LA Harbor Cup Intercollegiate Regatta- Navy sweeps the first day

by Rich Roberts on 13 Mar 2010 Only two points separate first-place Navy and Chapman University after first two of nine races Friday in the Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup/Cal Maritime Invitational Intercollegiate Regatta, but it could have been a lot closer.

The sailors from Annapolis stole the first race from the Orange County school or the two would have split the day's top honors, 1-2 and 2-1. As it is, they'll have each other in their sights, with two-time champion Maine Maritime Academy lurking within reach.

'There's a long way to go yet,' Navy skipper James Prieto said.

Principal race officer Al Garnier hoped to sail four races Saturday and the last three Sunday, starting at noon each day. All 10 teams are sailing Catalina 37s chartered from the Long Beach Sailing Foundation.

Activity ashore will be highlighted by a Saturday night dinner featuring US Sailing President Gary Jobson as keynote speaker.

Winds Friday were a moderate 9-10 knots on fairly smooth seas and were expected to increase for the weekend,

Prieto credited his wily tactician, Peter Gibbons-Neff, with the move that led to Navy's two-second, come-from-behind win over Chapman, which led the two-lap race from the start after nailing a pin end start and crossing the fleet.

But with Navy trailing by a couple of boat lengths 50 yards from the finish line, Chapman jibed left toward the line, while Navy kept going before jibing on a lower and faster angle a few seconds later. Then Prieto poked his bow past the finish flag as Chapman skipper Max Moosman desperately turned downwind, crossing a snap of the fingers late.

Navy won the other race wire-to-wire, starting at the committee boat end and hitting the right side hard, as did most of the contenders. .

Moosman said he jibed away while leading because 'I was afraid [Navy] would jibe first and cover us and take all our wind.'

Prieto said, 'We were gaining all the way down the leg and wanted to go for the favored end [of the line], and we had a little more speed at the end.'

'It was a heartbreaker,' Moosman said back at the dock.

Each race is geared to last 40 minutes according to wind strength. Races are of one, two or three laps on a windward-leeward course, finishing downwind. The teams rotate boats, but not spinnakers, each day.

The race course is located about a mile offshore near the Point Fermin bluff west of the port entrance at the Angels Gate lighthouse. Racing may be viewed from Point Fermin Park atop the bluff. However, if the wind exceeds 20 knots the course may be moved to inside the outer harbor behind the middle breakwater east of the entrance.

The Port of Los Angeles is the sponsor, California Maritime Academy of Vallejo, Calif. the inviting school and Los Angeles Yacht Club is the host and organizing authority.

Results (2 of 9 races; skippers noted)
1. U.S. Naval Academy, James Prieto, 1-1, 2 points.
2. Chapman Univ., Max Moosman, 2-2, 4.
3. Maine Maritime Academy, Matt Bourque, 3-4, 7.
4. USC, Chris Vetter, 5-3, 8.
5. California Maritime Academy, John Gray, 4-8, 12.
6. Univ. of Hawaii, William Petersen, 7-5, 12.
7. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Eric Johnson, 6-7, 13.
8. Cal State U. Channel Islands, Nick deRoulhac, 8-6, 14.
9. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Gary Taylor, 9-10, 19. 10. Univ. of California at Davis, Chris Hagerman, 10-9.

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