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The blast of the starter’s air horn will kick off the world’s biggest sailing championship of 2009 this afternoon on the pristine waters of St. Margaret’s Bay.
With 169 of the best single-handed dinghy sailors from 51 countries competing in the 2009 Nautel Laser Worlds, the sea of sails crossing the starting line will be so tightly bunched, the water will be barely visible; a stunning nautical panorama rarely seen.
Superb racing conditions are likely over the next seven days, despite a possible brush with Hurricane Bill late this weekend and into Monday.
The St. Margaret Sailing Club was chosen to host this ultimate contest of the most popular boat on the planet because of extremely steady wind and waves in the nearby bay.
Celebrating the fortieth anniversary of its design by Canadian Bruce Kirby, almost 200,000 Lasers are sailed worldwide by elite athletes and weekend cottage sailors alike.
Sailed by one person, these four metre physically demanding dinghies are raced by some of the hottest sailors in the world, including recent European champion and last year’s Olympic gold medalist, Paul Goodison of the United Kingdom.
The chief rival of 32-year-old Goodison is 21-year-old Australian Tom Slingsby who won the 2007 and 2008 Worlds. This 11 year age difference is dramatic in a racing class where winners are usually in their late teens or early twenties.
The first portion of the Worlds is seven days of racing in the Open championship for which athletes have to qualify to represent their country through a series of regional and continental regattas.
Not to be dismissed is the second part of the Worlds, for top sailors 35-years of age and older, who compete in the seven day Masters.
Event organizers are keeping a close eye on the current track of Hurricane Bill.
“We always watch the wind for these regattas,” says safety committee chair Sandy MacMillan.”If there are any race cancellations because of high winds or heavy seas, they can be made up on a later day.”
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