Some of the world's best women sailors moved to the inland sea here, albeit smaller than it once was, to vie for the Hobie Cat Women's World Championships.
The problem is the winds didn't follow them. Aside from the opening day, winds for this world sailing event have been called "light." So light, in fact, have they been that boats weren't able to take to the water until late afternoon on Thursday and not at all on Friday.Still, there was more than enough sailing to crown a new champion . . . or an old champion that regained her crown. Dorian Goldberg of Puerto Rico and her new crewmember, Laura Farris, of Olympia, Wash., won the 16 title.
The Canadian team of Gillian Lalonde and Louise Cramer tied with Sarah Burton and Mary Quigley of Richland, Wash., for the Hobie 18 title.
Goldberg won the Hobie 16 title in 1989 and again in 1990, but finished runner-up to Annie Nelson of San Diego, Calif., and crewmember Lisa Wong, in 1991.
It was a loss, says Goldberg, she didn't take too well . . . "I want the title back, and I'll do what I need to win."
She didn't get a chance, but then she didn't need to. A light wind came up about 4 p.m. on Friday, but quickly fell off. Had the race been held, noted one official, "It would have been to see who could drift the fastest. There's no skill in that, so we called the race."
Goldberg showed consistency in her sailing in the two days of racing that was held. In four races she went 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Nelson, in the same four races, went 1st, 1st, 5th, 5th.
Under the sailing scoring system, this put Goldberg a mere three-quarters of a point ahead of Nelson.
A point that did not sit well with Nelson.
"I'll be a chess match out there today, if the wind comes up, with an outside factor called `luck.' But this lake has been hard to read with the light winds and all. Usually you can work off the `puffs' (gusts of winds), but I haven't been able to read the winds. It's been more a case of being in the right place at the right time.
"But, all I've got to do is place ahead of Dorian and I will . . . if we race," she said as she waited on the beach near Sweetwater.
That chance never came, nor did the winds. So, Goldberg and Farris were crowned champions, Nelson and Wong were runners-up, and the South African team of Lisa Holman and Stella Baker won third.
The women's race over, officials will now begin preparing for the men's Hobie Cat World Championships that begin on Tuesday and finish on Saturday.
About 80 competitors are expected to compete . . . winds willing. Among those competing will be Utah's Mike Shearer, a two-time national Hobie 16 champion.