DATE: Tuesday, May 6, 1997                  TAG: 9705060456

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, OUTDOOR EDITOR 

DATELINE: JENSEN BEACH, FLA.                LENGTH:   41 lines

SMYTH WINS THE FIRST LEG IN FLA. CATAMARAN RACE

Olympic sailing medalist Randy Smyth of Fort Walton Beach endured a cold front, the turbulent waters of the Gulf Stream and a seasick crewman to win Monday's opening leg of the Worrell 1000 catamaran race.

Smyth, 42, piloted his 20-foot twin-hull Team Chick's Beach over the 80.8-mile course along the Atlantic coast from Fort Lauderdale in six hours, 33 minutes, 30 seconds.

The race started and finished in northeast winds clocked at 25 mph, turning inshore waters into a froth and the Gulf Stream into a ``roller coaster,'' according to Smyth.

Winner of the worlds in 1985 and 1989, Smyth headed six miles offshore to get a push from the Gulf Stream, knowing that the north-flowing current would aid him. The tactic made for a rough day for teammate Jason Sneed, 25, of Fort Walton Beach, who became seasick early and remained ill all day.

``It was incredibly rough out in the stream,'' said Smyth, who won silver medals in the Capital tornado class for catamarans in the 1984 and 1992 Olympics. ``But the flow gave us another two knots of speed, and that was the difference.

Sneed was not available for comment.

The seas were so rough that three boats, Team Tackle Shack, Team International Insurance and Team Smith/Barney, were knocked out of the competition. One boat had a cracked hull, the others damaged or broken masts. However, there were no injuries.

Perhaps the day's biggest surprise was the strong showing of Team Pomodoro, skippered by Hans Meijer, 36, of Virginia Beach, with crewman John Mclaughlin, 49, of Baltimore. They finished fourth behind No.2 Team Holland and Team Ruddee's Restaurant.

Results: 1. Team Chick's Beach, elapsed time 6 hours, 33 minutes, 30 seconds; 2. Team Holland 6:53:21; 3. Team Ruddee's Restaurant 7:23:44; 4. Team Pomodoro 7:25:15, 5. Team Nokia 7:33:08; 6. Team Florida 8:15:20; 7. Team Key West 8:20:11; 8. Team Russia 8:27:27; 9. Team Alien 8:43:34; 10. Team G-Cat 10:01:23. DNF - Team International Insurance, Team Tackle Shack and Team Smith/Barney.

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