Steven Spielberg could not have written a more exciting finale to the Laser Radial World Championships in Medemblik, Holland. Under clear blue skies 320 Laser Radials set sail in a 12 knot westerly wind for the two final races in each of the men’s and women’s fleets. Heading the women’s fleet Europe dinghy World Champion, Carolijn Brouwer NED was defending her 7 point lead over Jeanette Dagson from Sweden.
Although the offshore breeze was a lot more stable than the previous day there were still some shifts to test the sailors. Brouwer went right on the first windward leg and Dagson and third placed Larissa Neveirov went left. The wind shifted left and Dagson and Neveirov rounded first and third whilst Brouwer rounded in the twenties. The Swede and Italian dropped a couple of places on the downwind but Brouwer failed to pull through in her usual manner. On the next windward leg Brouwer went left and the wind shifted right dropping her to 29th. Nevierov also suffered dropping to 15th with Dagson still in the top five. At the finish the positions were similar which gave Dagson the overall lead by 2 points.
In the last race Brouwer started at the pin end with Nevierov and Dagson at the committee boat. Brouwer again got the first leg wrong to round the first mark 29th. Nevierov and Dagson worked the middle to round 8th and 12th. Dagson closed on Neveirov as Brouwer fought her way back into the race. As the three rounded the last upwind mark for the run home it was still anyone’s championship. At the finish Brouwer had recoverd to eleventh but in front of her Nevierov had climbed to 5th to win the Champion’s title by one point from Brouwer with Dagson only 2 points further behind.
In the men’s race it was equally exciting. Series leader Gustavo Lima from Portugal extended his overall lead over Adonis Bougiouris GRE by 3 points after rounding the first mark in third and climbing to second. His 9 point margin was not a lot in the light winds as he was to find out in the next race. Both Lima and Bougiouris got clean starts and but both were buried in the fleet at the first mark after they were caught the wrong side of a shift. Lima still held the advantage but then split tacks with Bougiouris on the next windward leg and went out the back door. Bougiouris was still in with a chance in the early twenties. As the mass of spectator boats waited anxiously for the race to be decided on the final downwind Lima was nowhere to be seen whilst Bougiouris was steadily working his way through the fleet. Lima had pulled out leaving his title hopes on the result of how high Bougiouris could climb through the fleet. In the end his 13 wasn’t quite good enough and a relieved Lima added the World title to the European title he won 4 years ago in England.
Jeff Martin
OVERALL RESULTS (Men)
1. Gustavo Lima POR, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 19, 2, DNC, 32 pts
2. Andonis Bougiouris GRE, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 4, 26, 6, 5, 13, 35 pts
3. Alexandros Logothetis GRE, 4, 4, 2, 3, 4, 2, 4, 9, 4, 12, 3, 39 pts
4. Raimondas Siugzdinis LTU, 2, 9, 1, 3, 3, 5, 1, 4, 2, 11, 10, 40 pts
5. Luca Radelic CRO, 1, 17, 6, 15, 17, 4, 6, 3, 11, 6, 1, 70 pts
6. Frederik Lassenius SWE, 5, 7, 7, 1, 2, 2, 5, 14, 14, 16, 24, 73 pts
7. Joao Ant. dos Santos POR, 2, 12, RDR, 17, 9, 7, 3, 8, 12, 8, 8, 85.5 pts
8. Orkun Soyer TUR, 2, 2, 4, 7, 7, 3, 1, OCS, 1, 26, 40, 93 pts
9. Jonathan Emmett GBR, 7, 13, 8, 8, 4, 6, 5, 2, 50, 21, 19, 93 pts
10. Giedrius Guzys LTU, 33, 3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 8, 27, 15, 51, 4, 97 pts
11. Marcin Rudawski POL, 17, 4, 4, 8, 11, 7, 15, 13, 18, 1, 17, 97 pts
12. Linas Grabnickas LTU, 1, 10, 4, 9, 3, 11, 7, 29, 5, 29, DNC, 108 pts
OVERALL RESULTS (Women)
1. Larissa Nevierov ITA, 1, 4, 9, 7, 3, 2, 2, 18, 34, 9, 5, 60 pts
2. Carolijn Brouwer NED, 7, 7, 16, 1, 1, 1, 1, 13, 3, 27, 11, 61 pts
3. Jeanette Dagson SWE, 9, 2, 6, 3, 2, 3, 5, 11, 26, 7, 15, 63 pts
4. Marcelien de Koning NED, 18, 6, 5, 2, 4, 6, 4, 10, 14, 26, 2, 71 pts
5. Jo Dikkenberg AUS, 5, 5, 1, 6, 7, 4, 3, 17, 75, 28, 1, 77 pts
6. Nicola Muller GBR, 3, 3, 2, 4, 5, 12, 9, 31, 61, 15, 7, 91 pts
7. Georgia Himona GRE, 6, 25, 17, 9, 36, 15, 13, 6, 5, 21, 3, 120 pts
8. Sophie de Turckheim FRA, 4, 1, 11, 15, 11, 8, 11, 36, 7, 25, 35, 128 pts
9. Anja Sahlberg SWE, 33, 10, 14, 26, 15, 14, 27, 5, 2, 11, 12, 136 pts
10. Jurge Maleckaite LTU, 12, 8, 4, 5, 10, 5, 7, 40, 20, 51, 31, 142 pts
11. Sarah Frickey FRA, 17, 13, 26, 24, 24, 19, 12, 21, 10, 3, 6, 149 pts
12. Annemieke Bes NED, 24, 9, 13, 20, 16, 9, 16, OCS, 17, 22, 4, 150 pts
ends
Day 5 of the Laser Radial World Championship was a long day on the water in the lightest winds seen so far in this event. The forecast 10 to 20 knots failed to show and instead the first race of the men’s fleet was sailed in a 5 to 7 knot shifting wind which resulted in a shortened course at the end of the final beat. Gustavo Lima POR took the left hand side of the first windward leg to lead at the first mark whilst his main rival, Andonis Bougiouris GRE, got stuck in the middle of the course with less wind and on the wrong side of a back in the wind which also affected other front runners. Lima’s safety margin earned in the previous race disappeared in the second race of the day in slightly stronger 8 knot winds. As the fleet bunched on the pin end of the start it some boats had to round the end of the start line and others got buried in the scramble to get off the line. Lima was half buried and then to compound his problems he had to take a 720 turn penalty given by the International Jury. He recovered to 19th and retains the overall lead but has now used his discard.
