Displaying items by tag: Laser
Ten Good Reasons to Sail Lasers in Howth
1) This is the biggest series in Ireland, typically with over 50 entries
2) Howth welcome - great pre and post race social atmosphere in club.
3) Great Racing - Two short races per day, in open water just outside the harbour with committee boat starts. Great way to work on your helming and tactics over the winter.
4) Mix of competition - Sailors range from top 5 ranked sailors all the way through to beginners and casual racers. Ages range from 15-65.
5) Laser Round the Island and Lunch - A legendary, not to be missed end of season race, and party in March.
6) Great value - €4 per race, which covers the lunch in March also!
7) Free boat parking - entry fee also covers parking your boat in Howth the the full winter.
8) Dedicated race course - No other classes racing. Mix of windward leeward and triangle courses.
9) Full Rig, Radial and 4.7 fleets all supported
10) Friendly advice, guidance and help make it a great introduction to dinghy racing
Enter online at www.hyc.ie. For enquiries contact David Quinn 086 2835671
Laser Training Starts at Royal Cork
Following a detailed briefing on the Club's Autumn and Winter schedule, Thomas Chaix outlined the Irish Sailing Association programme for the coming year. This includes club, regional and academy training options available designed to prepare the fleet for the first major of next year - the Munsters in Baltimore at Easter.
Double WIns on Saturday Lines up Titles for Slingsby and Schierup
In wind and sea conditions on Hayling Bay which were a virtual facsimile of previous perfect days, Slingsby seemed to have speed to burn. He finished a long way clear of his nearest rivals on the water in both races.
Now it would appear he just needs to stay clear of trouble and press the 'repeat play' button to be sure of equalling the three world titles tally of his compatriot Glenn Bourke. If he were to be successful it would be the perfect 26th birthday present to himself tomorrow.
After a Black Flag disqualification Friday Slingsby chose to start conservatively today and to then use his speed advantage upwind in the 13-15kts easterly breeze and a decent sized swell.
Sadly for Skandia Team GBR's defending World Champion Paul Goodison, his challenge to Slingsby evaporated on the first run of the first race of the day. Having worked his way up to fourth from a solid start Goodison was given his second yellow flag, for excessive body kinetics in the rolling swells of the first run. His second disqualification in as many days plunged the Olympic title holder to lie a frustrating 19th overall.
His compatriot Nick Thompson, the 2009 ISAF World Cup winner who finished third overall in Halifax last year, lies second overall but admitted to a real mix of emotions when he landed back at Hayling Island Sailing Club.
When he had needed to really impose himself on the first beat of the first race of the day in order to accelerate his title challenge, instead he found himself having to choose to do penalty turns for an infringement, starting up the first beat from last, 55th, but fighting back to sail his discard, 17th.
Thompson came back to a useful 12th in the second heat, preserving a strong set of scores in his armoury, 14 points clear of the St Tropez based French sailor Jean-Baptiste Bernaz.
Bernaz has 18th as his Worlds best, was 31st last year, and finished eighth at the 2008 Olympic regatta in Qingdao, but after a 15th and third today now needs to hold off the immediate challenge to his podium finish from Cyprus' Pavlos Kontides who lies fourth.
Punchy starting was the key to back-to-back wins in the Junior World Championships first two finals races by Thorbjoern Schierup. The Dane's double bullet day sees him moving ahead of Italy's longstanding championship leader Francesco Marrai.
The oscillating breeze offered the quick starters an early opportunity to establish an early lead. Schierup was quickest off the line then unleashed his excellent downwind speed to record his to wins, now six points clear.
Britain's Alex Mills-Barton lies third, 13pts ahead of Croatia's Filip Jurisic.
Quotes
Tom Slingsby (AUS): "It was 15-16kts, nice waves, sunny a really good day for me. The first race I got a nice start near the pin end and worked the left side of the course and opened up a nice lead which I held. The second race I was not so good off the start line but got the first big shift on the first beat and I just lead to the top mark. I got overtaken by the German Philip Buhl on the down the run and overtook him on the next beat. I could not have asked for anything more today.
Definitely today the key was keeping clean around the course. I know I have plenty of speed so I just have to keep clear lanes, stay a little back off the start lines, I already have one yellow flag and so I am keeping my body kinetics to a minimum so I was just trying to do the small things well and that definitely worked.
