Events

Event information

World Laser Masters Championship 2009

Thu 27th August 2009 - Sat 5th September 2009

CANADA, Halifax

Click here for lots more pictures by Matias Capizzano.

It's good bye until next year for our Laser Masters sailors.
(© Matias Capizzano / capizzano.com)

Laser World President Heini Wellmann (SUI)
congratulates winners at the prize giving ceremony
(© Matias Capizzano / capizzano.com)

Saturday 5th September

Neither wind, nor lack of it, deterred the 2009 Nautel Laser Worlds and Master Worlds Championships. After 18 days of competition, the Laser Worlds came to an end Saturday on St. Margaret's Bay with races abandoned because of shifty and light winds.

"It's a disappointing last day," admitted event manager Duncan Enman, "but both the Seniors and Masters had some incredible racing days on St. Margaret's Bay."

Day Seven of competition for the Laser Masters Worlds proved disappointing because of the lack of a steady wind to set courses, but all fleets had completed ten races in the regatta.

The Masters is divided by age and type of sail used on the Laser, a four metre single handed, single sail dinghy.

For the Radial rig; in the Apprentice class (35 to 44 years old), Australian Richard Bott finished first, New Zealander Scott Leith was second and Australian Grant Willmott took third.

For the Master division (45 to 54 years old), Brazilian Carlos Eduardo Wanderley finished first, followed by Greg Adams of Australia in second, and Joao of Ramos of Brazil ithird. Nigel Heath was the top Canadian in fifth spot.

In the Grand Master fleet (55 to 64 years old); Australian Peter Heywood finished first with Michael Pridham and Ian Rawet both of Great Britain in second and third.

For the Great Grand Masters (65 years old and up); American Peter Seidenberg held on to first, with Australian Kerry Waraker in second and Michael Kinnear of Great Britain in third. Canada's Johan Van Rossem finished ninth in the field of 41 athletes.

In the Standard rig (a slightly larger sail and mast than the radial); the top three remained the same throughout the Worlds with Adonis Bougiouris of Greece finishing first, Australian Brett Beyer second and Orlando Gledhill of Great Britain in third.

For the Masters, gold fleet; Scott Ferguson of the United States takes home the championships ahead of chief rival Arnoud Hummel of the Netherlands, while Ferguson's club-mate Andrew Pimental of the US was third. Canadian Andy Roy finished sixth.

Robert Muru of Canada finished first in the Masters silver fleet, with Jan Larkens of the United Arab Emirates in second and Kevin Currier of Ireland taking third.

Wolfgang Gerz of Germany dominated the Grand Master Standard fleet to take first, Mark Bethwaite of Australia finished second and Alan Keen of South Africa took third.

Report courtesy of Barbara Pike

Friday 4th September

If there was a perfect day for sailing, it was Friday on St. Margaret's Bay just outside Halifax, NS. For the 300 athletes from 27 countries competing in the 2009 Nautel Laser Master World Championships, the day provided ideal conditions for racing. Under sunny skies and with a steady breeze of 16 to 18 knots, it was a day to test endurance, skill and strength.

For the Radial rig; in the Apprentice class (35 to 44 years old), Australian Richard Bott is in first, New Zealander Scott Leith in second and Australian Grant Willmott is third.

For the Master division (45 to 54 years old), Brazilian Carlos Eduardo Wanderley remains in first, followed by Greg Adams of Australia in second, and Joao of Ramos of Brazil in third. Nigel Heath is the top Canadian in fifth spot.

In the Grand Master fleet (55 to 64 years old); Australian Peter Heywood is in first with Michael Pridham and Ian Rawet both of Great Britain in second and third.

For the Great Grand Masters (65 years old and up); American Peter Seidenberg continues to lead, with Australian Kerry Waraker in second and Michael Kinnear of Great Britain in third. Canada's Johan Van Rossem is ninth in the field of 41 athletes.

In the Standard rig (a slightly larger sail and mast than the radial); the top three remain the same in the Apprentice division - Adonis Bougiouris of Greece is in first, Australian Brett Beyer is in second and Orlando Gledhill of Great Britain remains in third.

For the Masters, gold fleet; Scott Ferguson of the US has a commanding lead over chief rival Arnoud Hummel of the Netherlands, while Ferguson's club-mate Andrew Pimental of the US is in third. Canadian Andy Roy is in sixth.

Robert Muru of Canada has taken over the lead in the silver Masters fleet, with Jan Larkens of the United Arab Emirates in second and Kevin Currier of Ireland in third.

Wolfgang Gerz of Germany continues to dominate the Grand Master Standard fleet, Mark Bethwaite of Australia is in second and Alan Keen of South Africa is back in third.