There were similar upsets in the Women’s fleet. Series leader, Carolijn Brouwer NED, broke her run of 4 first places with a 14th. Fortunately for her none of the top 8 girls achieved a single figure result and most scored their worst result of the series. In the second race things got worse for the leading group with none finishing in the top twenty except for Brouwer. Slowly working her way through the fleet she was sufficiently well placed round the first mark to slowly gain places particularly on the downwind legs. A final surge on the last downwind took her from 7th to 3rd - result which gives her a 7 point margin at the head of the fleet.
Two more races are due to be sailed tomorrow to complete the series
Jeff Martin
OVERALL RESULTS (Men)
1. Gustavo Lima POR, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 19, 11 pts
2. Andonis Bougiouris GRE, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 4, 26, 6, 17 pts
3. Raimondas Siugzdinis LTU, 2, 9, 1, 3, 3, 5, 1, 4, 2, 21 pts
4. Orkun Soyer TUR, 2, 2, 4, 7, 7, 3, 1, OCS, 1, 27 pts
5. Alexandros Logothetis GRE, 4, 4, 2, 3, 4, 2, 4, 9, 4, 27 pts
6. Frederik Lassenius SWE, 5, 7, 7, 1, 2, 2, 5, 14, 14, 43 pts
7. Linas Grabnickas LTU, 1, 10, 4, 9, 3, 11, 7, 29, 5, 50 pts
8. Jonathan Emmett GBR, 7, 13, 8, 8, 4, 6, 5, 2, 50, 53 pts
9. Marc de Haas NED, 11, 1, 4, 4, 1, 2, 16, OCS, 17, 56 pts
10. Giedrius Guzys LTU, 33, 3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 8, 27, 15, 60 pts
11. Evagelos Himonas GRE, 3, 1, 7, 2, 6, 3, 7, 44, 31, 60 pts
12. Luca Radelic CRO, 1, 17, 6, 15, 17, 4, 6, 3, 11, 63 pts
OVERALL RESULTS (Women)
1. Carolijn Brouwer NED, 7, 7, 16, 1, 1, 1, 1, 14, 3, 35 pts
2. Jeanette Dagson SWE, 9, 2, 6, 3, 2, 3, 5, 12, 26, 42 pts
3. Larissa Nevierov ITA, 1, 4, 9, 7, 3, 2, 2, 19, 34, 47 pts
4. Jo Dikkenberg AUS, 5, 5, 1, 6, 7, 4, 3, 18, 76, 49 pts
5. Marcelien de Koning NED, 18, 6, 5, 2, 4, 6, 4, 11, 14, 52 pts
6. Sophie de Turckheim FRA, 4, 1, 11, 15, 11, 8, 11, 37, 7, 68 pts
7. Nicola Muller GBR, 3, 3, 2, 4, 5, 12, 9, 32, 61, 70 pts
8. Jurge Maleckaite LTU, 12, 8, 4, 5, 10, 5, 7, 41, 20, 71 pts
9. Maria Vlachou GRE, 11, 16, 25, 12, 13, 17, 6, 4, 13, 92 pts
10. Georgia Himona GRE, 6, 25, 17, 9, 36, 15, 13, 7, 5, 97 pts
11. Bryony Percy GBR, 16, 26, 8, 13, 8, 7, 8, 15, 40, 101 pts
12. Anja Sahlberg SWE, 33, 10, 14, 26, 15, 14, 27, 6, 2, 114 pts
ends
Summer finally returned to Medemblik, Holland for race seven of the Laser Radial World Championship. Under blue skies and in a westerly 12 knot wind which built to 16 knots the men’s fleet raced their final race of the first round in four separate starts. The offshore wind produced a surprise when series leader Andonis Bougiouris GRE suffered his worst result of the championship so far when he failed to maintain his run of first places in the shifting conditions. Although most in the 240 would swap their place for his fourth his slip means that he drops to second overall on a tie break. His closest rival, Gustavo Lima POR turned the heat up by taking the shifts up the middle to lead his heat from start to finish and close the points gap with Bougiouris. These two now have a small comfort zone in points between them and the chasing pack which they will need for the remaining 4 races when the top 60 sailors overall come together in a gold fleet.