Paul I saw him get that yellow flag and a little relief goes because I know how dangerous he is, he can be 30 points behind and still be a threat, but he is just one of 10 boats which can be threat, so there are plenty of other guys out there.
I need to keep myself clean again tomorrow, to knock in a good first race, and then I can assess after that.
I am really superstitious. I try to do it all the same every time, to stick to the same processes, so that is not necessarily a good thing going into the last day of an event. If some little thing goes wrong it might mess with me a little, but I am not too phased if it does not go well I won't get too bent out of shape.
Tomorrow's my birthday and the last day of the Worlds, so a big day!
But I can easily lose. In 2006 I lead for seven days of an eight day event and lost on the eight day. All I am thinking about it doing the simple things right, and keeping clean.
I am really fighting for every spot, even if I am back in the pack tomorrow I'll be fighting for every point come the end of the regatta.
What we did last week, even when we had a good lead, was no ever spoke about winning the regatta, we were all still on edge, trying to do our jobs as best we can. And that is what I am going through here, don't think about the result, just think about the process."
Paul Goodison (GBR): "The first race looked like it was panning out to plan. I got a good start and was steadily pulling through the fleet and was probably up to fourth place and I got my second yellow flag and that really was it all over after that. So now it is just getting round and finishing it all off. I think Tom has got the title wrapped up from here, so congratulations to him. He just has to hold it together and my regatta is over from here.
I think it's a tricky call. In 15-16knots with big waves downwind the boats are rocking around and everybody is trying to make the boats go fast, and so I think it is a bit harsh, it's a jury decisions so there is nothing I can do about it, I just have to get on with it.
I feel a bit gutted. Here, I wanted to do my best and unfortunately I haven't been able to do that because of the decisions, but in all fairness to Tom he is sailing well and thoroughly deserves it.
I don't think I am too far off. I have not done as much Laser sailing recently as some of the guys out there, so we are there or thereabouts two years out from the Games I am in with a good shot."
Nick Thompson (GBR): "Mixed emotions for me today. First race I got a good start and just infringed somebody slightly and through it best to do some turns. I managed to pull way back from there, really deep at the mark rounding, to a 17th, so that was a really good race. The second one I was just in touch but just not quite there, just outside the top 10. But, really a tough day. Going in to the final day in second is great. I was looking for a top three at this regatta and that would be good. I think the best thing is my discards are not too bad.
Tomorrow will be like starting a new regatta, trying to get consistent results and see how I lie after the first race. I quite enjoy the breeze, but so does Tom Slingsby which is a little bit frustrating, he is sailing really well."
Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (FRA): "I made good starts and went fast. I am not so surprised to be doing well, but I am maybe a little surprised that I have been able to be so consistent. If you are consistent you do well. We trained here at a Qualifier here in June, but we only came here three days before the regatta. Tomorrow I'll just be trying to sail the same as I have and see how we go. I prepared well for Beijing, but since then we have been working hard to sail well in the stronger breezes so I feel like I'm well prepared for tomorrow no matter what."
"Last year I was in the 30's but here I am stronger, heavier, fitter and sailing better."
Thorbjoern Schierurp (DEN): "The starts were really important so that you could get out to tack on the first windshift, and if you could do that it was just wait for the next one. There were some big shifts, maybe 10 degrees coming in on the whole course, and if you could be the first one to get that, you were gone.
It is not a surprise to be this far up, my aim was top three all the time, and so I am pretty happy so far. Now I just have to go the whole way. Myself and the Italian guy are pretty even. Today I got the better starts and that made the difference."
Francesco Marrai (ITA): "I was not so fast in the first race. In the second race I was better so I discard the first race. Tomorrow I don't know it will be better than today. Today he was really fast on the downwind and he just stayed ahead. For sure today I can say he was the best."
