Laser 5000 Europeans at Mohnesee, Germany - Update
by Thomas Hill 5 Aug 2010 07:55 BST
2-6 August 2010
6 races have been completed at the halfway stage in the Laser 5000 European Championships. 11 boats from 5 countries have been sailing at the Mohnesee Sail Training Centre for two days.
Day 1 of racing was a tactical light wind day with many crews sat in the front trying to read the flukey winds coming down the lake. These winds really separated the fast boats from the very fast boats and in the first and second race position two to five were constantly changing. The final race of the day saw a little extra breeze allowing twin wiring upwind. With two firsts and a second, the Scottish boat of Alistair and Paddy sat on top of the leader board over night with Thomas and Alistair just behind in second.
The races on Day 2 were postponed for an hour to let the wind shift to come straight down the lake to give a long windward leeward course. Shortly after a calm first race start, a squall came through, taking many crews by surprise. Some were not as ready as others and got a taste of the Mohnesee water. In contrast, the second race saw a short term lull in the wind on one side of the course. This left the British National Champions (Thomas and Alistair) dead in the water and at the back of the fleet on the beat. The final race saw the best breeze of the week so far, with the whole fleet getting their boats going downwind with the kites up. Taff and Simon duelled with Alan and Gavin for second place, putting pressure on the lead boat by the end of the race.
Wednesday is the lay day for the fleet. Most people are making the most of the surroundings and going out to see the local area to give their aching bones a rest. Thursday and Fridays winds are looking slightly windier and more constant, hopefully giving another two days of close high performance racing.