Laser Trials 2008
Report thanks to Mick Kneale
IOMYC hosted a regatta for Lasers over the weekend – an indicator event for the 2009 Island Games sailing team. The team of four, which will be selected next year after a series of regattas and monthly training sessions, will consist of two sailors in the Standard Laser and two in the Radial rig Laser.
Like the previous weekend, the weather on Saturday turned the sailing into an ordeal.
Three races were scheduled for Saturday afternoon and three more Sunday morning.
In the event, racing was abandoned after two on Saturday – sea conditions were getting dangerous even for the experienced sailors involved. Four much more pleasant races were held back-to-back Sunday morning, Race Officers Mick Kneale and Pete Hinds alternating courses between P and windward/leeward. The quality of the racing improved as the regatta progressed and by race six you could almost throw a (largish) blanket over the fleet at the finish.
Unfortunately some sailors were off-island, so only two Standard Lasers appeared.
There was no trophy or prize for this event but the results were as follows:
Radial: 1st Peter Whipp (5 wins and a 2nd), 2nd Mike Pridham (1 win and five 2nd places), 3rd Ali Hinds, 4th Ben Swindlehurst, 5th Rob Cowell, 6th Chris Hill, 7th Patrick Evans.
Standard: 1st Simon Pressly, 2nd Dave Holland.
More photo’s by Volvo Ocean Race photographer Dave Kneale are in the MSR Gallery