Stars & Stripes Clinches Victory in Grand Prix

After a near miss at the starting line Saturday, John Bertrand sailed Dennis Conner’s Formula One Stars & Stripes yacht to a victory in the U.S. World Yachting Grand Prix.

Bertrand’s second victory in two days came easily and wrapped up the North American championship of the series for Stars & Stripes. Scottish Enterprise, sailed by Soling world champion Larry Klein, finished second in the second race, 1 minute, 41 seconds behind Bertrand on the 10-mile course.

At the starting line, Bertrand missed a collision with German entry Hawesta, after Hawesta went out of control with a broken steering system.

“We missed by inches,” Hawesta skipper Joerg Diesch said after retiring from the race.

Scottish Enterprise and Stars & Stripes exchanged leads and stayed in a close race most of the day. At one point, the Scots played the shifts better and led by five minutes, but they went aground momentarily near Seaport Village and let Stars & Stripes through.

“Stars & Stripes’ performance over the last two days is a direct reflection of the dedication and professionalism of her America’s Cup crew,” race director Noel Robins said.

Today’s final racing begins at 11 a.m. near Holiday Inn.