Kostecki

San Francisco skipper John Kostecki started the Cadillac Columbus Cup sailing regatta by losing three races and finished by winning five of his next six, including the championship match yesterday afternoon against Jim Brady of Annapolis.Cup competition yesterday consisted of only two sets of races because wind conditions were calm until about 2:30 p.m., when the race committee was able to map out a course for two unusual sudden-death semifinals between Kostecki and Chris Law of Britain and Brady and J.J. Isler of San Diego.

After a dismal showing and several days of vague finger-pointing, the Ericsson Racing Team has replaced its skipper with American racing star John Kostecki for the next leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. Kostecki, who won the 2001-02 Volvo race, replaces Neal McDonald, another Volvo veteran, who will remain on board as watch captain and co-skipper on the leg from Rio de Janeiro to Baltimore. The Ericsson boat, built from the same mold as the Pirates of the Caribbean, has not enjoyed the same level of success as its sister.

After a dismal showing and several days of vague finger-pointing, the Ericsson Racing Team has replaced its skipper with American racing star John Kostecki for the next leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. Kostecki, who won the 2001-02 Volvo race, replaces Neal McDonald, another Volvo veteran, who will remain on board as watch captain and co-skipper on the leg from Rio de Janeiro to Baltimore. The Ericsson boat, built from the same mold as the Pirates of the Caribbean, has not enjoyed the same level of success as its sister.

Four years ago, John Kostecki was master of the seas as he circled the globe to win the Volvo Ocean Race. This year, his world is a lot smaller, but no less important. Seven times during the 32,000-mile regatta, Kostecki will step aboard the Ericsson Racing Team yacht and call the shots during in-port races that will count for about 20 percent of the overall score. His first test will come tomorrow in Sanxenxo, Spain, a week before the race's first leg sails from nearby Vigo. Kostecki will be in Maryland with the race during the three-week Baltimore-Annapolis stopover.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Chessie Racing tactician John Kostecki, who has sailed in two America's Cup campaigns, including America3's winning effort in 1992, is sold on the round-the-world race concept.Speaking in Auckland after he guided Maryland entry Chessie to a creditable third place on Leg 4 from Sydney, Australia, Kostecki, one of the world's best-regarded sailboat skippers and tacticians, said the America's Cup no longer had the special allure it once held for sailors."Look around," he said.

Wednesday evening, after losing three straight in the first day of match racing in the Cadillac Columbus Cup, San Francisco skipper John Kostecki said he was a little down, but certainly not out.Yesterday, through a tie-breaking procedure based on head-to-head competition, Kostecki earned the final berth in the regatta semifinals even though he lost his last race of the round-robin qualifying round to Chris Law of Great Britain.Law won the round-robin with a 5-2 record and will be matched with Kostecki today.

Four years ago, John Kostecki was master of the seas as he circled the globe to win the Volvo Ocean Race. This year, his world is a lot smaller, but no less important. Seven times during the 32,000-mile regatta, Kostecki will step aboard the Ericsson Racing Team yacht and call the shots during in-port races that will count for about 20 percent of the overall score. His first test will come tomorrow in Sanxenxo, Spain, a week before the race's first leg sails from nearby Vigo. Kostecki will be in Maryland with the race during the three-week Baltimore-Annapolis stopover.

Like a hired gunslinger brought in to tame the town, the winner of the previous Volvo Ocean Race will be back for this year's competition to handle the newest challenge in the around-the-world race. John Kostecki, who skippered illbruck Challenge to victory in 2001-02, will be tactician aboard Ericsson Racing Team for the seven in-port races, which count toward each boat's total score. In-port races require sailors to take muscular sloops built to plow through the heavy seas of the Southern Ocean and turn them into highly maneuverable racing machines able to negotiate such narrow, shallow waters as the Chesapeake Bay. "It's a pretty big difference," Kostecki said of the addition of in-port races.

The organizers of this year's Cadillac Columbus Cup have made much of the balance of talent among the eight skippers from the United States and four other countries who are competing on the Patapsco River this week. After yesterday's racing, that balance is evident.With one flight of four races left to decide which four boats will advance to the semifinals, seven boats remain in contention, with Chris Law of England in first place and six other skippers tied for second."It has been an amazing regatta in that sense, in that there are so many people so close," said Team Chesapeake skipper Jim Brady of Annapolis.

The Cadillac Columbus Cup changed tacks yesterday, dropping its fleet-racing program and opening a round-robin series of match races a day earlier than planned.Susan Taylor, executive director of the Columbus Cup, said the change in format was brought up at a morning meetings of skippers and heartily endorsed."These people all came here to match race," Taylor said. "Another day of fleet racing just didn't seem to fit the bill."Chris Law of Britain won all three races he and his crew sailed yesterday and stands alone in first place entering today's schedule.

