Laser Class 2008 US National Championship Sailing

by Glennon Stratton on 10 Aug 2008 Racing began in great conditions today at the U.S. Laser Nationals Championship hosted by the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. There was 12 knots of breeze at the beginning of race one and it continued to build to 18 knots by the beginning of race three. 180 of the top junior, high school, collegiate, and professional sailors from around the country and Canada have traveled to Long Beach to compete in this championship event.

Leading the way in the Laser Full Rig division is Abe Torchinsky of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. He has a very strong first day with a third place and two first place finishes giving him a total of five points. Following him are Lee Parkhill with 7 points and Derick Vranizan with thirteen points.

Cameron Summers, a Long Beach and Alamitos Bay Yacht Club member, switched from the Laser Radial to the Laser Full Rig for this event. He had a very strong performance in San Francisco where he finished second in the Laser Radial division. Currently, he is in 30th place out of 76 competitors in the Laser Full Rig Division.

The smallest and youngest sailors are racing in Laser 4.7’s. While this class has the least experience, the sailors are racing their hardest to win the national championship. Cameron Hall of St. Petersburg Yacht is leading this class after three races.

There are another 86 sailors competing in the Laser Radial division. This is the Olympic Class for the Women’s Single-handed sailors and is widely used as a training boat for both small men and women junior sailors. Sarah Lihan of Lauderdale Yacht Club is leading the group with 14 points. On her heels are Marco Teixidor with 16 points and Chris Barnard with 18 points.

Racing is scheduled to resume at 12:00 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday. The races will continue throughout each day and conclude at approximately 4:00 P.M. on Sunday. The regatta will be sailed in Laser Full Rigs, Laser Radials, and Laser 4.7’s which are all the same one person racing hull with varying sail sizes. For more information, results and regular updates go to: www.abyc.org.