Laser Radial Youth Worlds, Villanova, Spain Overall

NEW ZEALAND WINS SECOND TITLE

The long waited for wind returned to Villanova for the final days racing. 264 competitors were rewarded with 3 races in 12 to 15 knots and large surfing waves to bring the 2001 Laser Radial Youth World Championship to an exciting close.

Having wished for more wind earlier in the week overnight leader, Michael Bullot from New Zealand was as surprised as everyone else when the flat calm disappeared around midday to be replaced by the Levante wind contrary to all forecasts. Bullot was not expecting any wind and left his hiking pants and boots at his hotel!

In the first start Bullot went hard left to the port tack lay line. “I overstood the mark and rounded in the twenties. Not what I wanted at all” he said. Once again his downwind speed got him out of jail and he recovered to 6th. Out in front Guray Zumbal TUR, Mathieu Murati FRA and John Eloff battled for the top 3 positions with Zumbal taking the gun. Even better for Bullot his nearest challenger Iason Geogaris from Greece could only manage an 18th while Javier Padron ESP and Adam Olechnowicz POL were clearly not enjoying the stronger wind back in 20th and 67th.

Bullot still had to keep scoring good positons and could not afford to be over the start line or receive a third yellow flag penalty. His conservative start in the second race and a more middle first windward leg paid dividends as he rounded the first mark fifth which he held to the finish. Murati, Eloff and Zumbal swapped positions ahead of him with Murati taking the gun.

The third race was very much a repeat of the second at the front, this time Eloff took the gun but attention was very much on Bullot who was content to track Georgaris. The Greek sailor was still in contention having scored an 8th in the previous race. Although improving in the last race he did not have the pace to dominate the fleet and with Bullot only two places behind him the championship was over.

Bullot becomes the first sailor to achieve the double win of the Laser Radial Open and Youth World Championships.

BRONZE FOR TEAM GBR VOLVO YOUTH SQUAD'S CHARLOTTE DOBSON AT LASER RADIAL YOUTH WORLDS

Charlotte Dobson (Helensburgh, Scotland) returns home from The Laser Radial Youth World Championships which were contested at Vilanova near Barcelona with a slightly unexpected but very well deserved bronze medal to cap an excellent overall performance from young and promising sailors from the Team GBR Volvo RYA Youth Squad.

Breezes were predominantly gentle with the exception of the final day which saw a settled 18-22 knot gradient breeze arrive to re-shuffle a form book established over the four previous days of competition.

Best placed of the boys was Lymington's Dominic Hutton who finished in 11th place, while Andy Brooks (Manchester) finished 13th overall and in 15th overall Nick Thompson (Lymington) completed the Team GBR Volvo Youth Squad tally of four young sailors in the top 15.

Overnight into the final day's racing Stephen Broom (Ringwood, Hants) was lying 9th having excelled himself with a very consistent and mature 5,3,16,6,6,3 scoreline but in the brisker winds of the final day he suffered with a 37,48,42 to finish 23rd overall.

Over the course of the whole regatta Charlotte Dobson, Joe Henry (Guildford) and Andrew Brooks all scored individual race wins. As New Zealand's Michael Bullot won the overall Youth Laser Radial title to lead the Kiwis to an overall win in the team event the sailors from Team GBR Volvo RYA Youth squad finished second nation.

The first day of racing was contested in a light gradient breeze which produced a maximum of eight knots, thereafter the following two days suffered still more seriously the effects of the huge anticyclone over the Med with only a very light thermal breeze. Indeed so light were the winds that the scheduled fourth day of racing was lost to near complete calm. Only on the final day did a more serious 18-22 knots of gradient breeze return to give some more physical racing.

"Overall this has been an excellent showing from a very young team." Concluded Team GBR Volvo RYA Youth Squad's Laser Radial coach Ian Clingan.

"Charlotte's result was way beyond our expectations but she is a fantastic prospect and sailed exceptionally well and with the ISAF Youth Worlds being sailed in Byte dinghies next year I can foresee some excellent racing etween her and this year's bronze medallist Natalie Lloyd as they compete to represent GBR. Otherwise there have been some very promising performances from our sailors here, most of whom are very young and will do very well with more international championships experience.

It has been a very difficult championships for some of them with a lot of sitting around in the dinghy park waiting to race, and even more milling about on the water, so they have done very well indeed."

Overall Results:

More Information:

• YachtsandYachting.com Laser Radial Page
• www.laserinternational.org