U.S. Olympic Star and Soling Trials : Vince Brun Wins Third Race, but Reynolds Holds Big Lead

The celebration skipper Vince Brun and crew Hugo Schreiner held Thursday didn’t last long.

As the two San Diego sailors crossed the finish line off Point Loma to win the third of 10 Star class races in the U.S. Olympic yachting trials, they exchanged grins and high fives, then immediately headed for shore.

There, Brun played down his victory and said there is much work to be done if they are to catch fellow San Diego Yacht Club member Mark Reynolds.

“Reynolds still has a huge lead,” Brun said.

With a third-place finish Thursday to go with victories in the first two races, Reynolds improved his overall lead to 16 points. He has 5.7 in the trials’ low-scoring point system to 21.7 for second-place Brun.

Brun rounded every mark in front, but it wasn’t until the final leg that he was able to shake Reynolds and second-place finisher Peter Wright. Brun crossed the finish line 1 minute 45 seconds ahead of Wright.

In the Soling trials, Dave Chapin of Newport Beach beat John Kostecki in the final leg by 30 seconds.

Craig Healy of Point Richmond led through the triangle, but Chapin slipped by at the first leeward mark, and Kostecki soon followed.

Chapin and Kostecki exchanged the lead until halfway up the last leg, when Chapin said he caught some wind and moved in front to stay.

Kostecki, the 1988 Soling world champion from San Francisco, still leads the overall standings with 11 points. Healy is second with 14.4 and Chapin third with 18.

Kostecki has filed a protest against Chapin. Race officials will announce their decision today.