The women’s race was almost a carbon copy of the previous day’s race. Starting half an hour later than the men the women’s fleet saw the start of a wind veer which Carolijn Brouwer from Holland took full advantage of to lead at the first windward mark. She held her lead downwind but could not hold off a strong challenge on the next windward leg from Larissa Nevierov ITA. Brouwer fought back and overtook Nevierov near the end of the reach from the inner to outer loop and once on the downwind to the finish she was never threatened. Her one point lead is vulnerable as she has the worst discard of the top five women. However if the weather conditions don’t go light or very strong it will be difficult for anyone to break her run of 4 successive first places.
Jeff Martin
OVERALL RESULTS (Men)
1. Gustavo Lima POR, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 7 pts
2. Andonis Bougiouris GRE, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 4, 7 pts
3. Maxim Semerkhanov RUS, 11, 4, 1, 1, 3, 1, 3, 13 pts
4. Raimondas Siugzdinis LTU, 2, 9, 1, 3, 3, 5, 1, 15 pts
5. Jan Willem Harwinje NED, 9, 5, 2, 3, 1, 1, 6, 18 pts
6. Giedrius Guzys LTU, 33, 3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 8, 18 pts
7. Orkun Soyer TUR, 2, 2, 4, 7, 7, 3, 1, 19 pts
8. Alexandros Logothetis GRE, 4, 4, 2, 3, 4, 2, 4, 19 pts
9. Frederik Lassenius SWE, 5, 7, 7, 1, 2, 2, 5, 22 pts
10. Evagelos Himonas GRE, 3, 1, 7, 2, 6, 3, 7, 22 pts
11. Marc de Haas NED, 11, 1, 4, 4, 1, 2, 18, 23 pts
12. Paul Olyslagers NED, 5, 6, 8, 1, 2, OCS, 4, 26 pts
13. Andrew Walsh GBR, 4, 4, 3, 7, 5, 4, 14, 27 pts
14. Ronald Veraar NED, 4, 2, 6, 10, 3, 4, 15, 29 pts
15. Alastair Gair NZL, 9, 5, 2, 6, 7, 13, 2, 31 pts
OVERALL RESULTS (Women)
1. Carolijn Brouwer NED, 7, 7, 16, 1, 1, 1, 1, 18 pts
2. Larissa Nevierov ITA, 1, 4, 9, 7, 3, 2, 2, 19 pts
3. Jeanette Dagson SWE, 9, 2, 6, 3, 2, 3, 5, 21 pts
4. Jo Dikkenberg AUS, 5, 5, 1, 6, 7, 4, 3, 24 pts
5. Nicola Muller GBR, 3, 3, 2, 4, 5, 12, 9, 26 pts
6. Marcelien de Koning NED, 18, 6, 5, 2, 4, 6, 4, 27 pts
7. Jurge Maleckaite LTU, 12, 8, 4, 5, 10, 5, 7, 39 pts
8. Sophie de Turckheim FRA, 4, 1, 11, 15, 11, 8, 11, 46 pts
9. Bryony Percy GBR, 16, 26, 8, 13, 8, 7, 8, 60 pts
10. Chantal Donnelly AUS, 13, 14, 3, 8, 9, 25, 14, 61 pts
11. Maria Vlachou GRE, 11, 16, 25, 12, 13, 17, 6, 75 pts
12. Sarah Ayton GBR, 2, 32, 7, 11, 22, 26, 10, 78 pts
13. Helene Viazzo FRA, RDG, 15, 10, 18, 6, 18, 22, 80.4 pts
14. Annamieke Bes NED, 24, 9, 13, 20, 16, 9, 16, 83 pts
15. Georgia Himona GRE, 6, 25, 17, 9, 36, 15, 13, 85 pts
ends
Although there was no sun it was another perfect day’s racing at the 1998 Laser Radial Open and Women’s World Championship in Holland. The forecast 30 knot gusts did not arrive instead 2 races were completed in 18 knot north westerly winds which dropped slightly towards the end of the second race.
Carolijn Brouwer NED continued her winning run in the women’s fleet showing superior downwind speed in both races to pull through and take the winning gun. She won race 5 comfortably but had to fight harder for race 6. Leading at the end of the first downwind leg of the Olympic trapezoid course she was dropped to second behind Larissa Neveirov ITA on the next windward and then once again using the waves well to retake the lead on the last downwind leg. Carolijn is no stranger to the front of Laser Radial fleets having won the Laser Radial Women’s European Championship in 1992 and finishing runner up in the World Championships in New Zealand a year later. Clearly comfortable in the waves on her home waters she admits it could all change dramatically if the wind goes light as forecast.
With a discard now in place Sweden’s Jeanette Dagson holds a slim overall lead after overnight leader, Nicola Muller GBR, had her worst day of the championship scoring a 5th and 12th. With 5 races remaining there is still a long way to go with only one point separating the top four boats.
In the men’s fleet series leader Andonis Bougiouris from Greece still dominates scoring another couple of firsts to leave him with a perfect score after discard. As the men are racing in 4 groups to cope with the large number of entries his clean sheet is not quite so comfortable as it might be in a single fleet. His closest rival, Gustavo Lima from Portugal, scored his fourth first place of the week which together with a second place leaves him just one point behind Bougiouris. The other clean sheet of the day belonged to Netherland’s Jan Willem Harwijne who moves from 9th to 5th overall.
