Balloonists Avoid Dunking, Win

The pilot and co-pilot of the race balloon Rosie O’Grady, which floated perilously for hours above a jagged island in the Gulf of California, landed safely today and were declared the race’s winners, officials said.

Joe Kittinger and Sherry Reed, both of Orlando, Fla., were declared the unofficial winners of the Gordon Bennett Balloon Race after touching down at 3:43 a.m. on Angel de la Guarda island, about 365 miles southeast of the starting point at Ruth Hardy Park in Palm Springs, said race spokeswoman Mildred Brodbeck. The pair had called for assistance shortly after 1 a.m. when their helium balloon began descending over the rough, uninhabited island, Brodbeck said.