DATE: Wednesday, June 25, 1997              TAG: 9706250521

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY JENNIFER LANGSTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: EDENTON                           LENGTH:   63 lines

WINDMILL NATIONAL REGATTA LACKS WIND, BUT IS FULL OF HIGH SPIRITS

Among sailors, the tiny Windmill is known as a boat that sails so fast the hull skips over the waves.

Racers at the Windmill National Championships weren't bragging Tuesday, though. They were leaning so far out of their boats trying to catch some wind that their shirttails dipped into the water.

The national regatta got off to a calm start with glassy water and nary a breath of wind in the first visit ever to this historic town on Edenton Bay. Competitors are hoping for better winds today and Thursday.

Participants from all over the country brought their 15.5-foot sailboats. One couple flew from Washington state and borrowed a local boat for the race.

At the waterfront, about 25 white sails dotted the picturesque bay. The boats drifted through glassy water and skippers poured ice over their heads waiting for a coastal breeze that never came.

Even though organizers eventually abandoned the race for lack of wind, visitors were still having agood time.

``This is a nice place to sail,'' said Kevin Kunz of Chicago, cooling off in the water and hanging onto the side of his yellow boat, the Hasty Banana. ``If nothing else, it's nice to swim.''

Windmills, named after Florida boat builder Clark Mills, were first made in 1952. The manufacturer offered kits for hobbyists to assemble the relatively simple boats at home.

``There's very few curves in it. In the Windmill, it's all angles,'' said David Bodman, who serves on the racing committee staff. Built for speed and stability, the design causes the bows to skim across the water rather than plow through it.

``I've sailed a lot of things and I always come back to the Windmills because they're such a blast,'' said Mark Swanson, 34, who brought his handmade wooden boat from Texas. His first mate and son Alfred, 8, is the fourth generation in his family to sail the class of boat.

Many at the race said the unfortunate weather was not a tragedy. Frequently comparing the regatta to a family reunion, they still get to see the other people who make the sport worthwhile.

But out on the water, the racing is still serious.

``They're sort of people with split personalities. Like Jekyll and Hyde,'' said Pat Ferguson, a retired college professor who sails the oldest boat at the race. The 1961 Windmill, handcrafted out of Douglas fir, spruce and mahogany plywood, was the boat on which he learned to sail.

Although Windmills are now manufactured with molds and fiberglass, many of the older wooden boats are still around. They also continue to inspire racers to build their own.

Tom Lathrop, who teaches boat building at a community college, built his own Windmill in 1993 for his two sons to sail.

``We've had Windmills since 1966, and our old one was getting long in the tooth. I built it for them. But mainly I just wanted to build one,'' said Lathrop, 65, of Oriental, N.C.

His son, Tim , gave the wooden boat high marks.

``It's the best one out there.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Out of wind, out of hope

DREW C. WILSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Nicholas Chauvenet, 12, of Winston-Salem, could have used a good

stiff breeze Tuesday during the Windmill National Championship in

Edenton.

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