Hobie Tiger & Dragoon Worlds 2006 at Cangas, Spain - Overall
by Jacqueline Laumans 29 Jul 2006 08:10 BST
24-28 July 2006
MOURNIAC/CITEAU WIN HOBIE TIGER AND WATERHOUSE/LURATI WIN DRAGOON WORLDS 2006
On Friday July 28th, Team Mourniac/Citeau (FRA) won the Hobie Tiger Worlds 2006 convincingly. Waterhouse/Lurati (AUS) have beaten their Dragoon opponents by one point. The Tiger top 3 consisted of three French NISSAN teams. Five youth crews had made their way to the top fifteen. Last week’s conditions varied from calm and tactical racing to strong breezes and huge waves, but the sun was shining consistenly. The Hobie Tigers sailed sixteen races altogether and the Hobie Dragoons nineteen.
After the wild conditions of the last few days, the final races were rather tame, but tactical. The water was flat and the wind came in patches and with shifts. Mark Laruffa: “The last race, I just couldn’t figure out what was going on out there.”
Tiger: Mourniac/Citeau
Mourniac and Citeau won the first Tiger race. Father and son Booth were leading at the top mark, but in the second upwind leg, the French passed the Ozzies. Citeau: “We like to have a good competition, so when they went left after the gate, we went right.” Overall, Citeau thinks the racing level was very high, but especially today: “The wind was shifty and light, those are tricky conditions.”
Booth/Booth
Mitch and Taylor Booth had a good day on the water, they went from a sixth position overall to a fourth. Taylor Booth: “Especially since this isn’t our kind of weather, we are very happy.” Mitch Booth comments on the high standards of racing: “In this kind of competition, there’s no luck or tricks to it, you just try to be a bit smoother and a bit smarter than the others.” Although they have been quite successful as a team, they won’t be sailing together on a regular basis. Taylor Booth: “Just once a year, but at the next worlds, I’ll be the skipper.”
Dragoons: bronze, silver and gold
The Dragoons sailed their final races in a bronze, silver and gold fleet. In the gold fleet, the number one Waterhouse/Lurati (AUS) was only three places ahead of the three teams that shared a second position. The preceding days, fun was the main goal, but now the serious stuff started. This morning the atmosphere was tense. The children were rigging their sails more fanatically than ever. Vincent Domand and Eric Chaussat had a good start, and maintained their lead until the end. Number two and three had a close finish, but Sebastien Greber and Nikki Boniface (GBR) managed to cross the line a second earlier than the Australian team. Now Jason Waterhouse and Chase Lurati were only one point ahead of Domand/Chaussat.
Ozzies beat French by one point
During the second race, the wind decreased. Domand/Chaussat profited from some shifts and made their way to the front, whereas Waterhouse and Lurati were falling behind. Waterhouse/Lurati lost their hopes on an overall victory: “It was just terrible when the wind died out”, Waterhouse recalls, “We were shocked.” But they were lucky. The wind dwindled, all the cats were just floating around and the racing committee blew its horn. Waterhouse: “First, we didn’t know what it meant, but when I realised the race was cancelled, I was so happy!” Waterhouse jumped into the water, his crew just couldn’t believe they won the Worlds. Lurati: “We are so lucky.” Waterhouse is feeling a bit sorry for the French team though: “They must now be feeling the way I felt during the second race. They are good, quick sailors.” Waterhouse’s next goal is to win the Hobie 16 Worlds 2007.
Tigers against Dragoons
This morning, the top five Dragoon teams competed with the top five Tiger crews in a close-fought battle. Though the races took place right in front of the beach, some of the Tigers were a little late for the start; 11:30 is rather early for those who are used to the Spanish rhythm. On the beach, friends were shouting and cheering to support the sailors. There was little wind, only 5 knots. The first race, the French Dragoon team Domand/Chaussat got off well and won. With two second places, Jason Waterhouse and Chase Lurati were the overall winners of this fun race. Lurati: “It was easy to beat the big boys. They are too heavy, their boats just sink.”
Overall Results Hobie Tiger top five, with one discard:
1. Mourniac/Citeau (FRA), 41 points
2. Vaireaux/Romain (FRA), 71 points
3. Renaud de Malet/Rossollin (FRA), 95 points
4. Booth/Booth (AUS) 119 points
5. Thomas/Bernier (USA), 129 points
Overall Results Hobie Dragoon top five, with one discard:
1. Waterhouse/Lurati (AUS), 9 points
2. Domand/Chaussat (FRA), 10 points
3. Butler/Sutcliffe (GBR), 12 points
4. Greber/Boniface (GBR), 15 points
5. Furnaque/Furnaque (GBR), 17 points