Oct 2005

COPYRIGHT AND LIABILITY No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the publishers. The articles and opinions in LaserWorld may not represent the official views of ILCA. The publishers do not accept any liability for their accuracy.

LaserWorld October 2005

THE INTERNATIONAL LASER CLASS MAGAZINE

16 countries were represented and made up a fleet of 92 sailors. The fleet was split into two rounds for an 8 race qualifying series before progressing to a 4 race final. Joaquin Blanco scored a perfect 1,1 on the first day of racing in ideal conditions. Day 2 was disrupted by rainsqualls and large wind shifts. The first race of the day was abandoned but was restarted after a 90 minute wait. Blanco went on to win the yellow fleet and Rudy McNeil enjoyed a win in the blue fleet.The day’s second race brought two new winners, Marco Texidor for the yellow fleet and Adam Simms in the blue fleet.Day 3 had perfect sailing conditions. The yellow fleet saw Blanco lead home Dany Stanisic in both races while Can Kaptan also had a double victory in the blue fleet.On Day 4 the lack of wind caused a two hour wait. Finally it built to a 6 knot southerly breeze and both fleets got underway. The wind started to die again at the outer loop. Ten minutes later it was down to 2 knots and becoming unstable. At this point the race committee abandoned the racing for the day.The fleet was then split into gold and silver groups for the remaining 4 races scheduled for the last two days.The first day of the finals saw the sea breeze return and the fleets started in 7 knots. Christian Cremer who took the first gun with Cecilia Aragao taking the second. Series Leader, Blanco crossed the finish line in 6th place.The breeze freshened for the start of the second race. Kaptan extended his lead by being further left and finished with a comfortable lead. Rolph Oudshoorn pulled through from 3rd to 2nd with Cremer finishing 3rd. Blanco scored

another 6th to keep his lead with a reduced margin.The final day saw a number of changes in the top ten places. This was particularly due to the i n t r oduc t i on of a second discard and testing sailing conditions. In the first race, Blanco crossed the line in eleventh place. This was enough to give him the world title with a race to spare having previously never finished out of the top ten.In the final race of the series, Sebasian Beingolea led throughout and under 15 sailor, Michas Jason worked his way to second, his best result of the championship. Blanco recovered well to come home in 9th place, showing once again the hallmark of a champion, having the speed and coolness to recover from a poor start even in this quality fleet.With sailors from 4 different continents in the final top ten, the Laser 4.7 is well on the way to achieving a similar world wide spread enjoyed by the Laser Radial and Laser. A 25% participation by girls is also encouraging for women’s single-handed sailing.Photo © 2005 Rob Migliaccio

8 - 13 August, Barrington, Rhode Island USA played host to the 2005 Laser 4.7 World Championships.

2005 LASER SENIOR WORLDS

19 - 28 September, Fortaleza, BRA Robert wins record 8th World TitleThe aura that surrounds this great sailor is so big that the questions on everybody’s mind are how long can he go on for and how long will he go on for? A few might have thought that the first question was being answered in the first race of the worlds when he could only manage a 17th. Those who knew Robert better smiled and said “watch this space”. Sure enough this great champion only needed one wake up call and he was off. A

second in the next race, four consecutive firsts over the next 2 days, followed by a second and another first.Some might have said that it would be different in the finals when the worlds best 65 Laser sailors all line up on the same start line. The first challenge is getting a good when how to do it. The next challenge is getting the first shift and then holding you nerve to play the shifts rather than hitting a corner. continued page 2...

2005 Laser 4.7 World Championships

2 LaserWorld October 2005

www.laserinternational.org

All this assumes that you are one of the fastest, if not the fastest Laser sailor in the world. Totally on top of his game he went out for the first race of the finals and popped in another bullet. If that had not depressed the opposition he repeated the performance in the second race of the day. The following morning he scored his second worst result of the series a third! This was only because the fleet went right and he decided to cover the majority whilst a few broke away on the left to round the first mark far enough ahead that even the master could not catch them. He sailed his own race in the second race of the day and scored another bullet.On the last day he needed just one reasonable result from two races. He scored a second to take the title and then as he has done in the past he went out and won the last race even though all the Brazilian TV stations and press were waiting for him on shore.During this marathon championship of 14 races he raced over 100 miles counting 9 first places and 3 seconds!Was it easy? He might have made it look so but ask those below him and look at their results over the series.Clearly he loves the Laser class which he said had a special place in his heart during an emotional speech at the prizegiving. He has enormous respect from his peers and he is a great ambassador for sailing. In his own country he is a

