the L-16 Internationals in New Orleans last weekend.

Sailors from the host city, San Diego, Chicago, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Mississippi took part in the championship, with US Olympian Danny Killeen of Pass Christian Yacht Club in Mississippi winning the five-race series.

Summers enjoyed a successful opening day with two firsts in light winds. The second victory was particularly sweet as he had to complete two penalty turns in the early stages of the race. After rounding the leeward mark in sixth place, he sliced through the fleet to take over the lead by the end of the next windward leg.

"We did so many doughnuts that we were getting dizzy,'' Summers said. "It was becoming one heck of a way to see New Orleans.'' Summers experienced problems on the second day from which he never recovered, despite a creditable second place finish on the final day.

In the fourth race he ended up sandwiched between a Chicago sailor and the finishing mark. After hitting the finishing mark and completing more penalty turns he could only manage an eighth place finish in that race.

"You do not win international championships after you finish in the bottom half of the fleet in two races,'' Summers noted.

"There was no doubt that the lack of recent race experience in L-16s hurt us.'' The Luders-16 class stopped racing in Bermuda several years ago.

Racing at the weekend was held on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans and Summers noted that it was not surprising that the New Orleans Southern Yacht Club boasted such an array of Olympic medallists and world champions.

"If you can cope with everything that Lake Pontchartrain can produce then you can sail competitively in any one design course in the world,'' he said.

The Luders-16 class is enjoying a resurgence in the US with a new fleet being created in Pass Christian. This has attracted such notable sailors as John Dane, former world champion in the Olympic Soling class, and US Olympians Gene Walet and Danny Killeen.

"It was particularly encouraging to also have the Californians competing in this year's International Championship,'' said Summers.

The Bermudian hopes to compete in next year's internationals scheduled to be held in Pass Christian. He won the International Championship in 1982.