Laser Radial Youth World Championship at Kieler Yacht Club - Preview

The Swiss Gauthier Verhulst did use the whole Kiel Week for preparation - first of all the Radial Open in the first part and then the Laser Radial men's World in the second part of the event © Sascha Klahn / Kiel Week

There is no other dinghy as internationally spread as the Laser class. The 4.23 metre long boat is just as suitable for young sailors as for the Olympic sailors. That's why this class fits perfectly in Kiel, explained the Head of Organization of the Kieler Yacht Club regattas, Dirk Ramhorst, looking at the Laser Radial Youth World Championships taking place in Kiel Schilksee from 18 until 25 August.

Within two years, the Laser Class Association has already handed over the World Championship four times to be hosted in Kiel. The Worlds of the young 4.7 sailors and the Laser Radial U21 Worlds in 2016 as well as the Radial men's Worlds at Kiel Week already took place this year, and the Laser Radial Youth World Championships (U-19) are now following.

More than 370 sailors between 15 and 18 years from 44 nations will be dominating the scene in the North of Kiel during those eight days. After the measurement, the Worlds will start off with an opening ceremony on Sunday, 19th August, before twelve tough World Championship races are held during the six days of competition with two races scheduled per day.

270 male sailors from 42 nations are on the registration list. The German fleet as the hosting nation is the biggest fleet with 39 young sailors, followed by the British with 23 participants.

Julian Hoffmann (born 2002) come home from the Youth Sailing World Championships (YSWC) at Corpus Christi/USA with a rank of ninth. The student from the Sports High School in Obersdorf, where normally winter athletes are enrolled, knows the sailing territory in Kiel really well. Gauthier Verhulst also examined the sailing territory in Kiel in detail. The Swiss sailor (born 2001) even used the whole Kiel Week to get prepared for the U-19 Worlds. In the first part of the event, the 16-year old finished ninth at the Laser Radial Open, in the Laser Radial Worlds he was 27th. In August, the Swiss sailor will be also fighting for the U-17 title.

Among the favourites are also Josh Armit from New Zealand, who won in Corpus Christi by twelve points in front of Juan Cardozo from Argentina and the current World Champion at the Laser Radial Men's Zac Littlewood (Australia). It was perfect preparation for the Youth World Championship in Kiel for Armit. "It feels great to win this regatta. I learned much this week and had the opportunity to test different things in this fleet", said Armit after the YWSC victory in the USA.

Among 101 participants from 30 nations in total, Germany is also sending the biggest fleet of female sailors with 17 participants to Kiel. Great Britain is following with ten participants, Italy with nine and the Netherlands with eight starters.

German hopes are pinned on: Julia Buesselberg from Berlin, who did come back to Kiel with a rank nine from the Youth Sailing Worlds Championships in the USA - photo © OKpress

Just like Julian Hoffmann, Julia Buesselberg also returned from the USA with a rank ninth. The 18-year old sailor already won the Junior World Championship at the YES regattas on the Whitsun weekend in Kiel.

The international competitors in the girls' fleet also already got prepared on the sailing area of Kiel. In total, there were 13 young sailors from nine nations, who used Kiel Week as a regatta training for the Worlds of the young sailors. In the top class Olympic fleet, the young sailors were mainly at the back of the fleet, but Julia Rogalska from Poland made it to 34th and thus was in the top half of the fleet.

On top of that, it will be a meet-up in Kiel of the girls who participated in the Youth Sailing Worlds Championships in Corpus Christi in July. 22 YSWC starters will also be in Kiel, among them nine young sailors from the top ten, demonstrating the high quality of the Laser Radial Youth World Championships.

Dirk Ramhorst is looking forward to the new cooperation with the Laser Class Association. "This is a matching the high-class of the Kieler Yacht Club with Maior, YES and Kiel Week. The Laser Worlds are automatically creating a high number of participants and level of internationality." said the Head of Organization. And the clerk of the International Laser Class Association, Randolph Bertin, added: "Kiel is offering excellent organization and perfect conditions." The proven crew around Dirk Ramhorst and the agency Point of Sailing are ready to offer excellent conditions for fair races to the youth sailors between 15 and 18 years.

The registration lists can be found here.

Results of the regatta will be here.