Starting tomorrow, August 17, 2009, the St. Margarets’ Bay Yacht Club in Nova Scotia will be hosting one of the world’s premier regattas. What is sometimes simply referred to as the “Laser Worlds” is split into two distinct events:
Laser Senior World Championship – August 17-August 26, 2009
Laser Masters World Championship – August 27-September 5, 2009
Together, these events will see up to 560 sailors competing, representing over 60 countries. The age spread of competitors between the two events will range over 60 years. Cumulatively, this will likely be the largest sailing event in Canadian history and we at Sturgeon Lake will have our representative!
The Laser Senior World Championship is the World championships for the Laser class, and is the premier event on the class calendar for 2009. Competitors are the best of the best, and must qualify in advance to achieve one of the potential 180 available berths. The competition will see 3 days of preparation and 7 intensive days of racing. Canada will be represented by a group of sailors that includes 2007 Mid Ontario champion Evan Lewis and 2009 Mid Ontario champion Robert Davis.
The World Masters World Championship that follows immediately after will see up to 400 sailors competing, including our own Grand Master Richard Roberts. Richard gets better every year (that is not supposed to be what happens). He has been training hard with the Ontario Masters team (the age defying team was in attendance in force at the Mids). He is now completely and totally invinsible on the Sturgeon Lake race courses (see Civic Results and his thorough drubbing of Nick Roberts, David DesBrisay and yours truly).
Richard will be flying the SLSC burgee as our representative in the Radial Fleet at the World Masters and our club will be following his results and cheering hard. This event has 3 days of preparation, 6 days of racing, and one resting day. It will be a gruelling test. We wish Richard all the best and congratulate him for being someone who has shown us that sailing can truly be a lifetime preoccupation.
Stay tuned for updates on this site, or follow results on your own at http://can09.laserinternational.org/index.php/results?i=2jjfvq3c62i3p64lj744tukm90
Hugh