All Standard and Radial fleets completed Races 3 & 4 on Day 2 of the Laser Masters World Championships, held in Port Zélande, Netherlands. Completing Race 4 makes the event a Championship, and allows for one discarded score.
The two classes are racing on a single course with staged start times. Today, the Standards started first, with the Radials held onshore until early afternoon. (Tomorrow, the order will switch, with the Radials starting first.) The fleets are grouped into three starts for each class, with the first start racing the outer loop of the trapezoid course. The second and third starts sail the inner loop.
The first races for the Standard fleet were sailed in 8 to 10 knots of SSW breeze. There were definitely shifts that helped some and hurt others, but, overall, the course held steady and racing began on-time at 1030h. The Standard fleet was more aggressive at the starting line, with multiple general recalls, although the Radials didn’t have completely clean starts, either.
Regardless, everyone is interested in scores, especially now that it’s an official Championship. Patience…they’re coming, and eight more races are scheduled. Total scores will change. But provisional results are available on the event host’s website:
Racing continues tomorrow for Day 3. The current forecast calls for light morning breeze, so we may see an AP flag. The following day is a Reserve Day, so we’ll either take a break or catch up on the race schedule, depending on the weather…we’ll see what actually happens. Check back to find out!