One more race in the first round (men) is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) before the fleet is split into gold, silver, bronze and emerald groups for a final four races.
Jeff Martin
OVERALL RESULTS (Men)
1. Andonis Bougiouris GRE 5 pts
2. Gustavo Lima POR 6 pts
3. Maxim Semerkhanov RUS 10 pts
4. Giedrius Guzys LTU 10 pts
5. Jan Willem Harwijne NED 12 pts
6. Marc de Haas NED 12 pts
7. Raimondas Siugzdinis LTU 14 pts
8. Evagelos Himonas GRE 15 pts
9. Alexandros Logothetis GRE 15 pts
10. Frederik Lassenius SWE 17 pts
OVERALL RESULTS (Women)
1. Jeanette Dagson SWE, 9, 2, 6, 3, 2, 3, 16 pts
2. Carolijn Brouwer NED, 7, 7, 16, 1, 1, 1, 17 pts
3. Larissa Nevierov ITA, 1, 4, 9, 7, 3, 2, 17 pts
4. Nicola Muller GBR, 3, 3, 2, 4, 5, 12, 17 pts
5. Jo Dikkenberg AUS, 5, 5, 1, 6, 7, 4, 21 pts
6. Marcelien de Koning NED, 18, 6, 5, 2, 4, 6, 23 pts
7. Jurga Maleckaite LTU, 12, 8, 4, 5, 10, 5, 32 pts
8. Sophie de Turckheim FRA, 4, 1, 11, 15, 11, 8, 35 pts
9. Chantal Donnelly AUS, 13, 14, 3, 8, 9, 25, 47 pts
10. Bryony Percy GBR, 16, 26, 8, 13, 8, 7, 52 pts
ends
The aftermath of 40 knot overnight winds provided a superb sailing day for the 330 Laser Radial sailors on the waters of the IJsselmeer off Medemblik in Holland. A brisk 18 knot wind from the north west provided excellent surfing conditions and testing upwind work. Andonis Bougiouris from Greece maintained his position at the head of the men’s fleet with a first and second in the two races held today. 2 others, Gustavo Lima POR and Maxim Semerkhanov RUS mirrored Bougiouris’ performance of the previous day each gaining two firsts of the possible 8 available in the split fleets. Lima’s first places move him into the runner up position whilst Semerkhanov jumps from 21st to 7th overall.
The women’s fleet saw bigger changes as Britain’s Nicola Muller scored another set of consistent results of a 2nd and 4th to put her in the overall lead. Yesterday’s joint leaders, Larissa Nevierov ITA and Sophie de Turkheim FRA struggled in the stronger winds neither scoring better than 7th. What really pleased the locals was the fine first place in the fourth race from Carolijn Brouwer NED who came straight to Medemblik after winning the Europe World Championship in Travemunde. Carolijn started sailing Laser Radials internationally in 1991 when she won the single handed girls class at the ISAF World Youth Championship. Her win by the largest margin seen so far was a clear demonstration that she has now regained her Laser Radial form.
Jeff Martin
OVERALL RESULTS (Men)
1. Andonis Bougiouris GRE 5 pts
2. Gustavo Lima POR 6 pts
3. Evagelos Himonas GRE 13 pts
4. Alexandros Logothetis GRE 13 pts
5. Raimondas Siugzdinis LTU 15 pts
6. Orkun Soyer TUR 15 pts
7. Maxim Semerkhanov RUS 17 pts
8. Andrew Walsh GBR 18 pts
9. Jan Willem Harwijne NED 19 pts
10. Marc de Haas NED 20 pts
OVERALL RESULTS (Women)
1. Nicola Muller GBR, 3, 3, 2, 4, 12 pts
2. Jo Dikkenberg AUS, 5, 5, 1, 6, 17 pts
3. Jeanette Dagson SWE, 9, 2, 6, 3, 20 pts
4. Larissa Nevierov ITA, 1, 4, 9, 7, 21 pts
5. Jurga Maleckaite LTU, 12, 8, 4, 5, 29 pts
6. Sophie de Turckheim FRA, 4, 1, 11, 15, 31 pts
7. Carolijn Brouwer NED, 7, 7, 16, 1, 31 pts
8. Marcelien de Koning NED, 18, 6, 5, 2, 31 pts
9. Chantal Donnelly AUS, 13, 14, 3, 8, 38 pts
10. Sarah Ayton GBR, 2, 32, 7, 11, 52 pts
ends
Last week’s 240 strong Laser Radial Youth fleet was a record for the class but this week the entry is the largest collection of Laser sailboats ever seen anywhere in one place. The combined male and female fleet numbers a fantastic 337 from 31 different countries. Included in this number are 88 women, the largest Laser women’s fleet ever assembled.
The 249 male competitors are split into 4 starting groups with the groups be remixed daily. They are scheduled to sail 7 races before being split into Gold, Silver, Bronze and Emerald fleets for a further four races without mixing. All races count on an equal basis with one result allowed to be excluded from the final score. The women sail in their own single fleet. All fleets are scheduled to race 11 races.
There was perfect conditions for the opening day (Monday) as an 8 knot south westerly wind in the first race built steadily to 15 knots for the second.
