|
First too much, then too little.
For the second day in a row there was no racing at the 2009 Nautel Laser Worlds taking placed on St. Margaret’s Bay in Nova Scotia.
A brush with Hurricane Bill on Sunday forced organizers to store 196 Laser hulls inside two buildings at the St. Margaret Sailing Club. The boats were unpacked quickly on Monday morning in anticipation of a great day of racing, but St. Margaret’s Bay did not live up to its reputation of steady afternoon sea breezes.
Instead the fleet floated around the race committee boat waiting for the wind to fill in. It never did. At one point in disgust, athletes began hitting the hulls of their boats with their tiller extensions, the drum beat echoing across the water, almost calling to the wind.
"It’s disappointing to lose two days of racing," said event manager Duncan Enman. "It happens sometimes and just means we will try to get in more races in the next two days. Having a day without wind on St. Margaret’s Bay, this time of year, is almost unheard of."
While athletes were disappointed with the lack of racing, they also recognize there’s not much that can be done. The forecast for Tuesday calls for winds 10 to 15 knots (20 to 32 kilometres per hour).
Estonian coach Rein Ottoson, who runs a top-notch racing school in Tallinn said, "I have been to many World sailing events and there was usually a major problem or two with racing and organization. Not here; both the organizing and race committees have been excellent."
Major sponsor Nautel of Nova Scotia, which sells broadcast equipment in over 170 countries, has taken the very unusual step of setting up a temporary FM radio station (106.3) under a special licence. The media, hundreds of volunteers ashore, spectators and the general public all enjoy commentary and interviews during these World Championships. One veteran international journalist commented, "It's a great idea because we can listen when often required to stay ashore to write stories to send home."
|
|
|
It's feast or famine at the 2009 Nautel Laser World Championships. The first days of racing provided winds in excess of 20 knots. Then a brush with Hurricane Bill stopped racing on Sunday, Day Four. Today the field is divided into the three fleets; gold, silver and bronze. However, there has yet to be a race started - there is no wind.
The forecast does call for winds to pick up later in the afternoon. |
|
Sailors headed out to the race course under overcast skies and light winds this morning. Jeff Martin of the International Laser Class Association says they hope to get two races in today. Winds are currently running at eight knots, but expected to pick up this afternoon when the seabreeze comes in.
The field of 167 sailors has been divided into three fleets; gold, silver and bronze according to their standings after the five qualifying races.
Athletes were anxious to get back on the water after the forced day of rest caused by the remnants of Hurricane Bill.
In preparation for the storm, the Laser hulls were stored inside the St. Margaret Sailing Club clubhouse and race management centre. It took athletes and volunteers two hours to store 196 hulls on Saturday evening and 45 minutes to unpack the buildings this morning.
|
|
Racing for Day Four of the 2009 Nautel Laser World Championships is cancelled due to the effects of Hurricane Bill.
Sailors are expected at the St. Margaret Sailing Club at 7:00 a.m. Monday, August 24th, for further instructions on the removal of their boats and equipment from storage.
Volunteers are asked to report as early as possible to assist in returning the venue to operational status.
The start time of the first race is one o'clock. |
|
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 |
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 5 of 9 |
