2012 World Masters Championships
Pwllheli, North Wales, UK
25 maja - 1 czerwca 2011
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oficjalna strona regat w Pwllheli
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email z dnia 1.06.2012 od Roberta Deaves'a po piątym dniu regat:
Michael Maier (CZE) won his fourth Finn World Masters title in Pwllheli on Friday with no more races sailed after the wind failed to stabilise in time to get the final races in before the time limit. Allen Burrell (GBR) won the silver and Laurent Hay (FRA) won the bronze.
The day started dull and overcast with no wind. The forecast was never that good and though the clouds cleared and a light breeze filled in it never completely filled the bay enough to start a race. The fleet was held on shore until 13.00 when racing was called off for the day.
It has not been the week that most of the competitors expected with exceptionally warm and sunny days and only one day of rain. The generally light winds have been kind the fleet as a whole but the windy conditions on Thursday brought a welcome relief to some.
Maier again proved his dominance against a fleet of amateur sailors and was a worthy winner, while Burrell won the silver medal for the second year running. Hay picked up his second bronze medal after previously finishing third in 2009.
Maier said, “We've had great weather this week, amazing weather in fact. My last ten experiences here have always been rain. But I think it was nice to sail yesterday with great winds. In the light winds we had some races like that were a bit tricky but I think everyone is happy with the week. We had a nice championship and everyone is going home with a good feeling.”
Burrell said, “I am really pleased to win the silver again, especially with the way the week started with the light winds when I wasn't expected to come second. It really came down to yesterday with the nice breeze and two second places. They have done a fantastic job here this week with 130 boats on the start line. The double start line worked well and they always seemed to be pretty fair. I started in the middle most of the time and it seemed to work fine for me. I was a bit relieved there was no medal race today, as with the light winds that could have been a problem for me. Gareth [Roberts] and everyone at the club have done a great job organising everything and the weather has just been fantastic here and not what we expected.”
Hay said, “I am a little bit disappointed because I think I did two mistakes and lost five points and then finished just two points behind Allen. But I sailed very well and yesterday it was a little tricky for me because it was moderate winds and big waves and I am too light for that. I expected to have a good medal race today because I like that kind of competition, with short race and very aggressive race, but it was not to be. So maybe next year.”
At the prizegiving the four categories and the overall winners were presented with the unfeasibly large trophies. There were new prizes this years for the Ladies and the Legend categories. Sabine Breuer (GER) was the only lady this year but said she would only take home the trophy if she finished every race and was not last. At just 52kg she is half the size of many sailors here, but she accomplished her goal for the second year running and got the biggest cheer. She explained, “I know that Finn sailing is a kind of a man's world and the reason why I was in this hopeless fight yesterday that was really only me against the time limit is that I wished the Finn sailors to think that even though I was the only one, that I deserved this prize.”
Despite opening with a black flag disqualification Rob Coutts (NZL) took the Grand Masters title against some very close competition, while Pascal Tetard (FRA) dominated the Grand Grand Masters.
The Legend category was won for the second year running by Howard Sellars (GBR), with British sailors taking all the medals. He said, “It was great to have a British 1, 2, 3 in the Legends and the one that was first was very proud to say that he has a Welsh heritage, so of all the sailors that were here there was only one person was racing for the host nation, and that was me. I am very proud of that and, to add to that, to be the first on the cup and to defend my title from last year made me very proud.”
All week the two sailors each day have been using the Finn class stern mounted GoPro cameras during the racing so that the class can gain some experience in using the equipment in competition. While the light winds have not made the footage that exciting in general, we now have some 110 Gb of footage from a range of sailors incuding Sabine Breuer and the Finn Masters President Fon van Gent. This footage will be assembled and edited into a short video which will be posted on the classes You Tube channel, TheFinnChannel.
Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli Sailing Club has been the perfect host, going to great lengths to ensure that all the competitors had a great time on and off the water. It has been a remarkable championship in many ways not least the uncharacteristic weather; but no one complained.
Next year the championship returns to La Rochelle in France, which last hosted the event in 1996. Already forecasts are for a 200-250 boat championship. If Maier wins there he will equal the record set by Larry Lemieux (CAN) between 1995 and 2004 of five Finn World Masters titles.