In the women’s fleet Sophie de Turckheim FRA re found the form that won her the 1998 French Laser Radial Open Championship ahead of 140 boats. Her 4th and 1st place puts her equal first on points on top of the leader board with seasoned Laser Radial sailor, Larissa Nevierov from Italy who scored the same.
In the men's fleet Andonis Bougiouris from Greece was the only sailor two score 2 first as the remaining honours were shared between Croatia, Lithuania, Portugal, USA and Netherlands. Defending champion, Linas Grabnickas from Lithuania soon found that he had a battle on his hands to keep his title as he faded to 10th after a opening with a first place. If today's results are an indication of things to come then this week is going to be a very tough competition.
Jeff Martin
DAY ONE RACE WINNERS (Male)
Linas Grabnickas LTU, Andonis Bougiouris GRE, Gustavo Lima POR, Marc de Haas NED, Luca Radelic CRO, Stuart McNay USA, Evalegos Himonas GRE
OVERALL RESULTS (Male)
1. Andonis Bougiouris GRE 2 pts
=2. Gustavo Lima POR 4 pts
=2. Evagelos Himonas GRE 4 pts
4. Orkun Soyer TUR 4pts
Further results not computed at time of filing report
OVERALL RESULTS (Women)
1 Sophie de Turckheim FRA, 4, 1, 5 pts
=1 Larissa Nevierov ITA, 1, 4, 5 pts
3 Nicola Muller GBR, 3, 3, 6 pts
4 Jo Dikkenberg AUS, 5, 5, 10 pts
5 Jeanette Dagson SWE, 9, 2, 11 pts
6 Carolijn Brouwer NED, 7, 7, 14 pts
7 Jurga Maleckaite LTU, 12, 8, 20 pts
8 Marcelien de Koning NED, 18, 6, 24 pts
9 Clementi Destailleur FRA, 8, 19, 27 pts
10 Kristina Pettersson SWE, 10, 17, 27 pts
11 Maria Vlahou GRE, 11, 16, 27 pts
12 Chantal Donnelly AUS 13, 14, 27 pts
13 Sarah Frickey FRA, 17, 13, 30 pts
14 Georgia Himona GRE, 6, 25, 31 pts
15 Annemieke Bes NED, 24, 9, 33 pts
ends
26 July - 31 July Medemblik, Holland.
The forecast 25 to 30 knot winds for the final day of the Laser Radial Youth World Championship fortunately failed to materialise although there was still a fresh 20 knot wind to provide some exciting sailing. With only two points separating the leader, Alistair Gair from New Zealand, and the Greek Evagelos Himonas the stage was set for an exciting climax.
Himonas led at the first mark in the first race of the day with Gair rounding in fourth. Gair gained a place on the downwind and then turned on the power upwind to round just in front of Himonas. As the gusts came through in lines staying in a wind channel was critical. Himonas seemed to have the edge downwind and by the last downwind mark had broken through Gair to take the gun and reduce the difference between the two to just one point for the last race.
At the first mark of the second race Gair had the advantage with Himonas back in fourth. On the first downwind Gair extended his lead as Himonas lost his momentum after nose diving and getting a cockpit full of water. However the race was far from over. When Gair arrived at the first downwind mark only the right hand mark of the two mark gate that had been present in all previous races was in place as the other one had drifted and couldn’t be replaced in time. Gair was confused and stopped. As others passed the single mark he rejoined the race in fourth two places behind Himonas. On the next windward leg Gair broke through Himonas’ cover after they split tacks and he regained the lead. Downwind Himonas closed on Gair but at the last mark it was Gair who rounded just inside of Himonas and from then on it was only a short reach to the finish and victory at the head of the 240 fleet from 33 countries.
Jeff Martin
Overall Results
1. Alastair Gair NZL 4,8,(17),2,1,1,1,2,2,1 -22 pts
2. Evagelos Himonas GRE 2, (9) 2,4,3,1,8,3,1,2 -24 pts
3. Goncalo Gonzalez Lopes POR 3,2,(DNF) 1,4,3,6,5,12,11 - 49 pts
4. Paco Sanchez Ferrer ESP 13,11,8,2,14,1,4,4,3,3 -49 pts
5. Leigh McMillan GBR 1,2,5,8,10,4,(28) 11,11,5 -57 pts
6. Marcin Rudawski POL 7,8,6,5,23,2,5,(30) 8,4 -68 pts
7. Andrew Walsh GBR 4,7,9,3,(17), 14, 15,4,7, -70 pts
8. Petar Cupac CRO 13,3,4,23,(58) 2,7,RDG,6,10 -74 pts
9. Salvatore d’Amico ITA (22) 3,2,16,15,1,11,7,14,8 -77 pts
10. David Hivey GBR 4,6,5,29,4,3,3,16,10(29) -80 pts
end
In the strongest winds seen so far in the Laser Radial Youth World Championship not only has the overall lead changed but several of the previously consistent front runners have scored their worst finishing positions of the week. The 22 knot offshore wind was certainly not to the liking of series leader Diogo Gonzalez Lopes from Portugal. He struggled to finish 26th in the first of the two races held today (Thursday) and then saw his championship fall apart when a bad capsize on the first downwind leg of the second race dropped out of the overall top ten after a 46th place finish.