Laser Standard Men's World Championships Hayling Island, UK
Standings after 12 races inc 4 of 6 Finals races
1 Tom Slingsby (AUS) 1,8,(29),3,1,1,5,1,(BFD),8,1,1= 30pts
2 Nick Thompson (GBR) 2,3,(25),6,9,7,9,8,4,2(17),12,=62pts
3 Jean-Baptiste (FRA) (33),2,14,12,5,1,(19),3,15,6,15,3=78pts
4 Pavlos Kontides (CYP) 4,3,21,4,5(27),1,1,10,15,(36),13 = 77pts
5 Andrew Murdoch (NZL) 6,4,11,2,8,(22),9,1,(24),14,8=87pts
6 Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) (19),14,15,4,1,8,2,11,3,13,(32),17=88pts
7 Joshua Junior (NZL) 3,22,1,2,7,5,8,(29),12,21,(25),7=88pts
8 Andrew Maloney (NZL) 2,(22),4,10,2,11,3,4,20,5,(37),35=96pts
9 Julio Alsogaray (ARG) 8,(39),11,17,17,6,23,5,(DNC),7,3,5 = 102pts
10 Andreas Geritzer (AUT),(33),6,2,1,2,(22),9,9,(37),16,16,25 = 108pts
Laser Junior World Championships
1 Thorbjorn Schierup (DEN) 3,3,6,(19),6,2,6,4,1,1 = 26pts
2 Francesco Marral (ITA) 2,3,(7),5,5,3,1,1(17),6 = 26pts
3 Alex Mills-Barton (GBR) 12,(BFD),5,2,1,(21),1,1,15,4 = 41pts
4 Filip Jurisic (CRO) 7,(35),1,27,1,(29),3,5,8,2 = 54pts
Consistent Slingsby Goes for Overall Win
The 159 competitors racing on the last day of the group stages could find little to fault with the sparkling English summer weather conditions as another day of sunshine, moderate 8-11 knots mainly E'ly and SE'ly breezes was complemented by a worthwhile swell to offer the downwind specialists the chance to shine.
In the Lead: Tom Slingsby. Photo: Paul Wyeth
But even if the winds looked ideal, appearances were deceptive as at least two of the top four sailors sailed their discards on this last qualifying day.
While Australia's Slingsby retained his run of form, as did Kiwi Andrew Maloney who with today's 3,4, promoted himself from seventh this morning to qualify in fourth, on equal points with third placed compatriot Michael Bullot, world champion Paul Goodison confessed later to a couple of 'schoolboy errors' in the first race, contributing to his 14th and hit the windward mark in the second race when he finished fifth.
The Skandia Team GBR sailor, Olympic and World Champion, goes forward to the three days of Finals in second 14 points, behind Slingsby.
And Bullot, runner-up to champion Goodison last year in Halifax, returned ashore scratching his head after having had to recover more than 30 places in his first race to earn his third. But his powers of recovery deserted him in the second heat of the day and he, too, sailed his discard race on the eve of the Finals.
Slingsby admitted that he owes much of his revitalised attack this season to his lacklustre World Championships last year, when he finished 17th. After winning Skandia Sail for Gold regatta in Weymouth he said today that he is especially happy to have found an extra gear to his downwind speed, completing a package which he feels can win him the title, he won in 2007 and 2008, again.
He may have had a slightly nervous start to his day, discovering when he was rigging up that he had a crack in the top of his supplied daggerboard which was replaced with one which had been repaired, but he finished brimful of confidence and well set for the final stages.
Cyprus' Southampton based Pavlos Kontides, a ship studies student, gave his confidence a leap when he posted to back to back wins to lie fifth into the Finals.
The strong New Zealand squad are certainly among the key contenders with two in the top four, three in the top six and four in the top eight.
After their rest day today the Junior World Championships resume their Qualifying with two scheduled races Friday before their four race Finals commence Saturday.
Laser Standard Senior Men's World Championships
Hayling Island, GBR
Provisional Standings after 8 of 8 Qualifying Races, one discard.
