Laser Radial Youths World Championships Day 1 – Big spread in top 20

Launching from rigging lawn - Laser Youth Worlds 2012 Alaine Neilson /RQYS http://www.rqys.com.au/

Sailing from marina - Laser Youth Worlds 2012 © Alaine Neilson /RQYS http://www.rqys.com.au/

On the water postcard conditions prevailed with bright blue winter skies. The first race was sailed in a 9-14 knot southerly and it eased back 2-3 knots for the second race and went slightly west. Overall conditions were quite shifty with 15 degree shifts happening regularly.

Lawson Willard - Laser Youth Worlds 2012 © Alaine Neilson /RQYS http://www.rqys.com.au/

In the Laser Radials Boys competitors from 14 countries are placed in the top 20.

The two fleets, yellow and blue, will be re-split into Gold and Silver after eight races.

Overall in the under 19’s age group it is tight at the top. The Netherlands Rick Spelde is consistent, leading with 3,2 to be on five points followed closely by Dutch Antilles sailor Just Van Aanholt on six points. Benoit Lagneux from Switzerland is third on seven points followed by Australia’s Ben Walkemever on eight points.

In the under 17’s age group Switzerland’s Lagneux leads with his nearest rivals, Russia’s Maxim Nikolaev and New Zealand’s Cullen Le Roy, both tied on 14 points.

In the Laser Radials Girls there are nine countries represented in the top 20.

After two races the top three girls in the under 19’s age group are Maxime Jonker from the Netherlands, Australian Milly Bennett and Japanese sailor Hitomi Murayama. Jonker won the first race then scored an eighth place and is on nine points, followed by Bennett on 13 and Murayama on 14 points.

Emily Carstairs - Laser Youth Worlds 2012 © Alaine Neilson /RQYS http://www.rqys.com.au/

In the under 17’s age group USA’s Lindsey Baab is at the top with 22 points, three points ahead of British sailor Ellie Cumpsty. Australia’s Louise Evans in third on 29 points.

There were lots of smiles in the boat park after the completion of the day’s racing.

Lawson Willard from San Francisco didn’t sail yesterday in the blustery conditions, but was happy today. He said, ‘it was super flat out there. In San Francisco you get a fair amount of waves especially if you go up to the bridge so I’m used to that. Sailing here is really flat – it’s a lot different.’ Lawson sailed well and was fairly happy with his twelfth and ninth placings but is expecting to do better as the series progresses.

Emily Carstairs from Brisbane explained ‘There were some big shifts and some smaller shifts and if you tried to find them all you ended up in the middle of the pack, so it was just taking the chance, finding the wind wherever it was and keeping a clear way.’

Emily continued ‘All the Australians were pretty close together so it was good having the international sailors with us.’ Emily said the racing was tight. ‘It was pretty close racing – it was very up and down. One minute you could be near the top and the next minute you could be nearly dead last.’

Mahia Pepper - Laser Youth Worlds 2012 © Alaine Neilson /RQYS http://www.rqys.com.au/

About the conditions Emily said, ‘It was a bit different to yesterday. Yesterday was good fun – it would have been cool if it was like that again. I don’t think anyone went swimming today.’

Emily has been sailing for three years and this is her first world championship. After a 19th and 27th place Emily is 25th overall.

New Zealand is well represented at this regatta.

Mahia Pepper from Murrays Bay in Auckland is sailing well. He finished 19th in the first race, third in the second, and is 19th overall. Pepper is hoping his first race will be his overall series drop.

‘The competition was pretty good, quite hard, the starts were pretty intense.’

Mahia and his father Michael, have been camping on the grounds at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. With saturated sleeping bags and pillows from the first day’s deluge, last night Mahia and his father were hoping their gear would have dried out ahead of today’s racing.

The scheduled start time for race 3 of the Laser Radial Youth World Championships on Saturday 30 June is 13:00.

Racing at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron continues until July 4.

Top twenty results - Girls:

Rigging lawn - Laser Youth Worlds 2012 © Alaine Neilson /RQYS http://www.rqys.com.au/

Related Articles

UpWind by MerConcept announces 7 female athletes
For the inaugural season of Ocean Fifty Racing After four days of physical and mental tests, individual interviews, and on-water racing, seven female athletes have been selected to join the very first UpWind by MerConcept racing team.
Posted today at 1:43 pm The price of heritage
A tale of a city, three towns but one theme, from dinghy historian Dougal Henshall The meeting in question took place down at the National Maritime Museum at Falmouth and saw the 1968 Flying Dutchman Gold Medal winning trio of Rodney Pattisson, Iain MacDonald-Smith and their boat Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious brought back together.
Posted today at 12:00 pm Last Chance for 2024 Olympic Qualification
Starting this weekend at the Semaine Olympique Française The Last Chance Regatta, held during the 55th edition of Semaine Olympique Française (Franch Olympic Week) from 20-27 April in Hyères, France, is as it says – the last chance.
Posted today at 5:42 am 35th Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta Day 1
Easy start to an exciting week The 35th Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta got off to a slow start today with unusual calm southerly winds which prompted the race committee to shorten the Old Road course.
Posted today at 3:49 am First six OGR finishers all Whitbread veterans
Whitbread yacht Outlaw AU (08) crosses the finish line at 13:39 UTC to claim the Adelaide Cup Former Whitbread yacht Outlaw AU (08) crosses the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes finish line at 13:39 UTC, 18th April after 43 days at sea ranking 6th in line honours and IRC for Leg 4.
Posted on 18 Apr Clipper Race fleet set to arrive in Seattle
After taking on the North Pacific Ocean Over 170 non-professional sailors, including 25 Americans, are on board a fleet of eleven Clipper Race yachts currently battling it out in a race across the world's biggest ocean and heading for the Finish Line in Seattle.
Posted on 18 Apr Alegre leads the search for every small gain
Going into 2024 52 Super Series season The first of the two new Botin Partners designed TP52s to be built for this 52 Super Series season, Andy Soriano's Alegre, is on course to make its racing debut at 52 Super Series Palma Vela Sailing Week.
Posted on 18 Apr Trust A+T: Best in Class
Positive feedback from this Caribbean racing season Hugh Agnew recently sailed with SY Adela under Captain Greg Perkins in the Antigua Superyacht Challenge. They went on to win the Gosnell's Trophy - a great result.
Posted on 18 Apr 10 years of growth and international success
J/70 celebrates its 10th anniversary With nearly 1,900 hulls built and National Class Associations in 25 countries, the J/70 is the largest modern sport keelboat fleet in the world.
Posted on 18 Apr America's Cup Defender christened "Taihoro"
Cup Defender named “To move swiftly as the sea between both sky and earth.” In a stirring ceremony, Iwi Ngati Whatua Orakei gifted and blessed the name ‘Taihoro' on the boat that Emirates Team NZ will sail in their defence of the 37th America's Cup. The launch event took place at the Team's base in Auckland's Wynyard Point.
Posted on 18 Apr