LONG BEACH, Calif.---Casey Hogan and the Newport Harbor Yacht Club team fought their way through fog and a very competitive six-team fleet Sunday to win their second consecutive Linda Elias Memorial Women's One Design Challenge in only her second appearance in the event.

Racing on the same Long Beach Yacht Club Sailing Foundation Catalina 37s used in the Congressional Cup, the teams found conditions challenging in the two-day regatta, hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club and sponsored by the Long Beach/Los Angeles Women’s Sailing Association.

Saturday's three races were plagued by light winds of 3-5 knots and thick fog with visibility from 300 to 500 feet most of the day. Sunday was overcast but clearer with a little more breeze of 5-7 knots and tighter racing… mostly because the competitors could actually see each other.

"That was my first time racing in the fog," Hogan said. "But we paid attention to what the wind was doing and sailed consistently.

"This was a very competitive fleet and sometimes we got a tough start, but our crew work was fabulous and they worked hard."

Second place was claimed by 2007 winner Susan Taylor and the team from Cal Yacht Club that had to fight back from a race disqualification on Saturday.

Taylor was involved in a protest concerning a close mark rounding with Sue Senescu's Nauti Chicas in the second race of the day. The jury ruled against Taylor, giving her a DSQ for that race, but the team continued to post finishes near the top which paid off in the end.

"We were determined to do well," Taylor said, "and it was a matter of focusing on that… not letting the ‘incident’ take us out. Our team did a great job."

Third place went to Kathy Reed and the Long Beach/Los Angeles Women's Sailing Association team, also know as the "Sailing Chicks."

"This is a great group of women to compete with," Reed said. "The camaraderie and competition were both great."

Reed had a humorous story when asked about racing in the fog.

"We had a rookie bowperson this weekend," Reed said, "who by the way did a great job with only three days training. Anyway, she lost her shoe [overboard] on an upwind leg. Coming downwind we saw it and picked it up. We found her shoe, but couldn't find the marks!"

At the trophy presentation each team gave full credit to Principal Race Officer Randy Smith not only for his quality race management but also his dogged determination not to let the fog cancel racing.

With her win, Hogan's team also received a $1,000.00 check from the Linda Elias Memorial Scholarship Fund which supports individuals who have actively demonstrated a willingness and desire to advance the sport of amateur sailing.

Reflecting on her repeat victory and what she and her team had done, Hogan said, "I think this is one of the very best moments the Newport Harbor team has had."

The event began in 1992 and is named after the late Linda Elias, one of Southern California’s most successful female sailboat racers.

Elias sailed in the Transpac in 1989, ’91, ‘93 and ’99 and won the Women’s One Design championship three of the first five years. When she passed away in 2003 after losing a nine-year battle with cancer the Long Beach/Los Angeles Women’s Sailing Association rededicated the event to her memory.

Final Results

1. Casey Hogan, Newport Harbor YC, 5-1-1-2-1-2-1, 13 points
2. Susan Taylor Cal YC, 2-2-7(DSQ)-3-2-4-2, 22
3. Kathy Reed, LB/LA Women's Sailing Assoc., 4-4-2-4-4-1-5, 24
4. Karyn Jones, Women's Sailing Assoc. SMB, 6-3-5-1-3-3-4, 25
5. Andrea Cabito, Novias Del Mar, 1-6-3-6-6-5-3, 30
6. Sue Senescu, Nauti Chicas, 3-5-4-5-5-6-6(DNF), 34

Complete race results and other race information available at www.lemwod.com and the LEMWOD Facebook Group site.

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