Thomas takes the win

The penultimate Laser qualifier in Torquay has come to a close

Sixty Laser standards made the trip to Torquay for the second qualifier in the autumn series.

A light five to seven knot east-northeast breeze greeted the sailors on Saturday. The direction of the wind brought into play a headland on the left hand side of the course. The presence of the headland meant that at times more pressure was available on the left hand side of the course. However, there were shifts that could be used to make small gains on the beats, but in general overtaking opportunities were slim given the light conditions. This put more pressure on the sailors to get good starts and a clear wind lane out to the left hand side of the course. A good placing at the windward mark would put the sailors in with a good chance of holding on for a good result.

Race one

Rob Spencer, Nick Thompson and Mark Powell were amongst the leading pack at the first windward mark. As overtaking was difficult on the downwind legs it was important that the sailors stayed as close to their surrounding competition if they were to be given a chance to make a pass on the second upwind leg. This was also made difficult as the leaders generally tacked as soon as they had rounded the leeward mark so that they could head left, protecting that side of the course. Thompson sailed clear of the field tacking first. Experience on the downwind legs helped Powell overhaul youth sailor Spencer, taking second, just ahead of Spencer who has shown exceptional recent form in the light conditions securing third position. Max Holloway held off the chasing pack finishing fourth, closely followed by Greg Carey who took fifth.

Race two

With the wind conditions dying slightly to five to six knots, clear air again was a high priority following the start. The fleet got underway with the majority of the fleet opting for the pin end of the line. This gave the sailors a lead into the left hand side of the course. Max Holloway, Thompson, and new recruit Stuart Bithell were in the leading pack at the windward mark. Holloway, who recently had a great performance at the Sail for Gold regatta, battled with Thompson to the end, holding on for victory. Thompson took second ahead of Bithell who is learning the ropes quickly finishing third. Rob Godwin finished fourth ahead of Powell who completed the top five.

Race three

The final race of the day saw the conditions unchanged. The top ranked sailors were still fighting for the pin end of the startline that was fairly long for the number of boats competing in the race. A longer line meant that any gain or loss caused by line bias would be even greater; therefore choosing the correct end was an even greater priority to get right. Thompson sailed away from the fleet taking his second victory of the day. Holloway sailed a consistent race finishing second, ahead of youth sailor Rob Homes, who has put in consistent light wind performances in the last months, who took third. George Cousins, after some time, showed his face once again in the top five, taking fourth just ahead of Dan Belden who took fifth.

Sunday

The forecast for Sunday looked interesting with the wind looking light and the direction uncertain. After an abandonment of race four due to large wind shifts, the fleet waited for the breeze to settle into its new direction. The breeze finally settled to that similar of Saturday. A light five to six knot Eastnortheasterly breeze. Tactics were set to be fairly similar to that of day one. Whilst the left hand side of the course was favoured, it was possible to sail too far left into a lighter wind hole.

Race four

Thompson was amongst the leading pack that led in from the left hand side of the course following a port end start. Powell, Michael Sims, and Ross Harvey were also amongst the leading pack at the windward mark. Thompson, showing a greater consistency in his boat speed, sailed away for his third first place and victory in the competition. Powell took second ahead of Sims who had managed to do some overtaking on the upwind legs taking a well-deserved third place. Ross Harvey completed a consistent series taking 4th, his best result in the competition. Youth sailor Martin Evans secured the top five after owning the left hand side of the racecourse on the first beat.

Our thanks to all those who helped out to make the event possible. Thanks to the Royal Torbay YC for hosting the event. See you all at the last qualifier for 2008 at Sidmouth on the 6-7 October.

Results:

1-Nick Thompson, 3pts
2-Max Holloway, 7pts
3-Mark Powell, 9pts
4-Ross Harvey, 18pts
5-Robert Godwin, 20pts