Laser European and World Championships - Finnish sisters on form

by Laser Europeans 2013 on 3 Sep 2013 At the Laser European and World Championships, with a relatively promising forecast for the week, Monday looks like it will be breezy with plenty of wind out on the race areas. It is likely to moderate a little in the afternoon, but it should be pretty brisk. The winds are just south of west again and in the mid-teens with some more in the gusts.

In the Women’s Laser Radial fleet the Finnish sisters Heidi and Tuula Tenkanen made a great start to their championship yesterday. Heidi, younger by two years, won both races in the Blue fleet, with her sister Tuula was second in both races. 'I had a great first day. I had good speed and good tactics on the upwinds and after that it was easy. I am happy today because it is windy,' Heidi recalled this morning at the National Yacht Club where the strong Finnish Laser Radial squad are based.

'In the first race I had a bad start but then got into the shifts and took them and I was first by the upwind mark.'

'This is much better than I expected to do, because I have never won a race in the Women’s fleet before. I am very happy.'

'I think there were a lot of mistakes made by others. They were left a bit behind. Even if I am a bit slow in the downwinds then they could not catch me. Normally my sister is a little better but she had two second places yesterday which is not too bad at all.'

'We sailed the same boats, starting in Optimists and then moving to Laser 4.7s and then to the Radial. She changed a little before me because she is two years older.'

In the Men’s Laser Radial World Championship it is Ireland’s Fionn Lyden from the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) Academy who leads – on countback – with a second and first with the same points as Australia’s Tristan Brown, whilst Finn Lynch, also an ISA Academy sailor, is third.

Laser Europeans 2013