Laser Worlds Masters Day 4 – we should have been here yesterday!!

by Laser World Masters Championships media on 15 Mar 2012 Yesterday was a lay-day at the Performance Sailcraft sponsored Laser World Masters Championships 2012 being sailed from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron on Brisbane’s Moreton Bay.

Quite numbers of the sailors and their families yesterday enjoyed a beautiful day with the dolphins and sea turtles across the Bay at Tangalooma. Amongst those was New Zealand Laser Radial Master sailor Professor Mark Orams, who in 1992 set up the original detailed study of the families of blue noses dolphins there. Yesterday he introduced his wife and two children to seven of the original the dolphins children and grandchildren; the pod continues to be studied so the relationships are all known.

In other words it would have been, as is often the case with lay days, a glorious sailing day.

Sadly today it was not a good sailing day.

On the morning of day 4 of competition there was driving rain, which quickly cleared. Out on Brisbane’s Moreton Bay it appeared to be a typical autumn day with a steady 10 knot breeze blowing.

As the fleet left the dock there was bright sunshine but out to sea heavy clouds loomed. The wind was not settling and low cloud swept crossed the course at very regular intervals.

The Laser Standard Apprentice fleet was gunned away but the race was abandoned when the fleet was just half way up the first beat, after a 30 degree shift to the left.

The Laser Standard Masters course was set at 125 but the squalls were coming through at 50. The three attempts made to start the race were all halted in their start sequence.

On Alpha course Race Officer Louise David managed to get one Laser Radial Apprentice start but a 45 degree shift meant that too was blown off.

PRO Kevin Wilson advised the fleet that racing was abandoned for the day just after 3pm, with the AP over A flags.

Back at the club Wilson advised ‘We have scheduled tomorrow’s starts for the Laser Standard Rig and 4.7’s from 11.00am and the Radials at 11:30am and we are aiming for three races, with the same on Saturday.

‘However we are mindful this is not a fleet of young Olympians but mature adults. If its light to medium then we can manage three races but if there is up pressure, then three races will not be what they came for, so we are in the hands of the weather as always.’

‘For us the highlight of the day today on the finish boat was when bringing up the anchor, we fouled another chain and then brought up a second anchor. It was very muddy so we ended up the same - it’s obviously been there for quite some time.’

Weather gods willing, three more races will be completed tomorrow, Friday 16 March, and three more on Saturday when the Laser World Masters Championships for 2012 will come to a close.

For full results of all Divisions please visit http://www.rqys.com.au/index.php/2012-world-laser-masters-championship

All the news at www.lasersailing.com.au

Event website http://www.rqys.com.au/index.php/2012-australian-laser-masters-championship