Sailing : Braun-Kenney Team Dominates Series

National champions J.B. Braun and Bill Kenney remained the long-range favorites to sail a Flying Dutchman for the United States in the 1988 Olympics by dominating a fleet of 15 in the North American championships on Santa Monica Bay this week.

The Marblehead, Mass., pair won four of the eight races in the four-day series concluding Wednesday out of the Del Rey Yacht Club. In Olympic scoring, they had 18.7 points to 35.7 for runners-up Greg Tawastsjerna and Ian Struthers of Canada.

Light wind prevailed, causing all starts to be postponed.

Braun, 25, is the skipper, with Kenney, 24, as crew. They have been sailing dinghies together for 12 years but only two years ago stepped up to the FD, the world’s fastest 20-foot monohull.

“The FD seems to be a more comfortable boat,” Kenney said. “In the (14-foot) 470s, we both had to be dieting all the time to keep our weight down.”

Kenney said his normal weight is about 170, but he sailed the 470 at 140 and is up to 190 for the FD.

In the ’86 FD world championships at Rio de Janeiro Braun and Kenney slipped from sixth to 11th when a sail tore on the last downwind leg. They will compete in the Olympic Classes Regatta at Long Beach starting Friday.