Close for the women

Jon Emmett reports from the final UK Laser Radial Ranking event

Well winter is finally here which means it is the end of the National Ranking series (or the Laser Radial Ladder as it is better know). However it will all start again at Stokes Bay 10-11 March next year.

2006 sees some old faces at the top of the Ladder with Nationals winners past and present occupying the first two places, Jon Emmett on four points and Steve Cockerill on eight. Behind them things have been really tight with seven points seperating the next five places.

It is not really surprising that being the Women’s single handed class, the ladies dominated the top ten of the Ladder. Andrea Brewster was first Lady in 2006 and just managed to hang on to the spot for the third year running, just one point clear of the ever consistent Lizzie Vickers.

Iain Mckeeman who has finished top Youth in nearly every event this year just sneaked into the top five on tie breaker, beating Ali Young who is on her first year out of Youth sailing. Charlotte Dobson has had a great season since putting her education on hold and with three top six finishes in the Autumn moves up to seventh overall.

Arguably our most successful Ladies abroad were Penny Clark (Bronze medallist at the Europeans) and Laura Baldwin (currently fifth on the ISAF rankings) who achieved her best Qualifier finish, a sixth, on her home waters of Weymouth, to beat David Jessop into tenth by just one point.

Overall Ladder:

1-Jon Emmett, 4pts
2-Steve Cockerill, 8pts
3-Andrea Brewster, 17pts
4-Lizzie Vickers, 18pts
5-Iain Mckeeman, 23pts
6-Ali Young, 23pts
7-Charlotte Dobson, 24pts
8-Penny Clark, 35pts
9-Laura Baldwin, 39pts
10-David Jessop, 40pts