Bakers dominate Eurocup

Hugh Watson brings news from the Laser 4000 racing in Carnac

24 Laser 4000s competed in the first leg of the 2003 Eurocup over the weekend of 24-26 May. Teams from as far away as Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Como made the long but worthwhile journey to the Ecole Nationale de Voile, and enjoyed some excellent racing in the Bay of Quiberon.

The weather on day one was not exactly as ordered, with steady rain persuading most of the fleet to rig their boats in the relative comfort of the on-site hangar. However the wind proved to be ideal, as the first race got underway in a force 3-4 northeasterly.

Tom Glanfield and Rich Mayo led at the end of the long first beat, but mistakes on the second lap let through Douglas and Hilary Baker ( Preferred IT), Vincent Joyeux and Frederic Moreau, and Florence Lebrun and Philippe Delhaye ( TBS) into the top three places, and Tom and Rich had to settle for fourth. Behind the leaders the racing was very close, and the pattern was set for the weekend, with any mistakes being quickly punished by the rest of the fleet.

The wind increased slightly for race two and after several potential front-runnersearned an early discard for over-keen starting, Doug and Hilary showed their legendary upwind speed to lead from start to finish. Dave Ellis and Mark Richards ( Team Control) were second, and Nicolas Honor and Philippe Peron third.

Race three saw Tom and Rich leading once again, this time holding on until the very last run before moving back to 4th place. The beneficiaries this time were Jon Rix and Ed Wilton ( Ocean Images) who took the race win, Dave and Mark in second place and Vincent and Frederic in third.

At the end of Day 1 Doug and Hilary led from Dave and Mark, and Tom and Rich. Behind the top 3 it was all very close. Simon and Lucy Thomas led the chasing pack, but just 6 points separated them from the next 8 boats.

Day two saw another three races sailed, in similar winds and significantly less rain. Dave and Mark found their form to take the gun in race four, followed by Florence and Philippe, and Nicolas and Philippe. Race five gave Doug and Hillary their 3rd race win, as well as hard-earned top three finishes for Joost Steltenpool and Jetske Roodvoets, and Sarah and Ian Mitchell. Race six was won by Vincent and Frederic, Joost and Jetske continued their late push with another second, and Doug and Hilary consolidated their position with third place.

On Sunday evening the fleet enjoyed the much-anticipated ENV seafood buffet, and (eventually) retired to bed, looking forward to one more day’s racing. Unfortunately the wind wasn’t playing ball, and Monday dawned hot, sunny and dead calm. Throughout the morning a few zephyrs rippled the water, and the younger members of the fleet indulged in some spectacularly dangerous games of beach rugby, volleyball and sumo wrestling. For a while it looked like another race could have been sailed, but eventually the race officer took the decision to abandon for the day, and the packing up began.

So the final results were unchanged, and Doug and Hilary took a big step towards regaining the Eurocup title they won in 2001. As usual the ENV had proved to be excellent hosts, and all the competitors left having enjoyed another great event. The Eurocup continues at Lake Garda in July, and concludes at the UK Nationals at Mounts Bay in August.

1st Douglas and Hillary Baker 11 points
2nd Dave Ellis and Mark Richards 21
3rd Vincent Joyeux and Frederic Moreau 23
4th Nicolas Honor and Philippe Peron 24
5th Joost Steltenpool and Jetske Roodvoets 26
6th Florence Lebrun and Philippe Delhaye 34