national hero and a household name. The children at his hotel all recognisedhim and asked for autographs and even at the airport everyone knew him. After saying in Athens that the worlds in Brazil would be his last he now faces a decision far tougher than winning a race. Should he move on? His fantastic victory clearly has raised the question again and maybe forced him to reconsider. He told everyone at the prizegiving that he would make a decision in November.He, more than anyone, knows just what is necessary to win titles and gold medals in the Laser class. He clearly still has the ability. What

will be easier trying again in a class he knows well or moving to a different class and fresh challenges?Maybe he should just wait and keep his options open.

Your News…If you have any news, stories or photos let us know! Send us your reports and photographs from your regattas and they may be included in future issues of LaserWorld. We can also profile your club, just tell us all the details such as who the President is, how many members you have and so on.Send your reports and photographs to: [email protected]

Want to see…Is there anything you would like to see in future issues of LaserWorld?Please send your ideas and comments to: [email protected]

Racing began on Wednesday with the famous Ora wind deciding to make an appearance. Tom Slingsby took the

instant lead in the Laser Class, with Aron Lolic and Diego Negri close behind. One Italian who obviously favoured her

o w n territory, was Larissa Nevierov, who continued to lead the Laser Radial fleet, with Keamia Rasa in second.The third day of racing saw more good winds with Slingsby finishing fourth in race eight. He sandwiched that result with two bullets to leave him tied on points with Wednesday’s leader, Lolic, who was in first place thanks to his three race wins so far. Another crowd pleaser was Vasilij Zbogar, who was in third place overall, achieving three top five finishes.On Saturday eleven races had been completed by all Laser fleets. Larissa Nevierov continued to flourish in her home waters, holding a more definite lead over Rasa, in the Laser Radials. The final day’s racing was interrupted by a storm, meaning that the competition finished with the previous day’s results. Thus concluding with Tom Slingsby winning his first ever graded event in the Laser Standards, beating Vasilij Zbogar, in second place. The Laser Radials held Larissa Nevierov ITA in first, delighting home fans by beating ISAF World Sailing Rankings number one, Keamia Rasa Can.

Expert Olympic Garda2nd Stage of the Eurolymp Series 10th – 14th May, Riva Del Garda, ITA

Results Standard: 1 Tom Slingsby AUS 32 pts, 2 2Vasilij Zbogar SLO 35 pts, 3 Aron Iolic CRO 44 pts Radial: 1 Larissa Nevierov ITA 17 pts, 2 Keamia Rasa CAN 33 pts, 3 Veronika Fenclova CZE 38 pts

2005 LASER SENIOR WORLDS ..continued from page 1

ISAF and Rolex have announced the sailors that make up the shortlist for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards 2005.Voting is now underway and the winners will be re-vealed at the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards Dinner and Presentation on 8 November 2005 in Singapore. Each winner will be presented with the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award Trophy and a Rolex timepiece.The Laser Radial’s hopes of winning this prestigious award lie with Paige Railey. She has taken the Olym-pic circuit by storm and is currently at the top of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings.Paige is truly honoured to be nominated and we wish her the very best of luck with the voting. Look out for the next issue of LaserWorld where we will bring you the winner of the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award. Photo: ISAF

ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award

2005

3LaserWorld October 2005


Ian Lineberger

SUMMER SAILING What a great summer season we have had in the northern hemi-sphere. The 4.7 Worlds at Barrington Yacht Club in Rhode Island USA were a big success. Over 90 competitors from all over the world enjoyed great sailing and on-shore activities. It is nice to see the emergence of the 4.7 fleet in North America. Congratulations to Joaquin Blanco (ESP) who won five races on his way to becoming the 2005 4.7 World Champion, well done Joaquin. Special thanks to Barrington YC and all of the wonderful volunteers who made this event possible.

