsky, Vancouver, B.C., 1-1-1-2, 5.
LASER RADIAL (48)---Nick Dugdale, San Francisco, 1-3-2-7, 13.
CORONADO 14 (15)---David Rumnaugh/Anne Jaeschke, Lake Washington YC, Seattle, 1-2-1-1, 5.
SNIPE (6)---Jim Grubbs/Mark Ryan, ABYC, 2-1-1-(5)-1-1, 6.
INTERNATIONAL 14 (8)---Kirk Twardowski/Paul Galvez, Richmond YC, 1-1-1-3, 6.
ETCHELLS (4)---Doug Jorgensen, ABYC, 2-2-1-1, 6.
CAL 20 (8)---Mark and Robin Townsend, ABYC, 1-1-1-5, 8.
THISTLE (6)---Ron Smith, Fresno SC, 1-1-1-1, 4.
(After 3 of 6 races; one throwout after 5)
SABOT A (9)---Olin Paine, Mission Bay YC, 1-2-1, 4.
SABOT B (8)--- Derek Pickell, Bahia Corinthian YC, 2-2-1, 5.
SABOT C-1 (6)---Noelle Herring, California YC, 1-1-3, 5.
SABOT C-2 (6)---Jack Ryan, San Diego YC, 3-1-1, 5.
SABOT C-3 (6)---Noah LaBarba, ABYC, 1-1-2, 4.
SENIOR SABOT (9)---Jane McNaboe, ABYC, 3-2-1, 6.
Complete results and more at www.abyc.org
Media information
Rich Roberts
(310) 835-2526
cell (310) 766-6547
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