1 Tom Slingsby (AUS) 1,8,(29),3,1,1,5,1 20pts
2 Paul Goodison (GBR) 3,1,9,4,3,7,(14),7,34pts
3 Michael Bullot (NZL) 1,2,5,13,9,3,3 (23) 36pts
4 Andrew Maloney (NZL) 2,(22),4,10,2,11,3,4,36pts
5 Pavlos Kontides (CYP) 4,3,21,4,5,(27),1,1, 39pts
6 Andrew Murdoch (NZL) 6,4,11,2,8,(22),9,1,41pts
7 Nick Thompson (GBR) 2,3,(25),6,9,7,9,8 44pts
8 Joshua Junior (NZL) 3,22,1,2,7,5,8,(29),48pts
9 Ashley Brunning (AUS) 12,9,10,12,3,3,1,(19) 50pts
10 Andreas Geritzer (AUT) (33),6,2,1,2,22,9,9,51pts
Quotes:
Paul Goodison (GBR): "We were on the inside course and it was a bit frustrating. I made a couple of schoolboy errors with the tide. In the first race I went around the bottom mark in fourth and expected there to be a tidal gain on the right, and ended up losing 10-12 places which was a bit frustrating. In the second race I got a pretty good start but got caught out in the middle when the wind went right a bit and then hit the windward mark, so a bit of a frustrating day. Second is a lot better than I thought it would be after today, almost putting a smile on my face again. There are still six races to go and I'm looking forward to going into the finals."
Tom Slingsby (AUS): "The first race was really tricky. We were first off and we might have had the most patchy breeze. I was always there and lost one boat on the last run, so to get through with a fifth was pretty good. Second race was bit more steady, a bit more of boatspeed race. I got round third, second at the bottom and then first at the top.
The first race Nick Thompson and I were doing OK in the middle and then a big group came in from the right and we went round in tenth or so and it was very tricky once you're there. The top three were just gone, you are never going to catch them.
Second race the Kiwis were in first and fourth and I just gained and gained, I had a tiny edge in boat speed and so he did not want to stay with me"
But basically it all changes now into the Finals. It all starts again but if you make one mistake rather than losing five boats you lose 20. The only thing I take forward is knowing that I am sailing quick and that if I sail well I can win the worlds."
"Doing poorly at last year's worlds, finishing 17th, was a feeling I really did not like. I didn't like telling people that I came 17th, I like saying I'm in the top two in the world. I just restarted over again at Sail for Gold last year and it's been going well since then."
Andrew Maloney (NZL): "The first race it was shifty and hard to pick the side I tacked straight off and played the oscillations and came around the top mark in second and so I was pleased with that, we had a jump on the pack. Second race the pin end was favoured, I started three up from the pin and backed my speed and sent it out towards the best side of the course with a group of about five other boats, and tacked across on a nice left shift, sent it out to the starboard lay-line and then we had a nice jump on the rest of the fleet.
It's not easy but much easier when you get a good start, which I don't usually do, but it's been better here, a bit more confidence, a bit more experience, just being a bit older.
We have a great team, all going really well, but we have done a lot of hard work together, trying to work in places where the conditions are similar to these worlds, like down in Tauranga and inside the harbour in Auckland."
Michael Bullot (NZL): "I was having real bad first beats today. The first race I was probably 40th around the top but came back to eighth. But in the second race I just did not come back, so I think I got a 30th, something like that, it was deep.
The second race I made too many tacks up the beat and really never ever got any leverage on the fleet, and just never really found my rhythm downwind. I really never made any gains. But that is pretty annoying leading into gold fleet with something like that.
The conditions were perfect, beautiful 10-12kts, great waves downwind and I just never found my rhythm. It was not overly shifty but if you did not find a rhythm you got sucked back into the pack pretty quickly.
I think we all get on well but of course you are always looking over your shoulder to see how the other Kiwis are doing, but there is a really good mentality within the group."
Espey in the Forties at Laser Worlds
Ireland's front runner at the Laser World Championships after six rounds at Hayling Island is James Espey in 47th place from a fleet of 159. Ronan Cull is 148th and Paul McMahon is 154th.
On the strength of two impressive race wins in slightly stronger breezes today off England's Hayling Island Australia's double world champion Tom Slingsby stepped four points clear at the top of the leader-board after six of the eight scheduled Qualifying Races have been sailed.The gentle, and at times fickle minded sea-breezes of the two opening days of racing gave way to a more consistent, ESE'ly wind which averaged around 11-12 knots and peaked at around 14 to offer both fleets, the Standard Senior Men's championship and the Junior Worlds, a brisker and more physical challenge.
But if the winds proved to be more settled in direction there was still no shortage of challenges and traps, not least managing the changing tidal flow of up to one knot. And the choppy, swell made for some fast, enjoyable downwind sailing.