MORE THAN THE MAJORSThe Laser with its three different rigs allows sailors of different sizes to compete in a one design class. However , the Class isnt just about major championships. A sailor can also choose to compete at many different levels in Lasers. I know of a group of sailors that have scheduled a series of one day regattas that have a very low entry fee combined with a very high fun factor. Plus , the one day format allows for drive time and perhaps some family time for the older sailors. All you need is a public park on the water, a small motorboat, and some marks and flags. Good sailing with a small time investment. Great fun!

WORLDSCongratulations to Robert Scheidt for taking his 8th Laser World Title. He isjust amazing and a role model for all young sailors. When I am coaching myRadial group, taking them downwind for wave practice for the 100th time, I saythis how Robert got good and they understand!

The questions about will he stay or will he go will continue. Robert whateveryour decision we wish you well.

Sail Smart!

From our President

Lazy Days at European 4.7 2005

INTERNATIONAL OFFICE PO Box 26, Falmouth Cornwall, TR11 3TN, UK Tel: +44 1326 315064 Fax: +44 1326 318968E-Mail: [email protected]

REGIONAL OFFICESAsia Pacific 9 Scott Circuit, Salamander Bay, NSW 2317, AUSTRALIATel: +61 2 4982 0065Fax: +61 2 4982 0381E-Mail: [email protected]

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EuropePO Box 26, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 3TN, UKTel: +44 (0)1326 315064 Fax: +44 (0)1326 [email protected]

North AmericaOne Design Management, 2812 Canon Street, San Diego, CA 92106, USATel: +1 619 222 0252Fax +1 619 222 0528 E-Mail: [email protected]

A full list of World Council officers appears in the Laser Class Handbook and at: www.laserinternational.org

UNIVERSIADE 2005 IZMIR

11 - 21 August, Karsiyaka Sailing Club, Izmir, TURThe World University Games is held every two years. 2005 was the turn of Izmir, Turkey and the Laser and Laser Radial were used for the single-handed men and womens sailing events.Entry is restricted to students. Both the Laser and Laser Radial fleets were well represented with sailors from 5 continents. Former Laser Radial Womens World Champion,Katarzyna Szotynska from Poland was up against the current Laser Radial champion, Krystal Weir from Australia.

Over the 12 race series Szotynska sailed consist-ently to finish well clear of Anna Tunncliffe USA and Weir in the final medal positions. In the mens Andrew Campbell from USA was the favourite but his route to gold was made difficult by local hero Kemal Muslubas. The Turkish sailor had a 3 point lead over Campbell going into the last day of racing. Campbell said I had to go out and score good results with Kemal behind me. He did just that in the first race when Muslubas scored a tenth, his worst result of the series.It was down to a nail biting last race as Muslubas got out of the start ahead of Campbell who needed to be no worse than 4 places behind the Turk. Mus-lubas was not able to pass race leader, Johan Ce-chos FRA who finished overall in the bronze medal position. Campbell did enough to stay 4 places be-hind Muslubas to take the gold on a tie break.RESULTSMens Laser: 1 Andrew Campbell USA 34 pts, 2 Ke-mal Muslubas TUR 34 pts, 3 Johan Cechosz FRA 37 pts, 4 Tonko Kuzmanic CRO 44 pts, 5 Deniss Karpak EST 46 ptsLadies Radial: 1 Katarzyna Szotynska POL 21 pts, 2 Anna Tunnicliffe USA 25 pts, 3 Krystal Weir AUS 37 pts, 4 Tania Elias Calles MEX 41 pts, 5 Sara Winther NZL 46 pts

Laser StandardPOS NAME NAT PTS1 (1) Robert Scheidt BRA 50172 (2) Paul Goodison GBR 50163 (4) Andreas Geritzer AUT 48454 (4) Vasilij Zbogar SLO 48315 (7) Mate Arapov CRO 45946 (5) Gustavo Lima POR 45147 (6) Matias Del Solar Goldsmith CHI 43508 (23) Milan Vujasinovic CRO 43089 (15) Bernard Luttmer CAN 430710 (9) Tom Slingsby AUS 4290Laser RadialPOS NAME NAT PTS1 (1) Paige Railey USA 35952 (5) Magalie Bonneau-Marcil CAN 31293 (4) Lizzie Vickers GBR 31064 (3) Jen Spalding CAN 30415 (12) Lisa Ross CAN 30236 (2) Keamia Rasa CAN 29047 (10) Karin Soderstrom SWE 28078 (8) Krystal Weir AUS 27879 (9) Christiane de Nijs GER 276410 (7) Charlotte Dobson GBR 2762

Full details available from:

www.laserinternational.orgNumbers in brackets indicate previous position

ISAF WORLD SAILING RANKINGS



theboatwhispererHorse Whisperering, the art of non-aggressive horse training, has been practised for for over 100years. It was made famous in 1998, in a film starring Robert Redford.

