U.S. Olympic Soling and Star Trials : Kostecki, Reynolds Hold Leads at the Halfway Point

SAN DIEGO — John Kostecki of San Francisco is right where he wants to be--and where everyone expects him to be--after two days of the U.S. Olympic sailing trials in the Soling class.

Entering the competition off Pt. Loma, Kostecki was considered the favorite based on his victories at the 1986 and ’87 world championships though the competition was catching him.

Kostecki proved as much Wednesday winning the second of four races by more than four minutes.

“I do think people have caught up to us, but after feeling that, we worked harder and I’m real happy with the current situation,” Kostecki said.

Kostecki, with his first Wednesday and fourth Tuesday, has 8 points in the trials’ low-point scoring system. Craig Healy of Point Richmond, second Wednesday, is tied for second overall with Gerard Coleman, each with 8.7 points. Coleman finished second Tuesday and third Wednesday.

Kostecki’s victory came despite his second consecutive poor start.

“We got pinched off and had to tack right away,” Kostecki, 23, said. “We got a lucky lane after we tacked, though, and got some clean air and we got back in the ball game.”

Kostecki was fourth or fifth until the first weather mark when he took over first. “We were playing the (wind) shifts better than anyone else,” he said.

Kostecki and his crew of Bob Billingham and Will Baylis steadily built their lead around the course, working the light breeze of 6 to 8 knots.

“It was a nice race to win,” Kostecki said. “It was so fluky. It (the wind) was light, shifty and hard to figure out. It was good to be ahead because it was easier to figure that way.

“Of all the teams here, the three of us probably have the most time together. We’ll rely on that and hope it helps. We’d have to sail badly to not win. We think we can do it.”

Dave Chapin of Newport Beach was fourth Wednesday and is fifth overall with 18 points. Ed Baird, Tuesday’s winner, finished ninth and is fourth overall with 15 points.

Mark Reynolds of San Diego is in an even better position than Kostecki after he recorded his second straight victory in the trials’ Star class.

Reynolds has yet to score a point. Steve Gould of San Francisco is second with 13 points after a second-place finish Tuesday and a fifth Wednesday.

Reynolds, who led from the start Tuesday, came from behind Wednesday.

Ed Adams had the lead through the first three marks, followed closely by Reynolds and Gould. But Reynolds made his move after the third mark.

“He (Adams) tacked above us and we were able to go ahead of him,” Reynolds, 32, said.

It was far from over, however, as Reynolds was challenged by John MacCausland and Peter Wright, who eventually passed Adams to finish second and third, respectively.

Adams was one of several skippers who lost ground on the final windward leg to the finish.

Paul Cayard of San Diego, the Star world champion this year, stood fifth with about 100 yards remaining but finished eighth when Gould, Vince Brun and Andrew Menkart passed him.

Adams is third overall with 13.7 points.

Though Reynolds and his crew, Hal Haenel of Hollywood, are in excellent position, they know better than to start celebrating. At the 1984 Olympics trials, Reynolds won three races but finished third.

“Things can happen fast,” Reynolds said.

Sailing Notes

Three protests were filed in the two races Wednesday. Rulings will not be available until today . . . R. Bram Palm Jr. lost a protest filed after Tuesday’s sailing and was disqualified from that race . . . The trials consist of 10 races. The two worst finishes for each sailor will be discarded . . . Just one boat per class will qualify for the U.S. Olympic team . . . The Olympic yachting competition will be held off the southern coast of South Korea, near Pusan, Sept. 17-Oct. 2 . . . Soling boats, at 26 feet 9 inches, are the largest raced in Olympic competition . . . Stars (22-8) are second biggest.