Laser Radial Youth World Championship at Kieler Yacht Club - Day 1
by Kieler Woche 21 Aug 2018 15:56 NZST
18-25 August 2018
101 sailors from 30 nations sailing in Kiel for the World Cup title. Here the Frenchwoman Alix Devineau and the Russian Valeriya Lomatschenko make a good start. Venessa Gregor from the German youth national team is still reserved © Gel
The waves and winds of 15 to 17 knots let the dinghies dance on the water on Monday for the first races of the Laser Radial Youth World Championships in Kiel Schilksee and lifted them around marks. They went onto the downwind with quite some speed. Who had to give way to others, was fighting not to capsize. Laura Schewe (Kiel), Josh Armit (NZL) and Ludvig Lindqvist (SWE) did handle the conditions the best.
While Emma Savlon from the Netherlands could keep Laura Schewe at bay in the first race of the day and win, she was disqualified in the second race and thus was on rank 47 overall after the first day. Laura Schewe however did not make any mistakes and improved her result in the second race, did win it and is now also leading the fleet in the overall ranking. "It could have not been much better. The conditions were really nice. The waves were challenging", said the sailor from Kiel about the day. According to Schewe, it is new to her to start the next day as the leading sailor in the fleet, but she wanted to concentrate on the fact, that the next day is a new day with two new races and different conditions.
"I had a good first race", explained Emma Savlon, second at the World Sailing Youth Worlds in Corpus Christi (USA). And while she also had a good start in the second race, she decided to go to the wrong side on the second upwind and thus did loose places. "That was a stupid mistake", she added. On top of that, she was disqualified and thus slipped down to rank 47 overall. For the two races on the next day, she is aiming for constant races and placements among the top three. "This might not really be that easy." Since the conditions in Kiel are more difficult than in Texas a few weeks ago.
The Russian sailor Valeriya Lomatchenko is currently on rank two, on rank three is Ana Moncardo Sanchez from Spain. On rank four overall is Julia Buesselberg, who finished both races on rank four. Among the first 20 are also Vanessa Gregor (17), Carolin Mueller (19) and Theresa Wierschin (20).
Josh Armit, who just won the World Sailing Youth Worlds in Corpus Christi a few weeks ago, was not really satisfied. It was a decent, but not a really good day. He was happy about the stronger winds and did travel to Kiel to learn and give his best. "If I feel well in the regatta, I know that I am sailing well." Today he made some mistakes, he admitted. But this was leaving room for improvement for the next day according to the young sailor from New Zealand. But the result was nevertheless quite good. After a first and third place in the two qualification races of the day, Armit is leading the fleet in the overall ranking after the first day. "It was quite a bit warmer than during the Kiel Week", he said about the day on the water. Armit is sharing the leader's position with Ludvig Lindqvist from Sweden, who also finished on places one and three. Julian Hoffmann is right behind them. After a rank four in the first race, he won the second one.
"It is a challenge to just have a small team, since we do not have the support like the big teams", explained Arthit Mikhall Romanyk from Thailand. He did travel to Kiel together with his sister - the only sailors from Thailand starting in Kiel. But there was some support left for them after all. They do not just train together with the Australian team, but also are on site together with the sailors from Australia. To get into the Gold fleet is the goal for Arthit Mikhail Romanyk. And after the first day he is optimistic, that he can reach this goal: "It was really windy today. That was good for me, since I am a bit heavier." He is currently in a good position, since he is on rank five after the first day on the water. His sister Janisara Sasha (rank 54) was really happy: "This is the best place, where I have ever sailed." It is her first time in Kiel, for her brother it is the second time. They have been sailing together for six years. "It is good teamwork, and Mikhall is also my coach and looking after me."
Results can be found here.