As fast as Lopes went down the fleet the two race winners, Alistair Gair from New Zealand and Mark Howard from Great Britain moved up. Also sharing the two second places of the day these two had their own battle at the front of the fleet clearly at home in the stronger winds. Gair's results move him to first overall from 5th only two points ahead of Evagelos Himonas from Greece. Howard jumps from 26th to 8th overall with the potential to improve further if the strong winds continue for the final day's racing of 2 races tomorrow (Friday).
With the total 240 boat fleet now fixed into Gold, Silver, Bronze and Emerald fleets achieving a top ten position is arguably 4 times more difficult. This makes Gair's results more impressive. He will be hoping that his 5 successive races of firsts and seconds will continue and he will not see the championship slip away from him as last year in Morocco when he lost the winner's medal on the last day.
The strong winds caused the abandonment of the second race of the day for the bronze and emerald fleets.
Overall Results
1. Alastair Gair NZL 19 pts
2. Evagelos Himonas GRE 21 pts
3. Goncalo Gonzalez Lopes POR 24 pts
4. Leigh McMillan GBR 41 pts
5. David Hiver GBR 41 pts
6. Mark Richmond GBR 42 pts
7. Paco Sanchez Ferrer ESP 43 pts
8. Mark Howard GBR 49 pts
9. Dirk Olyslagers NED 55 pts
10. Marcin Rudawski POL 56 pts
end
Diago Gonzalez Lopez POR , the overall leader of the Laser Radial Youth World Championship, struggled in the stronger 18 knots in the sixth race and last race of the Round Robin first round. His 26th place today becomes his discard. Having never previously finished outside the top 3 he retains his overall lead from Evalgelos Himonas from Greece who won his heat and his 11 month older brother Goncalo who finished third in his heat.
Mark Richmond GBR scored his third consecutive 4th place across a range of wind strengths. Together with Himonas and Leigh McMillan GBR these 3 are the only top ten sailors not to have scored worse than tenth.
The fleet will now be split top to bottom into Gold, Silver, Bronze and Emerald Fleets for a further 4 races when the all the top sailors will race head to head.
Strong winds from a complex low pressure system over England are forcast for the remainder of the week and it seems unlikely that the overcast weather with rain will clear. At least the Laser Radials are racing. 20 km further north the racing for the Flying Dutchman European Championship was abandoned for the day because of strong winds.
Top 10 overall with discard after 6 races
1. Diogo Gonzalez Lopes POR 8 pts
2. Evagelos Himonas GRE 12 pts
3. Goncalo Gonzalez Lopes POR 13 pts
4. Mark Richmond GBR 15 pts
5. Alastair Gair NZL 16 pts
6. Leigh McMillan GBR 20 pts
7. Andre Streppel BRA 21 pts
8. David Hivey GBR 23 pts
9. Dirk Olyslagers NED 26 pts
10. Marcin Rudawski POL 27 pts
Jeff Martin
First 10 places for the resailed Race 5:
1 Joao A. d. SantosSilva POR
2 Justin Deal GBR
3 Anders Nyholm DEN
4 David Hivey GBR
5 Andre Sreppel BRA
6 Robert Stanjek GER
7 Benoit Veilly FRA
8 Antonis Vekkos GRE
9 Enrico Maria Benzi ITA
10 Manual Voigt GER
Race 6, group 1 and 2
1 Evagelos Himonas GRE
2 Petar Cupac CRO
3 Jean Phil. Geffriaud FRA
4 Vincent TrInquet FRA
5 Alexander Friedland GER
6 Lucas Souzo BRA
7 Andre Streppel BRA
8 Andrew Commander GBR
9 Marek Graniszewski POL
10 Skyllar Phil. Paulich GBR
Race 6, group 3 and 4
1 Paco Sanchez Ferrer ESP
2 Mark Howard GBR
3 David Hivey GBR
4 Justin Deal GBR
5 Joao Santos Silva POR
6 Marc Bonhevi Galiana ESP
7 Antonis Vekkos GRE
8 Jorge de Lima POR
9 Andrew Rallatos GRE
10 Manuel Voigt GER
Race 6, group 5 and 6
1 Salvatore d'Amico ITA
2 Steffen Hoefer GER
3 Christophe Houliere FRA
4 Mark W. Richmond GBR
5 Luca Radelic CRO
6 Sarah Ayton GBR
7 Jerome Jumel FRA
8 Benjamin J. Waters GBR
9 Sotiris Dinopoulos GRE
10 Manousos Panitsas GRE
Race 6, group 7 and 8
1 Alastair W. Gair NZL
2 Marcin Rudawski POL
3 Goncalo G. Lopes BRA
4 Leigh McMillan GBR
5 Arne Nieuwenhuis NED
6 Brain Branaskas USA
7 Andrew Walsh GBR
8 Christian Hoefer GER
9 Lukasz Dakszecwicz POL
10 Rotem Derby ISR
ends
After a short wait for a 10 knot wind to fill in off the land the results of Race four went very much to form. Diago Gonzalez Lopez POR and Mark Richmond GBR, the overnight leaders, sailed in the same group to finish third and fourth behind Christophe Houliere from France. Dirk Olyslagers NED was sailing in the same group as Leigh McMillan. Olyslagers 4th place compared to McMillan’s 8th moves him to third overall. Although not in on the leader board at present Andre Streppel from Brazil has been quietly improving after an OCS in the first race. Winning his group he will be well placed when the discard comes in after race 5.