Final results (top 10 from 131)
1 CZE 1 Michael Maier 5
2 GBR 2 Allen Burrell 23
3 FRA 75 Laurent Hay 25
4 GER 707 Uli Breuer 31
5 LTU 7 Tauras Rymonis 37
6 NZL 9 Rob Coutts 48
7 GER 711 Andre Budzien 52
8 GBR 5 John Greenwood 61
9 GER 700 Martin Hofmann 80
10 ITA 4 Francesco Faggiani 82
Grand Masters
1 NZL 9 Rob Coutts
2 GER 711 Andre Budzien
3 GBR 5 John Greenwood
Grand Grand Masters
1 FRA 150 Pascal Tetard
2 NED 8 Rodrick Cassander
3 SWE 721 Michael Brandt
Legend
1 GBR 77 Howard Sellars
2 GBR 531 Richard Hart
3 GBR 611 Tony Lock
Ladies
1 GER 706 Sabine Breuer
Results at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/index.php/en/sailing/results-by-ranking
A full gallery of photos can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Finn-Class/110408332633
Follow the event on the club website at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/en/home/
email z dnia 31.05.2012 od Roberta Deaves'a po czwartym dniu regat:
In some real Welsh weather, Michael Maier (CZE) won both races on day four at the Finn World Masters in Pwllheli to close in on his fourth Masters title. Two second places for Allen Burrell (GBR) lifted him to second while Laurent Hay (FRA) dropped to third overall in wet and windy conditions.
After the soaring temperatures and wall to wall sunshine of the past few days, Thursday brought some real Welsh weather to Pwllheli. Light rain and a building wind turned the day into a relatively cold and wet day on the water, but the 131 Finn sailors were glad to be able to stretch their legs and enjoy some fantastic sailing in some great wind and waves, despite the damp conditions. It was tough racing for all, but it was what many here had been hoping to happen after a week of light winds.
Race five got away with a number of boats pulled out for being over early. This included the leader at the top mark, Marc Allain des Beauvais (FRA). He rounded the top mark ahead of Uli Breuer (GER) and Michael Maier (CZE). However, it wasn't long until Maier had taken the lead but with the shifting winds, there were lots of place changes possible. Allen Burrell (GBR) enjoyed the windier conditions and moved up to second at the finish while Breuer claimed third.
As the conditions deteriorated further, with the wind increasing to 11-14 knots and the top gust recorded at 18 knots, race six got under way at the first attempt. The leaders again emerged from the left and at the top mark Denis Kharitonov (RUS) led round from Breuer and Burrell. Maier rounded in fifth and again moved into the lead fairly quickly while Burrell claimed another second place. Allain des Beauvais was clearly spurred on by his BFD in race five by crossing race six in third.
Burrell, who now moves up to second overall, commented on the day, “It was great fun today. To have a bit of breeze and some waves to surf down was great and it made a nice change to be able to hike out and do some work. I'm very happy with two second places. Both races I started in the middle of the line by the committee boat and just got clear air straight away with good speed and got of the line which gave me the options to go either way up the beat and takes the shifts I wanted.”
“There were some quite big shifts. I guess there were a couple of 15 degree shifts but one side was never really favoured over the other. But it's also so important to get a clean lane as there are so many boats out there.”
On Friday's race. “I've never done a medal race, so it's going to be a bit different with double points to count. I'd be quite excited about it if the forecast was for a bit of breeze but I think we are in for light winds, so I am bit concerned.”
Maier almost has his fourth Finn World Masters title in the bag. Realistically only Burrell can beat him, but to do that he needs to win with Maier last. In reality the real fight is for silver and bronze. Burrell leads Laurent Hay (FRA) by just two points with Breuer and Tauras Rymonis (LTU) also in with a chance.
For the Grand Master title, there are four sailors in the medal race. Rob Coutts (NZL) leads Andre Budzien (GER) and John Greenwood (GBR) and are all within 13 points of each other, so that should be a great battle as well. The Grand Grand Master title is much clearer with Pascal Tetard (FRA) having an unassailable lead. Likewise Howard Sellars (GBR) leads the Legend category by a very safe margin over Richard Hart (GBR)
The final races are scheduled for 12.00 on Friday, though the forecast is not particularly encouraging.
