With some of the most exciting racing in this year's Cadillac Columbus Cup Regatta, five additional flights in the double round-robin preliminary series were completed yesterday on courses on the Patapsco.
Annapolitan Gary Jobson, known to sailors as ESPN's America's Cup commentator since 1987, and as tactician on Ted Turner's winning America's Cup campaign, handed series leader Bertrand Pace of France his first loss of the series in flight 8, with America's Cup veteran and world-champion sailor John Kolius going on to add a second loss to Pace's record in the next round.
The intensity of racing escalated as the wind increased, and higher aggression levels on the course meant much closer racing and some penalty calls on the part of the on-water judges.
The victory by Chris Law of Britain over Texan Doug Kern, standing in for Kevin Mahaney, was particularly close after an exciting gybing duel to the finish line in flight 7, but at no time was a finish closer than that of flight 8 in which Robert Fry, a native New Zealander who has been active in the afterguard of the Nippon America's Cup Challenge for many years, beat Kern by three feet.
Although racing had to be postponed nearly two hours because of no wind in the morning, an afternoon breeze kicked in allowing flight 6, the first of the day, to be sailed in 4 to 6 knots of southeasterly air. The next four flights went off in a fresh breeze from the southeast ranging from 9 to 14 knots.
Three more flights of the 14-flight round-robin are scheduled for today, with the final flight set for tomorrow morning, before the start of the semifinal and final matches, concluding Saturday, to determine the 1992 winner of the Cadillac Columbus Cup.
Standings after Flight 10 Bertrand Pace, France, 8-2; John Kolius, US, 7-3; Brad Butterworth, NZ, 6-4; Chris Law, UK, 5-5; Dawn Riley, US, 4-6; Gary Jobson, US, 4-6; Robert Fry, Japan, 4-6; Kevin Mahaney/Doug Kern, US, 2-8.
Flight 6 Butterworth def. Jobson; Pace def. Law; Riley def. Mahaney/Kern; Fry def. Kolius.
Flight 7 Pace def. Riley; Law def. Mahaney/Kern; Kolius def. Jobson; Butterworth def. Fry.
Flight 8 Fry def. Mahaney/Kern; Kolius def. Riley; Butterworth def. Law; Jobson def. Pace.
Flight 9 Kolius def. Pace; Jobson def. Riley; Butterworth def. Mahaney/Kern; Law def. Fry.
Flight 10 Pace def. Mahaney/Kern; Jobson def. Fry; Law def. Riley; Kolius def. Butterworth.