Skunked at Laser Worlds

Sandringham, Australia (February 14, 2020) – The fourth day of racing at the 2020 Laser Standard Men’s World Championship was abandoned today, owing to a series of thunderstorms that swept across Port Phillip Bay.

Scheduled to be the first day of Gold Fleet racing, which brings together the best 42 sailors at the event, it instead became a day of watch and wait for the race committee.

At 3pm, as the second of the fronts carrying thunder and lightning appeared on the horizon, Race Director Peter Merritt ordered AP over A to be hoisted on the Sandringham Yacht Club flagpole, signalling no further racing for the day.

With their Lasers already packed away to prevent damage from the storms, sailors and support staff made a beeline for the exit gate, looking to get home before the rain began to fall in earnest.

The race committee has announced that racing will start an hour earlier than scheduled on the final two days, with three races now scheduled for those days.

If they are successful, the full complement of 12 races will be sailed.

Day Four Results (Top 10 of 124; 6 races, 1 discard)
1. Philipp BUHL (GER) 6 pts.
2. Jean Baptiste BERNAZ (FRA) 8 pts.
3. Tonci STIPANOVIC (CRO) 12 pts.
4. Matt WEARN (AUS) 16 pts.
5. Luke ELLIOTT (AUS) 17 pts.
6. Filip JURIŠIC (CRO) 18 pts.
7. Michael BECKETT (GBR) 18 pts.
8. Sam MEECH (NZL) 21 pts.
9. Thomas SAUNDERS (NZL) 21 pts.
10. Rutger VAN SCHAARDENBURG (NED) 21 pts.

Event details – Results – Facebook

In total, 124 boats from 43 countries will compete February 11 to 16 in which the field will be split into three fleets for six qualifying races before another six races, weather permitting, of Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets.

Olympic Trials: The Worlds will finalize selection for the USA Tokyo 2020 Team in the Men’s One Person Dinghy event. Charlie Buckingham, who has an 18 point lead in selection standings over Chris Barnard, stumbled today with a 15-17 to slip down to 30th overall while Barnard moved up to 25th. However, Buckingham remains in the lead for selection.

Source: Roger McMillan/Laser 2020