Local boats close in on East Coast leader
LONG BEACH, Calif.—Still on top of the leader board after the second day of racing is Brian and Stephen Tedeschi’s Tastes Like Chicken, Newport, R.I., but after Saturday’s fluky winds and weird weather in the J/109 North American Championships, the local boats of John Shulze’s Linstar, Newport Beach, and Gary Mozer’s Current Obsession, Long Beach, are challenging for the lead.
Three races were run Saturday with an hour and a half postponement for lack of wind before racing began, causing the last race of the day to almost finish in the dark. When racing did start in 4-5 knots of wind no one expected rain and wind of 15-17 knots by the end of the day.
Linstar had first-, seventh- and first-place finishes for the day vaulting them into second place overall.
“We expected to race in light conditions,” said Shulze, “but when the breeze came up in the second race, we weren’t ready for windy conditions. After the second race we adjusted and came back.”
Stephen Tedeschi agreed on the challenging conditions. “It was a very fluky day,” he said. “We kept jibing on shifts downwind. Our last race we came back from a bad start leaving us in last place to come back and finish second. Not bad.”
There was a protest involving Tony Wetherbee’s Commotion, Newport Beach, and Jon Halbert’s Vitesse, Dallas, Tex., regarding a starboard-port encounter. The jury ruled in favor of Commotion keeping them in fourth place overall.
“Our goal is to get down to match racing tomorrow,” Shulze said, “because we do well at that.”
“We plan to keep sailing consistently,” Tedeschi said. “That is how we win regattas.”
Racing concludes Sunday with two races scheduled, conditions permitting. Racing starts at 12:55 p.m..
Current Standings
1. Brian & Stephen Tedeschi, Tastes Like Chicken, Storm Trysail Club, 1-2-3-3-3, 10 points
2. John Shulze, Linstar, Balboa Yacht Club, 2-5-1-6-1, 15
3. Gary Mozer, Current Obsession, LBYC, 5-1-2-4-4, 16
4. Tony Wetherbee, Commotion, Balboa YC, 3-6-4-1-7, 21
5. Tom Brott, Electra, Seal Beach YC, 6-4-5-3-5, 23
6. Jon Halbert, Vitesse, Dallas, Tx., 4-3-7-8-3, 25
7. Bryce Benjamin, Persistence, California YC, 7-7-6-5-6, 31
8. Chris Mewes, Shadowfax, Navy YC Long Beach, 8-8-8-7-8, 39
Race information and official standings at: www.lbyc.org
