Hardest nationals to win?

If you look at the endeavour results for 05, You'll see that second place went to a 4000 sailor! So they cant be all bad  . And indeed the class is very compettitive

Re "If you've read Bethwaite's book he has an interesting story about top Laser Sailors doing badly in a Tasar champs because they lacked the appropriate skills."

I think the same paragraph says that Frank think the Laser worlds are the hardest to win, though. And Mark B (no dumbie and from a world-title winning development background) took a long while to become a top-class Laser sailor so it goes both ways.

We've found that those from a non-SMOD background (ie triple Fireball world champ) finish about the same place in their first Tasar series as Laser champs do. I know a Laser champ who was mortified by his lack of pace in his first Tasar regatta because he didn't know the tweaks - however he'd won the Youth World selections in 420s and been a Flying Ant winner before that, so he came from a non-SMOD background but still had the same problem. The current Tasar world champ came from a Laser and from the start (allowing for the fact that he was sailing with his then-young daughter) he and another Laser sailor were very competitive with the Tasar champs who came from winning OK worlds and in development classes.

I also know two two-time world champs, one in a development class and one in a "normal" OD, who disclaim any real technical knowledge - both say that they pretty much just get a fairly standard boat and train hard. So arguably you can perhaps win in a non-SMOD without a vast deal of tweaking knowledge, or perhaps with just the same sort of trial-and-error learning you get in some SMODs.

However, all my generation here came from a background of fairly tweaky junior classes, not junior SMODs, so we probably developed an understanding of chocks, tension, luff curve etc.

Personally, it seems that the sheer numbers in Lasers makes it so competitive that Ainslie etc train harder, so if they needed to know technical stuff they would learn it; most of the Laser guys I used to train against have tertiary qualifications they use for their sailing (ie PhD in hiking) so there's little doubt they could learn luff curves etc if it was relevant.

PS; I've only done 6 months serious Laser time and a season part time; about the same in Tasars, so I don't think I'm biased to Laser.

I would pipe up and say in the UK it is hard to win the nationals in a Fireball. There is a great strength and depth in the fleet and the events are rarely won by a runaway winner.

Just MHO of course.

Very well said.  Of course, its academic really - but a fun debate none-the-less.

Originally posted by JimC I don't think Andy would push Ben Ainslie too hard for a Finn medal, but if you were to detach Ben from his world class support and present him with the pile of carbon, foam and plywood Andy starts with, I wouldn't expect Mr Ainslie to beat Paterson at a Moth or Cherub champs.

Bravo!