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Sailing

Disabled/Open Midwinters up to the challenge

By DAVE ELLIS
Published April 6, 2005

With the Grand Prix cars roaring down the street next to the sailing center, there was some trepidation about the success of the Disabled/Open Midwinters.

Cooperation with traffic control allowed wheelchairs, pedestrians and vehicles to slowly drive down the sidewalk by the sea wall on the short stretch from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club docks to Demen's Landing road.

Excellent racing conditions were enjoyed by the three classes of boats Friday and Sunday. But Saturday's racing was canceled when the wind exceeded 25 knots.

Mike LaGrua of St. Pete Beach sailed a Martin 16 with an experimental rig for two-boat testing in the windy conditions Saturday. He said he was surprised when the keelboat took off on an exhilarating plane across the bay.

The ride was cut short when both test vessels dove into waves and broached, taking on buckets of water. No harm was done, however, and both sailed back to safety.

Able-bodied sailors are invited to this event to give the disabled sailors the best possible competition. Many are preparing for a 2008 Olympic bid and need to be challenged to improve skills.

Ian Pinnell of Brixworth, England, won the Martin 16 Class with firsts in six races. Gustav Fresk of Stockholm, Sweden, captured second. Karen Mitchell of Deerfield Beach took third. The Sonar class was dominated by U.S. Sailing team member Rick Doerr of Clinton, N.J. Doerr, a paraplegic, often is at the St. Petersburg Sailing Center for training. Miami's David Schroeder came in second, one point ahead of Tampa's Jennifer French. The diminutive 2.4 Meter was captured by St. Petersburg's Colin Park, an able-bodied sailor who usually sails a Lightning or Snipe. Marko Dahlberg of Voljaravi, Finland, placed second. Paralympic sailor Roger Cleworth of Brandon was one point back.

FINN RACING: Clearwater's Zach Railey sailed Lasers until he got too big for the boat. The natural progression was to the Olympic Finn.

This is a bigger leap than a first glance at the two vessels may indicate. The Finn Monotype, as it originally was called, is a brute of a boat sailed by large men. It once was said that if a sailor didn't bleed during a race, he was not racing hard enough.

Sailors such as Paul Elvstrom, Gus Miller and " "Super" Henry Sprague have a peculiar gait from knees stressed by muscling the boat in waves and wind.

In his first Finn event, with little preparation, Railey placed second at the Miami Pre-Olympic regatta earlier in the year.

The North American Finn class organized the first annual Finn college nationals in California. Railey, a University of Miami student, quickly showed dominance in that competition.

But the subsequent nationals were the acid test. The top sailors were there, including the Olympic representatives for the past two Games. Winds for the regatta ranged from light to heavy for the 20 competitors.

Railey was leading the way with one race to go and at the top of the fleet in the last race. Then disaster struck when he was concentrating on adjusting lines in preparation for rounding the bottom mark of the course.

The Finn rolls easily, and it rolled. The resulting capsize allowed enough boats to pass and relegate Railey to second, one point behind 2004 Athens Olympic representative Kevin Hall.

SOFIA TROPHY: Railey's little sister , Paige, 17, was the only USA competitor at the Princess Sofia Trophy Regatta in Spain. She defeated 35 boats from 10 countries to take home the honors.

"I got to shake hands with the King and Queen of Spain," Paige Railey said.

"I didn't know if I had to bow, shake hands, or kiss on the cheek," she said. "I was happy I did not have to meet them first. I just followed what the others were doing."

Now it's back to Clearwater High School to finish her senior year. Railey's summer events include the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Pusan, Korea. NAUTICAL FLEA MARKET: The popular exchanging of sailing gear, organized by JSI on Gandy Boulevard, is scheduled for 8 a.m.-noon on April 16. This is a chance to unload unused items and check out what other local sailors have to offer from their garages and work shops. For information, call (727) 577-3220.

[Last modified April 6, 2005, 01:07:18]