Sailing now has its equivalent. The Boat Whisperer by Steve Cockerill is a unique approach to sailing waves upwind and downwind published on two DVDs. Using a specially shot video with a camera on a gantry on the transom of a Laser it is now possible to sit in the boat, see what is hap-pening ahead and see how a boat can should be steered through waves in your own house!

Add to this a camera on top of the mast and a third side view from off the boat all the angles are covered and the difference between fast and slow can be easily seen sometimes using split screens. Cockerill provides a constant narrative through-out both DVDs using a patient and relaxed presentation. There is no quick go fast solution which is why each DVD runs for just under 1 hour. That may seem like a long time, but it soon passes as Cockerill explains what to do and what not to do in detail and uses the video shots and diagrams to illustrate his points.

These DVDs show you what books cannot and are well worth the investment as at each viewing you will always learn something.

For further information: www.laser-international.org/boatwhisperer

Images courtesy of Rooster Sailing.

Steve Cockerill

5 - 13 August, Split, CroatiaRecord Fleet at Radial EuropeansThe Youth Fleet, boosted by a strong local entry, was the largest at the Laser Radial Youth, Women’s and Men’s European Championship at Split in Croatia where a record 350 sailors were sailing on two courses 3 youth fleets on one course area and two women’s and one men’s on a second course area.In strong winds ISAF Youth World Champion set the pace with two bullets followed by the two other race winners, Sari Multala Fin and Katarzyna Szotynska POL. In the men’s fleet it was not surprising to see Tonci Stipanovic and Tonko Kuzmanic each scored an easy first and second in the two men’s races. Croatia also did well in the youth with Ivan Taritas tied with Christian Golnik GER in the male fleet with Tina Mihelic leading the female youth fleet.There was not enough wind for racing on the second day but the third day was excellent sailing. Riley continued her dominant form scoring a second and two more firsts in the 3 races sailed in 13 to 16 knots of wind. In the absence of double grade 1 winner, Sophie de Turckheim who broke her foot a few days before the start of the championship her French colleagues Solenne Brain and Sarah Steyaert both won races however Multala had a solid day counting a first and third to leave her 3 points behind Riley with Szotynska and Brain tied on third after discard.Preferring the stronger winds Croatia was again out in front in the men’s fleet with a first and second place from Stipanovic edging him ahead of Kuzmanic. Taritas has moved clear ahead in the youth male fleet. Mihelic lost her advantage in the youth female fleet as Vanessa Le Bouteiller FRA scored three straight second places.A lack of wind for the final series meant that not all races could be completed with the last days racing completely lost. Going into the final races for the gold fleet Riley had a near perfect score of 4 firsts and 1 second in the women’s fleet. In the first race of the gold fleet she continued her strong form finishing second to the 2004 ISAF Youth World Champion, Sarah Steyaert FRA while her closest rival Multala scored her worst result so far, a 14th.In the next race it was Riley’s turn for a bad one finishing twelfth toMultala’s first. Multala could not repeat her form for what ended up as the final race. Her 19th dropped her to third overall behind Steyaert whose 3rd and 9th made her the top scoring sailor in the gold fleet races. Although enough to put her into second it was not enough to claw back the high scoring of Riley in the qualifiers. A fourth for Riley in the last race

meant that she was able to discard her 12th to finish 14 points ahead of Steyaert and take the European Trophy with Steyaert winning the European Championship title.In the remaining two races for the men’s fleet The Croatian battle continued. Stipanovic needed to finish ahead of Kuzmanic in the last race to take the title but threw it away after being disqualified for an early start under the black flag leaving Kuzmanic to take the title on the second tie break of the last race result.There was further success for the home country in the youth male fleet when Taritas CRO did enough in the gold fleet to finish 17 points clear of Russian Igor Lisovenko as the light winds of the final days mixed up the results in the last three races. In the youth female only seven races were completed but that was enough to give Tina Mihelic CRO. Her wins in the last two races gave her a 7 point lead over her near rival, Vanessa Le Bouteiller FRA completed the Croatian dominance in the 43 strong fleet.Full results:www.laserinternational.orgReport: J C Martin Photos: David Kuzmanic and Natasa Seric