Top 10 after day four
1 CZE 1 Michael Maier 5
2 GBR 2 Allen Burrell 23
3 FRA 75 Laurent Hay 25
4 GER 707 Uli Breuer 31
5 LTU 7 Tauras Rymonis 37
6 NZL 9 Rob Coutts 48
7 GER 711 Andre Budzien 52
8 GBR 5 John Greenwood 61
9 GER 700 Martin Hofmann 80
10 ITA 4 Francesco Faggiani 82
Photos: Claire ADB
Results at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/index.php/en/sailing/results-by-ranking
A full gallery of photos can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Finn-Class/110408332633
Follow the event on the club website at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/en/home/
email z dnia 30.05.2012 od Roberta Deaves'a po trzecim dniu regat:
On day three at the Finn World Masters in Pwllheli, North Wales, Tauras Rymonis (LTU) spoiled Michael Maier's day by stealing the win of the only race in very tricky conditions. Maier still leads overall though, with Laurent Hay (FRA) second and Uli Breuer (GER in third.
It was looking like another long day in Pwllheli. A very light morning breeze prompted an early postponement and the fleet was held ashore. About an hour later an unexpected breeze from the south-west filled in and gradually strengthened enough to send the boats out for race four. By the time the boats had reached the starting area it was up to 10 knots and building. It looked like a great race was on the cards in the best breeze of the week. However it slowly turned into, for many, the most painful race of the week so far.
After the now obligatory general recall the race started first time under black flag, with one boat pulled out. Most of the early leaders started near the centre committee boat (due to the large number of sailors, there are two lines end-to-end with three committee boats) and after clearing the fleet tacked over to the right. Michael Maier (CZE) led this group and when he tacked on the layline it looked like a fourth win was in the bag.
However the wind clocked round 20 degrees to the right, dropped in strength and the left side of the fleet almost reached into the top mark. First round was Simon Hoult (GBR) followed by Maier and Stefan Nordstrom (SWE). Most of those on the right were hung out to dry.
Hoult said, “I saw them moving the pin end committee boat to windward so I started that end and just kept going. I had good speed and in good pressure so sailed to the left hand corner, tacked on the layline and led into the top mark. I couldn't believe it. I thought all my Christmases had come at once!”
“It helped this morning that Andre Budzien had looked at my rig set-up and moved my mast 30mm, and after that the boat felt really good.”
The breeze faded further on the first downwind and with more changes on the second beat, the decision to go left or right proved critical. Tauras Rymonis (LTU) tacked over to the left early and by the time the fleet merged at the top mark had taken the lead, a lead that he held on to round the final shortened lap in 2-4 knots of wind. Maier crossed in second while Martin Hofmann (GER) was third. Lots of place changes followed as the 131 Finns struggled too find speed in the very light, shifty and sloppy conditions.
Hofmann said, “It was a very difficult race today because you had to make a big decision on which side to go. One side was OK and the other side was really bad. I rounded the first mark about tenth and on the last lap the right was good, so I went right over to that side and it brought me up to third at the finish. I have had fairly good results so far but also a black flag yesterday, so tomorrow we will see what happens.”
As if determined to have the last laugh the breeze returned at the finish of the race and the fleet had a great sail back to shore, where this evening the championship dinner is being held.
After four races Maier leads with a 12 point advantage over Laurent Hay (FRA) who picked up a sixth today, while Uli Breuer (GER) moved up to third after placing fifth. Bernd Mosr (AUT) is leading the Grand Master category in sixth place, though he has a lot of others close behind. Pascal Tetard (FRA) is the leading Grand Grand Master in 13th and Howard Sellars (GBR) s the leading Legend in 45th. Thursday will be a crucial day for all of them.
Meeting
Before racing today the sailors held their annual meeting. As usual there were lively discussions on a range of tropics including the medal race and fleet sizes, as well as hearing about the growing health of the masters fleets worldwide and the wide range of bids coming for future world championships. The meeting ended with three great event bids for the 2014 Finn World Masters from Tihany in Hungary, Los Angeles in the USA and Sopot in Poland. By a clear majority the venue was chosen as Sopot.
