SAILING : Winds Stir Things Up at Midwinters

If the skippers of the estimated 1,100 boats competing in the Southern California Yachting Assn.’s 62nd Midwinters Regatta didn’t like the weather conditions this weekend, all they had to do was wait.

With 23 yacht clubs playing host to 106 classes--the best turnout in recent years--the competitors found light and shifty winds Saturday settling into strong westerlies Sunday, bringing some excitement to the world’s largest sailing event.

In unprotected venues, winds gusting to 27 knots caused heavy seas that chased the 505 fleet inside the breakwater at the Los Angeles light, resulted in cancellation of the last Etchells 22 race at Newport Beach and frightened some of the serious J-35 sailors in one close call off Long Beach.

At Cabrillo Beach, only three of 52 competing catamarans managed not to capsize.

David Hammett, the J-35 North American champion, was running at eight to 10 knots under spinnaker about a boat length ahead and to weather of eventual winner Steve Flam when his Tatiana swerved off a wave out of control and was knocked down flat, directly in front of Flam’s onrushing Flambouyant.

Flam’s crew quickly released their spinnaker so he could turn the boat in time.

“We missed his keel by three to five feet,” Flam said. “If we’d hit him we would have crushed him.”

Tatiana recovered to finish fourth, one second ahead of Flambouyant. Among 13 entries, Flam won two of the three races over two days to earn his second consecutive title in the Midwinters.