Barnard takes third in tight race for Laser Radial title

LONG BEACH — Chris Barnard of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club finished third in the International Laser Class U.S. National Championship Sunday.

Barnard, who won the Governor’s Cup last month, competed in a tight Laser Radial Division final face, finishing just six points out of the lead. Mateo Vargas of St. Petersburg Yacht Club won the national championship. Philip Alley of Lauderdale Yacht Club finished just one point behind Vargas.

Chris Dold of Royal Canadian Yacht Club won the Laser Full Rig Division at the regatta that Los Alamitos Yacht Club hosted.

The competitors attempted to remain consistent while in varying conditions. There were approximately five knots of breeze at the beginning of the seventh race of the day. The breeze slowly built throughout the day and reached 14 knots of breeze at the beginning of the final race.

— From staff reports