Two races are scheduled for Thursday and the competitors tonight are hoping for better winds. The 2012 Finn World Masters continues until Friday, when the final race and the medal race for the top 10 will be sailed.
Top 10 after day three
1 CZE 1 Michael Maier 5
2 FRA 75 Laurent Hay 17
3 GER 707 Uli Breuer 37
4 GBR 2 Allen Burrell 40
5 LTU 7 Tauras Rymonis 48
6 AUT 11 Bernd Moser 72
7 ITA 4 Francesco Faggiani 73
8 GER 8 Jurgen Eiermann 74
9 GER 711 Andre Budzien 75
10 GRE 71 Panagioti Davourlis 78
Results at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/en/home/
A full gallery of photos can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Finn-Class/110408332633
Follow the event on the club website at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/en/home/
email z dnia 29.05.2012 od Roberta Deaves'a po drugim dniu regat:
Maier dominates Finn Masters in sunny Pwllheli
Michael Maier (CZE) continued his good form by winning both races on the second day at the Finn World Masters in Pwllheli, North Wales, but he didn’t have it all his own way. Maier leads after three races while Laurent Hay (FRA) is second and Allen Burrell (GBR) is third.
The day started grey, but there was a light breeze in place as sailors arrived at the club so the 131 boats were sent out for a start on schedule. As the sun warmed the land the breeze temporarily died, but it didn't take long for a light sea breeze to form and racing to begin. The breeze built during the day, peaking at around 8-10 knots, and with the cloud clearing, leaving very sunny and bright conditions, it was a great day for being on the water.
Both starts got way under black flag again, with the first race of the day picking out ten early starters. In the first race Rob Coutts (NZL) led the fleet round the top mark from Alexandr Kasatov (RUS) and Peter Kilchenmenn (SUI), while regatta leader Michael Maier (CZE) was some way back in eighth. The very light winds made it a painful race for some, but Coutts held onto the lead down the first run and even up the second beat. Maier wiggled his way through on the second downwind, to lead round the shortened final lap to win the race. Coutts crossed in second with Pascal Tetard (FRA) in third.
The wind increased slightly for race three, allowing the sailors to stretch their legs a little. Maier hit the right corner again to lead round the top from Uli Breuer (GER), but took a wrong shift on the downwind to let Breuer into the lead at the gate, but ever so briefly. Maier moved up a gear to quickly take the lead for his third win, while Breuer sailed out of the pressure on the second downwind to let Coutts through for another second place.
A clearly happy Coutts said, “Yesterday I was rock bottom, so I had to do some soul searching today after getting a black flag as sitting on the shore wasn't much fun at all, knowing there was only going to be one race. Yesterday was one of those days with general recall after general recall and you could say it was a senior moment. But I think sailing is a great leveller. You have your ups and your downs.”
On today's performance he said, “For a kiwi to come to Europe and do well in the light is pretty good, so I am happy with that. In the first race today, full credit to Mike Maier. He didn't get a great start, he was back a little bit but just worked his way through with phenomenal boat speed. I am chartering a boat from him, so his boats got first and second, so he's happy with that. On that first beat in the first race I just worked the shifts and got some really nice ones. Both starts were really conservative, after my black flag yesterday.”
“The judging was pretty good today as well; it kept everyone honest, and you can't fault the race management. They are unflappable. I love the people here. They are very much like New Zealanders and even though we can't understand a word of what they say when they speak Welsh, they are really friendly.”
On his competitors, “Full credit to the Poms because the standard of sailing in the UK, every which way I look, is way ahead of everyone else; it's awesome. And here there's always three or four Poms hanging around in the top places. There is an awesome standard here with the UK sailors. And I really like the sharing. I have my boat next to a British guy and he's very open about everything and I really like that. The rest of the world could learn from that.”
Fourth overall after three races, Breuer was equally happy with his day. “I was second round the top mark and then on the downwind Michael took a shift and go to the right and then at the gate I caught him and rounded in the lead. But then he goes for full speed under me and it takes about 30 seconds until I was behind him again, but it was a nice feeling to be leading 130 boats. It was really fun and I really recognised it.”
On Pwllheli, “It's really nice here to be here. The guys from the club here are very welcoming and hospitable. They are always really helpful and Gareth [Roberts] is just a fantastic manager. He is always everywhere, helping us and looking after us. It is all really good for us here, and also they are making good job here for the families. It's perfect.”
