Link to the latest Results - updated regularly on the website in France
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FINAL DAY
The sea breeze failed to arrive in time for any racing on the final day of the Laser Radial Youth World Championship in La Rochelle, France. The 305 competitors from 35 countries and 5 continents waited patiently afloat for the wind for 2 hours. The race committee attempted one start for the gold fleet just before the time limit but the start was recalled.
The lack of racing means that 18 year old Franciso Sanchez Ferrer from Spain becomes the third Laser Radial World Youth Champion. His consistency in all conditions just gave him the edge, by one point, over Luka Radelic from Croatia who scored the same scores except in one race.
Ferrer now has to decide what to do in the future. His first priority is to start studying engineering at university and maybe hope he can increase his weight as he gets older to be more competitive in the Laser standard rig.
1 ESP Francisco Sanchez Ferrer, 4, 3, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 30, 9, 26 pts
2 CRO Luka Radelic, 1, 4, 2, 1, 2, 9, 4, 4, 16, 27pts
3 POR Jorge Lima, 3, 5, 2, 25, 1, 9, 1, 1, 12, 34pts
4 GBR Andrew Walsh, 1, 1, 1, 10, 2, 2, 20, 15, 5, 37pts
5 DEN Anders Nyholm, 9, 1, 1, 3, 1, 8, 4, 59, 10, 37pts
6 BRA Andre Streppel, 7, 7, 2, 11, 10, 1, 1, 42, 1, 40pts
7 USA Stuart Mcnay, 3, 15, 13, 2, 2, 1, 1, 3, 33, 40pts
8 ITA Salvatore D'amico, 5, 5, 8, 1, 3, 8, 13, dnf, 2, 45pts
9 POL Marcin Rudawski, 2, 1, 2, 9, 21, 7, 7, ocs, 3, 52pts
10 GRE Aris Michail, 18, 2, 1, 5, 7, 3, 3, 29, 19, 58pts
DAY 5
Francisco Ferrer ESP still just leads overall after 2 more races were completed after a long day afloat. The expected sea breeze failed to arrive in strength for the first race. Amongst the leaders Ferrer, Andrew Walsh GBR, Anders Nyholm DEN and Andre Streppel BRA all got the first windward leg seriously wrong going left when the right side proved favoured. Jorge Lima POR, Stuart Mcnay USA and the consistent Luka Radelic CRO were the only ones to go right.
Fortunes were reversed in the second race sailed in 12 knots with Radelic and Mcnay scoring their worst results of the series in a race which Streppel won in spite of being penalised a 720 turn for a propulsion infringement.
The championship is still wide open with 10 different countries in the top ten from 3 continents. Much will depend on whether one or two races are completed on the final day when a second discard comes into effect. With 2 discards only 10 points separate the top six places which is nothing if the variation in day 5 results is repeated.
Overall results after 9 races with one discard:
1 ESP 163318, Francisco Sanchez Ferrer, M, 4, 3, 3, 1, 1, 2, 3, 30, 9, 26,0 pts
2 CRO 161683, Luka Radelic, M, 1, 4, 2, 1, 2, 9, 4, 4, 16, 27,0 pts
3 POR 162841, Jorge Lima, M, 3, 5, 2, 25, 1, 9, 1, 1, 12, 34,0 pts
4 GBR 163540, Andrew Walsh, M, 1, 1, 1, 10, 2, 2, 20, 15, 5, 37,0 pts
5 DEN 164496, Anders Nyholm, M, 9, 1, 1, 3, 1, 8, 4, 59, 10, 37,0 pts
6 BRA 164864, Andre Streppel, M, 7, 7, 2, 11, 10, 1, 1, 42, 1, 40,0 pts
7 USA 162183, Stuart Mcnay, M, 3, 15, 13, 2, 2, 1, 1, 3, 33, 40,0 pts
8 ITA 164471, Salvatore D'amico, M, 5, 5, 8, 1, 3, 8, 13, dnf, 2, 45,0 pts
9 POL 166479, Marcin Rudawski, M, 2, 1, 2, 9, 21, 7, 7, ocs, 3, 52,0 pts
10 GRE 161861, Aris Michail, M, 18, 2, 1, 5, 7, 3, 3, 29, 19, 58,0 pts
DAY 4
Following his success in Finland last week, the new ISAF World Youth single handed champion, Francisco Sanchez Ferrer ESP, put in another consistent performance in races six and seven to move into the overall lead of the Laser Radial World Youth Championship. The transition from the Laser Standard rig sailed in the ISAF Youth Worlds to the Laser Radial rig has been easy for Ferrer who at 73 kg is able to handle the strong and light winds. His second and third place in light 8 knot winds, sometimes dropping to 5 knots, was bettered only by Stuart Mcnay USA and Andre Streppel BRA who each scored a double first to close on the leaders.
