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Lock up
your grandmothers, mothers and daughters – the Laser
Masters World’s sailors have come to town - and although
the locals may have been impressed by the 160 boats that
sailed in the Laser World Championship at Terrigal this past
week, they won’t know what has hit them when the 367
sailors in the Masters event take to the water tomorrow for
the opening Reef Restaurant Races 1 and 2 of the 12 race
series.
Sailors
from around the globe have once more converged on The Haven
at the Terrigal Trojan Rugby Club; the Club’s oval again
being used to house a Laser fleet in what competitors are
referring to as ‘the real World’s’!
Apart
from Australia; Canada, Dominican Republic, Finland, France,
Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA and
Zimbabwe are represented.
The fleet
is broken into Laser Standard; Apprentice (35 years plus),
Master (45 plus) and Grand Master (55 plus). Laser
Radial; Apprentice (35 plus), Master (45 plus), Grand Master
(55 plus) and Great Grand Master (65 plus). The
Standard Master makes up the most entries with 102, so will
obviously be the most competitive.
Amongst
the newcomers is Radial Master competitor Sally Gordon
(AUS), a yachtswoman who picked up Laser sailing six months
ago. Gordon has 14 Sydney-Hobart races with an overall
win under her belt, but weighing in at under 60 kilos, she
is likely to find sailing at her first world championship
tiring.
“My
parents live at Avoca and they’ll be sitting at the
Skillion (overlooking the course area) every day watching
me. “I’m really looking forward to it, as are all
of us from Double Bay. We came up here in convoy and
have been training in the lead-up to the World’s,” she
said.
Matthias
Bruehl (GER) is back for another go after his Apprentice
Radial fourth place finish at last year’s World’s.
“I’ve done two Masters World’s. I finished
better than I expected last year,” said Bruehl continuing
“This is my first time here. It will be interesting
– the high waves and swell. I’m more used to light
conditions.”
New
Zealander Ian Wallace is a newcomer to the Masters
World’s. “I simply haven’t the time. I
sail three to four times a week at home in Auckland; I do
all of the competitions there. We regularly go out in
20-25 knots plus and we tend to get a lot of high winds.
We’re not used to the big swell though,” the Standard
Grand Master entrant said.
“The
venue looks very nice and it is a very well organised
regatta. I am absolutely looking forward to these
Championships. There’s quite a lot of people from
Auckland sailing here and around 55 from New Zealand in
total. I’ll get some revenge from the National’s
we had in January,” laughed Wallace.
Urban
Hagelin (ESP) is here after competing in Spain last year.
“I ended up ninth in the Apprentice Radial. I’ve
never sailed in Australia before. It’s been a long
time since I sailed in waves like they have here in
Terrigal. It will be interesting, especially downwind;
I think you could make big gains there – or big losses.
We will see,” Hagelin commented.
“I’m
originally from Sweden, so I sailed in these sorts of
conditions there, but I’ve lived in Spain for a while now,
so I will have to get used to them all over again,” he
said.
Martin
Lodge, an Englishman living in and representing Hong Kong is
having his first Australian competition. “I sailed
the World’s in Spain last year and in Korea in 2006.
We don’t get very strong winds or big waves in Hong Kong.
“It’s
a bit of a learning curve here. I went out yesterday
and today to loosen up a bit. I watched Brett Beyer
(the winner) last year – at a distance,” Lodge laughed.
“That’s one of the best parts of the World’s – the
level of competition and watching the good guys and learning
from them. I’m learning all the time.
“I
wasn’t happy with my settings yesterday and Brett helped
set me up. I’m really looking forward to the racing,
but a few of us will struggle if it gets to the 20-25 knot
range,” lamented Lodge.
Reigning
champion Beyer (AUS) heads the line up in the Standard
Apprentice fleet after dominating with an unsurpassed
record five World’s wins; the last four in succession.
