NESSA News

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Undaunted by bonechilling winds to 20 knots, a young coed squad from Bishop's School in La Jolla outsailed 23 other high school teams from throughout California Sunday to win Gold fleet honors in Newport Harbor Yacht Club's Anteater Regatta.

Coach Bill Campbell's outfit turned away traditional powerhouses from Coronado High School, Newport Harbor, University of San Diego High School and Pt. Loma High School. Overall, there was a record total of 48 teams from 40 schools, split into Gold and Silver divisions of 24 each. It was the first of a series of Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association regattas through next spring that will determine the season champion.

The ultimate winner will claim the new perpetual Roy E. Disney High School Sailing Championship trophy, which he presented to 2000-01 champion Coronado on Sunday. The new sails used by the two-person CFJs were paid for from Disney's earlier donation to the California International Sailing Association of $500,000 to be spent over five years.

The trophy is a half-model of Disney's maxisled Pyewacket mounted on a wooden plaque. Each year's winner's name will be engraved.

The Anteater was supposed to be a two-day affair but Saturday delivered insufficient wind to sail. Sunday more than made up for the oversight. A cold westerly arrived early under sunny skies and built from 12 to 15 and a peak of 20 knots that sent whitecaps rolling down Newport Harbor like bowling balls through tenpins.

With boats flipping the length of the course, the race committee soon beached some of the Silver fleet of less experienced sailors until the breeze subsided somewhat in early afternoon.

By that time Bishop's had the Gold fleet victory well in hand and ultimately emerged with 45 points to runner-up Coronado's 71, followed by Newport Harbor, 81, USD, 96, and Pt. Loma, 102.

Only four of Campbell's nine sailors in the Gold and Silver groups were seniors and six were girls.

"The whole tenor of the team seemed to improve with more girls," Campbell said. "I think the boys have more fun."

Senior Andrew Campbell drove the lead "A" boat in Gold, with sophomore Hillary Shapiro as crew. Junior skipper Frank Taylor had sophomore Beka Clark as crew in the B boat.

The 24 schools from San Diego to San Francisco split their teams between the Gold and Silver fleets. Pt. Loma won the Silver with 40 points, followed by Marin Catholic, 59; El Segundo, 79; Agoura, 89, and Corona del Mar, 97.