Report courtesy of Barbara Pike

Thursday 3rd September

The sea breeze returned to St. Margaret's Bay on Thursday providing one of the best days of sailing yet for the 2009 Nautel Laser Masters World Championships.

"There were a lot of smiles out there today," said Gerry Giffin, president of the Canadian Yachting Association and a competitor. "This is what people came here for, some great days of racing."

In the Standard rig, Apprentice fleet (35 years old to 44), Adonis Bougiouris of Greece remains in first, Australia's Brett Beyer is second, and Orlando Gledhill of Great Britain is in third. Canadian Ray Davies is in fourth.

The Masters Standard (45 to 54 years old) is divided into the gold and silver fleets. American Scott Ferguson is in first in the gold fleet, Arnoud Hummel of the Netherlands is in second, and American Andrew Pimenthal is in third. Canadian Andy Roy has fallen to sixth place. In the silver fleet, Ireland's Kevin Currier is in first, Canada's Robert Muru in second and Jan Lerkens of the United Arab Emirates in third.

For Grand Masters (55 and over) Standard rig, Wolfgang Gerz of Germany continues to dominate and remains in first place, Australian Mark Bethwaite is in second and Alan Keen of South Africa is in third.

In the Radial rig; Australian Richard Bott is in first, Scott Leith of New Zealand is in second, and Australian Grant Willmott is third in the Apprentice fleet.

For the Masters; Carlos Eduardo Wanderley of Brazil remains in first, Australian Greg Adams is in second and Brazilian Joao Ramos has moved to third. Australian Peter Heywood continues to lead the Radial Grand Masters with Brits Ian Rawet and Michael Pridham in second and third.

For the Great Grand Masters (65 years old and up); Peter Seidenberg of the US is in first, Australian Kerry Waraker in second and Michael Kinnear of Great Britain in third.

Twenty of the 297 competitors at the Laser Masters Worlds are women, one third are older than 55, and 47 are older than 65 years of age.

Report courtesy of Barbara Pike

Wednesday 2nd September

It's a rest day for the 297 athletes competing in the 2009 Nautel Laser Masters World Championships on St. Margaret's Bay, near Halifax, NS. Most fleets have five races in after three gruelling days of competition.

Shifty winds made for two very long days on the water on Sunday and Monday; almost eight hours for most of the sailors.

The St. Margaret Sailing Club is hosting a Maritime Kitchen Party this evening at the club for competitors beginning at five. Steamed mussels are on the menu, maritime music in the clubhouse.

It's back to competition on Thursday, and the race committee has moved the start of racing forward one hour to noon.

The Masters, which is for athletes 35 years of age and older, concludes on Saturday.

Report courtesy of Barbara Pike

Radial Great Grand Master Kerry Warraker (AUS)
in third place today after a 2nd and 5th place..
(© Matias Capizzano / capizzano.com)

Radial Grand Master Fleet.
Peter Heywood remains in first place with 13 points overall.
(© Matias Capizzano / capizzano.com)

Tuesday 1st September

The wind returned to St. Margaret's Bay, but it wasn't the sea breeze that has made the Bay famous as one of the best sailing venues in the world.

Instead, it was an offshore shifty wind with speeds of six to 15 knots (14 to 30 kilometres per hour). It still made for a good day of racing on Day Three of the 2009 Nautel Laser Masters World Championships and all fleets completed two races.

The Laser Masters is for athletes 35 years of age and older, sailing a single-handed single sail Laser. The oldest at this championship being held on St. Margaret's Bay near Halifax, Nova Scotia is 77 years old.

The field of close to 300 sailors from 27 countries is divided according to age and the type of rig they sail. The Standard rig is a slightly larger mast and sail than the Radial rig.

In the Standard fleet, for the Apprentice (35 to 44 years old) Adonis Bougiouris of Greece remains in first, with Australians Brett Beyer and Stewart Casey in second and third.

For the Masters Standard (45 to 54 years old); it continues to be a tight race with the top ten sailors within seven points of each other. Arnoud Hummel of the Netherlands has moved to first, American Scott Ferguson in second and Canadian Andy Roy in third.

For the Standard Grand Masters (55 and up), Wolfgang Gerz from Germany remains in first, with Australians Mark Bethwaite and Robert Lowndes in second and third.

In the Radial fleets, the Apprentice class continues to be dominated by sailors from down under. Aussies Richard Bott and Grant Willmott are in first and second, with New Zealander Scott Leith in third.

For the Radial Masters, Carlos Eduardo Wanderley remains in first, Greg Adams of Australia in second and with country mate (and top female) Venessa Dudley in third.

