Hong Kong Laser Class Championships
by Richard Knight on 30 Nov 2010
4.7 on the start line - HK Laser Class Championships Richard Knight
On the 27 and 28 November the Hong Kong Laser Class Association held their annual Championships.
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club hosted the regatta at Middle Island with Tibet Spring Water ensuring the participants didn’t go thirsty.
After two days of racing David Early, Class President said that the weekend had seen the best sailing conditions for these Championships in at least eight years that he has raced in Hong Kong. With 12 to 18knots from ENE in Stanley Bay, it really was champagne conditions for those at the front and somewhat challenging for the rest.
The youth sailors demonstrated their growth in the class with 17 sailors in the 4.7 fleet, while the Radial and Standard fleets each had 10 sailors.
In the Standard Fleet Sam Sakai made sure it wasn’t easy for the defending champion David Early, with David admitting he was taking a somewhat conservative approach keeping on more vang downwind in the fresh breeze. Sam meanwhile was going all out with the controls ‘loose’ flying downwind, although it did cost him with a swim on at least one occasion. David finished up with four bullets and two seconds to take the championship, Sam Sakai was second and Richard Harding third.
The Radial Fleet was a very close contest between the top three sailors with only one point between each place after the first day of racing. The final results were only decided after a protest hearing. Akira Sakai took first place, Lars Schkade second and Kwan Wing Ho in third. Rita Yau Chi Han finished fourth and first female in the fleet.
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In the biggest fleet and with the closest racing it could have been any of the top four sailors who could have taken the championships going into the final 4.7 race. However, it was Nagisa Sakai who secured the championship with a race win, with James Johnston breaking a tie with Rupert Phillips for second by the fact that James had more race wins.
Next weekend most of these sailors will be back out on the water and joined by other dinghy sailors from Hong Kong to compete in ABC’s SouthSide Regatta. Also incorporating day one and two of the Hong Kong Optimist Championships and with over 100 entries it’ll will no doubt provide more close racing.
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Regatta Results http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/article.aspx?a=1491&c=109
Laser Association www.laser.org.hk
ABC SouthSide Regatta http://www.abclubhk.com/event.aspx?eventid=142
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