Light winds marked Hobcaw regatta

MOUNT PLEASANT — Windless conditions caused another delay in the final day of the Hobcaw Yacht Club Open Regatta on Sunday, but as the sea breeze filled in, racing started at 2 p.m. after a two-hour delay. Light conditions caused the three-boat E Scow class to not race at all on Sunday.

Summing up the first local club regatta of the summer, J.D. Rosser, principal race officer for the regatta, said, "There were a lot of good stories this weekend but some of the best are about excellent sailors like two-time Sunfish world champion David Loring winning every race but one, when he did not sail in order to take his young daughter back to the hill for (a necessary) break, and Will Slager of Lightning class fame sailing with his son in his first regatta and winning the 'World Championship' in the Holder class. It was great seeing families sailing and competing together, passing the torch."

Tom Ray, the race committee chairman, was disappointed in Sunday's wind.

"The wind didn't rise very much, but unfortunately, the temperature sure did. We were glad to finally get the sea breeze coming up the Wando and a race in most classes," Ray said.

Another symbolic passing of the torch was high school sailor Nancy Hagood sailing against a who's who of Charleston male sailors, many of them grandfathers and all old enough to be her, well, great uncles, and winning the Laser class in her first club open regatta sailing with the Laser full rig.

Hagood finished first with scores of 1-1-1-2, followed by Lenny Krawcheck and Randall Swan in second and third. The rising junior at Ashley Hall said she knew beforehand that "it was going to be really competitive, and every race was really tight." She said the light wind conditions helped. "I had a little advantage downwind," she said.

Expressing her respect for the seasoned sailors in her class, Hagood said, "In high school, if you make a mistake, other sailors do too and you're usually OK. Not so against these guys — I had to be totally focused."

For her performance, Hagood was awarded the annual Michelle Poulnot Memorial Trophy, awarded to the best performing young female sailor in a single-handed class.

Sailors who won all four races in their class were Dave Stanger in the Sea Island One Designs and Jack Cabell the Sunfish Junior class.

Patrick Hogan won all but one race in the 420 class, which was comprised of high school sailors. There were no other youth classes at this event because Hobcaw will host the fast-growing Mount Pleasant Junior Regatta in August.