Radial Europeans 2005



Dan Stanisic Interview with the European 4.7 ChampionHow long have you been sailing lasers?For 2 and a half years.Why do you enjoy sailing lasers?Because it s easy to pick it up and go somewhere you want and the mast is in two so its easy to carry.But why the Laser?Because it’s a strong boat, its not for everyone, you need strong legs and a good brain.Do you have any hobbies?Yeah sleeping.Do you get seasick?Yeah when it is too much waves and not enough wind.Do you have a special diet when you are train-ing?NoIs there anything you avoid?

No So you eat everything?YesHamburgers, pizza, everything?YesOkay.Who is your sporting hero?Vasilij.I knew that answer!!Why Vasilij?Cos hes the only one in slovenia who I can talk to who has good results and knows everything about the laser.When I ask him something he will give me a good answer and good adviceWhat is your goal in the future?To be the Captain of a big ship. Interview & photos: Jean Luc Michon

Having battens slip past the elastic at the forward end of batten pockets can be an occasional and unpredictable irritant. There is added inconvenience if the end cap catches beyond the elastic and falls off when the batten is removed from the pocket. Taking the precaution of gluing the end caps on can help, but the most reliable method of making sure they can’t fall off is to use self adhesive plastic tape.A worse problem, though less common, is when battens slip past the elastic they become loose, and may fall out of their pockets and be lost when the leach of the sail flaps violently in strong breeze. The only defence against this has been to tape the ends of the batten pockets closed, which is often not easy – particularly if the sail is wet.

To prevent battens from slipping past the elastic and causing further problems, concave end caps are now being introduced. They are interchangeable with the existing (classic) end caps, and there is no need to change the length of your battens in order to fit the new, concave end caps.

NEW CONCAVE BATTEN END CAPS

BATTEN LENGTH IS MEASURED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE CONCAVE END CAP

Only one concave end cap may be fitted to each batten.

Concave end caps may only be used on the forward end of the batten, touching the elastic.

Concave end caps may not be used on the back (leach) end of the batten.

Only concave batten end caps supplied by the Laser Builders may be used.

Batten length is to be measured as shown in the dia-gram.

Adam French, ILCA Technical Officer

BATTEN MEASUREMENT LENGTH WHEN USING TWO CLASSIC END CAPS

400 mm MAXIMUM FOR TOP BATTEN 600mm MAXIMUM FOR LOWER BATTENS

BATTEN MEASUREMENT LENGTH WHEN USING ONE CLASSIC END CAP AND ONE CONCAVE END CAP

400 mm MAXIMUM FOR TOP BATTEN 600mm MAXIMUM FOR LOWER BATTENS

We go to press just before the ISAF annual conference. One of the hot topics will be whether proposals for making racing at the Olympics more media friendly will be adopted in whole or part.The vision of those promoting a knock out semi final and final with directjudging in some classes and the intro-duction of no discard in a series or no discard in the last race is to make sure that medals are decided on the last race to make it easy for the media to

follow, more exciting and therefore attract more television, media and public interest.On the technical side the introduction of active, real time gps for each boat will give an added dimension to TV coverage and has the potential reducing general recalls. Hopefully it will not make race officers lazy because they identify all early starters through the gps

system even on a bad start line. A badly set start line is very unfair as normally only one boat can get the good start and everyone else thows the rule book out the window as they fight for that one berth.Some are concerned that changes in the format will change the game away from consistency in a variety of conditions into a one off crash and burn race. Others are concerned that a new format will put more pressure on the rules, race officers and judges. One judge commented that wherever possible we should be moving our sport away from having medals decided by whether or not judges and race officers make a good or bad call not increasing their potential influence.I can see problems that will need to be addressed. I just hope ISAF are not making the racing more complicated.Any changes that are introduced at the Olympics will follow through into grade one events and no doubt any other events that are involved with Olympic preparation. Will of these events have the necessary number of good judges to provide for accurate on water judging?