A
supremely fit Laser Olympic coach, Beyer spends much time
training offshore “it suits me,” he says. He will
be right at home in the tough conditions with big swell and
waves Terrigal is renowned for.
Of
the 20 women entered in the Radials, six-time Women’s
Radial Masters world champion (’99, ’03, ’04, ’05,
’06 and ‘07) Lyndall Patterson (AUS) is the standout.
Competing against her is second placegetter from 2007 Jan
Kemp (AUS) and 2006 Women’s Radial Apprentice winner,
Christine Bridge (AUS) who moves into the Masters category
this year.
Recently
returned to Laser sailing after a 20 plus year absence,
Vanessa Dudley (AUS), better known these days as an offshore
helmswoman, joins the three. The Australian Sailing
editor put in good practice time at the Sydney International
Regatta in December and at Sail Melbourne in January.
Many will have read her recently added amusing column about
her return to the class.
On
paper, Greg Adams (AUS), the reigning champion and 2006
Radial Master winner is the one to beat. The
Queenslander puts in plenty of practice time and was an
early arrival at this event, out practicing to get things
just right during the coming week.
Renowned
skiff and sports boat sailor Peter Sorensen (AUS) has signed
on. A winner of IRC yacht Division 2 at Skandia
Geelong Week in January, ‘Sorro’ is entered in the
Radial Great Grand Master division. He will go head to
head with 2006 world champion Kerry Waraker (AUS) who was
defeated for the title by Peter Seidenberg (USA) last year.
The American is in Terrigal to defend his title.
Tracy
Usher (USA), the Standard Master 2006 runner up is competing
here at Terrigal, hopeful of bettering his seventh place
last year, and countryman and 2006 bronze finisher Mark Bear
will compete too. They will be joined by the 1979
Laser World’s runner-up Peter Conde, the first Australian
to make it to a podium finish in the class.
Olympian
and four-time Standard Grand Master world’s winner (’03,
’04, ’05, 07) Mark Bethwaite (AUS) will defend his title
against the 1997 and 2006 winner Doug Peckover (USA) and
second placed Michael Nissen (GER) .
Peter
Heywood (AUS) is here to defend his Radial Grand Masters
crown and 2007 Standard Grand Master fourth placegetter,
Jack Schlachter (AUS), is back for another try.
Other
‘Aussies in the mix include Radial Apprentice Sean
Kirkjian (AUS) a yachting, keelboat and Laser Radial
champion. Holder of Radial titles during the 1990’s,
Kirkjian wants to better his previous best Worlds fourth
finish. Yachtsman of note, Jan ‘Clogs’ Scholten,
recently seen getting in valued practice at Sail Melbourne,
is in the Standard Masters along with Mark ‘Freddy’
Phillips, Larry Kliest and Simon Grosser, all from
Australia.
Rob
Lowndes, the Laser World’s chairman is also entered,
having finished seventh in the Standard Grand Masters at
Spain’s 2007 World’s last September. He is aiming
for a top five finish this time and will face-off against
fellow committee member Colin Cain.
From
the international group, watch out for the top performers
from last year’s event: Orlando Gledhill (GBR), second in
the Apprentice Standard, second Women’s Apprentice Yvonne
Malmsten (SWE), sixth and seventh placed asters Standard
Nick Harrison (GBR) and second, third, fourth and seventh in
the Masters Radial respectively, Robert Cage (GBR), Martin
Baltscheffsky (FIN), John Reay (GBR) and Bruce Martinson
(USA).
Others
to look for are second Grand Masters Radial Peter Whipp (GBR),
fourth placed Ian Rawet (GBR), sixth placed Poopy Marcon
(FRA) and the oldest competitor in the just finished Laser
Word’s, 46 year-old Patrick McCosh (ZIM) in the Standard
Masters.
For all
information on the Gosford Sailing Club hosted Laser Masters
Worlds go to: http://aus08.laserinternational.org/
Di
Pearson
Laser Worlds media manager
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