 Krystal Weir racing at the 2012 Laser Radial World Championship
Craig Heydon, Thursday, 17 May 2012
Laser Radial World Championship comes to a close in Germany
Released: Monday, May 21, 2012
Racing has wrapped up at the 2012 Laser Radial World Championship with Lithuanian sailor Gintare Schiedt winning her first world title.
Australian sailor Krystal Weir finished the event 21st overall after a 43rd and an 18th in the final two races in Boltenhagen, Germany.
Weir was in a strong position after the opening three days following six top 10 finishes but had a number of tough races in the finals series.
Alexandra South finished the regatta in 59th position with fellow Australian Caitlin Elks ninth in the silver fleet.
Elks had her best day of the event in the shifty conditions on Sunday with a ninth and a fifth moving up the leader board.
In the under-21 category South was ninth overall in the gold fleet with Elks moving up to fifth in the silver fleet.
The 2012 Laser Radial World Championship finished off a busy few weeks of world titles with Australian Sailing Team members competing in five events across Europe, with wins for Tom Slingsby in the Laser class, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen in the 49er and Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page in the 470 men’s.
Australian sailors will next be in action at round five of the ISAF Sailing World Cup which begins in Medemblik, Holland on Tuesday.
Mixed day for Krystal Weir at 2012 Laser Radial World Championship
Released: Sunday, May 20, 2012
Australian sailor Krystal Weir has finished with mixed result on the penultimate day of racing at the 2012 Laser Radial World Championship in Boltenhagen, Germany.
Racing was delayed for three hours on Saturday morning due to a lack of breeze with the crews initially sent out before returning to shore as the breeze disappeared.
Eventually two races were completed, initially in between six and eight knots before the breeze built to around 12 knots for the second race.
Weir started the day 12th overall, with the Victorian having a tough opening race on Saturday, crossing the line 56th.
Weir bounced back well in race two with her best result in the gold fleet so far this week, a 16th.
The results leave Weir 17th overall with two races left to finish the 2012 Laser Radial World Championship.
Alexandra South sits in 51st position following a 61st and a 46th, with Caitlin Elks 17th in the silver fleet after finishing with a fifth and a 16th.
In the under-21 category South is sixth in the gold fleet with Elks seventh in the silver fleet.
China’s Lijia Xu continues to lead overall, ahead of Gintare Scheidt from Lithuania and Great Britain’s Alison Young.
Gold fleet racing kicks off at Laser Radial world championship
Released: Saturday, May 19, 2012
The finals series is underway at the 2012 Laser Radial World Championship with Australia’s Krystal Weir having a tough day on the water.
After three days of strong winds the crews faced more moderate conditions on Friday with breeze between eight and 16 knots shaking up the results.
Weir started the day sixth overall following top 10 results from the opening six races but the Victorian had two tough races finishing 36th and 30th.
The results have dropped Weir to 12th but she is just six points outside the top 10 with four races left to contest.
Fellow Australian Alexandra South is 51st, finishing with her best result of the regatta in race two with an 11th, with Caitlin Elks 23rd in the silver fleet.
In the under 21 gold fleet South is seventh overall while in the silver fleet Elks is ninth.
Racing continues in Boltenhagen, Germany, on Saturday with a further two races planned.
Meanwhile in Falmouth, England, light winds brought the 2012 Finn Gold Cup to an early end.
Following survival conditions on Thursday with strong winds and big seas Friday was the complete opposite with the race committee unable to stage the medal race due to the light conditions.
Australia’s Brendan Casey finished the week 13th overall, ahead of Oliver Tweddell in 53rd, Dirt Seret in 71st and Rob McMillan in 78th.
Krystal Weir moves up the ladder at Laser Radial World Championship
Released: Friday, May 18, 2012
Australian sailor Krystal Weir has worked her way up the leader board on the final day of qualifying at the Laser Radial World Championship in Boltenhagen, Germany.