Overcast conditions interspersed with occasional rain upset the usually reliable forecast and caught some of the top sailors out when the forecast shift to the right failed to sustain itself and in fact went left. The Race Committee spent most of the day shifting marks to keep up with the shifts. Apart from Ferrer, the next three boats all struggled to read the difficult conditions. In particular, previous leader Andrew Walsh GBR, got caught at the wrong end of the start line in the second race and then chose the wrong side of the first windward leg to finish 20th.
The next four 'finals' races will see some very close races and hopefully some sun. All scores count equally towards the overall result and a second discard is allowed if 10 or more races are completed.
Overall results after 7 races with one discard:
| 1 | ESP | Francisco Sanchez Ferrer | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13pts |
| 2 | CRO | Luka Radelic | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 14pts |
| 3 | GBR | Andrew Walsh | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 17pts |
| 4 | DEN | Anders Nyholm | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 18pts |
| 5 | POR | Jorge Lima | 3 | 5 | 2 | 26 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 21pts |
| 6 | USA | Stuart McNay | 3 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 22pts |
| 7 | GRE | Aris Michail | 18 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 22pts |
| 8 | BRA | Andre Streppel | 7 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 28pts |
| 9 | POL | Marcin Rudawski | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 29pts |
| 10 | ITA | Salvatore D'Amico | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 31pts |
DAY 3
Andrew Walsh GBR held on to his overall lead in the Laser Radial Youth World Championship after 2 races in perfect conditions. The 15 knot winds in the first race of the day provided opportunity for more sailors to show at the front especially as windshifts and tide considerations also gave more tactical options. Walsh got up to third at one point but a missed shift was enough to drop him to 10th in a race in which his closest 3 challengers all scored top three places.
He made no mistakes in the second race of the day, scoring a second as the breeze dropped to 10 knots. This was an important score as Anders Nyholm DEN, Luka Radelic CRO and Francisco Ferrer ESP each shared firsts and seconds between them to leave only a three point margin between the top four places. Radelic and Ferrer are so far proving the most consistent across a variety of conditions with neither of them so far finishing outside the top 4 places.
Day 4 will see the last round robin races before the fleet is split to provide what will certainly be an exciting head to head battle over the last 4 final races.
Overall places with one discard:
| 1 | GBR | Andrew Walsh | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 5pts |
| 2 | DEN | Anders Nyholm | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6pts |
| 3 | CRO | Luka Radelic | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6pts |
| 4 | ESP | Francisco Sanchez Ferrer | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8pts |
| 5 | POR | Jorge Lima | 3 | 5 | 2 | 26 | 1 | 11pts |
| 6 | CRO | Aron Lolic | 1 | 3 | bfd | 3 | 4 | 11pts |
| 7 | POL | Marcin Rudawski | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 14pts |
| 8 | ITA | Salvatore D'Amico | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 14pts |
| 9 | GRE | Aris Michail | 18 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 15pts |
| 10 | ESP | Marc Bonvehi Galiana | 22 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 16pts |
DAYS 1 and 2
Seven thunderstorms moving around the sailing area at La Rochelle spoilt the first day's racing of the Laser Radial Youth World Championship. Only one of the two scheduled races was completed and that was in light shifting winds with rain.
The 304 sailors from 35 countries enjoyed a complete contrast on Day 2, after overnight rain cleared the humid and stormy conditions allowing a strong sea breeze to develop throughout the day. Starting in 14 knots the wind had built to 24 knots by the end of the second race of the day.
Britain's Andrew Walsh shared the best results of the day with Anders Nyholm from Denmark, each scoring two wins in their respective fleets. Walsh heads the leader board with a perfect score for the three races sailed so far but there is a long way to go in the 12 race series, especially as the fleets are pushing the start line hard causing the Race Committee to introduce black flag starts for nearly every race so far. Amongst those to lose a good position as a result of a black flag disqualification was Aron Lolic from Croatia who had previously scored a first and third.
