Laser Standard Laser Laser Radial Laser Laser 4.7 World December 2006 "All of my hard work and sacrifices are paying off". Paige Railey (USA) winner of the ISAF Rolex Sailor of the Year 2006 See page 6 for details DOUBLE VICTORY FOR SINGAPORE Laser 4.7 Worlds, 30 June - 7 July, Hourtin, France. 325 sailors representing 34 countries competed in the 2006 Laser 4.7 World Championships in Hourtin, France. The first two days of racing saw light winds of between 6 – 8 knots which allowed Victoria Chang (SIN) to easily win the first race on the second day. Sadly Victoria Chang was only able to manage 39th place in the next race. Renata Petani (CRO) took the top place and lead the female fleet overall. Dutch sailors Yuri Hummel (NED) and Rolph Oudshoorn TYPHOON DOMINATES (NED) lead the male fleet overall with an impressive first and second for both WORLDS of them. The next day the wind built to between 8 and Senior World Championships 12 - 20 third. 11 knots and saw Agnieszka Skrzypulec Sep, Jeju, Korea Conditions (POL) and Julie Chehab (FRA) take both The first morning of Jeju Laser World had continued first places with Renata Petani slipping Championships started slowly for the 130 to strengthen back to third place. Rolph Oudshoorn sailors representing 40 nations as they during the (NED) and Yuri Hummel (NED) continued were held ashore waiting for suitable sailing racing causing to dominate the male fleet closely followed conditions. They did not have to wait long the second by Dimos Anagnostopoulo (GRE). The for the influence of typhoon Shanshan, race to be abandoned with the wind gusting day was concluded by a raid to which, 800 miles south of Korea, to overcome the to 29 knots and a forecast of increasing unfortunately, only 162 runners took to shoreline calm. wind. the start. continued page 2.... In the first of two fleets to start the pack chose Sailors were held ashore at the scheduled to sail left and get out of a strong current. start of racing on day two. It was due to At the first mark Tom Slingsby (AUS) led by the extreme conditions that existed on 20 seconds. On the downwind leg Slingsby the racing area with winds in excess of 25 extended his lead over Mate Arapov knots and steep mountainous seas. After (CRO) who consolidated second place. a course inspection the race committee For the next lap the breeze continued to postponed racing until the next day. increase to a consistent 25 knots. Slingsby With strong winds expected and typhoon increased his lead to win comfortably from ShanShan changing track towards Jeju the the Croatian pair of Arapov and Milan race committee introduced the possibility of Vujasinovic (CRO). a new course format of double windward/ The blue fleet race was closer with another leeward in case a sheltered course option strong Australian performance from Michael near the shore was needed. An early start Blackburn (AUS). He said “most of the to racing on the third day allowed a catch competitors had misjudged the strength of up of one lost race in the programme and so I can’t complain”. The blue fleet was the current on the starting line” as a result two further races before heavy rain killed dominated by Giles Scott who said “I am he was able to round the first mark second the 23 knot easterly wind. over the moon. I never expected to win the narrowly behind Adonis Bougiouris (GRE). Giles Scott (GBR) and Tom Slingsby both races.” Adonis held his lead until the second upwind won all three races in their respective fleets Another early start for racing on the fourth beat when he hit a few large waves badly in testing conditions. to allow Blackburn through. Blackburn held day looked as if it might give a good the lead to the end with Bougiouris finishing In yellow fleet Slingsby said “Downwind it days racing. Unfortunately with variable second and Michael Leigh (CAN) taking is pretty much survival conditions then try conditions the first fleet was finally started and attack on the beat. I love the conditions continued page 2.... 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. 