Please select your home edition
Edition
Mackay Boats 728x90 TOP

Laser Qualifier at Hastings & St Leonards Sailing Club

by James Gray 7 Oct 2007 23:51 PDT 6-7 October 2007

Forty-one Laser standards made the journey to Hastings for the final UK qualifier of 2007, and the last chance to qualify for the World championships due to take place in Australia in February 2008. The sailors were greeted with a chilly easterly 15-18 knot breeze with the tide flowing from east to west along the Hastings shoreline.

Race 1 - Max Holloway led from Paul Goodison at the windward mark having emerged from the right of the leading bunch who were trying to gain from a slacker tide on the left of the course and some favoured port tack shifts. The tide, taking the sailors downwind, made overtaking difficult. Goodison used his superior downwind speed to ease away from the pack and take his first victory of the event. Holloway sailed a consistent race finishing ahead of Nick Thompson who took third after a blistering last downwind leg. Rob Godwin finished 4th ahead of James Gray who completed the top 5.

Race 2 - Saw the leaders emerge from the port end of the start line. Goodison, in impressive form, was amongst the leaders at the windward mark and again used his downwind edge to good advantage. Goodison sailed away from the fleet to take his second victory, leaving the rest of the pack to battle for the remaining places. Thompson eased away from Rob Godwin and Dan Belben, who had made some big gains on the upwind legs. Thompson took 2nd, Godwin 3rd, Belben 4th, and youth sailor Eifion Mon taking 5th, positioning himself well against his pursuers.

Race 3 - The tide was starting to change, causing the sea conditions to increase to a 3 foot rolling swell. The leaders emerged from the left of the course. Bar the top three boats, Goodison, Thompson, and Godwin, the UK’s up and coming youth stars filled the rest of the top 10. Among the group were Alex Mills-Barton, Rob Spencer, and Phil Reynolds, all who showed impressive downwind speed during the race. Goodison completed a clean sweep on day one taking his third victory, ahead of Thompson and Godwin, following on from their top threes in the previous race. Greg Carey sailed a consistent race finishing 4th ahead of Belben who gained on the final beat using some precise shift work.

Race 4 - Following a gruelling Saturday, a 7-10 knot northeasterly breeze presented the sailors with testing tactical conditions. Goodison and Thompson had a great battle with youth sailors Stuart Godwin and Evan Scott who were making life difficult for the UK number one and two. Thompson got the better of Goodison in this one taking his first victory. Goodison finished 2nd ahead of Stuart Godwin who held off the chase from Ian McKeeman having sailed an excellent last run, demoting James Gray to 5th place. Scott unfortunately found that he had been OCS at the end of the race.

Race 5 - The wind had shifted right providing some tactical racing for the competitors who were trying to sail from gust to gust taking advantage of the presented shifts. Thompson led at the windward mark having picked the left hand side of the course. Using his downwind speed advantage, he sailed away from the fleet to secure his second consecutive victory. Evan Scott, Rob and Stuart Godwin, and Gray enjoyed a close battle on the second beat, closely followed by Spencer and McKeeman who had bridged a large gap on the first two reach legs. Scott held off the chasers to take an impressive 2nd, ahead of Rob Godwin, who got the better of Gray at the leeward mark, having been in a closely fought race with his brother Stuart and Gray for the majority of the race. Gray held onto 4th just ahead of Stuart Godwin who capped off a great day with his second top five result.

Thanks to Hastings SC for putting on such an enjoyable event. Thanks Ken Falcon for providing some great racing and Dot Beadsworth and the shore team for sorting logistics. Well done to all those who qualified for the World Championships. See you all in the spring.

Overall Results:

1st Paul Goodison 5pts
2nd Nick Thompson 6pts
3rd Rob Godwin 13pts
4th James Gray 25pts
5th Dan Belben 27pts

Click here for full results and Ladder standings.

Related Articles

Solo and Laser open at Middle Nene
After a more than a 15 year break, these classes are together again After a more than a 15 year-long break, Middle Nene SC has re-introduced the joint Open Meeting for the Solo and Laser (ILCA) classes, and 19 competitors from MNSC and Cransley SC made the most of the near-perfect conditions on 31st May 2025. Posted on 3 Jun
Salcombe Yawls and ILCAs at Salcombe
Battling the elements in a blustery bank holiday bash The late May Bank Holiday once again saw the iconic Salcombe Yawls take to the water for the Stones Boatyard Yawl Open Meeting—a fixture now synonymous with top-class racing, fierce competition, and of course, the legendary Yeti prizes. Posted on 2 Jun
2025 Lypo-C Enoshima Olympic Week
Next-generation sailors and Olympians clash in international waters The 2025 Lypo-C Enoshima Olympic Week concluded after three days of high-level competition, bringing together 302 boats from five countries and highlighting both Olympic-calibre talent and rising youth sailors. Posted on 1 Jun
Poole Week Revitalised For 2025
New race teams and new courses for the summer's big event How do you make a great sailing week even better, without losing the elements that have always made it a great sailing week? Posted on 24 May
Get your Early Bird Abersoch Dinghy Week entry in
This ever popular family week is open to all dinghy classes and fleets Entries are now over 60 boats registered, so thanks to all of you who have entered so far, but if you want to save a few bucks please enter before the early bird rate comes to an end on the 1st June. Posted on 24 May
RCIYC Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta
Superb conditions were the order of the day in Jersey Superb conditions were the order of the day for the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club's Nick Cousins Memorial Spring Regatta held in St Aubin's Bay over Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th May. Posted on 22 May
ILCA 7 Spanish National Championship
Marc O'Connor takes the victory in Ibiza The final day of the Spanish ILCA 7 Class Championship concluded with three more races completed in a thrilling finish, bringing the total to ten valid races over the four days of competition. Posted on 19 May
Kai Marks Dasent Sponsored Sail Fundraiser
Raising money for Hurricane-Affected Students from Union Island Secondary School Young Sailor Kai Marks Dasent Sails from St. Vincent to Mustique to Launch Fundraising Campaign for Hurricane-Affected Students from Union Island Secondary School and Vincy Sailing Team. Posted on 19 May
The Shrink in the Drink
A world first book launch, perhaps? Andrew Hill-Smith was the third person to sail around GB in a Laser dinghy. He was the oldest person to do so, totally unsupported. It took 4 half months, and in the process, he raised over £21,000 across three charities. Posted on 18 May
Littlewood claims bronze in ILCA7 Worlds
It was a tale of two winds that decided the World Champions Zac Littlewood has claimed a bronze medal at the ILCA 7 World Championships in Qingdao, China, after an intense and unpredictable week of racing. Posted on 17 May
Palm Beach Motor YachtsPredictWind - GPS 728x90 BOTTOMDoyle_SailWorld_728X90px_cruise BOTTOM