Slingsby attributed part of his success today to his desire to stay super smooth downwind. After a yellow flag penalty for excessive kinetics on Tuesday he commented later that possibly the jury had done him a favour, the penalty was a key to him sailing very smoothly in the choppy waves, and in both races he was well clear of the pack when he took his second and third winning guns of the regatta.
Chasing hard in third overall Skandia Team GBR's Paul Goodison was forced to press his 'recovery mode' into action again today. Deep in the pack in the second race the Olympic and World Champion pulled back to seventh, keeping his world title defence firmly on target with all six of his scores Top 10 finishes.
Goodison shares the same points tally as New Zealand's second placed Joshua Junior who scored a seventh and a fifth today, retaining a level of consistency which he commented was 'a bit of a surprise.' With Michael Bullot lying fourth, the strong, tightly knit Kiwi squad now have four sailors in the top eight.
Austria's Andreas Geritzer, 2004 Olympic silver medallist had taken the overall championships lead after a second in his Race 5, to go 2,1,2 but he was snared in the thick of a raft of boats at the start of the second race and could not get away off the line.
After jumping from 50th after Day 1, to 5th last night, Geritzer lies ninth.
Giacoma Bottoli of Italy has managed to retain one of the most impressively regular set of scores so far. Lying fifth he is the only sailor other than Goodison to have scored the full half dozen top ten finishes.
In the Junior World Championships Italy's Francesco Marrai retained his overall lead today after a fifth and a third, lying two points ahead of Denmark's Thorbjoern Scheirup.
Quotes
Paul Goodison (GBR): " It was a tricky day all in all. I thought with the breeze in that it was going to be a little easier today but it wasn't. It was still quite shifty and the tide played a big part of it. The second race did not quite go quite to plan and I was in the 20's but I had good speed downwind and played the shifts well up the second beat."
"I think with it being such a long regatta it is all about trying to keep in single figures and I've managed to do that so far. I think for me that has been about not taking too many risks and sailing the fleet, but that is not easy because if you do get caught in the middle and it comes in from one side or the other then you do end up in the teens."
Tom Slingsby (AUS): "It was a really good day. There was a lot of current and everyone was really intimidated to get up on the start line but I had good transits and so I was able to start a boat length or two ahead of the boats around me. So I had really good starts, good speed upwind, but I was really fast downwind which is maybe a little out of the ordinary for me. I am usually an upwind specialist but today I was really quick. I am not too sure why. Yesterday I got a yellow flag and that maybe did me some good, I was trying to stay very still and today was a day about being very smooth and rocking really would not have helped you very much."
Joshua Junior (NZL): "The biggest gains were downwind for sure and so if you got to the top mark quite deep then you could really smoke it downwind and pass heaps of boats which was really fun and awesome. I struggled a little upwind.
It was a bit unexpected to do that well today again and really awesome to be up there and doing so awesome. Every regatta I am improving little by little, getting more consistent. Last year I was able to win races but still score the 30ths. Now I seem to be able to get back up to the top ten which is awesome. Over the winter we had some awesome training with seven of us, a couple of months in Auckland. Everyone is really close in training and works really hard."
Laser Standard Senior Men's Championship 2010
Provisional Results after 6 races including 2 discards.
1 Tom Slingsby (AUS) 1,8,(29), 3,1,1, 14pts
2 Joshua Junior (NZL) 3, (22), 1,2,7,5, 18pts
3 P Goodison (GBR) 3,1,(9),4,3,7,18pts
4 M Bullot (NZL) 1,2,5,(13),9,3, 20pts
5 Giacomo Bottolli (ITA), (9),4,3,6,3,8 24pts
6 N Thompson (GBR) 2,3,(25),6,9,7 27pts
7 A Maloney (NZL) 2, (22),4,10,2,11, 29pts
8 A Murdoch (NZL) 6,4,11,2,8, (22) 31pts
9 A Geritzer (AUT) (33) 6,2,1,2,22 33pts
10 L Radelic (CRO) 2,2,(42),1,18,10,33pts
Junior World Championships
1 Francesco Marrai (ITA) 2,3,(7),5,5,3 18pts
2 Thorbjoern Schierup (DEN) 3,36,(19),6,2 20pts
3 Keerati Bulaong (THA) (19),1,10,6,2,4 23pts
4 A Munos (FRA) (14),2,8,4,8,1, 23pts
5 M Kaeldo (DEN) 2,15,1,2,(16),16, 36pts
Wallace, Murphy and Flynn Take Laser Titles on Belfast Lough
In the Standard Rig, Ronan Wallace (Wexford B & TC) took the title from Robert Espey (Ballyholme YC) and Stpehen Mc Lernon (Cushedall SC).