The wind held for Race 5 but the Race Committee's luck didn’t. Attempting a course change to port on the last leg of the inner loop trapezoid for the fourth group they placed the new windward mark alongside the windward mark for group 4 sailing on the outer loop without a course change. To compound their problems they were late resetting mark 2 of the trapezoid. The net result was that competitors in the fourth group sailed 3 different variations of the course. Sitting until the early hours of the morning the International Jury decided that a number of competitors were prejudiced by the Race Committee's action and ordered a resail of group 4 for Wednesday.
Lopez was unaffected by this decision having started in the first group and scoring a second which maintains his lead. Richmond also retains his second overall after a 4th place in the second group whilst Olyslagers drops back to fourth overall behind McMillan after a 16th to McMillan’s 10th.
After the resail of the single group from race 5 a further race for all boats will be sailed on Wednesday before the fleet is split into gold, silver, bronze and emerald groups for the remaining 4 races.
Full results overall will not be available until Thursday morning.
Jeff Martin
Top 10 finishers in Race 4 (all 4 groups):
Start 1:
1 Christophe Houliere FRA
2 Alexander Duecker GER
3 Diogo Gozalez Lopez POR
4 Mark Richmond GBR
5 V. Volungeviciuge LTU
6 Amanda Simpson GBR
7 Marc Guthoerl LUX
8 Giorgio Montanari ITA
9 Bernard Glorie BEL
10 Thomas Perrault FRA
Start 2:
1 Goncalo Lopes POR
2 Alastair Gair NZL
3 Andrew Walsh GBR
4 Dirk Olyslagers NED
5 Marcin Rudowski POL
6 Luigi Scognamiglio ITA
7 Zachary Railey USA
8 Leigh McMillan GBR
9 Antonis Manolakis GRE
10 Hannes Baumann GER
Start 3:
1 Andre Streppel BRA
2 Andrew Commander GBR
3 Lucas Souza BRA
4 Evangelos Himonas GRE
5 Marek Graniszewski POL
6 Stuart McNay USA
7 Fillipo Orlando FRA
8 Sophie de Turckheim FRA
9 Adam McCarthy GBR
10 Pieter Jan Postma NED
Start 4:
1 Mark Howard GBR
2 Paco Sanchez Ferrer ESP
3 Manuel Voigt GER
4 Michaeil Aristides GRE
5 Benoit Sedoni MON
6 Marcos Gonzalez ESP
7 Robert Christoph GER
8 Jan David Kamenz GER
9 Luis Alberto Olcese PER
10 Joao Santos Silva POR
Top 10 finishers in Race 5 (3 groups):
Start 1:
1 Marc Guthoerl LUX
2 Diogo Gonzalez Lopez POR
3 Kleanthis Georaris GRE
4 Goncalo G. Lopes POR
5 Daniel Pinho BRA
6 Lukasz Dakszecwicz POL
7 Manousos Panitsas GRE
8 Valentin de Turkheim FRA
9 Zachary Railey USA
10 Leigh McMillan GBR
Start 2:
1 Alastair Gair NZL
2 Luca Radelic CRO
3 Antonis Manolakis GRE
4 Mark Richmond GBR
5 Kaile Coster NED
6 Bernardo Ramos BRA
7 Barney Chandler GBR
8 Hannes Baumann GER
9 Luigi Scognamiglio ITA
10 Sotiris Dinopoulos GRE
Start 3:
1 Pieter Jan Postma NED
2 Marek Graniszewski POL
3 Evagelos Himonas GRE
4 Jean Philippe Geffriaud FRA
5 Mark Howard GBR
6 Francisco Sanchez Pena CHI
7 John Georgas GRE
8 Kouji Nakagawa JPN
9 Mathias Kermer GER
10 Andrew Commander GBR
ends
Diago Gonzalez Lopez from Portugal maintained his unblemished record with another first place on a day 2 of the Laser Radial Youth World Championship at Medemblik, Holland. On a difficult day when only one of the two races could be completed Lopez was probably fortunate in that he was in the first of the four starting groups. This group started in similar conditions to the first day, a light southerly wind which stayed in just long enough for him to finish. Most of the second group to start were not so lucky as 41 of the 58 starters failed to finish within 20 minutes of the leading boat in a dying wind and were not scored. Amongst these was Jorge de Lima POR who had scored a 1,2 the previous day. Leigh McMillan from Great Britain and Dirk Olyslagers from the Netherlands were more fortunate achieving 5th and 3rd respectively to keep them at the top of the leader board.
Racing for the 3rd and 4th groups was abandoned and they had to wait afloat for 4 hours for the forecast new wind to arrive. Almost to the minute a force 3 wind came from the opposite direction under a black cloud which lasted just long enough to complete the third and fourth groups. Eric Helbl GER was clearly more at home in the stronger winds winning the third group after an 18th and 27th the previous day whilst Mark Richmond GBR was more consistent. His win in the fourth group moved him into second overall.
The unstable weather conditions look set to continue for at least a few more days and there is likely to be many more place changes in this open competition.
Jeff Martin
Overall after 3 races:
1. Diago Gonzalez Lopez POR 3 pts
2. Mark Richmond GBR 7 pts
3. Leigh McMillan GBR 8 pts
4. Dirk Olyslagers NED 9 pts
5. Evagelos Himonas GRE 13 pts
6. Stuart McNay USA 15 pts
ends.
