Son Subs for Dad, Skippers Sailboat to Long Beach Win

Three class winners rode moderate winds to first-place finishes Sunday as 105 sailboats wound up competition in Audi Sobstad Race Week at Long Beach.

They were Barney Flam and son Steve’s J-35, Flambuoyant, from the Long Beach Yacht Club in Class A; Leonard Nadler’s F-3, Salsa, from the Del Rey YC in Class C, and Drew Satarino’s Farr 30, Gizmo, from the LBYC in Class E.

In Class B, Lewis Beery’s RP 42, It’s OK, from the Balboa YC coasted to fourth place after virtually clinching the title with wins in the first three races starting Friday.

Bill Huber’s Catalina 38, Cobra, from the Shoreline YC placed third, which was just enough to beat out a tight Class D fleet.

Although his name appeared on the entry form, Barney Flam was in England during the weekend, leaving Steve, 26, in command of a crew of 10 in level (no handicap) competition among J-35s and Schock 35s.

Steve Flam also won the Audi Quattro Cup, a custom-carved blue crystal boat model, for winning the “most competitive class.”

The final tally in the arbitration system in force to reduce the protest process showed that only 4 of 20 protests went to a full hearing. Seven competitors accepted alternate 20 percent finish-position penalties on the water, while seven later took 40 percent penalties on the advice of arbitrators. Two others dropped their protest claims entirely.