News Laser World Champ: Day Three - Final

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With four races compete, allowing for one drop), there's more shuffling at the top of the fleet. Nick Thompson of Great Britain remains in first; Tonci Stipanovic of Croatia in second; country mate Milan Vujasinovic has moved to third; Australian Tom Slingsby, the 2007 and 2008 World champion has jumped to fourth; and Austrian Andreas Geritzer has dropped to fifth. Olympic gold medalist Paul Goodison of Great Britain has moved back to sixth.

Racing today has been near perfect with winds up to 22 knots under sunny skies.



Event Website
 
Day Three - Update 1600

There is a significant shift in standings after three races at the 2009 Laser World Championships.

Today's rerun of yesterday's race by the blue fleet has put Nick Thompson of Great Britain in first, dropped Tonci Stipanovic of Croatia to second and moved Olympic gold medalist Paul Goodison of Great Britain into third. Austria's Andreas Geritzer is in fourth and Karol Porozynski is in fifth.

As racing continues on the third day of the 2009 Nautel Laser World Championships in Nova Scotia, conditions on St. Margaret's Bay are near perfect for the 169 athletes from 51 countries. Under sunny skies winds are blowing 16 to 18 knots (31 to 35 kilometres per hour).

Full results can be found by following the link to the right on this homepage.



Event Website
 
Day Three - Update 1400h

It was deja vu for sailors in the blue fleet this morning. They resailed their one and only race from yesterday. The decision was made after a volley of protests following yesterday's racing. Other sailors waited impatiently on land for the signal to launch. They checked e-mails, chatted, and listened to the Nautel Laser World Radio station established specifically for the event.

Within minutes of the signal to launch, they were on the water heading to the race course set up near Queensland beach on the Bay's western shore. Under sunny skies and winds roughly 18 knots, organizers are hoping to get at least two races in today.

The final decision will be made later today, but it is likely racing will be cancelled tomorrow in anticipation of Hurricane Bill, which is forecast to brush Nova Scotia on Sunday night.

There are 169 athletes from 51 countries competing in Standards or Senior portion of the 2009 Nautel Laser World Championships which concludes Wednesday. Registration for the Masters portion of the Laser Worlds begins the next day with racing starting on the 30th of August.



A rough day of sailing yesterday saw two fleets complete two races, but not the third.



Event Website
 
Day Three - Final

Halifax – St. Margaret’s Bay was back to true form for day three of the 2009 Laser Worlds providing ideal conditions for racing and a change in the leader board. Under sunny skies and winds up to 22 knots, Nick Thompson of Great Britain grabbed the lead from Tonci Stipanovic of Croatia.

With five races completed, and one result dropped, there were some new faces in the top five, namely Julio Alsogaray of Argentina in fourth, and Germany’s Philipp Buhl in fifth.

Of significance to the shift in standings among the top sailors was the decision to re-race the third race, sailed on Friday, for one fleet. That single race on Friday proved tricky for the blue fleet which had numerous general recalls with more than 20 sailors, one third of the fleet, black flagged and recorded as not starting. Following protests and hearings the decision was made to allow the race to be re-sailed on Saturday.

The results moved Thompson ahead of Stipanovic, a lead he kept to the end of the day. The re-race also briefly put Olympic gold medalist Paul Goodison of Great Britain into third, only to fall back to sixth after the fourth race and jump back to third after the fifth.

Canada’s Michael Leigh had a second and fifth on Saturday to move into ninth overall. Team mate David Wright is in 25th.

"It was the best day yet," said sailing photographer Metias Capizzano, "Lots of action, waves, wind; some great racing." Capizzano’s pictures of the event are available on the event website at
www.2009laserworlds.org. There will be no racing on day four, Sunday. With Hurricane Bill forecast to brush the Nova Scotia coast on Sunday, bringing with it a three metre surge and winds in excess of 50 knots (100 kilometres per hour), organizers have cancelled racing for the day.

Dozens of volunteer spent Saturday securing equipment and readying the site for the storm. After returning to shore, sailors de-rigged and then helped volunteers store the Laser hulls inside the St. Margaret Sailing Clubhouse and race management centre.

"I guess you could call it battening down the hatches," said event co-chair Rod Millar. "At only four metres long, these Lasers would be flying around in winds of 50 knots. Our best solution was to clear the interior of both buildings and store the hulls inside."

Millar says it’s hoped to get competitors and volunteers back on site at seven Monday morning to unpack the boats and get ready to sail later in the day.

The standard or seniors portion of the 2009 Nautel Laser World Championships conclude on Wednesday. Then there are three days of registration for the Masters portion, before racing begins on the 30th of August. The Laser Worlds wrap on the 5th of September.

Photographs of the event are available for the news media at http://www.capizzano.com/laserworlds2009/index.htm




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