In the Grand Masters Radial Canadian Rob Koci is in first, Australian Peter Heywood remains in second and Alden Shattuck of the United States has moved into third.

The Great Grand Master class for athletes 65 and older; the field of 43 is led by American Peter Seidenberg, with Australian Kerry Waraker in second and Michael Kinnear of Great Britian in third.

Wednesday is a rest day for competitors, with racing resuming at noon on Thursday. The Nautel Laser Masters concludes on Saturday.

Report courtesy of Barbara Pike

Standard Apprentice fleet including current leader Adonis Bougiouris (GRE)
and runner-up Brett Beyer (AUS)
(© Matias Capizzano / capizzano.com)

Monday 31st August

Sailing on St. Margaret's Bay is not for the faint of heart. Almost three hundred athletes from around the world are learning that lesson this week at the 2009 Nautel Laser Masters World Championships.

Under sunny skies, but shifty winds, it was mid-afternoon before the race committee could get the first race off. It meant for the second day in a row, athletes were on the water for more than six hours. That's a gruelling schedule for a Masters regatta where the youngest competitor is 35 and the oldest is 77 years old.

In the Standard fleets, the Apprentice division (35 to 44 years old) was the only one to get in two races on Day Two. Adonis Bougiouris of Greece is in first place, Australian Brett Beyer is in second, with Orlando Gledhill of Great Britain in third, and Canadian Ray Davies in fourth.

For the Masters (45 to 54 years old); Scott Ferguson of the United States is in first, hometown favourite Andy Roy is in second and Ari Barshi of the Dominican Republic is in third. Roy, from Ontario, spent his summers sailing the waters around Nova Scotia and is from a well-known Nova Scotia sailing family.

After three races, Wolfgang Gerz of Germany remains in the lead in the Grand Masters (55 to 64 years old), Australian Mark Bethwaite is in second and American Doug Peckover is in third.

The Radial fleet (a smaller sail than the Standard rig) only got one race in on Day Two. The Apprentice division is dominated by the southern hemisphere with Grant Wilmott of Australia in first, Edmund Tam of New Zealand in second and Australian Richard Bott in third.

For the Masters Radial, Carlos Eduardo Wanderley from Brazil is in first, and Australians Greg Adams and Venessa Dudley in second and third. The top Canadian in the fleet is Nigel Heath in fifth.

Australian Peter Heywood is atop the Grand Master Radial fleet, with Alden Shattuck of the USA in second and New Zealander Bruce Jones in third.

In the Great Grand Master fleet, Michael Kinnear of Great Britain is in first, Australian Kerry Waraker in second and Sandy Grigg of New Zealand in third.

Report courtesy of Barbara Pike

Bill Symes (USA) Wolfgang Gerz (GER) in the midst of the action in the Standard Grand Master fleet.
Gerz remains in first place after two bullets and a 3rd place.
(© Matias Capizzano / capizzano.com)

Sunday 30th August

It took a little patience, but the famous sea breeze of St. Margaret's Bay didn't disappoint. Competitors got in two races on the first day of racing in the 2009 Nautel Laser Masters World Championship. But with the wind not coming in until mid-afternoon, the first race didn't get started until three and sailors weren't off the water until seven in the evening.

In the Standard rig, Apprentice division, the top finishers were Adonis Bougiouris of Great Britain, Brett Beyer of Australia and Brit Orlando Gledhill in third.

For the Masters Qualifiers in the Standard rig, American Andrew Pimental is in first, Arnoud Hummel of the Netherlands in second and American Peter Vessell in third. Top Canadian in the fleet is Andy Roy in fifth spot.

Wolfgang Gerz of Germany leads the Grand Masters standard rig, Australian Mark Bethwaite is in second and Alan Keen of South Africa in third.

In the Radial fleet (a slightly smaller sail than the Standard), Australian Richard Bott leads the Apprentice fleet, Scot Leith of New Zealand is in second with country mate Edmund Tam in third.

In the Master Radial, it's Carlos Eduardo Wanderley from Brazil in first, and Australians Greg Adams and Venessa Dudley in second and third.

Canadian Rob Koci leads the Grand Master Radial fleet, Peter Whipp of Great Britain is in second and Australian Peter Heywood in third.

The Great Grand Master fleet, Michael Kinnear of Great Britain is in first, Australian Kerry Waraker in second and Sandy Grigg of New Zealand in third.

Forty-three of the 297 athletes at the Laser Masters Worlds are Great Grand Masters, meaning they are 65 years of age of older. More than one third of the field is 55 or older.

Report courtesy of Barbara Pike

27th August - 29th August

The first three days of the championship were taken up with measurment, registration and charter boat allocation, followed by an opening ceremony on the 29th August.