Annalise Murphy (National YC) won the Radial Championships from Philip Doran (Courtown SC) and Tiffany Brien (Ballyholme YC).
Annalise won 4 of the 8 races sailed including all three in the 16-20 knot breeze on Saturday. The National YC sailor becomes the first female sailor to take the Laser Radial Irish National title.
The 4.7 rig was won by John Flynn (Dungarvan SC) from Colm O Regan (Kinsale YC) and Stephen Duke (Courtown SC). The first girl in the 4.7 was Georgina Corbett (LDYC/NYC).
All Quiet at Largs, Penney Drops in Poland
There was no racing for the Laser Radials in Largs, Scotland, yesterday, and with the centre of a weak low sitting over the northern Irish sea today, racing has already been postponed at the venue for today, which means no action for the 15-strong Irish squad attending the event.
Two more races for the sole Irish sailor, Chris Penney, at the Youth Standard Rig Worlds in Gdynia, Poland, however. Penney let slip a 39th-place finish in his group, followed up with a 14th. That means he drops to 42nd overall, still a very respectable position in a 124-boat fleet.
More news on both of these events as we have it.
Could Ireland Host the 2014 Laser Worlds?
As the Laser Worlds Draw to a close in Largs, bidding has opened for venues the 2014 World Championships. The events come in four bands, the Standard Rig Worlds, then the Radial Worlds (incorporating Youth, Ladies' and Men's) and the Masters Worlds. Those three groups are slated for a European venue in 2014, with the Youth Standard Rig and 4.7 championships slated for Asia.
Ireland has hosted the Worlds and Europeans in the past, with the Standard Rigs visiting Cork in 2001, the Radials hitting Ballyholme in 2004 and Dun Laoghaire hosting the 4.7 Europeans.
But could Ireland host the 2014 event?
The bid site is here, with the various bands anticipating different numbers of competitors. The Standard worlds should draw 160 boats, the Radial band closer to 500, and the Masters Worlds as many as 400 sailors.
Thoughts on a suitable Irish venue? Have your say in our forum.
Tie-Break Denies Irish Sailor Bronze
Irish Laser Radial sailor Rory Lynch missed out on a bronze at Warnemunde Woche on countback yesterday, finishing on equal points with Pole, Tadeusz Kubiak.
The Blessington sailor posted a 5,3,4 scoreline in his final three races, but with Kubiak having posted a win earlier in the week, he got third place on the 'most firsts, most seconds' rule.
Compatriot Philip Doran from Courtown score a win in race five and joined Lynch in the top ten overall, finishing eighth in the 144-boat fleet.
The event will be a good indicator of performance ability going into the World Championships at Largs, Scotland, starting on July 20.
Full results for Warnemunde are HERE.
Lasers Prep for World Championships
Ireland's top Laser Radial sailors will head to Scotland starting from today to prepare for the World Championships at Largs. Largs is the home of the RYA's Scottish Sailing Institute, one of the top sailing locations in the British Isles.
The Irish Radial trio of Debbie Hanna, Annalise Murphy and Tiffany Brien will be representing the country at the event, with 119 sailors in the ladies fleet.
An extended youth squad will take part in the Youth World Championships, a 320-boat fleet split into under-19 boys and girls.
The squad consists of: William Byrne, Peter Cameron, Philip Doran, Robbie Gilmore, Ruth Harrington, Luke Hevers, Eoin Keller, Rory Lynch, Henry Mclaughlin, Michael Molloy, Sean Murphy, Matthew O'Dowd, Alan Ruigrok, Saskia Tidey and Ross VaughanRonan Cull, Simon Doran, Aidan McLaverty and Ciaran Hurney will represent Ireland in the men's fleet, with 108 entries.
McLaverty will also race in the Junior World Championships in the full rig fleet in Hayling Island in August, along with Chris Penney.
Details available HERE.
