Laser 4.7 World Championships race win to Ben Walkemeyer
by Peter Campbell on 1 Aug 2011
Ben Walkemeyer (to windward) and Dylan Gore sailing on San Francisco Bay - Laser 4.7 Championships 2011 Richard Scarr
West Australian Ben Walkemeyer today notched up the first win by an Australian sailor at the Laser 4.7 World Championships, taking out heat 7 in his fleet on San Francisco Bay.
The win has lifted Walkemeyer back up the leader board to 12th overall, despite a 22nd in heat 8. His results so far have been 7-2-11-12-9-(23)-1-22.
Apart from a third placed Japanese sailor, Ben is the only non-European in the top dozen, with New Zealander Keith Inglis one place back.
Today was the first when neither of the two top-placed Spanish sailors won a heat, although they still hold a commanding lead in the 112 boat fleet.
Of the other Australians, Nicholas Connor (NSW) is 25th with an 11th and a 34th today. He is also fifth placed 16-year-old sailor in the fleet. Dylan Gore (Tas) is 38th (14-27 today), Max Vos (NSW) 44th (30-bfd), Kailas Johnson (Tas) 54th (22-18), Nelson Brown (Tas) 69th (29-37) and 13-year-old Jock Sturrock 72nd (ocs-32) but still 13th overall among under 16 year olds.
The girls are still sailing their seventh and eighth heats of their Laser 4.7 world championship.
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