U.S. Olympic Sailing Trials : Randy Smyth, the ’84 Silver Medalist, Leaves a Void in Tornado Class

NEWPORT, R.I. — All the Tornado catamaran sailors here for the Olympic trials miss Randy Smyth, the way the heavyweight boxers of the world would miss Mike Tyson.

“I am disappointed,” Gary Knapp insisted after finishing second to Pete Melvin of Long Beach in the first race Wednesday. “It’s certainly in (the team’s) best interests to have our best representative go from the country, and Randy would certainly be a key player.

“Even if he didn’t win the trials, it would be nice to know we beat one of the best in the world. From that standpoint, it’s a big disappointment.”

Smyth, the Tornado class silver medalist as the U.S. representative at Long Beach in 1984, withdrew from the trials two weeks ago because of his commitment to assist Dennis Conner on the Stars & Stripes catamaran--although whether that controversial craft will ever sail in the America’s Cup is still up to the New York Supreme Court.

But for the last few months, there had been whispers that Smyth, campaigning on the European Formula 40 circuit and other professional events, also feared that his amateur status would be challenged if he won the berth.

One report had the Soviet Union representative to the International Yacht Racing Union threatening to protest Smyth’s presence if he won the Olympic berth.

Another report was that Smyth was unable to produce receipts to prove he had withdrawn only expenses from the professional winnings he had funneled into a trust fund with the United States Yacht Racing Union.

Sam Merrick, the eligibility chairman of USYRU’s Olympic Yachting Committee, indicated that there might be some fact behind the Soviet rumor.

But Smyth said Wednesday from California, “I never heard anything like that.”

As for the lost receipts, Smyth said: “Actually, it’s sort of the other way around. Jonathan Harley (OYC executive director) has changed secretaries a few times and they had misplaced some of the records, so they had to go back over the last few years and figure out what was going on.

“It was more of a bookkeeping mix-up at their end. Luckily, we were fairly good at keeping duplicates and tried to put it all back together.”

The America’s Cup commitment, Smyth said, was the only reason he withdrew from the Olympic trials.

Merrick seemed satisfied on all counts.

“As far as I know, his decision not to participate had nothing to do with the professional issue,” Merrick said. “There’s nothing on the record that he got more money than he reported. Nothing.

“(Besides), nobody is ever going to get anywhere at the Olympics raising that question. There would be no Olympics.”

Without Smyth, though, there almost are no trials for the Tornadoes.

Melvin said: “Before, it was pretty much of a three-boat race. Now it’s more a match race between us and Knapp. There are other people here that are fast, but I think in the end it will come down to us two.”

Melvin, with crewman Pat (Mugs) Muglia, beat Knapp by about 30 seconds, and the 23 other boats were somewhere beyond the blue horizon.

Until recently Melvin’s forte was light-air sailing, but now he is competitive in all wind strengths--an important concern this year with the trials in a light-air venue and strong winds looming for the Olympics at Pusan, South Korea.

“We used to really dust those guys in the (heavy) air,” said Knapp, who sails with Chris Steinfeld. “But they’ve done a lot of work on their rig and stuff and they’re going well in everything.

“I’d certainly prefer the heavy air. I’ve been on a big diet and lost about as much weight as I can.”

Knapp, 32, of Port Washington, N.Y., was runner-up in the ’84 trials on a Flying Dutchman. At 6 feet tall, he weighs only 155 but thinks it’s too much. Lighter is better on a Tornado because they go faster with one hull out of the water, and a lighter crew needs less wind to lift the hull.

“We’ll spot Pete and Mugs probably 10 or 20 pounds,” Knapp said.

Wednesday’s wind peaked at about 12 knots at starting time, and Melvin stretched his lead as the wind diminished to 8 knots.

The tactics for the Tornado leaders seem simple for the next two weeks of these trials.

“We’ll be watching Pete and Mugs and they’ll be watching us,” Knapp said.

Muglia said, “I’d be very surprised if someone else (contended).”

Olympic Sailing Notes

After Tuesday’s opening-day fog-out, the soup stayed 4 to 6 miles offshore Wednesday, and there was enough wind--8 to 12 knots--that the boats didn’t need to be towed out to the courses. . . . The surprise of the day was Mary Brigden’s win in the women’s 470 class, with crew member Susan Lawser, followed by rated contender Allison Jolly of Valencia and crew member Lynne Jewell. Brigden, 28, of Annapolis, Md., is a Navy lieutenant and flight officer who teaches a class in leadership at the Naval Academy. She hadn’t figured to be a factor. “We’ve been behind the pack for a long time, but I think we have a shot now,” she said.

Besides Tornado winner Pete Melvin, top-rated Long Beach sailors were runners-up in two classes--Ron and Steve Rosenberg, behind Paul Foerster of Corpus Christi, Tex. in Flying Dutchman, and John Shadden-Charlie McKee, behind Morgan Reeser, Miami, in 470. . . . Bert Rice Jr., 17, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., won the sailboard opener, with ’84 silver medalist Scott Steele, Annapolis, sixth. The 130-pound Rice, who has an appointment to the Naval Academy, liked the winds of 8-10 knots on the board course.

At Marblehead, Mass., favorite Brian Ledbetter of San Diego got buried in the 48-boat fleet at the start and did well to work his way back to 14th place. That will probably be one of his throw-outs. Andrew Pimental, of Barrington, R.I., led at every mark but lost by four boat lengths on a finishing charge by Stewart Neff, of Cambridge, Mass., who leads the series after two races.