Time will tell.

Captain's Log



THE COMPLETE BOOK OF LASER SAILING Dick Tillman

CapsizingWhether a beginner or expert, sooner or later you will capsize. If you do, don't be alarmed. Righting the Laser is simple. Make sure the mainsheet is loose. Then put your weight in the board and the boat should come right up. To provide maximum leverage when righting the Laser, especially if you are a lightweight, make sure the board is all the way down.If you have capsized in fairly windy conditions, it is important to swing the bow of the boat into the wind before attempting to right it. This can be accomplished by hanging off the bow while in the water, thus using your body as an anchor around which the boat will pivot, or by actually swimming the bow into the wind. In either case, be sure you have a life jacket on. Once the boat is positioned so that the bow is facing into the wind, you should be able to easily pull the boat back up without having it tip back over again once you've raised it.If the boat capsizes so that the mast is pointing straight down - a turtled position - you must first climb up on the overturned hull. Be care-ful, as it will be wet and very slippery. Then, for maximum leverage, pull the board all the way up. Next, with the wind at your back, stand on the bottom of the boat's winward rail and grab the board as high as you can; lean back and pull. The Laser should come right up. If it appears reluctant, double check to make sure the sheet is loose, then give the board a few careful but strong tugs. Remember, even with the sheet loose, you are fighting a lot of re-sistance created by an entire Laser sail, mast and boom being pulled up through the water. It may take a few moments to right the boat from a turtled position.The Complete Book of Laser Sailing can be purchased from ILCA by email at Laser Library on www.laserinternational.org

With anticipa-tion and agility, you can perform a fast-and-dry capsize recov-ery. During the capsize, swing one leg over the gunwale onto the centerboard

This second edition of this book, complete with a forward by Bruce Kirby, the designer of the Laser, coincides with the Laser's 35th Anniversary. The book incorporates the new sail control line systems put forth by the mem-bers, passed by the World Council and approved by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in 2001. More interviews have been added and previous interviews updated. The addition of more photographs complete this won-derful compliation of 35 years of Laser sailing experience.With the kind permission of Adlard Coles Nautical we feature a section on capsizing and righting the Laser from a chapter covering the basics of Laser sailing.

Put your weight toward the lead-ing edge (the stronger part) of the centerboard. Check to see that the mainsheet is uncleated. Hold-ing the gunwale, step backward and lean back (not shown) as far as necessary to begin righting the boat.

As the boat rights, climb back on-board.



5 - 13 August, Cartogena, ESPWorld Champion, Robert Scheidt BRA, had a good opening day at the Laser Europeans in Cartegena, Spain. In light winds he led overall after a fourth behind Dimitri Bondarenko RUS and Michael Bullot NZL in the first race of

their fleet and then a bullet in the second when the ten knot breeze dropped to 5 knots and the race was shortened. The changing conditions on the first day meant that results were mixed with Andreas Geritzer AUS tied in second after an eigth and a second with Aron Lolic CRO who scored a third and a seventh.On the youth course more stable winds saw Croatias Daniel Mihelic take two bullets while Corentin Pruvot FRA scored two seconds to tie for second overall with Douwe Broekens

NED who scored a first and third.The second day was another difficult day for the senior fleets with only one race completed after a delayed start. Scheidt held on to his lead after a 4th place with Geritzer who scored a 3rd moving closer into a clear second ahead of Lolic who scored a 5th. Conditions were better on the youth course but Mihelic could no repat his first days perfomance and dropped to fifth after finishing 7th and 20th. Jean-Baptiste Bernaz FRA took advantage of the lighter winds to score a 1st and 3rd which gave him a 7 point clear lead ahead of Simon Grotelusschen GER whose two wins put him a point ahead

of Pruvot.As the heat wave continued and forest fires burnt on the mountains nearby only one race was possible on each course on the third day. For the short time it was blowing 8 knots it was enough for Athens silver medallist, Geritzer, to score a second to move ahead of gold medallist, Scheidt. The Brasilians ninth

place dropped him to fourth overall behind Tom Slingsby AUS and Lolic with only 5 points separating the top 4 and then he lost that result after a protest! Bernaz survived several black flags that were in force at the starts on the youth course to share the overall lead after a fifth place with Malte Kamrath GER and Lolic only one point behind after discard.

