Sailing: Hutchinson edges in as Southworth fouls up

TERRY HUTCHINSON, from Traverse City, Michigan, won yesterday's second race of the Henri Lloyd J24 World Championship on a testing course at Abersoch, writes Stewart Alexander.

Hutchinson, who last year surprised a few people by winning the Congressional Cup in Long Beach and recently won the East Coast and Great Lakes championships in J24s, said he had 'aged after that race.'

'We had been fourth at the first mark, second at the second and then in front. But as the north-westerly died on the last run before turning into the final upwind leg, the puffs were coming from behind and so were the people catching us,' he said.

One of those was Britain's Ian Southworth, who held the lead twice on the last leg. Although Southworth crossed the line second, a mistake at the end of the second windward leg, when he misjudged his turn around the buoy and fouled the Australian Ian Walker, cost him a 12-place penalty. So instead of going into the clubhouse in third place overall last night, he was fifth equal. 'I'm kicking myself,' he said.

HENRI LLOYD J24 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (Abersoch): Race 2 (subject to protest): 1 T Hutchinson (US); 2 I Southworth (GB) (12-place penalty); 3 K Read (US); 4 L Santella (It); 5 G Bequerizes (Arg); 6 S Wijsen (US). Overall: 1 Read 3.75pts; 2 T Hutchinson 5.75; 3 Bequerizes 8; 5= Southworth, I Walker (Aus), I Bashford (Aus). 20.