THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, September 15, 1994           TAG: 9409150642
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C9   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                         LENGTH: Short :   47 lines

RACE OFFICIALS FIND SCORING ERRORS SOME TROPHY WINNERS ASKED TO RETURN THEIR AWARDS.

Haste makes waste, officials of the annual Cock Island Race have discovered.

Several trophy winners in the July 16 sailboat race off Portside have been asked to return their awards after a postrace check by the tournament committee showed there were scoring errors.

``The problem arose when we presented the awards at the ceremony immediately after the races,'' co-chairman James Hawks said. ``We had a video camera (to film the race), but we weren't able to use it before the ceremony.

``When we were aware that obvious errors had resulted, we felt it was necessary to correct them.

``Other races around here with 30 or 40 boats don't have the scoring problem we face with more than 300 boats taking part. Scoring becomes a real headache when a cluster of boats, as many as 20 to 25, might be finishing at nearly the same time.

``We had spotters before and after the finish line, but it can be very confusing when boats run an engine and cross the line.

``Next year we will have a requirement that each skipper turn in a certified statement that he sailed the proper course and didn't run an engine.''

Hawks said most of the problems came in the cruiser class. ``You have a lot of once-a-year racers in this category,'' he said. ``Most of them are in it just to have a good time and aren't thinking about affecting the scoring.''

To add to the race committee's woes, a mathematical error was made in figuring the top award. The Euclid Hanbury Cup, which goes to the skipper winning his class by the largest margin, originally went to Sanford Richardson instead of actual winner Paul Bishop. Bishop and his Leisure Seizure crew received the Hanbury Cup.

Hawks said any winners who do not want to return their trophies and get the ones they actually earned can keep them.

``We simply are trying to do what we feel is right,'' he said. ``We're not going to take a trophy away from anybody. If we have to, we'll award additional trophies.'' by CNB