2 LaserWorld December 2006 4.7 Worlds 2006 (cont'd from page 1) sailing a consistent regatta and achieving Day Five completed the qualifying series a score of 39 points. His closest rival, (a maximum of 8 races). The male fleet Victor Serezhkin (RUS) scored 59 points was then divided in to 3 groups – Gold, and came in second with Marko Peresa Silver and Bronze, for the final. Rolph (CRO) coming in third place having scored Oudshoorn (NED) took both first places, 60 points. followed by Colin Cheng (SIN) and Dimos Victoria Chang’s sixth position in the final Anagnostopoulo (GRE). Agnieszka race was enough to overtake Agnieszka Skrzypulec (POL) and Julie Chehab took a Skrzypulec’s (POL) lead to claim first place first place each with Victoria Chang coming on the 88 strong female fleet. Julie Chehab in next. won the last race to finish third overall. All the fleets on Day Six battled against Men – Final Leaders Gold Fleet 79 entries: winds of 18 –25 knots for the two races with 1) Colin Cheng SIN 39 pts many retiring. 2) Victor Serezhkin RUS 59 pts 3) Marko Peresa CRO 60 pts After the final race, Colin Cheng emerged 4) Fran Perucic CRO 62 pts tops of the male fleet of 237 sailors, after 5) Giuseppe Linares ITA 63 pts Senior Worlds 2006 (cont'd from page 1) start. This included Deniss Karpak (EST) INTERNATIONAL OFFICE only to have the race abandoned as the wind and Michael Leigh (CAN). Leigh held on until PO Box 26, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 dropped to 3 knots halfway down the first he was headed and then just worked the lifts 3TN, UK downwind leg. to round the first mark second behind Karpak. Most of the other race leaders had worked the Tel: +44 1326 315064 With the second fleet unable to start a left of the course and got caught by a right Fax: +44 1326 318968 further two hour wait saw no improvement hand shift towards the end of the first leg. E-Mail: [email protected] in conditions so the fleet was sent ashore Slingsby and Blackburn both had bad starts www.laserinternational.org to help move 130 boats from the beach as but Blackburn admitted surprise that he was REGIONAL OFFICES a precaution against a storm surge from able to recover to fourth. Karpak was passed the predicated close passing of typhoon by Leigh on the first downwind leg and then Asia Pacific ShanShan. by Milan Vujasinovic (CRO) on the second 65 Tarawera Terrace, St Heliers, For the Race Committee, Jury and volunteer upwind leg. Leigh extended his lead to finish Auckland 5, NEW ZEALAND coaches the 6th day began at 0615 to return first with no further change in 2nd and 3rd. Tel: +64 (0)9 575 8444 all the evacuated boats back to the beach. At In the second race of the day Thomas Le Fax: +64 (0)9 575 2383 the same time all race committee boats where Breton (FRA) and Paul Goodison (GBR) both E-mail: [email protected] re-launched. This was completed by 1030 the had good starts and sailed to the left initially Central & South America scheduled start was postponed for 1 hour to when most of the fleet went right. They then Rua Comendador Elias Zarzur 1455, Alto allow the sailors time to prepare their boats. went up the middle and got the last shift right da Boa Vista, Sao Paulo - SP Racing finally got underway at 1230 in a 15 to a comfortable first and second at the first knot offshore wind and the fleets split into CEP 04736-002 BRAZIL mark. Goodison said “after rounding Thomas Tel (H): +55 11 5548 0898 gold and silver groups. and I had a very good race but were lucky to Tel (O): +55 11 3074 5242 In the first gold fleet race the boats at the stay ahead of the fast finishing Australians committee boat end tacked soon after the (Slingsby and Blackburn)”. Fax: +55 11 5548 8423 E-Mail: [email protected] In view of the previously challenging weather conditions Europe the race committee scheduled PO Box 26, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 three races for Tuesday, 3TN, UK the penultimate day of the Tel: +44 (0)1326 315064 championship. Fax: +44 (0)1326 318968 35 year old Michael Blackburn E-Mail: [email protected] won his first Laser World www.laserinternational.org Championship title after an North America exciting pre-start dual with One Design Management, 2812 Canon the young, fellow Australian Tom Slingsby in the only race Street, San Diego, CA 92106, USA completed on the final day. Tel: +1 619 222 0252 Fax +1 619 222 0528 1)Michael Blackburn AUS 16 pts E-Mail: [email protected] 2)Tom Slinsby AUS 24 pts www.laser.org 3)Rasmus Myrgen SWE 33 pts A full list of World Council officers 4)Michael Leigh CAN 39 pts appears in the Laser Class Handbook 5)Gustavo Lima POR 41pts and at: www.laserinternational.org www.laserinternational.org LaserWorld December 2006 3 SIGNING OFF Another Island. Michael kept his cool under difficult makes the boat so much easier to sail, the successful conditions and proved that you don’t have addition of the Women’s Laser Radial as summer for the to be under 35 years old to win.