Chapin Takes First, Kostecki Fourth in Tuneup for Olympic Trials Regatta

How tough are American sailors in the Olympic Soling class?

So tough that John Kostecki, the San Franciscan who has been first, second and first in the last three world championships, finished fourth in the 28th Olympic Classes Regatta Sunday at Long Beach, a tuneup for the U.S. trials.

And so tough that, as in 1984, the winner of the U.S. trials will become the favorite for the Olympic gold medal, which Robbie Haines won on the same waters. “Cautiously, yes,� agreed Gerard Coleman, the 29-year-old Navy lieutenant who skippered with his twin brothers Peter and Paul, 31, and was runner-up to Dave Chapin of Newport Beach.

Chapin, 28, sailed with Larry Klein of La Jolla and Paul Murphy of Annapolis, Md.

The U.S. trials will be in July in San Diego.

“Kostecki is obviously the guy to beat,� Chapin said. “But the rest of us have started to put in the same amount of time that he has and we’re catching up.�

Chapin recently took a leave from his job with an Irvine real estate development company to concentrate on his campaign. He was a competitive fifth in the ’84 trials, the Colemans 10th, Gerard said, after selecting a Soling because “it’s the only 3-man boat in the Olympics.�

The other classes featuring Olympic contenders were dominated by their winners--Randy Smyth of Huntington Beach in Tornados, Navy Lt. Brian Ledbetter of San Diego in Finn and Bert Rice Jr., 17, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., in sailboard.

Smyth, the ’84 silver medalist, won four of six races, Ledbetter five of six and Rice four of six. Ledbetter and Rice sat out their seventh races in Sunday’s brisk 15 knots of wind with their victories secured.

Olympic contenders were missing from the Star and 470 classes. There was no Flying Dutchman class.