The cold temperatures and strong winds that tested the 133 crews for the opening two days were present again on Thursday with Weir at the front of the fleet in both races.
The Victorian was third in the opening race of the day, trading places with the leading crews the whole way through before coming out on top in race two with a win.
The results moved Weir up from her overnight 13th to be sixth overall, just five points off the podium and a further four behind leader Sari Multala of Finland.
“Overall it was a good day for me today with a third and a first,” said Weir. “I’m really happy with how the day went because I was able to get off the start line how I wanted and put the shifts together well.
“It was another pretty shifty and windy day making things very tricky,” she said. “This regatta was never going to be an easy one with challenging conditions and a very strong fleet.”
Friday will see the crews split into gold and silver fleets, presenting the first opportunity the leading sailors have had to race against each other.
“I’m looking forward to sailing with the whole fleet tomorrow and seeing where I’m at overall,” said Weir. “It should be warmer with lighter winds tomorrow which could shake things up.”
Fellow Australian Alexandra South is 54th overall after not finishing race one and then finishing 28th in race two.
Caitlin Elks is 104th after 46th and 45th place finishes.
In the under-21 category South is currently seventh and Elks is 25th.
Strong winds and cold conditions batter fleet at 2012 Laser Radial World Championship
Released: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Day two of the 2012 Laser Radial World Championship has served up cold conditions and strong winds in Boltenhagen, Germany.
After the opening four races Krystal Weir is the leading Australian sailor in 13th overall.
The leader board is incredibly congested with Weir sitting on 18 points, just four points off seventh and a further 10 off the leader, Great Britain’s Alison Young.
Weir finished fourth in race one, trading places with the leaders for much of the race before crossing the line 10th in race two.
“It was a very cold and windy day here in Boltenhagen today,” said Weir. “I finished with a fourth and a 10th which are ok results wise.
“I made a few mistakes today so I’m happy to finish with the results I did considering that,” she said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow so I can work on my starts and back my game plan.”
Alexandra South is 53rd following a 30th and a 29th with Caitlin Elks finishing 49th and 46th to be 111th overall.
In the under-21 division South is now sixth overall, ahead of Elks in 30th.
Meanwhile, in Falmouth, England, day four of the Finn Gold Cup was cancelled due to a lack of wind.
Conditions were a stark contrast to the day before keeping the crews on shore for the day.
Brendan Casey is currently 13th overall, with Oliver Tweddell 38th.
Three races are now scheduled for Thursday with 18 to 20 knots and large seas expected.
Krystal Weir inside the top 10 on day one of Laser Radial World Championship
Released: Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Racing is underway at the 2012 Laser Radial World Championship in Boltenhagen, Germany, with shifty conditions testing the 133 sailors on day one.
Two races were completed to kick off the 2012 event with Krystal Weir the top placed Australian in ninth overall.
The Victorian sailor was well inside the top 10 in both of Tuesday’s races, eventually finishing eighth in race one and sixth in race two.
The results leave Weir on 14 points, just five off third position, with Argentina’s Cecilia Carranza leading a further three points ahead.
"It was a tricky day on the water with 30 degree shifts at times which made it very challenging,” said Weir. “I’m really happy just to have consistent results with an eighth and a sixth on day one.
“It’s a long regatta with plenty more races still to come so there is certainly going to be a lot of movement up and down the leader board," she said. "To give you an idea of how tricky it was out there, today the compass started at 160 and ended at 280, the breeze was all over the place.”
Alexandra South is the next best placed Aussie in 40th overall, following a 34th and a 13th from the day’s two races.
West Australian Caitlin Elks is currently in 93rd position, crossing the line 49th in race one and 44th in race two.
In the under-21 category South ended day one fourth overall, recording a 26th and a race win after the over-age sailors were removed. South is just three points off the lead.
In the same category Elks is in 22nd after an 11th and a 31st.
Racing continues in Boltenhagen on Wednesday and continues until Sunday 20 May.
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