The total fleet is split into four starts for each race and the fleet is reseeded every day. The last 2 days of this 6 day championship are reserved for 'finals' races when the fleet is divided into gold, silver, bronze and emerald groups.
Overall Results after 3 races without discard
| 1 | GBR | Andrew Walsh | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3pts |
| 2 | POL | Marcin Rudawski | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5pts |
| 3 | CRO | Luka Radelic | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7pts |
| 4 | POR | Jorge Lima | 3 | 5 | 2 | 10pts |
| 5 | ESP | Francisco Sanchez Ferrer | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10pts |
| 6 | DEN | Anders Nyholm | 9 | 1 | 1 | 11pts |
| 7 | CAN | David Wright | 6 | 4 | 5 | 15pts |
| 8 | BRA | Andre Streppel | 7 | 7 | 2 | 16pts |
| 9 | GRE | Andreas Ralatos | 3 | 10 | 4 | 17pts |
| 10 | ITA | Salvatore D'amico | 5 | 5 | 8 | 18pts |
24 year old Adonis Bougiouris from Greece, last year's runner up, went one better this year to win the Laser Radial World Championship in a nail biting finish which was left to the computer to sort out. The two races on the final day lived up to the expectations of an exciting finale. In 16 knot offshore winds speed alone was not enough as Bourgiouris demonstrated in the first race by only managing an eleventh. Gustavo Lima POR, last year's champion and one of the main contenders for the title, applied pressure straight away with a third place ahead of all his rivals. This put him in the driving seat for the final race. The overnight leader, Luka Radelic from Croatia, faired even worse than Bougiouris with a fifteenth.
Lima struggled to get speed off the start line in the final race and found himself in the thirties at the first mark with all his rivals ahead of him. Bougiouris and Radelic were not much better and it was a question of who could work their way through the fleet the best. Bougiouris in 8th led Radelic home and then both waited to count the places behind them until Lima crossed in 17th two places below the 15th he required to win.
In the women's division Kelly Hand from Canada had far less work to do. Her fifth place in the penultimate race was enough for her to secure first overall with a race to spare but just to prove a point she went out and scored her third first place of the week.
National honour was upheld when France won the team prize (2 male and 1female positions) from Greece.
The 214 Open championship sailors now leave to make way for a record 300 strong Youth Laser Radial fleet who start their championship on Monday 12 July.
Overall Results ( two discards)
Male
1 GRE Adonis Bougiouris, 2, 8, 1, 1, 1, 40, 4, 24, 3, 11, 8, 39 pts
2 POR Gustavo Lima, 3, 6, 3, 1, 1, 5, 1, 39, 25, 3, 17, 40 pts
3 FRA Teddy Questroy, 32, 7, 2, 6, 2, 1, 3, 1, 41, 17, 4, 43 pts
4 CRO Luka Radelic, 1, bfd, 3, 3, 1, 5, 4, 21, 2, 15, 9, 43 pts
5 GRE Vagelis Chimonas, 2, 1, dsq, 4, 5, 24, 1, 16, 7, 7, 1, 44 pts
6 SWE Fredrik Lassenius, 10, 2, 4, 2, 2, 4, 5, 13, 15, dnf, 2, 44 pts
7 FRA Benoit Raphalen, 15, 5, 6, 3, 8, 4, 8, 5, 1, 5, 16, 45 pts
8 TUR Orkun Soyer, 10, 4, 7, 5, 9, 1, 3, 11, 4, 4, 13, 47 pts
9 GBR Stephen Cockerill, 1, 1, 4, 4, 4, 17, 1, 12, 17, 8, 28, 52 pts
10 GRE Dimitrios Theodorakis, 6, 4, 2, 3, 3, 24, 2, 6, 24, 18, 19, 63 pts
Female
1 CAN Kelly Hand, 5, 1, 2, 4, 3, 3, 1, 2, 10, 5, 1, 22 pts
2 SWE Jeanette Dagson, 4, 3, 8, 2, 1, 4, 6, 7, 13, 3, 2, 32 pts
3 FRA Helene Viazzo, 1, 4, 1, 3, 8, 11, 2, 1, 33, 11, 8, 39 pts
4 FRA Clementine Destailleur, 17, 5, 6, 8, 7, 7, 4, 5, 9, 1, 6, 49 pts
5 AUS Alison Casey, 18, 2, 5, 1, 2, 22, 3, 16, 3, 15, 10, 57 pts
6 FRA Sarah Frickey, 9, 7, 3, 7, 4, 1, bfd, 20, 12, bfd, 3, 66 pts
7 GBR Lizzie Vickers, 3, 6, 11, 5, dsq, 13, 5, 9, 8, 17, 12, 72 pts
8 FRA Sylvie Harle, 7, 9, 7, 10, 11, 8, 24, 23, 16, 4, 11, 83 pts
9 ITA Lucia Del Vecchio, 16, 14, 15, 6, 5, 9, 9, 15, 14, 6, 5, 83 pts
10 BRA Isabela Maraucci, 19, 8, 9, 15, 6, 17, 13, 8, 21, 8, 4, 88 pts
