Memorial Day Regatta Hosts 135 Boats in 16 Classes

Byline: Rick Roberts LONG BEACH — Singlehanded sailors Charlie Buckingham in Laser Full Rig and Matt Struble in A Class catamarans each won all seven of their races in Alamitos Bay Yacht Club’s annual Memorial Day Regatta May 25-26, but they missed the glory afterward. No problem. At awards time, Buckingham, America’s leading Laser sailor, and Struble were already headed home for nearby Newport Beach and San Diego, respectively, but Buckingham had a notable stand-in. In his absence, William Sutton IV, age 12, from Richmond Yacht Club in Northern California, was asked to receive the US Sailing Area J Zucker Perpetual Trophy for first place in the Area J semifinals — although Buckingham, 25, will be the one advancing to the national championships. Sutton, nicknamed “Berky” for his home in Berkeley, won’t be eligible for that event for another five years, and he didn’t exactly finish second here. In fact, choosing to sail a less-demanding Laser Radial in the ocean fleet against stronger competition rather than inside the protected bay, he finished last in every race — but he finished every race, although missing the time limit in one. And he’s learning from conditions such as those on Sunday, when his 92 pounds were tested...