Preparation in full swing for the Laser 4.7 youth worlds
by Hermann Hell 31 Jul 2016 21:34 BST
1-7 August 2016
Laser 4.7 Youth Worlds must have: the measurement label © Lina Nagel
On Monday, 1th of August, things will be heating up at the Laser 4.7 youth worlds when the oractice race starts. Almost 400 sailors from 37 nations have kept the team in Kiel-Schilksee busy for the last few days. Thanks to efficient processes and disciplined participants, the event is right on schedule.
The chief measurer of the Laser 4.7 youth worlds, Ron Barak, has elaborated a tight schedule in order to measure all boats before the start of the practice race. To get the job done with 388 boats, eleven of them have to be measured in 30 minutes, including sails and equipment. “Things are going well in Schilksee”, says Barak, who arrived from Israel for the event, with a smirk, “The "German Pünktlichkeit" makes our work a bit easier.”
A measuring team of eight checks the shape of the rudder and the dagger board, the boom and the fittings. As Ron Barak reports, most of the sailors have prepared their boat very carefully for the measurement and get the official badges without any obstacle. Some amendments had to be made regarding the sail numbers. Especcially the letters “R” and “M” have to be clearly legible in order to distinguish the competitors on the course. “What we do is some kind of education for the young sailors”, says Randolph Bertin of the International Laser Class Association: “The earlier they learn how to prepare the boat, the sails and the equipment properly, the better they will be prepared for future events. The strict class rules, as says Bertin, make sailing safe and fair: “If everyone has the same equipment, only the sailor counts.”
In the meantime, PRO Stephan Giesen and RO Mandus Freese are preparing to provide fair racing conditions to the international fleet. The sailors have been split in six groups which will sail in the racing areas Juliett and Echo. Giesen, Freese and their team of 40 are looking forward to the highly competitive Laser 4.7 class. Regarding racing format and fairness, the PRO Giesen is determined to apply strict rules from the very beginning. “If 15 competitors are on course site, then we will do a single recall for these 15, and not a general recall that affects the whole fleet”, says Giesen. “so no competitor will be encouraged to push others over the line and try to hide behind them.”
Like every international sailing event, the Laser 4.7 youth worlds provide for a daily meeting of the coaches and the Race Committee. PRO Stephan Giesen approves, because he considers the feedback of the coaches very valuable. “These guys spend a lot of hours on the water and their oservations are helpful for our work, too. The meaning of sailing as a team sport also includes the Race Committee, that´s why I am always open for a fair exchange.”
On Monday, August 1st, the participants will have the pportunity to tune up and get a feeling for the waters off Schilksee during the practice races. There will be up to twelve races from Tuesday, 2. August until Sunday, 7. August. Next to Germany (44 starters), Poland with 29, Spain with 24, Great Britain with 22 and Greece with 21 participants are the biggest fleets at the event. Further young sailors are coming from Australia, Brazil, Peru, Trinidad/Tobago, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore as well as from the Oman.
Schedule
4.7 Youth World Championship (U18 + U16)
- Saturday, 30. July and 31. July: check-in, measurement
- Monday, 1. August: check-in, measurement, 2pm: practice race, 7pm: opening ceremony/dinner
- Tuesday, 2. August, until Friday, 5. August 11am: qualification round
- Saturday, 6. August, 11am: final round
- Sunday, 7. August, 11am: final round, after that prize giving ceremony and final party/dinner
Laser Standard Men and Laser Radial Women Youth Worlds (U21 - U19):
- Tuesday, 9. August: check-in, measurement
- Wednesday, 10. August: check-in, measurement, 2pm: practice race, 7:30pm: opening ceremony/dinner
- Thursday, 11. August, until Sunday, 14. August 11am: qualification round
- Monday, 15. August, 11am: final round
- Tuesday, 16. August, 11 o'clock: final round, after that prize giving ceremony and final party/dinner
www.laserworldskiel2016.com