Like a hired gunslinger brought in to tame the town, the winner of the previous Volvo Ocean Race will be back for this year's competition to handle the newest challenge in the around-the-world race. John Kostecki, who skippered illbruck Challenge to victory in 2001-02, will be tactician aboard Ericsson Racing Team for the seven in-port races, which count toward each boat's total score. In-port races require sailors to take muscular sloops built to plow through the heavy seas of the Southern Ocean and turn them into highly maneuverable racing machines able to negotiate such narrow, shallow waters as the Chesapeake Bay. "It's a pretty big difference," Kostecki said of the addition of in-port races.

For illbruck Challenge, 4 1/2 years of planning and 8 1/2 months of sailing round the world ultimately produced a tactical advantage second to none in the Volvo Ocean Race. American skipper John Kostecki led his German-backed boat to overall victory yesterday as the 32,700-nautical-mile odyssey ended late yesterday afternoon in Kiel, Germany. Though finishing second in the ninth and final leg behind Norway's djuice dragons, illbruck became the first German boat to win in the 29-year history of the round-the-world event, formerly known as The Whitbread.

John Kostecki sailed into Baltimore four years ago at the helm of Chessie Racing, the hometown rooting interest, yet ultimately a back-of-the-pack boat operating on a limited budget, in what then was the Whitbread Round the World Race. He's back as skipper of illbruck Challenge and, despite finishing fourth in this leg of what now is the Volvo Ocean Race, holds a commanding lead because of three earlier first- place finishes. The big difference between this race and the other, he says, is the time and money German plastics giant Illbruck (the corporate name is upper- cased)

John Kostecki, who has sailed on Chessie Racing for three of six legs in the Whitbread Round the World Race, will race on the Maryland entry for the remaining three legs of 31,600-nautical-mile race, syndicate leader George Collins announced yesterday.Kostecki, 33, of San Francisco, will co-skipper Chessie on Leg 7, from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Baltimore, beginning April 19. The nine-boat fleet is expected to finish off Fort McHenry on April 22. Kostecki also will sail Leg 8, from Annapolis to La Rochelle, France, which begins May 3, and Leg 9 -- the final sprint to Southampton, England, which starts May 22."

SAO SEBASTIAO, Brazil -- When Leg 6 of the Whitbread Round the World Race starts today, Chessie Racing, initially an outsider, will be among the victory-hunting leaders."

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Chessie Racing tactician John Kostecki, who has sailed in two America's Cup campaigns, including America3's winning effort in 1992, is sold on the round-the-world race concept.Speaking in Auckland after he guided Maryland entry Chessie to a creditable third place on Leg 4 from Sydney, Australia, Kostecki, one of the world's best-regarded sailboat skippers and tacticians, said the America's Cup no longer had the special allure it once held for sailors."Look around," he said.

For illbruck Challenge, 4 1/2 years of planning and 8 1/2 months of sailing round the world ultimately produced a tactical advantage second to none in the Volvo Ocean Race. American skipper John Kostecki led his German-backed boat to overall victory yesterday as the 32,700-nautical-mile odyssey ended late yesterday afternoon in Kiel, Germany. Though finishing second in the ninth and final leg behind Norway's djuice dragons, illbruck became the first German boat to win in the 29-year history of the round-the-world event, formerly known as The Whitbread.

The organizers of this year's Cadillac Columbus Cup have made much of the balance of talent among the eight skippers from the United States and four other countries who are competing on the Patapsco River this week. After yesterday's racing, that balance is evident.With one flight of four races left to decide which four boats will advance to the semifinals, seven boats remain in contention, with Chris Law of England in first place and six other skippers tied for second."It has been an amazing regatta in that sense, in that there are so many people so close," said Team Chesapeake skipper Jim Brady of Annapolis.

SYDNEY, Australia - With the start of Leg 4 of the Whitbread Round the World Race just four days away, Chessie Racing's shore crew has been busy reinforcing the mast below the deck.The aluminum mast, identical to those aboard Innovation Kvaerner and Swedish Match, which were badly buckled by excessive compression during Leg 3, has been strengthened by 10 x 6 x 1/4-inch steel straps, fixed to the port and starboard sides just above the step.Although Chessie's mast showed only minimal signs of compression stress during Leg 3 with concave and convex dishing between the deck-head and the heel of the spar, the work was undertaken as a precaution.

ANNAPOLIS -- Almost a year ago, Kevin Mahaney started a Columbus Cup team racing series with John Kostecki and Ken Read here and finished it off on Baltimore's Inner Harbor with a shutout against a team of top-notch Chesapeake Bay racing skippers.In the middle of last week, Mahaney was sitting in the empty club room of the Severn Sailing Association and talking about where he -- and Kostecki and Read -- have been since and where they are headed.Mahaney, Kostecki and Read are key members of PACT '95, one of three syndicates competing to defend the America's Cup next May in San Diego.