On the fourth day there was a further delayed start waiting for the forecast wind which eventually arrived mid afternoon. The 15 knot wind and waves of 1.5 metres provided a great spectacle. On this last day of qualifiers Schiedt was fired up and moved into the lead on the second leg of the course which he held until the finish ahead of Mate Aropov CRO and Tom Slingsby AUS. Scheidt made a good start in the second race of the day to take his third win of the series and move back to the top of the leader board after discarding his DSQ. The youth had change course areas with the seniors and were sailing in lighter 12 knot winds. Bernaz stayed with the top group in his fleet to cross in sixth place and then scored a fifth which saw his overall lead cut to to two points ahead Groteluschen who scored a third and his third win of the series.For the first day of the gold series with all the top sailors racing head to head for the first time it was a lot tougher to be consistent. Scheidt could only manage a third and a ninth but that was still the fourth best result of the day which kept him in front! Arapov got the day,s best with two seconds. In the youth Bernaz had a poor 18th in his first race won by fellow countryman Jonathan Lombert. More concerning for Bernaz was another good result by Groteluschen whose third helped keep in a firm second place. Bernaz redeemed himself in the second race to hang on to the overall lead ahead of Groteluschenwho finished ninth.The final day produced another good days racing with 12 to 14 knots increasing to 16 knots for the second race. A tense fleet had two general recalls and five disqualifications under the black rule. Slingsby showed that he is ready to take on the mantle of top Australian by leading the fleet home in both races. Scheidts second and fourth was easily enough to secure the European Trophy from Britains Paul Goodison who took the European Championship title.In the Youth Bernaz had a nightmare last day, struggling in the increased competition of the gold fleet. A 26th and 10th dropped him to overall. Long time runner up Groteluschen posted a solid 3rd and 5th to take the overall youth title by 6 points from Lombert who again had the days best result with a 1st and 3rd.

Full results:www.laserinternational.org

Laser European Standard & Youth Championships 2005

22 - 26 June, Kiel, GERIn a closely contested Laser fleet, 1st position went to Paul Goodison. A delighted Goodison commented ‘After

such a frustrating start to the season it feels great to finally finish the job and win the Regatta. I had a really good series and although I got in some sticky situations, I managed to recover and finish well.’

Kieler Woche 2005

Results Standard 1 Paul Goodision GBR 23 pts, 2 Matias Del Solar CHI 31 pts, 3 Robert Scheidt BRA 39 pts Radial Mens 1 Steven le Fevre NED 5 pts, 2 Rene Millies GER 14 pts, 3 Gijs Pelt NED 14 pts Radial Womens 1 Gintare Volungeviciute LIT 62 pts, 2 Paige Railey USA 63 pts, 3 Petra Niemann GER 69 pts

26 - 29 May, Medemblik, Netherlands The Holland Regatta hosted more than a thousand competitors from fifty-five different countries.The first day’s weather was outstanding; with wind varying from four to five it was beneficial to all the sailors in the eleven Olympic classes. In general there were

no big surprises. Nevertheless, in four of the classes, the Tornado, 470 men, Laser Radial and Mistral men, the Dutch held the first places.After six races, Vasilij Zbogar was leading the Class with Tom Slingsby in second place and Luka Radelic in third. In the Laser Radials, Sari Multala held first place followed by Charlotte Dobson and Merel Witteveen.The Regatta successfully came to a conclusion despite the sometimes weak and shifting winds. Tom Slingsby took first place in the overall classification for the Laser and Sophie de Turckheim for the Laser Radial.Results: Laser Standard 1 tom Slingsby AUS 21 pts, 2 Vasilij Zbogar SLO 29 pts, 3 Luka Radeliae CRO 33 pts, 4 Paul Goodison GBR 40 pts, 5 Gustavo Lima POR 44 pts Radial Womens 1 Sophie de Turckheim FRA 44 pts, 2 Lizzie Vickers GBR 47 pts, 3 Signe Linbjerg DEN 50 pts, 4 Virginia Kravarioti GRE 58 pts, 5 Sari Multala FIN 63 pts photo: Mark Cole

