SAILING : There’s a Four-Boat Scramble Behind Dickson

A few days ago they were all “just happy to be here,” but with $135,000 looming larger on the horizon, the Mazda World Championship of Match Race Sailing suddenly has turned serious.

Smiles were forced and moods were grim when New Zealand’s Chris Dickson, top-ranked and winner of three of the four world titles, emerged from Thursday’s five rounds at Long Beach with an 11-3 record. Next came the four skippers who will scramble through the last four roundstoday for the other three berths in the semifinals, which begin Saturday with $32,250 awaiting the winner.

San Diego’s Paul Cayard, New Zealand’s Russell Coutts and Australia’s Peter Gilmour are tied at 9-5, with Olympic silver medalist Kevin Mahaney--the earlier co-leader--showing 8 1/2 victories and five losses--an oddity that raised hackles back at the Long Beach Yacht Club dock.

Mahaney had lost his day’s first two races and was trailing Gilmour when Gilmour’s doused spinnaker became wrapped around his bow as he rounded the second leeward mark. As Mahaney closed in, his own spinnaker halyard came loose, flying behind the boat as he passed Gilmour, heading back upwind.

Mahaney won, but Gilmour filed a technical protest that Mahaney had broken a rule by reeling in the halyard to the top of the mast rather than retrieving it properly.

While the other sailors waited, the race jury summoned Mahaney and Gilmour aboard the committee boat to resolve the matter--to neither skipper’s satisfaction. Mahaney was awarded only half a victory, Gilmour nothing.

Mahaney said: “If we had the halyard streaming 60 feet off the back of the boat, it could get caught in another boat’s rigging. There was no other seamanlike decision to be made.”

Sailing Notes

Thursday’s course was moved out toward the middle of the breakwater, where the sailors found winds of up to 16 knots. If conditions near shore improve, it may be moved back near the Queen Mary so spectators can see Saturday’s semifinals from shore. . . . Paul Cayard, who conflicted with judges at the America’s Cup while sailing Il Moro di Venezia, found similar problems at Long Beach. Cayard beat Chris Dickson and Russell Coutts but lost to Britain’s Chris Law (4-10) after having to do a 270-degree penalty turn for a pre-start foul; then to Ed Baird (4-10) by only six seconds after doing three penalty turns. . . Second-ranked Peter Isler (7-7) of San Diego had a chance to bring Dickson back to the pack in the final round when he beat the Kiwi off the starting line, but instead of tacking on Dickson’s wind when he had the chance, Isler let him sail free to the favored right side and go in front to stay.