The first day of 'Finals' racing saw a change in wind direction that provided a new test for the sailors. An offshore gradient wind produced shifts in direction and fluctuating strength (3 to 7 knots) described by one competitor as a game of snakes and ladders - one minute you would find a ladder and climb through the fleet and the next a snake and slide down the fleet.
The sea breeze tried to come in but all that happenned was a delay in the start until the two winds sorted themselves out.
These testing conditions were not to the liking of series leader and defending champion, Gustavo Lima POR, who had his worst day of the series. Having previously only scored top six placings his 39th and 25th dropped him to 7th overall with only one discard. However if only one of the two scheduled races are completed on the last day a second discard will come into play enabling him to drop these two bad results. Most of the leading sailors had at least one bad race the exception being Benoit Raphalen FRA, who was the only sailor to score 2 top five placings which moved him into second overall.
Croatian, Luka Radelic, holds the leading postion with one or two discards but behind, the field changes considerably if a second discard is considered. Only four points seperate the leading four boats and with most having already scored two bad results, the final day of racing will be a exciting climax to a great championship.
In the women's division the results were equally mixed with all the top sailors scoring at least one poor result. Kelly Hand CAN, maintained her overall lead with a second in the first race. She commented that the racing was interesting and there were some "little presents for everyone" in the shifting conditions. In the second race she could not find any presents on the first windward leg but still was able to recover from 22nd to 10th leaving her needing only one reasonable result from the last 2 races to clinch the overall prize.
Overall Results (after 9 races, one discard)
MEN - Gold
1 CRO Luka Radelic 1, bfd, 3, 3, 1, 5, 4, 21, 2, 40pts
2 FRA Benoit Raphalen 15, 5, 6, 3, 8, 4, 8, 5, 1, 40pts
3 SWE Fredrik Lassenius 10, 2, 4, 2, 2, 4, 5, 13, 15, 42pts
4 TUR Orkun Soyer 10, 4, 7, 5, 9, 1, 3, 11, 4, 43pts
5 GRE Adonis Bougiouris 2, 8, 1, 1, 1, 41, 4, 24, 3, 44pts
6 GBR Stephen Cockerill 1, 1, 4, 4, 4, 17, 1, 12, 17, 44pts
7 POR Gustavo Lima 3, 6, 3, 1, 1, 5, 1, 39, 25, 45pts
8 GRE Dimitrios Theodorakis 6, 4, 2, 3, 3, 24, 2, 6, 24, 50pts
9 FRA Teddy Questroy 32, 7, 2, 6, 2, 1, 3, 1, 41, 54pts
10 CAN Eric Holden 17, 4, 4, 6, 2, 7, 6, 10, 42, 56pts
WOMEN
1 CAN Kelly Hand 5, 1, 2, 4, 3, 3, 1, 2, 10, 21pts
2 FRA Helene Viazzo 1, 4, 1, 3, 8, 11, 2, 1, 33, 31pts
3 SWE Jeanette Dagson 4, 3, 8, 2, 1, 46, 7, 13, 35pts
4 AUS Alison Casey 18, 2, 5, 1, 2, 22, 3, 16, 3, 50pts
5 FRA Clementine Destailleur 17, 5, 6, 8, 7, 7, 4, 5, 9, 51pts
6 GBR Lizzie Vickers 3, 6, 11, 5, dsq, 13, 5, 9, 8, 60pts
7 FRA Sarah Frickey 9, 7, 3, 7, 4, 1bfd, 20, 12, 63pts
8 ITA Lucia Del Vecchio 16, 14, 15, 6, 5, 99, 15, 14, 87pts
9 FRA Sylvie Harle 7, 9, 7, 10, 11, 82, 4, 23, 16, 91pts
10 IRL Ciara Peelo 6, 22, 13, 22, 15, 51, 0, 4, 20, 95pts
A sea breeze fighting with the gradient wind produced difficult conditions for both competitors and Race Committee on the fourth day. The course was set for an eight knot north westerly but soon after the start of the first fleet the predicted sea breeze came in causing a thirty degree back in the wind. Series leader and defending champion, Gustavo Lima POR, did well to recover from a bad first windward leg working his way through the pressure differences fleet finish fifth as the breeze switched back and forth through thirty degrees throughout the race. Others were not so fortunate, including front runners Stephen Cockerill GBR who scored his worst result of the series, Adonis Bougiouris GRE who had a poor start and then went the wrong way on the first beat and Andre Streppel BRA who lost a second place for being over the start early.
