Final Day
In contrasting conditions to the previous day the final two races in the Laser Radial Youth World Championship were completed in a 6 to 9 knot northerly wind under blue skies.  The south going current with the wind in the first race helped keep the fleets behind the line but made the .5 mile windward legs slow.  The wind started backing for the start of the second race with a small increase in pressure.  The course was moved several times as the wind tracked to the north west where it finally settled although with more shifts than the first race.

By the time the course was re-set the tide had turned 180 degrees and caused several recalls in each fleet, fast windward legs but very slow downwind legs.

Israel's Suffa Ben Horin held off a strong challenge from Anne Haeger USA to win her first race of the Youth Female championship. Behind them series leader, Susana Romero Steensma ESP was having her own private battle with overall third, Sarah Gunni DEN.  Steensma passed Gunni on the final downwind leg to finish 7th and still in control of the overall title as second overall, Tuula Tenkanen FIN, was having a bad day in back in the twenties.

Once again there was drama in the last race of the day.  Steensma threw caution to the wind in an effort to get a good start and was over the line along with 7 others in a black flag start which meant she could not start in the restart of the race.   Tenkanen had to win to to take the title.  She gave it her best shot finishing second to Tiffany Brian IRL and was resigned to the runner-up position.  On coming ashore she found out that Brian was being protested by the jury for a mark touching incident and subsequently disqualified. That left Tenkanen the race winner and World Champion by .4 of a point!

In the Youth Male gold fleet, Thorbjoern Schierup from Denmark, the overall leader since the first day, had to score 11th place or better in one of the races to be certain of winning the overall title.  He struggled in the lighter winds and scored his worst result of the series, a 13th. However he was only 4 places behind his nearest rival, Ioannis Mitakis GRE and still needed an 11th or finish worse but ahead of Mitakis to win.  Mitakis could still win with a 2nd place in the final race if Schierup made a mistake.  As it turned out all top 4 sailors scored worse than 22nd which gave Schierup the title whilst USA's Andy Philip led the final race home ahead Filip Matika from Croatia.

Day 5
The disappointment of losing a day of racing yesterday was forgotten as soon as the 280 sailors in the Laser Radial Youth World Championship left the harbour and were greeted with a 20 knot northerly and challenging waves. Throughout the week it has been a case of getting a race when you can and today was a good example.  Faced with a forecast of light winds for the final day the race committee scheduled and completed 3 races for each fleet and were still ashore before the end of the afternoon.

The youth female start was the only one to be recalled in the first race of the day.  Racing was close between Susana Romero Steensma ESP, Mathilde de Kerangat FRA, Sabine Isambert FRA , Chloe Martin GBR and Cushla Hume-Merry NZL.  Hume-Merry and Teensma both improved in the last third of the race to finish first and second.  In the second race Sarah Gunni DEN had established a big lead by the 2nd upwind that she held until the finish with Tuula Tekanen FIN filling the runner up position. Tekanen's second place put her in the runner up position behind Steensma as the overnight leader, Anne Haeger USA, could only manage a 14th and 17th.

Approaching the windward mark for the first time in the third race of the day Tuula, on starboard tack, was hit by a port tack port. The collision resulted in a large hole in the Finnish boat and she had to retire.  The international jury gave her redress and she is now only 5.6 pts behind Steensma who finished 7th in the last race of the day.  Out in front De Kerangat scored her first win of the series after an exciting battle with Gunni.

In the male youth fleet the series leader, Thorbjoern Schierup from Denmark was once again the best sailor on the course.  Starting conservatively in each race he worked his way through the fleet in each race to win the first and third races of the day and finish 3rd in the second race.  The only person near him on the water was Austjralian, James Burman, who finished second to Thorbjoern in the first race and won the second race.  Trying too hard in the third race he capsized at the end of first downwind when lying second to Slovenian Luka Domijan. In spite of a quick recovery he had let Thorbjoern and Gijs Pelt NED through and finished 6th.

Schierup only needs one good result tomorrow to take the male youth title.
Two races are scheduled for the final day

Day 4:

Unfortunately the races are cancelled for today. There is too much wind and the waves are far too high to get out of the harbor onto the sea. Around 15.30PM the Race Committee decided to postpone Thursday’s races until Friday. Then the finals will be raced, the serious racing for the medals.

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Final result Ladies:

After a protest Tuula Tenkanen from finland is official Youth Girls World Champion Laser Radial 2007

Results race 10 Boys Silver:
1. Giulio Zani (ITA), 2. Philippe Erni (SUI), 3. Gael Guilbault (FRA)

Results race 10 Boys Gold:
1. Philip Alley (USA),2.  Filip Matika (CRO), 3. Louis Moysan (FRA)

Unofficial result boys:
Thorbjoern Schierup from Denmark is Youth Boys Worlds Champion Laser Radial 2007!

Results race 10 Ladies:

Finish: 14.47
1.Tiffany Brien (IRL), 2.Tuula Tenkanen (FIN), 3.Alisa Kirilyuk (RUS)

Results race 9 Men Bronze:
Finish: 13.19
1. Giuseppe Linares (ITA), 2. Jakub Kaniszewski (POL), 3. James Leighton (TRI)

Results race 9 Men Silver:
Finish 12.28
1. Luka Jercic (CRO, 2. Stuart Leighton (TRI), Alessandro Acciani (ITA)

Results race 9 Men Gold:
Finish 12.19
1. Joaquin Blanco (ESP), 2. Gijs Pelt (NED), 3. Alexios Katsios (GRE)

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