Laser Masters Worlds: Sail, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico (May 24, 2016) – It was another great day of sailing for the Laser Standard Masters Worlds as the sea breeze once again filled in on schedule and provided two excellent races in pristine Laser sailing conditions.

Starting in a 10 knot, southwest breeze, the day’s first race saw a few shake-ups in the standings. The level of competition is extremely high at this world championship event, and even the best sailors find it hard to come back from mistake.

Brett Beyer of Australia finally showed he was human by finishing 6th place in the first race of the Masters Division, his only race outside of first place in the event. But Beyer soon regained his form in second race as the wind once again built to 14-16 knots.

The afternoon race featured close tactical racing upwind and fast, fun surfing on the downwind legs. “I played the right side of the course in that race,” said Beyer. “The right was favored, but since most of the guys followed me to that side, it also turned out to be a safe way to cover the fleet.”

In the Grand Masters Division, Cristian Herman of Chile found his form to make a move up to third place overall. Herman and Gavin Dagley from Australia lead the fleet – each posting a first and second place finish on the day to top of the leader board. Allan Clark of Canada remains in third place overall, holding off Tim Law of Great Britain, who had a consistent day with a pair of third place finishes.

Great Grand Master, Mark Bethwaite of Australia, continues his domination of his that division by posting two more first place finishes. Doug Peckover from USA worked hard to take a pair of second place finishes on the day, holding off Australian John Roberson in the first race and Canadian John Dawson-Edwards in the second.

After three days of hard racing, tomorrow is a scheduled day off for the sailors. Golf, sightseeing, fishing or just relaxing on the beach will provide a well-deserved break for the competitors and the regatta volunteers alike. Racing continues on Thursday, May 25 with two more races in the 12-race series.

Top-Three Standings by Division (85 total competitors; 6 races, 1 discard)

Apprentice Masters Division:
1) Pablo Rabago MEX 5pts
2) Guilherme Roth BRA 9pts
3) Alejandro Rabago MEX 14pts

Masters Division:
1) Brett Beyer AUS 5pts
2) Ernesto Rodriguez USA 17pts
3) Andrew Dellabarca NZL 19pts

Grand Masters Division:
1) Gavin Dagley AUS 8pts
2) Cristian Herman CHI 19pts
3) Allan Clark CAN 21pts

Great Grand Masters Division:
1) Mark Bethwaite AUS 5pts
2) Doug Peckover USA 10pts
3) James Temple AUS 18pts

The 12-race series is scheduled for May 22-28 on the waters of Banderas Bay.

First held in 1980, the Laser Masters World Championship is organized annually for sailors age 35 and over. Sailors compete in various divisions based on their ages: Apprentice Masters – age 35 to 44, Masters – age 45 to 54, Grand Masters – age 55 to 64, and Great Grand Masters – age 65 and over. Unlike previous years, this year’s event was sailed on two separate weeks, one for Laser Radial sailors and one for Laser Standard sailors.

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