In the second race, in stronger 14 knot winds, Lima made no mistake. He powered away to a comfortable win in spite of being given a 720 turn yellow flag penalty by the jury on the first reach for infringing propulsion rules.
For the remaining 2 days (4 races) the fleet is split into gold, silver and bronze groups and for the first time all the top sailors will race together. A second discard is allowed if 10 or more races are completed.
The difficult winds also saw a change in fortunes in the 42 strong women's division. Both Alison Casey AUS and Helene Viazzo FRA scored their worst result of the series in the first race of the day. Canada's Kelly Hand strengthened her position as overall leader with a first and third place and now also has the advantage that her 5 point lead is protected by her current discard which is only a 5th place.
Overall results after 7 races ( 1 discard)
MEN - Scores take into account 1 discard
1 POR Gustavo Lima, 3 , 6 , 3 , 1 , 1 , 5 , 1 , 14pts
2 GBR Stephen Cockerill, 1 , 1 , 4 , 4 , 4 , 18 , 1 , 15pts
3 CRO Luka Radelic, 1 , bfd , 3 , 3 , 1 , 5 , 4 , 17pts
4 GRE Adonis Bougiouris, 2 , 8 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 41 , 5 , 18pts
5 BRA Andre Streppel, 2 , 6 , 1 , 4 , 3 , ocs , 4 , 20pts
6 SWE Fredrik Lassenius, 10 , 2 , 4 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 20pts
7 GRE Dimitrios Theodorakis, 6 , 4 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 24 , 2 , 21pts
8 FRA Teddy Questroy, 32 , 7 , 2 , 6 , 2 , 1 , 4 , 22pts
9 POR Jorge Lima, 3 , 2 , 7 , 8 , 7 , 1 , 9 , 28pts
10 TUR Orkun Soyer, 11 , 4 , 7 , 5 , 9 , 1 , 3 , 29pts
WOMEN
1 CAN Kelly Hand, 5 , 1 , 2 , 4 , 3 , 3 , 1 , 14pts
2 FRA Helene Viazzo, 1 , 4 , 1 , 3 , 8 , 11 , 2 , 19pts
3 SWE Jeanette Dagson, 4 , 3 , 8 , 2 , 1 , 4 , 6 , 20pts
4 AUS Alison Casey, 18 , 2 , 5 , 1 , 2 , 22 , 3 , 31pts
5 FRA Sarah Frickey, 9 , 7 , 3 , 7 , 4 , 1 , bfd , 31pts
6 FRA Clementine Destailleur, 17 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 7 , 7 , 4 , 37pts
7 GBR Lizzie Vickers, 3 , 6 , 11 , 5 , dsq , 13 , 5 , 43pts
8 FRA Sylvie Harle, 7 , 9 , 7 , 10 , 11 , 8 , 24 , 52pts
9 FRA Marion Chaix, 2, 15, 14, 11, 13, 2, 17, 57pts
10 ITA Lucia Del Vecchio, 16, 14, 15, 6, 5, 9, 9, 58pts
A classic La Rochelle day of 15 knot sea breezes saw the power sailors move up to the front in the two races sailed on day 3. The defending champion, Gustavo Lima POR, and last year's runner up, Adonis Bougiouris GRE, both scored two first places which moved them to the top of the leader board.
