Neil Pryde UKLA National and Open Laser Championships – Day 3 overall

by UKLA on 6 Aug 2015 Neil Pryde UKLA National and Open Laser Championships – Today’s forecast of high winds and high swell for the west of Cornwall proved to be correct as the sailors were greeted with both when they arrived at the beach this morning.

At its peak, the wind was approximately 25 knots in the morning, but it dropped gradually during the afternoon to about 18 knots. Another important factor to take into consideration was the fact a discard was applied after yesterday’s racing, meaning all the competitors were able to drop their worst score.

Due to difficulties in setting a course, all three fleets were held ashore this morning until the wind had settled. The Standards were released first and made their way to the racecourse. Once they had arrived safely, the yellow and then blue Radial fleets were released before the 4.7s were allowed to launch. All the sailors had to battle their way through the surf on the beach before starting the sail to the racing area.

With a strong swell of 2–3m coming in from one direction and wind-blown chop coming from another it made for some interesting racing. During the racing, strong winds and big waves resulted in a few capsizes throughout all three fleets and the downwind legs proved particularly challenging.

In the Standard fleet, the rivalry between GBR Sailing Team members Martin Evans and Jack Wetherell continued. In today’s conditions, Martin came out on top with two firsts, with Jack coming second in both races. This means that Martin is now back on top of the leader board.

Martin Evans said, ‘Everybody had read the forecast and knew it would be a day of big breeze, big waves and big physical effort. The entire fleet seemed anxious to get on the water for the exciting conditions – even those who had a bad day still seemed to enjoy the thrill of the wind and waves. The big side swell coupled with the wind-blown waves made the sea state messy which, combined with the surprisingly gusty and shifty wind made the racing more than a pure speed drag race. Ken did a great job to get the starts off successfully and quickly allowed the sailors to make the most of the windy conditions. Personally, I love the breeze. The windier and wavier the better for me! I was a notch ahead of the rest of the fleet in terms of boat speed meaning I could sail away from the fleet on the shifts and extend to some very comfortable wins. Really pleased to achieve a perfect day!’

Hannah Snellgrove only won one of her races in the Radial fleet, having won all her previous races, but she still managed to come second in the second race of the day! She remains in the overall lead of the Radial fleet with Ben Elvin still in second.

Defending Radial National Champion, Jon Emmett, had a much better today after yesterday’s black flag. As a result of the flag, he was much more conservative in today’s starts. However, in the first race for the Radial blue fleet, he tacked off to the right on a shift after the start and from then on led all the way round to the finish. In the second race, Jon decided to start at the Committee Boat (no chance of being over the line). Unfortunately, the wind went left after he tacked off and he found himself near the back of the fleet. However, by working hard throughout the race he managed to finish in third. Grand Master Jeff Loosemore showed everyone how it should be done and led all the way round. Jon Emmett said, ‘The day was pretty physical, but I was surprised how shifty it was.’

The 4.7 fleet saw a new name in the line honours today with Douglas Calder taking a win in the first race. Meanwhile, Benno Marstaller resumed his winning streak by winning the second race. Gethin Owen was Mr Consistent with two second places, meaning he maintains his third place overall. Alex Butler, yesterday’s top performer remains in second.

First race winner, Douglas Calder said, ‘Despite the challenging conditions, I managed to win the race, with Gethin Owen just behind in second place. The conditions were similar in the second race of the day, the wind dying a little towards the end. Benno Marstaller finished in first and Gethin Owen in second. It was a great day with challenging conditions, and I was really pleased to win the first race of the day.’

All the sailors seemed to enjoy their time on the water and are looking forward to tomorrow’s racing. However, with another big forecast, it looks like conditions will have to be assessed on the day!

Results:

Standard
1- Martin Evans, 7 points
2- Jack Wetherell, 9 points
3- James Gray, 21 points

Radial
1- Hannah Snellgrove, 5 points
2- Ben Elvin, 11 points
3- Tim Brow, 11 points

4.7
1- Benno Marstaller, 6 points
2- Alex Butler, 16 points
3- Gethin Owen, 16 points