SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Carl Eichenlaub built his first boat at age 10, a modest 7-footer big enough to hold only him and maybe a friend if they sat really close.

	Carl Eichenlaub is attending his seventh Pan Am Games and has been to every Olympics since 1976.

On Friday, the beloved 73-year-old boatwright for the U.S. sailing team will carry the American flag in the opening ceremony of the Pan American Games. The selection is believed to be the first time a non-athlete has been chosen by the U.S. team captains for the honor.

"I'm flabbergasted,'' Eichenlaub said Thursday. "I didn't think, for one, that it would ever be possible. I'm overwhelmed they'd choose me for such a position.''

For those who made the choice, it was easy.

Eichenlaub is attending his seventh Pan Am Games and has been to every Olympics since 1976. He works behind the scenes at sailing events worldwide to repair masts and save sails.

And he's a volunteer.

"It's possible to have real catastrophes,'' he said. "Broken masts, broken pillars.''

The lifelong San Diego resident occasionally even helps competitors from other countries, saying the Americans would rather beat a team at full strength than one with inferior equipment. He's the first to arrive at the boatyard, and often works out of a run-down horse trailer.

"He helps other countries all the time,'' said Fred Hagedorn, the team leader for U.S. sailing. "Carl is always generous with his time and effort.''

The sailing team honored Eichenlaub in 2000 with a lifetime volunteer award. That same year at the Sydney Olympics, Eichenlaub was run over while waiting for a bus and cracked his hip. He continued to work on crutches. He also has a titanium plate in his left shoulder, which can be a hassle when he tries to clear security.

Back in the 1970s -- Eichenlaub can't quite recall just when -- a friend in Chicago who owned a sail-making company encouraged him to apply for a vacancy with the national team. He got the job and went to Montreal for the '76 Summer Games.

"I'd always been told if you get the opportunity to go to the Olympics, don't turn it down,'' he said. "It was beginner's luck and they kept me around.''

Eichenlaub is the son of a boat builder, but his early interest derived from a book that showed, step-by-step, how to build 20 types of boats.

In that first vessel, Eichenlaub sailed the San Diego River, but his hobby was put on hold by World War II.

"I wanted to build a bigger boat as I got older, but I couldn't acquire any of the materials during the war,'' he said.

Six weeks ago, Eichenlaub prepared two mobile equipment rigs-- one to send here and the other that's on its way to Athens in preparation for the 2004 Olympics. He will travel to Greece later this month to hold a "dress rehearsal.''

Boating is just the centerpiece for Eichenlaub in a very full life.

He spends two nights a week playing the bassoon in two amateur orchestras -- "More often when they're fixing to give concerts,'' he said.

Eichenlaub and his wife, Jean, travel with their dog, Dixson, to dog shows, which Eichenlaub refers to as "dog regattas.'' The canine is named after the Point Loma street on which Eichenlaub lives in the oldest house -- where all the former inhabitants are buried on the property, with pillars marking "their final resting spots.''

"My wife trained him to do agility,'' he said of the pooch. "It turns out he's a champion. He accumulated enough points to sail in the championship regatta in Calgary in September.''

Clearly, sailing remains his top passion.

"I pity the team leader who isn't able to have him on their team,'' Hagedorn said. "He makes their lives easy.''