Houser Wins in Lasers as San Diegans Earn Two U.S. Junior Yachting Titles

San Diego area sailors won two of the three U.S. Yacht Racing Union junior national sailing championships in week-long competition that ended Friday at Balboa. All of the sailors were 13-17.

David Houser, 16, of the Coronado Yacht Club won the single-handed Smythe Trophy in lasers, while Bill Hardesty, 15, and Paul Ware, 16, of the Mission Bay YC won the Bemis Trophy in flying juniors.

Scott Elting of the Houston YC, with crew Carter Perrin, Sam Pyne and David Thomas, won the Sears Cup in Etchells 22s. They edged Meg Gaillard and crew from the American YC, Rye, N.Y., 28 1/2-28 1/4. Gaillard won Friday’s final race as Elting finished fourth.

Houser led the Lasers most of the week but had to break a one-point spread with Mike Hare of Houston and Brett Davis of St. Petersburg in the final race.

Houser sailed toward the right side of the course in 8 to 10-knot winds and won by about 3 1/2 minutes. Davis and Hare went left and placed fourth and eighth, respectively.

Hardesty and Ware sailed a consistent series of four firsts, two seconds, two thirds and a fourth in the nine-boat fleet.