General Report Day 1:
Anyone who doubts that the Laser Radial is not the fastest growing sailboat class in the world should be in Medemblik, Holland where sailors from 40 different countries will assemble this week and next for the Laser Radial World Championships. From Chile and Peru in the south to Lithuania and Russia in the north, Trinidad in the west and Japan in the east 240 boys and girls will take part in the 2nd Laser Radial Youth World Championship starting 26 July.
In only its second year the entry is double the previous year and has meant that a new fleet rotation programme has had to be introduced to handle the large number of sailors. The total fleet is split into 8 different groups each day. Each race consists of 4 starts each with 2 groups. The groups are also rotated for the second race each day. This system means that there are 4 first places, 4 second places etc in each race. For seven scheduled races the fleet will be re-allocated to new groups overnight to achieve the greatest mix in the first round. The fleet will then be split into four final groups (Gold, Silver, Bronze and Emerald) for up to 4 more races. All race results in the first round and final round are added together for an overall position.
The large entry provides a great opportunity for Laser boys and girls to experience international competition in a friendly atmosphere. To further promote joint competition the Laser Class has introduced a Youth Team Trophy that last year was won by France. To be scored for the team trophy a country must nominate 3 sailors. The results of all three sailors are counted without a discard with points awarded if one member of the nominated team is a girl.
The first days racing was held in light south easterly winds which later in the day swung to south west which is just the sort of conditions the Portuguese sailors like. With 8 possible first places to won over the 2 races held on Sunday Diago Gonzalez Lopez POR was the only sailor to score 2 firsts.
Overall after 2 races:
1. Diago Gonzalez Lopez POR 2 pts
2. Jorge de Lima POR 3 pts
3. Leigh McMillan GBR 3 pts
4. Goncalo Lopez POR 5pts
5. Stuart McNay USA 6pts
ends.
We have now surpassed all expectations - here are the latest figures we have available:
84 Open Championship (Women)
240 Open Championship (Male)
240 Youth Championship
This makes a grand total of 564 competitors.
The 1998 Laser Radial World Championships promise to be an event and a half!
By 22 June 1998, we have received a total of 498 entries as follows:
78 Open Championship (Women)
206 Open Championship (Male)
214 Youth Championship
There is still time for people to enter and these numbers could increase still more.
By 16 May we had received a total of 270 entries from 26 countries - and there is still over a month to go before the Entry Closing Date. Once again it looks as if we are set for a record entry
The bungalows are almost fully booked, however, there is some accommodation in a dome shaped farmhouse about 14 kilometres from Medemblik.
For groups of between 16 and 20 persons sleeping accommodation can be provided in Medemblik Harbour on a traditional, old fashioned barge; price NLG 65 per person, per night, excluding breakfast.
It is possible to rent bicycles for NLG 35 a week (damage deposit NLG25). Reservation is possible now. Please contact Mrs Mertens for more information.
There are still some new boats available for charter for the Youth Championships. These will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
We are operating a waiting list for charter boats for the Open Championship. There is the possibility of some used boats being available for Charter (the cost is £150, plus £100 damage deposit) - if you are interested, please contact the International Office.
To obtain a copy of the Notice of Race, together with Entry Forms visit the 1998 Laser Radial World Championships Website.
Alternatively, fax your name and address to Mrs Mertens +31 23 5713573 .
| PLEASE SEE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CHARTER BOATS |
CONFIRMED DATES:
Laser Radial World YOUTH Championship : 25 to 31 July 1998.
Laser Radial World OPEN Championship (INCLUDING WOMEN) : 1 to 8 August 1998.
VENUE is Medemblik, Netherlands. Notice of Race will be issued in January .
ENTRIES CLOSE: 1 JULY or before if 220 boat limit is reached.
ENTRY FEE: 350 Dutch guilders.
ACCOMMODATION: A variety of accommodation is available all within 10 minutes walk of the club including sleeping bag dormitory with locker bed and breakfast in a Sports Hall 25 guilders per day, camping 18.5 guilders per tent per day for 2, basic hikers cabin on camp site 52.5 guilders per day , self catering bungalows per week from 1200 guilders(4 person), 1500 guilders 6 to 8 persons or 1650 guilders for 6 persons (larger)., guest houses from 45 to 75 guilders inc breakfast, homestays with Dutch Families 42.50 guilders, one luxury hotel 150 guilders.
UPDATE 25 MARCH 1998 |
We have been advised that the ex-Dubai boats will not be available for the Championships.
Those competitors who had originally requested a new boat and had been allocated an ex-Dubai boat will now be allocated a new boat as per their original request at the original cost.
Those competitors who were only offered an ex-Dubai boat will be contacted individually with the offer of a new boat charter.
There are still a few new charter boats available for the YOUTH Championship and these will be allocated to individual applications on a first come first served basis.
For the OPEN Championship a waiting list for charters is now in operation.
ILCA International Office will handle all the charter boat requests.
Morocco was a great event with 31 countries and 122 entries in the Youth (male and female) and 162 entries in the Open including 40 women from 17 countries. 1998 will easily beat these numbers. Last year there were no entries from USA in the Youth - this year we already have enquiries for 15 places from one club in America! Put this together with guaranteed large fleets from Holland, Italy, France and UK and we could see 200 plus entries in each event!