3 clubs tied for top spot

Three teams ended the first day of competition tied for the lead in

the Pacific Life Yacht Club Challenge Match Race Series held off

Newport Pier.

Defending champion St. Francis Yacht Club out of San Francisco,

Southern Yacht Club from New Orleans and Houston Yacht Club all

posted three wins out of four possible round-robin matches Thursday

in shifting winds.

Newport Harbor and Balboa, led by skippers Jon Pinckney and Carson

Reynolds, respectively, each won twice.

Sailors contended with Santa Ana winds that reached 25 knots in

the morning before giving way to calmer breezes of 8-10 knots from

the west in the afternoon, Race Director Jennifer Lancaster said.

Newport Harbor and Balboa enter today’s second round-robin stage,

scheduled to start at 11 a.m., tied with California Yacht Club, from

Marina Del Rey, and Bayview Yacht Club from Detroit.