Tom Slingsby crowned Laser World Champion

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Slingsby, who finished on 27 points, has won the Championship from Argentina’s Julio Alsogaray by two points, the Argentinean not having the opportunity to turn the tables. Javier Hernandez from Spain finished third with 39 points.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Slingsby in the boat park, where sailors were readying to make their way out to the race area. “It’s a weird feeling when they (race committee) pull up the AP flag – it’s a strange way to win a Championship, but I’m over the moon, especially to win on my local waters.”

Slingsby has not sailed at Terrigal, where he is a member of Championship host venue Gosford Sailing Club, since November. “The weather was very different then,” he said. Full Story Here

Laser Wipeouts

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Four boat pile up at the Laser Worlds!

Laser Worlds - Argentina reclaims lead

A beautiful summer day in Terrigal on the first day of the 2008 Laser World's Finals Races sponsored by Ross Fehlberg Austorient; sunny skies and a pleasant 10-15 knot north easterly breeze - ideal sailing conditions - for some.

In the 54 boat Gold fleet, World champion Tom Slingsby (AUS) lost his Championship lead to Julio Alsogaray from Argentina. Alsogaray continues to sail smartly and has moved back into the lead he had until yesterday.

"It was shifty and I went the wrong way every time; I had a really bad day," an understandably unhappy Slingsby said after his worst results so far - a 14th and an 18th to move down into second place, seven points behind Alsogaray who is on 23 points following fourth places in Race 7 and 8.

"It was good racing. I had a good performance with fast speed. There were lots of shifts and I picked them," the Argentinean said, revealing: "Music from Argentina inspires me."
Not one of the hot favourites going in to the Championship, Alsogaray says: "I expected to do well. I am very confident with my speed. I will do everything in my power I can to win the World's - that is why I came to Australia." Full report here

Dark and Stormy Day 1 in Terrigal Laser Worlds

With clear skies and warm, humid temperatures near 80 degrees early in the morning down in the boatpark on the supposed opening day of racing at the 2008 Laser World Champinoships we knew one thing was going to happen: thunderstorms. We were postponed ashore waiting for the southerly to fill in front of a ‘cool change’ (as the label their cold fronts here). When the southerly did fill in to adequate levels we headed to the water with swells rising and a certain electricity in the air that apparently had nothing to do with the tensions between the 170 sailors. The fleet was only afloat for less than an hour.

As soon as we arrived on the course area about a mile due east of Broken Head and Terrigal Beach, the race committee began frantically waving us back to shore. Only putting up the AP flag (as opposed to AP over H, which is the standard for recommending return to the harbor), we were a little curious when the jury etc. started heckling us quite aggressively to go directly to the beach. As soon as we hauled out, in faster time than I imagined it would take 170 Lasers and their coaches to get out big black thunder heads swept over the sun and darkness fell across the sky. I changed and rolled up my equipment and then took cover with a few other guys in a neigboring apartment complex to watch the weather unfold.

Sure enough, the rain started pouring down accompanied by visible lightning strikes on the headlands near the boatpark and on the ocean in our course area. Of course ahead of the storm cells there was sailable breeze, but immediately afterwards the breeze would crap out and drop to nil. After about an hour of waiting the race committee decided to call off the day’s racing probably upon learning that Sydney airport had closed due to extreme winds and weather headed our way. Nothing we can do about the weather, but the committee definitely did the right thing. It felt a bit like the Atlantic Northeast of the US with the thunder and lightning keeping us ashore, but then you realize that a monster two-increasing-to-four meter swell was running underneath you and breaking in double-overhead waves on the point 150 yards from our launching beach. The surfing was entertaining, but the sailing was literally a wash.

Forecast looks better for today, but waking up this morning shows the sixth day in a row of drizzle and light air on the race area.- Andrew Campbell