Three Collisions and a Man Overboard Later, Bertrand Wins

John Bertrand of Newport Beach sailed from last place to post his second victory of the U.S. Formula One World Yachting Grand Prix in a wild and windy race Saturday, and there was no hometown decision for Dennis Conner.

Bertrand, wearing a beeper because his wife Andrea is about to give birth, can claim the $40,000 first prize by placing third in the five-boat fleet of custom 52-foot sloops today. Only France’s Marc Pajot can overtake him.

There will be a warm-up race at 11 a.m. and the main event at 1:30 in San Diego Bay between Seaport Village and Coronado Island.

There were three collisions and one man overboard in Saturday’s 20-plus knots of wind.

“I was thinking about all the people on the shore watching those ‘professional’ sailors out there,” Bertrand said.

Uncertain whether he was over the starting line early, Bertrand returned to restart, then did a penalty turn after bumping Conner’s boat and took up the chase well in arrears. Actually, it was Britain’s Chris Law who was recalled, but Law failed to return and appeared to lead the first half of the race.

Bertrand said Conner also was over the starting line too soon.

Conner crewman Bill Trenkle said, “(Bertrand) went back and the (premature start) flag (on the committee boat) didn’t come down, so we knew somebody was over early but it wasn’t him, so we kept on sailing.”

That was the right decision because Conner wasn’t cited, either.

But downwind on the fourth of six laps, Bertrand was only three boat lengths behind Conner, who was hot on Law’s stern when the Briton suddenly turned his boat, snagging Conner’s bow with his backstay. When the boats came unlocked, Conner’s bowman, Greg Prussia, was pitched into the bay.

Law’s spinnaker split down the middle as he veered out of control, and by the time he did a penalty turn he had gone from first to last. Conner fell to fourth when he circled to retrieve Prussia, as Bertrand surged into the lead.

Conner protested for redress that would have arbitrarily improved his finishing position, claiming he would have won.

“No question we would have won,” Conner said, since he was leading Bertrand and Law hadn’t officially started.

But the race committee denied the protest.

Moments before the start, San Diego’s J.J. Isler drew France’s Marc Pajot into a minor bump with a luffing maneuver. Pajot did a penalty turn after the gun to drop to last, then clawed his way back to second by passing Isler late in the race after the incident between Law and Conner.