Finals showdown, perfect conditions on Hayling Bay

Another day to order as the Laser World Championships reach the Finals stage and the Junior Worlds resume racing today.

The world championships title showdown really begins today on Hayling Bay. Australia’s Tom Slingsby goes afloat with a slender lead and is sailing well.

The ever consistent defending champion Paul Goodison, current Olympic gold medallist is on his tail and ready for a fight which is scheduled to extend over the next three days and six races.

Slingsby is back on track after a long haul back from disappointment at the Olympics in 2008 when he finished 23rd and the last World Championships when he finished 17th.
He appears to have evened out his all round game, strengthening his skills downwind and in the light to moderate breeze.

Goodison is hungry, keen to avenge losing to Slingsby at Weymouth at Skandia Sail for Gold and has the tempered steely strengths of a sailor who has already successfully completed that personal odyssey from Olympic disappointment – missing out on gold in 2000 – to holding all the key Laser titles at the same time.

And the depth and talent of the Kiwi challenge sees four sailors in the top eight, showing a range of age and experience from Michael Bullot who finished second last year, through Andy Maloney to Joshua Junior, maturing fast and starting to string high level consistent results.

The Laser Junior World Championships fleets sail their final day of qualifying heats before being ordered into gold, silver and bronze.

The breeze forecast for the day could be a almost a cut and paste from yesterday, other than the breeze starting off south of east ESE, moving slightly right with the sun, 10-12 knots building up to 16 knots again. First news from the course areas this morning is that the swell is more ordered and slightly bigger and racing should get away on time.
 

3/9/2010 11:45