Racing continues Wednesday at 13.00. The Masters Annual Meeting will take place Wednesday morning, where among other decisions, the assembled crowd has to decide the venue for 2014 between Hungary, Poland and the USA.
The 2012 Finn World Masters continues until Friday, when the final race and the medal race for the top 10 will be sailed.
Top 10 after day two (provisional)
Results at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/en/home/
A full gallery of photos can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Finn-Class/110408332633
Follow the event on the club website at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/en/home/
email z dnia 28.05.2012 od Roberta Deaves'a po pierwszym dniu regat:
Michael Maier wins opening race at Finn World Masters
Defending champion Michael Maier (CZE) won the only race on the first day of the Finn World Masters in Pwllheli in North Wales, as the tropical conditions continued and produced a long wait ashore in light winds. Laurent Hay (FRA) crossed in second with Neil Robinson (GBR) third.
The fleet was held ashore until nearly 16.00 as the early fog gave way to more high temperatures, sunny skies and very light winds. A sea breeze started to build early on but was never strong enough to start a race until late in the day. However the sailors weren’t complaining too much as it allowed them to watch the arrival of the Olympic Torch Relay at the Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli Sailing Club, along with its convoy of branded buses, vehicle escort, press and police motorcade.
As soon as the Torch had departed Pwllheli, almost as if it was part of the programme, the sea breeze finally strengthened enough for racing and the fleet was sent out for one race. The wind quickly built to 10-11 knots, but after a further postponement, a general recall and a then a black flag start – from which 20 boats were sent home early – it had decreased to 8-10 knots and gradually faded into the early evening. By the time the boats finished it was down to 4-6 knots. The fleet came back to shore around 19.00.
Michael Maier (CZE) was always in charge. Tacking off the line soon after the start he favoured the right hand corner and took an early lead that was never really challenged. Laurent Hay (FRA) had a good battle with Allen Burrell (GBR) for second, but on the final beat Burrell split tacks with the leading two to try and find more pressure on the left. Neil Robinson (GBR) followed Hay to the right and nearly caught him, but when Burrell crossed back, he had lost third place to Robinson.
On coming ashore the sailors were treated to free beer, supplied by Carlsberg, and pasta, while the club laid on a barbecue in the evening.
Second placed hay commented, “We had light winds, so for me it was good conditions. I had a good first leg and rounded after Mike Maier, but he is faster than me and he sailed very well so I couldn't catch him. I had a good fight with Allen Burrell and we were second and third for most of the race, so that was very pleasant. On the last beat I was on the right and Allen went on the left, but I took the advantage there.”
“It's been really nice weather here in Pwllheli so far. We were expecting a lot of rain, so I packed lots of wet weather clothes, but today was a beautiful day and I would be very happy for it to continue all week. The race committee is very good because they put on a good start and it was a tough decision not to send us out too early, but in the end they made a good decision on when to go out. So far it is all perfect.”
Racing continues Tuesday at 12.00. The championship will be decided over a series of eight races with the final race and the medal race for the top 10 on Friday.
Top 10 after day one
Results at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/en/home/
A full gallery of photos can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Finn-Class/110408332633
Follow the event on the club website at: http://www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk/finn2012/en/home/
Oficjalny program regat:
Friday 25-5-2012 09.00 – 18.00 Registration and Measurement
Saturday 26-5-2012 09.00 – 18.00 Registration and Measurement
Sunday 27-5-2012 09.00 – 12.00 Registration and Measurement
14.00 Practice race
19.00 Opening Ceremony
Monday 28-5-2012 09.30 Skippers meeting
12.00 First warning signal ; 1 or 2 races
Tuesday 29-5-2012 12.00 First warning signal ; 1 or 2 races
Wednesday 30-5-2012 10.00 Annual Masters Meeting
13.00 First warning signal ; 1 or 2 races
20.00 Official Dinner
Thursday 31-5-2012 12.00 First warning signal ; 1 or 2 races
Friday 1-6-2012 12.00 First warning signal at 12.00
As soon as possible 1 fleet race
Medal race
Prize Giving Ceremony
Closing Ceremony