Day 3 Laser Masters Worlds – A hard day at the off

by Event media on 20 Feb 2008
It did not matter who you spoke to; competitors at the Laser Masters World Championships agreed it was a difficult day that required skill and concentration for Club Marine Day 3 at Terrigal today.

Racing started late due to rain squalls and lack of breeze, but finally Race Officials were able to get a race away in all divisions, to the praise of competitors. Light and shifty breezes meant fleets crossed paths and some overtook others, making life hard for the finish boats. It was a long day and competitors were still coming ashore after 6.00pm.

Disappointment for six sailors today who were penalised for premature starts after a General Recall today. Amongst them, John Jagger (AUS), the leader in the Radial Apprentice coming into today’s racing, was scored (OCS).

James Liebl (USA) came home first in the Radial Apprentice this afternoon to claim the Championship lead. “It was light air – very light, but a square course and fair racing. It wasn’t quite as exciting as we wanted, but a day on the water is a good one,” he said.

Liebl described his day: “I rounded the first weather mark behind Edmund (third placegetter Edmund Tam, NZL), but I passed him on the first reach, then luckily I didn’t have to worry about anyone else. Mother Nature helped me absolutely, no question about it. It’s nice to get a win.”

“I just missed second place, right at the end” said Tam. “Mike Pasco (NZL) ran me down at the last minute. It was a lot lighter than we expected. It was more of an exercise in concentration than anything else. It was hard to keep the boat going. The wind was very tricky. James took the right options and cleared out on us,” he said.

Pasco responded: “Did he tell you he capsized? No? Well he did – and I had to do a 720 penalty on the first reach and dropped two places, but I fought back, then jammed up the tiller extension in my mainsheet block then caught up to finish second. It was one of those days; the wind was all over the place,” he said.

Whilst all that was going on, Alison Casey (AUS) sailed up into second place overall following a solid fifth place in today’s race. The 36 year old Queenslander is nine points off the lead and she has sailed consistently in the top five so far. Richard Bott (AUS), despite a 12th place today, remains in third place overall.

In the Radial Master fleet, Greg Adams’s (AUS) fourth place today has relegated him to second place overall on countback following Stephen Cockerill’s (GBR) win today. With four races put to bed, the two are on equal 12 points in what is shaping up to be a humdinger of a series. One point behind the pair are Mark Orams (NZL) and Chris Raab (USA), also on equal points following second and third places respectively today.

Cockerill’s win was a bonus after he was forced to do a 720 degree penalty, through he says, no fault of his own. “Some people don’t follow the rule of keeping clear, and that’s what happened to me. I am not happy about it,” he said. “It dropped me to third or fourth, but by the leeward mark I was back to second, then dropped to third, but I caught the leader up (Orams) and passed him on the last beat.”

“I got third,” said Chris Raab (USA). “I’m only one point out from the lead, I’ve had all the good breaks, my luck has to run out soon,” he laughed. “It was a very light wind Australian Day. I was looking good in second, but then Mark (Orams) ‘The Terminator’ got me!”

Orams commented: “It was very close. I actually couldn’t tell who was first out of us. It was the sort of race that does your head in. It was really hard and shifty with changes of pressure. In the Radial, you are underpowered suddenly and there’s nothing you can do about it. I’m just grateful to finish in the top 10, because it could easily have been 40th – it was that sort of day.

“In the Radial it’s hard to keep momentum. With the swell it’s hard to read the breeze and where the next shift is coming from. All the top guys sailed exceptionally well. It was intelligent sailing today. We may all be Masters, but there are some really good sailors here,” said 2005 World’s winner Orams.

Despite a 26th place today, Lyndall Patterson (AUS), leads the Women’s Radial Master division from Vanessa Dudley (AUS) who sneaked a few points closer today after finishing 15th. Only eight points away from Patterson, Dudley commented: “I enjoyed my day. I did better than I thought I would in the light stuff.”

Defending champion Peter Heywood (AUS) holds onto his lead in the Radial Grand Master after a fourth finish today, but is on equal 11 points with Brian Watson (AUS) who came home third. The two have a handy nine point break on third placed Lew Verdon did not enjoy the light and finished the day 10th.

Klaus Schmechtig (AUS) grabbed a Grand Master win today, with Josef Maurer (GER) second. Until today, both were around midway in the results, but lift up to the top half of the division following their strong placings.

Maurer commented: “It was very light and difficult to keep the boating moving. It was hard. One of those days when one fold and you lose!”

“It was very light,” said Kerry Waraker in the Radial Great Grand Master division. “It was very difficult to keep the boat going. Peter (Seidenberg) went right early. He crossed the fleet on port tack. He got a marvelous break and stayed there – a mile in front,” he said.

Results, however, show Seidenberg (USA), the leader coming into today, as a DNC and James Quinn (NZL) as the winner of Race 4 today, with Greg Marshall (AUS) second and Kerry Waraker (AUS) third. Overall, this means Waraker leads the Championship on 10 points from Tom Speed (NZL) on 18 and Quinn third on 20 points. This could change pending confirmation of Seidenberg’s DNC.

Reigning world champion Brett Beyer (AUS), yesterday’s overall leader in the Standard Apprentice division scored OCS in today’s Race 3, dropping him off the podium altogether.

“I have a sneaking suspicion I might have been OCS’d – but I don’t know where I might have finished up anyway, because the fleets got mixed in with each other,” Beyer said. His misfortune today cost him dearly. However, once five races are sailed, a race drop will come into play which should return both to the podium in what is becoming a mixed series for many of the top players.

Winning the race, Jyrki Taiminen (FIN) is the new leader of the Apprentice division on six points from Rohan Lord (NZL) who remains second on seven points after finishing second today. Christopher Gowers (GBR) moves up from sixth overall to third after a third place finish.

A third place finish in the Standard Master division has cemented Brad Taylor’s (AUS) place at the top of that scoreboard. On six points, Taylor is four points clear of Jan Scholten (AUS) who scored seventh place and seven points clear of a third Australian, Peter Conde, who finished the day in fifth place.

‘Clogs’ Scholten told: “It was serious brain meltdown stuff. Everyone had the same problem. The Race Committee did well to pull it (racing) off.”

Michael Schreiber (USA) won the Red group today from Tim Landt, also from the USA and Mark Skelton (AUS). “It was very testing. You had to stay very focussed and pay attention the whole time. There were lots of shifts out there. The current was the key downwind today. I love this country. I’m from Florida, so I’m used to light winds,” Landt said.

Malcolm Courts (GBR) pulled off a win in the Yellow group from Charles Tripp (USA), in fact the USA and New Zealand sailors appear to have won the day across the board.

In the Standard Grant Master division, current title holder Mark Bethwaite (AUS) took a tumble from the top of the scoreboard after finishing 49th. Wolfgang Gerz (GER) won Race 3 to claim first spot on seven points from Jack Schlachter (AUS) who moves up the board into second place after finishing th