The Severn Sailing Association and the Eastport Yacht Club co-hosted the six-day North American Lightning Championships on the Chesapeake Bay, which ended Friday in Annapolis, Md. 

The regatta included 93 three-person, 19-foot craft, and served as a qualifier for the 2001 Lightning World Championships to be held in Marsala, Italy. 

Surf City Yacht Club's Jack Elfman reached the championship series by placing 13th. The top 17 finishers qualify for the World Championships. 

Elfman, 60, began racing Lightnings in the mid-1950s and has been a member of Surf City Yacht Club since it was founded in 1949. 

He qualified for North Americans by winning the Central Atlantic District Championship earlier this year at the Riverton Yacht Club, and won the International Masters World Lightning title last November in Ecuador. Last month, he placed second in New Jersey Lightning Championships at Barnegat Light Y.C. 

Along with Canada and the United States, the North American Championships also included boats from Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil, but did not serve as a World-qualifying event for those crews. 

"North Americans are always open to competitors from South America," Elfman said. "The Lightning Class has always been a top-notch class among single-design fleets, and the South Americans are welcome to help keep the competition strong. South American countries produce many of the top sailors in the world." 

Elfman's crew aboard the Rip City Express III included his wife, Cindy, and Mike Holly of Malvern, Pa. Barnegat Light Yacht Club skipper John Faus finished 64th. 

Surf City Yacht Club's Kyle Rogachenko and Royce Weber placed fifth and ninth, respectively, at the Canadian Optimist Championships held Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Kingston, Ontario. 

Rogachenko won two of the seven races and had one second. Weber's three best finishes were fifth, sixth and seventh. 

There were 122 competitors. 

William Brown of Surf City Y.C. was 26th. Brigantine Y.C.'s Ian Donahue placed 34th and was the third highest finisher in the 10 and under fleet. 

The regatta was at Sail Kingston Yacht Club on the mouth of the St. Lawrence River 

Jeff Bonanni of the Surf City Yacht Club won the Laser Radial North American Championships held Aug. 10-13 at the Buffalo Canoe Club in Crystal Beach, Ontario. 

Bonanni tallied 26 points in five races, including a first, two thirds, a fourth and a seventh. Bonanni was one of eight New Jersey sailors in the top 15 of the 52-boat fleet. 

Matt Goetting of Bay Head Y.C. was second with 31, and Mike Todd of Brant Beach Y.C. was third with 34. 

Ryland Weber of Surf City Y.C. placed 12th. Other strong finishers were Carl Horrocks of Point Pleasant (sixth) and fellow Toms River Y.C. members Reed Johnson (seventh), Bobby Koar (10th), Adam Biehler (14th) and Ed Norton (15th). 

For the second straight week, Pleasantville Yacht Club's Tuathal MacColgain was overall Optimist Fleet champion of the Mid Atlantic Yacht Racing Association circuit. 
MacColgain tallied nine points in the bay behind the Ocean City Yacht Club, relegating Ian Donahue of Brigantine Y.C. to second with 13. Billy Martin of Riverton Y.C. was third and Brigantine's Hanna Chaikin (29) was fourth. 
The host club got wins from John Parker in the Lightning Fleet, Matt Vollmer in 110s, and Lindsay Donatiello in Junior Sunfish. Avalon Y.C. got wins from Laura Schilling in Midget Sunfish and Robin Cook in Senior Sunfish. 

Results 
Optimist 
Overall: 1. Tuathal MacColgain, Pleasantville, 9; 2. Ian Donahue, Brigantine, 13; 3. Billy Martin, Riverton, 19 
Red Fleet 
1. Hannah Chaikin, Brigantine, 29; 2. Bobby Martin, Riverton, 40; 3. Matt Morello, Ocean City. 
Blue Fleet 
1. Tuathal MacColgain, Pleasantville, 9; 2. Billy Martin, Riverton, 19; 3. Nelson Russom, Greater Wildwood. 
White Fleet 
1. Ian Donahue, Brigantine, 13; 2. Mike Russom, Greater Wildwood, 33; Andrew Christy, Ocean City, 50. 
Lightning 
1. John Parker, Ocean City, 10; 2. Kevin Robinson, Ocean City, 17; Sam Hostvedt, Ocean City, 17 
110 
1. Matt Vollmer, Ocean City, 10; 2. Doug Walkers, Ocean City, 11; 3. Brad Jungels, Ocean City, 11 
Sunfish 
Midget 
1. Laura Schilling, Avalon, 2; Thomas Loughran, Avalon, 4; John Subrannin, Ocean City, 8 
Junior 
1. Lindsay Donatiello, Ocean City, 2; Carrie Ferguson, Brigantine, 4; John Keating IV, Brigantine, 6 
Senior 
1. Rob Cook, Avalon, 2; 2. Guy Donatiello, Ocean City, 6 
Masters 
1. David Davies, HSYC, 2; 2. Judy Oberg, Cooper River, 5; 3. Don Eshevarria, Avalon, 6 
Laser 
1. Rob Seidelmann, Cooper River; 2. Jim Knabb, Cooper River, 6; 3. John Keating III, Brigantine, 8 
Laser Radial 
1. Kevin King, Cooper River, 3; 2. Bobby Martin, Riverton, 3; 3. Danielle Morello, Ocean City, 6 

The Yacht Club of Stone Harbor hosted the North American Comet Junior National Regatta last Thursday and Friday. 

The two-person, 16-foot Comet Fleet originated at the Yacht Club of Stone Harbor in 1929. 

Six races were contested on Great Sound, and the host club's Bill Young and Vicki Mossbrook won the nine-boat event with 6.25 points. 

Kevin King and Beth Hendee of Ocean Gate Y.C. placed second with 7.25, and Stone Harbor's Bart Nicholson and Sarah Van Horn were third with 18. 

Results 
1. Bill Young/Vicki Mossbrook, Stone Harbor, 6.25; 2. Kevin King/Beth Hendee, Ocean Gate, 7.25; 3. Bart Nicholson/Sarah Van Horn, Stone Harbor, 18; 4. Kevin Beruchian/Dan Smith, Highland Lakes, 19; 5. Maxwell Curtis/Stefan Furbert, St. George's, Bermuda, 23.