HOLLANDREGAT TA



1 - 8 October Fortaleza, Brazil183 Masters sailors travelled all points east to west and north to south to meet at the equator in Fortaleza, Brazil including 3 father and son teams! For many it was a marathon journey involving several plane changes and some stop-overs (planned and not planned!). As usual the largest country representation came from Australia even though they had the most arduous route - either down to New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and then a plane change and several further stops in Brasil or via Los Angeles, San Paulo and again several stops in Brasil.The long journey didnt seem to affect them as they walked off with 4 out of the 7 divisions. A strong New Zealand team nearly made it a clean sweep for the antipodeans winning two of the three other divisions with Alexander Nikolaev spoiling the down under party by taking the Radial Masters. Entry is restricted by the availability of charter boats and for the first time several attempted late entries were disappointed. For those that did make the entry list there were 3 divisions in the standard rig Apprentice 35 toto 44 years, Masters 45 to 54 years and Grand Masters 55+ years. Each of these had a separate start, the largest being the masters with 54 entries. Included in this division were several stars of the late seventies and early eighties who had come back to the Laser with serious intent to prove that they could still win races. Stories abounded of secret training with current senior sailors.The Radial Fleet continues to grow and this attracted 80 sailors across the same three divisions as the standard rig with the addition of a Great Grand Masters fleet for 65+ years that had 25 entries, the third largest out of the seven divisions. All the Radial divisions start as one fleet with the results of each division extracted and re-scored on a 1,2,3 basis.If numbers continue to increase it will become necessary to partly split the Radial fleet and maybe combine 2 of the standard rig fleets to avoid long delays between the first and last start of each race.Most of the sailors are very well prepared having been training in the gym and afloat for months before the championship. Many will have gone home vowing to train even harder. Afloat the majority take their masters racing very seriously and starts and mark roundings are more aggressive than the seniors!Masters sailors also know how to have fun especially at the prize giving when it was announced that long time master sailor Dennis OSullivan from Ireland was celebrating his birthday. Those who knew him well called for a speech (in Irish that means tell a joke). Many are still wondering what the punch line was as birthday celebrations got the better of Dennis.Full results and reports: www.laserintional.org

2005 Masters World Championships

CHESAPEAKE BAY LASER MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS

10 - 11 September, FBYC, VirginiaApprentices 1 Ted Morgan 57 pts, 2 Bob Tan 72 pts, 3 John Hubbard 129 pts Masters James Jacob 39 pts, 2 Mike

Schmidt 42 pts, 3 Henry Amthor 42 ptsGrand Masters 1 Chris Legg 42 pts, 2 Mark Saunders 69 pts, 3 Terry Clarence 70 ptsGreat Grand Master Bill Warren 99 pts

NORTH AMERICAN MASTERS9 - 11 September, MBYC, San Diego

Apprentices 1 Martin Hartmanis 71 pts, 2 Charlie Heathery 112 pts, 3 Carter OhlmannMasters 1 Doug Hart 32 pts, 2 Chris Raab 50 pts, 3 Kurt Miller 59 ptsGrand Masters 1 Alden Shattuck 52 pts, 2 Bill Symes 96 pts, 3 Ken Karnes 155 ptsGreat Grand Masters 1 Jim Christopher 155 pts, 2 Nils Andersson 190 pts, 3 Mike Eichwald 241 pts

2005 OTTAWA VALLEY MASTERS

27 - 28 August, LDSC, Ottawa, ONApprentice 1 Nigel Heath 39 pts, 2 Steve Ellwood 54 pts, 3 Gerry Lavery 69 pts

Masters 1 Andrew Roy 23 pts, 2 Harri Palm 40 pts, 3 Robert Koci 52 ptsGrand Masters 1 Robert Dunkley 25 pts, 2 Brian Mills 61 pts, 3 Indrek Aavisto 73 ptsGreat Grand Masters 1 Heinz Gebauer 31 pts, 2 Ken Robertson 80 pts,Chesapeake Bay photo: Jon Deutsch

Ottawa Valley Masters

Documents

Oct 2005