Croatia's Luka Radelic moved into second place overall with a consistent first and third place and now able to discard his disqualification for OCS from the previous day. The other race winner, Adam Hawkins AUS was not able to hold his form in the slightly stronger winds of the second race of the day.
If at least one of the two scheduled races are sailed on day 4 the 184 strong fleet will be split into gold,silver and bronze fleets for the last two days.
In the women's division racing could not be more close with only one point seperating the top four. Helene Viazzo FRA just managed to maintain her overall lead with a third and eighth place while Alison Casey AUS and Jeanette Dagson SWE moved into joint second each scoring a first and second.
Overall results after 5 races:
MEN - Scores take into account 1 discard
1 GRE, Adonis Bougiouris, 2, 8, 1, 1, 1, 5.0 pts
2 CRO, Luka Radelic, 1 , bfd, 3, 3, 1, 8.0 pts
3 POR, Gustavo Lima, 3, 6, 3, 1, 1, 8.0 pts
4 GBR, Stephen Cockerill, 1, 1, 4, 4, 4, 10.0 pts
5 BRA, Andre Streppel, 2, 6, 1, 4, 3, 10.0 pts
6 SWE, Fredrik Lassenius, 10, 2, 4, 2, 3, 11.0 pts
7 GRE, Vagelis Chimonas, 2, 1 , dsq, 4, 5, 12.0 pts
8 GRE, Dimitrios Theodorakis, 6, 4, 2, 3, 4, 13.0 pts
9 CAN, Eric Holden, 18, 4, 4, 6, 2, 16.0 pts
10 FRA, Teddy Questroy, 7, 2, 6, 2, 32, 17.0 pts
WOMEN - Scores take into account 1 discard
1 FRA, Helene Viazzo, 1, 4, 1, 3, 8, 9.0 pts
2 AUS, Alison Casey, 18, 2, 5, 1, 2, 10.0 pts
3 SWE, Jeanette Dagson, 4, 3, 8, 2, 1, 10.0 pts
4 CAN, Kelly Hand, 5, 1, 2, 4, 3, 10.0 pts
5 FRA, Sarah Frickey, 9, 7, 3, 7, 4, 21.0 pts
6 GBR, Lizzie Vickers, 3, 6, 11, 5, dsq, 25.0 pts
7 FRA, Clementine Destailleur, 17, 5, 6, 8, 7, 26.0 pts
8 FRA, Sylvie Harle, 7, 9, 7, 10, 11, 33.0 pts
9 BRA, Isabela Maraucci, 19, 8, 9, 15, 6, 38.0 pts
10 FRA, Marion Chaix, 2, 15, 14, 11, 13, 40.0 pts
36 year old Stephen Cockerill (GBR) moved to the top of the leader board after 3 races scoring a first and fourth in the second day's racing. In winds ranging from ten to fifteen knots, shifting between thunder clouds, Cockerill proved dominent in his group with an easy win in race 2. In race 3 he recovered from a poor start to lead at the first mark only to lose out downwind.
The 167 competitors from 27 countries are divided into 6 groups for the first four days' racing before being split into gold, silver and bronze fleets for 4 finals races on the last two days.
Apart from Cockerill, Croatia's Dario Kilba, is the only only other sailor to score 2 first places so far in a highly competitive fleet. OCS and Black flag disqualifications have already made an impact on the results. Luka Radelic CRO suffered the most, dropping to 47th after a first, black flag and a third. Another casualty was Chimona Vagelis GRE who lost third place overall after being disqualified for a port and starboard incident in race 3.
In the women's division, Helene Viazzo FRA shared first places with Kelly Hand CAN who seemed more comfortable in the stronger winds in the second and third races.
Overall after 3 races:
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167 male and 42 female competitors faced atypical weather on the opening day of the Laser Radial Championship in La Rochelle, France.
A complex frontal system in the coastal Charentes region gave rain all day and problems for the Race Committee as the light wind shifted through 90 degrees during the first race.
An attempt to start the second scheduled race was abandoned when the light winds died to nothing.
Two races are scheduled for tomorrow with more wind and rain forecast.