SAILING : Davis Thrown for Loss but Ties for Lead

Rod Davis hasn’t been this mad since New Zealand replaced him as skipper of its America’s Cup boat last year.

“It’s a judges’ call,” he said, biting his lip hard after a chaotic finish to his race against Eddie Warden-Owen of Wales that ultimately left him in a four-way tie for first place Thursday in the 29th Congressional Cup at Long Beach.

After eight of 18 rounds, Davis, the event’s only three-time winner, shares the lead with Steve Grillon of Redondo Beach, Bertrand Pace of France and Roy Heiner of the Netherlands.

Round-robin match racing in Catalina 37s continues through Sunday near the Queen Mary.

Davis came back after he and Warden-Owen fouled each other in the late stages of their race (which was won by Warden-Owen) to beat Pace by 27 seconds and force the logjam at the top, before the wind died for the day.