Laser 2 World Championships at Lake Ontario, Canada
by Alex Taylor 7 Sep 2005 18:40 BST
20-25 August 2005
56 teams from 7 different nations for the Laser 2 worlds at Lake Ontario, Canada © Geoff Webster
56 Laser 2s from 7 different nations gathered on the northern shore of Lake Ontario to contest the Laser 2 World Championship. Competitors from Britain, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Mexico, America and Canada demonstrated that the class remains popular across the globe. The event was held at the Olympic Harbour in Kingston as part of Cork Week, an annual Canadian dinghy spectacular, attracting hundreds of boats over a fortnight of racing.
Kingston is renowned for strong thermal breezes, guaranteeing exhilarating racing day after day. The laser 2s enjoyed fresh winds for the practice race and the first 2 days of racing, but then were disappointed by light pressure over the final three days which was rarely steady enough for the race officer to lay a satisfactory course. The famous thermal reappeared on the final afternoon, which enabled the race officer to squeeze in 2 final races.
After victory in the practice race for GBR’s Alex Taylor and Brian Mobbs, races 1 and 2 saw 2 Canadian boats, Trevor McEwan and Ian McEwan and Jason Kobrick and Andrew McEwan (Yes, they’re all brothers!) find the front of the fleet. Taylor and Mobbs were set up for a consistent 1st day score of 2,2, but a nose dive in the short, steep chop whilst gibing saw them capsize and drop to 5th.
After day 2, 4 more races had been completed and the leader board remained tight. A score of 1,4,2,1 saw McEwan / McEwan remain 2 points clear of Taylor / Mobbs who had scored 2,1,1,3 for the day.
After a frustrating day 3 in which no racing was completed, the event was effectively decided on day 4. In the 1st race of the day, McEwan / McEwan scored a 2nd to Taylor / Mobb’s 3rd. However, in the 2nd race both boats found themselves jammed in a raft at the port end of the start line. The McEwans somehow managed to squeeze out and went on to win the race, whilst Taylor / Mobbs had no choice but to reverse out, gybe round and cross behind the entire fleet. The best they could do was 11th, which, with only 2 races remaining, effectively decided the regatta.
2 close races on the final day saw Taylor/Mobbs seal their second place, whilst another consistent British pair, Nigel Skudder and Keith Hills, rounded off their event with a win in the final race. They finished comfortably in 4th place, behind the Canadian pair of Kobrick / McEwan. Marty O’Leary and Yvette Deacon from Ireland finished 5th.
Congratulations to the Canadian Trevor and Ian McEwan, newly crowned Laser 2 World Champions.
Overall Results:
1st CAN 2552 TREVOR MCEWEN & Ian McEwen
2nd GBR 10496 ALEX TAYLOR & Bryan Mobbs
3rd CAN 2255 JASON KOBRICK & Andrew McEwen
4th GBR 10588 NIGEL SKUDDER & Keith Hills
5th IRL 10035 MARTY O'LEARY & Yvette Deacon