SAILING / CALIFORNIA CUP : Consistency Puts Chance in the Lead

Davis Pillsbury’s Holua and Bob Doughty’s Evolution won the first two races Friday, but Dennis Durgan steered Bob McNulty’s defending champion Chance to consistent second- and third-place finishes to lead the 28th California Cup for ultralight 70s off Marina del Rey.

There are two more races today and one Sunday on windward-leeward courses of various lengths. Twelve boats are competing in the sixth year the Cal Cup has been staged exclusively for the sleds.

Winds had been strong all week, a condition that favored Mitch Rouse’s Taxi Dancer, which placed first on corrected time in the Transpac last year. But in breezes fading from only 10 knots to four Friday, the Reichell/Pugh 68, with Ed Lorence at the helm upwind, could manage only a fifth and a third.

In Friday’s first race of three laps and 18 miles, Bill Menninger steered the Santa Cruz 70 Holua past Ed McDowell’s Grand Illusion on the downwind finishing leg to win by 1 minute 18 seconds.

As the winds lightened, the second race was shortened to two laps and eight miles. Doughty, a Los Angeles furniture dealer, was on port tack at the first windward mark and had to yield right of way and duck behind the lead boats. Then he came from sixth place and passed Chance on the last leg to win by 13 seconds.

The fleet split into two flights on the first day. Seven boats were still competitive, but the other five--including 1985 winner Kathmandu and ’87 winner Ole (then Citius)--appeared out of the running.

Two-time winner Blondie, purchased by Long Beach businessman Peter Tong only two weeks ago, was in sixth place.