Sailing

N.Y. sailor tops NOOD field

By DAVE ELLIS
Published February 20, 2006

With 200 boats in 18 classes and some 1,000 sailors, the National Offshore One Design regatta began its nine-stop tour from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.

Three courses were laid on Tampa Bay off the Pier Friday, but the wind never cooperated. Most classes staged four races Saturday, others three, and the J-24 and Wavelength 24 two races each because of their longer courses. Sunday morning was gray and windless, so racing was canceled and Saturday's results stood.

The overall trophy given to the top boat judged to have the toughest competition went to John Storck of Huntington, N.Y., in the J/80 class. He will represent the St. Petersburg NOOD event in the Sunsail Caribbean Regatta against the eight other NOOD overall winners. Last year, the St. Petersburg representative, Scott Nixon, was the top sailor in that event.

Michael Carroll of Tampa topped the Melges 32 class. Level 76 was won by George Haynie, one point ahead of fellow Tampa resident Jose Suares Hoyos.

St. Petersburg sailors took three of the top four spots in Sonar. Colin Park won, the team of Brian Linde and Chris Russick was third and Jennifer French fourth. The top disabled sailor in the Sonar, a boat used in the Paralympics, was Rick Doerr of New Jersey in second place in the fleet.

Bob Dockery of Longboat Key placed second, losing a tiebreaker to Eric Nerlinger of Chicago, in Melges 24, the largest class.

Donald Fretz of Seminole won both races in Wavelength 24, and Largo's Raymond Mannix topped J-29. Jeffery Marks/Rosen of Dunedin was third in the J 105 fleet.

Florida west coast sailors Ken Wilus, Bill Embree and Charlie Clifton took the top three places in the smallest boat, the 21-foot SR Max.

For complete results go to sailingworld.com.

[Last modified February 20, 2006, 04:00:22]