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.

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.

Halifax – Day two of the Laser world championships proved more exercise for volunteers hauling race marks than for the athletes. Fog hanging over the outer reaches of St. Margaret’s Bay had the race committee making numerous course changes in an effort to find clear water.

Only one race was completed, on a day the Race Committee hoped to get three races in. Two fleets managed to get in a quick race, but the third fleet proved anxious. There were numerous general recalls for sailors crossing the line early, more than 20 sailors black flagged (which took them out of the race) and still it took an hour and a half to get the fleet off, which prevented further starts. After three race, Tonci Stipanovic of Croatia remains in the lead, American Clayton Johnson in second, Nick Thompson of Great Britain in third, Pavlos Kontikes of Cyprus has moved to fourth and Olympic gold medalist Paul Goodison of Great Britain in fifth. Bernard Luttmer of Canada is in 18th spot after three races. Team mate David Wright is in 20th and Christopher Dold in 25th.

While the 169 athletes competing in the 2009 Nautel Laser World Championships were having a rough day on the water, on land, organizers were preparing a contingency plan for Hurricane Bill. It’s currently forecast to brush Nova Scotia on Sunday. Racing will continue as planned on Saturday, but if the hurricane continues on its current track, races will be cancelled on Sunday. “After racing on Saturday, the athletes will help volunteers move the Laser hulls into the main clubhouse and race management centre,” says event co-chair Rod Millar. “Masts and rigging will be lashed down and secured in protected areas, as will the dollies used to wheel the boats around.” “The athletes will bring their sails and foils [centerboards and rudders] to their residences so they don’t need to be stored on site.” Other equipment and tents used for the championship will be broken down and stored. “The current plan is to get back on the water Monday,” says Millar. “It’s definitely a disruption to the Laser Worlds, but we’re sailors, this happens.”

Photographs for the use of the news media are available at http://www.capizzano.com/laserworlds2009/LaserSenior_Press.html

It's turning into a tough day two at the 2009 Nautel Laser World Championships. One full race has not been completed, although sailors have been on the water for almost five hours. Fog hung around the outer reaches of St. Margaret's Bay for much of the afternoon. By four, two of three fleets had finished a race. The third fleet had a number of general recalls as sailors jump the line in anticipation of the start. Winds are about 20 knots, with a growing swell.

The Race Committee had hoped to get three races in today in anticipation of Hurricane Bill which is predicted to brush Nova Scotia on Sunday. Instead it spent the day dodging fog banks giving the mark boat operators a harder work-out than the athletes. Racing will be cancelled on Sunday and all Lasers and equipment secured in anticipation of the storm. -30-

Halifax – St. Margaret’s Bay didn’t disappoint on the first day of racing at the Laser World Championships. Conditions were ‘Laser’ perfect with clear skies and winds ranging from 18 to 20 knots (35 to 39 kilometres per hour) and water temperatures at 19 Celsius.

The Bay gave the world’s top sailors a small taste of what’s to come over the next seven days of racing. Hot, hazy conditions, with smooth two to three foot seas, provided absolutely perfect racing for the 169 athletes from 51 countries competing at the 2009 Nautel Laser World Championships. Top finishers after the first day of racing are Tonci Stipanovic from Croatia in top spot, Nick Thompson of Great Britain in second, American Clayton Johnson in third, Bruno Fontes from Brazil in fourth and German Philipp Buhl in fifth. Full results are available at www.2009laserworlds.org.

 The day was not without its problems. There were four general recalls in the first race – and at least four gear failures. One failure included Olympic gold medalist Paul Goodison from Great Britain. It put him in sixth place in his fleet, 16th overall, after the first race. He took a second in the second race to finish sixth overall for the day. Canada has four sailors in the top 25 after the first day. They are Christopher Dold in 15th, Michale Leigh in 18th, Bernard Luttmer in 23rd and David Wright in 25th. One experienced, but retired Laser sailor said, “It was absolutely thrilling to watch these top athletes snap those small dinghies around race marks with such practiced perfection.”

St. Margaret’s Bay lived up to its superb reputation for steady winds during the first round of the 2009 Laser Worlds, and the many top athletes gathered here hope that the predicted track of Hurricane Bill will not spoil these ideal conditions. With US and Canadian Hurricane Centres currently predicting Hurricane Bill brushing the Nova Scotia coast on Sunday, the Race Committee has moved the first race of the day on Friday to noon. The early start may help accommodate an extra race to get ahead of schedule in case a day of racing is cancelled by storm conditions.

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Media photographs are available at this link.  For further information, contact: Duncan Enman, event manager – 902-823-2211 Barbara Pike, event co-chair – 902-452-1172