THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 5, 1994 TAG: 9409050140
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOORS EDITOR
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
The golden anniversary edition of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club Regatta fell victim to blustery weather and rough seas Sunday for the second day in a row.
Race officials, meeting at 9 a.m., decided to scrub the day's racing rather than risk the safety of the crews and yachts in the 103-boat field. They were to have raced on two courses at the mouth of the Lafayette River.
On Saturday, racing in seven of the nine one-design classes was called off for similar reasons. However, Lasers and Flying Juniors managed to get in three short races on a shortened, protected course late in the afternoon.
Gurley Ritter, race chairman, said winds at the club dock on the river were 25 knots and gusty early in the day Sunday, making the race committee's decision easy.
``I'm sure it was blowing even harder out on the courses,'' Ritter said. ``Plus, the wind was real shifty. If we had raced either day, we would have had a lot of capsized boats. It just wasn't safe out there, and we have to think about safety.''
About 25 boats capsized Saturday morning as they attempted to get to the starting lines.
Ritter said every effort will be made to stage three back-to-back races today, starting at 10:30 a.m.
``We've had a couple of boats to pull out (of today's races),'' he said. ``But I think we'll still have about 80 boats on the water.''
Ritter said Lasers and Flying Juniors also will sail three races today, weather permitting, with each skipper allowed to score his or her five best finishes.
``The weather forecast for today calls for a northwest wind, 20 knots, which will be a lot better than what we had Saturday and Sunday,'' he said. ``If we can't get in three races, we'll go for two. And if it's too bad, we'll just shoot for a single race.
``We've still had a grand time. We had a lot of shoreside activities, since this is our 50th regatta.'' by CNB