Laser Qualifier at the Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy - Radial fleet report

Laser Qualifier at Weymouth © UKLA

It's been a great few days sailing in Weymouth for the Laser Qualifier, with the wind ranging from 8 to 18 knots it was perfect to fit in all types of conditions!

Day one brought the Radial fleet a lovely sunny day in light to medium conditions. After waiting for several general recalls from all fleets, the Radials finally set off. Daisy Collingridge had a stellar start from the Committee Boat end controlling the whole fleet below her! With typical shifty conditions inside Weymouth harbour it was no surprise that each side of the course brought sailors into the top 10. Pressure was up and down throughout the race course and so it was vital to keep your eyes out the boat. Race 1 saw Youth sailors domination the top 3 with Dan McGaughey 1st, Finley Dickinson 2nd and Matilda Nicholls 3rd.

Laser Qualifier at Weymouth - photo © UKLA

Onto the second race we had a very busy pin-end start and those who stayed on the lifted tack the most were sure to be top to the 1st WW Mark. Ben Elvin and Hannah Snellgrove kept the race interesting leading the fleet to separate sides of the track with Snellgrove managing to capture 1st, Elvin 2nd and Drew Barnes 3rd. Race 3 saw a similar story with sailors sticking to the lifted tack domination the course. Snellgrove and Elvin managed to maintain their previous places whilst Dickinson took 3rd. The shifty conditions of Day 1 showed the importance of consistency heading into Day 2.

After a long day on the water many sailors enjoyed a cheeky curry at WPNSA together. Have to say the mango ice cream was to die for! Hope to see more of you at the social next time ;)

Laser Qualifier at Weymouth - photo © UKLA

Day two saw wind from almost the opposite direction as the previous day and the temperature several degrees colder! After a long period of waiting for the Standards to stop being so trigger happy the Radials finally began to take their jackets off and warm-up for the start. Hiking legs were ready for the race ahead with Elvin and Snellgrove battling it out for 1st place. This time Elvin was able to capture it! Although Collingridge and several other youth sailors were not far off their toes with Arthur Farley finishing 3rd.

Race two saw a small drop in wind but still marginal hiking. The pin-end was definitely a favourite which led to several general recalls for the Radials. Finally we got going and as seen yesterday, the shiftiness of the harbour saw McGaughey and Collingridge leading in from either side of the Race track. However with Snellgrove's mega downwind speed she managed to finish 1st with McGaughey 2nd and Elvin 3rd.

Laser Qualifier at Weymouth - photo © UKLA

Our final race took several attempts to get going with Black Flags being given to 17 lucky sailors who could escape the cold (with a minor cost!) The wind was back up and hiking mode was turned back on with Elvin chasing back his 1st place, Collingridge steaming into 2nd and Snellgrove taking 3rd.

Big congratulations to all that braved the winter temperatures on Sunday!

Also congrats to the Girls:
1st Snellgrove (beating all the boys as well!)
2nd Collingridge (also 1st U21)
3rd Haji-Michael
1st U19 Nicholls and 1st U17 McMahon

And of course shout out to the boys:
1st Elvin
2nd Emmett
3rd McGaughley (also 1st U19)
1st U17 Dickinson

Thank you very much to SailingFast and Noble Marine for supporting these series.

Also massive thank you from the Radial fleet to all the volunteers both on and off the water and to WPNSA for letting us race in such a great venue!

Overall Results: