Gilliland Retains Lead in Thistle Midwinters West Races off Mission Beach

After winning all three of his races Friday on Mission Bay, San Diego’s Mark Gilliland placed first and second in two races in the ocean off Mission Beach Saturday to take a commanding lead in the Thistle Midwinters West.

Gilliland and his crew--Mark Reynolds, the Midwinters’ defending champion, and Cory Smith--lead the regatta’s championship division with five points in five races. In each race, the winning boat receives three-fourths of a point while the others are assessed points corresponding to their order of finish.

Rob Springs of San Diego is in second with 20 3/4 points. Following are Matt Burcar of Tacoma, Wash., with 22 3/4; Jack Christiansen of Seattle with 23 and Mark Thompson of Newport Beach with 24. The Midwinters West concludes today with final races for the championship and commodores divisions on Mission Bay, beginning at noon at the Mission Bay Yacht Club.

With his current lead, the only way Gilliland would lose is if he finishes 17th out of 17 boats in today’s final and if Springs comes in first.

In the commodore division--made up of those boats in the bottom half of the standings after the regatta’s first day--Will Cummings of San Diego won both his races Saturday to lead with 1 1/2 points. Byron Cramblet of San Diego, Tom Arnold of Visalia and Wade Hough of Lake Almanor are tied for second with seven points. Chris Gedrose of Santa Clara is fifth with eight points.