Tempest Worlds at Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy
by Robin Higgens 24 Aug 2008 23:08 BST
Racing from the 2012 Olympic venue at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, 33 Tempests representing 8 Countries battled through a 9 race series.
Over the 6 days, Principle Race Officer ( PRO), Frank Newton had to cope with wind strengths from 12 knots to 35 knots. This proved too much for safety on day one of the Championships and racing was abandoned.
Day two saw 18 to 25 knots and the fleet had the Olympic triangle/ windward leeward course configurations set within the Portland harbour to battle out the first two races.
First at the windward mark in race one proved to be a good omen for the German team of Frank Weigelt and Christian Rusitsch, last years runners up. They took the first bullet and ultimately the overall Championship, but not before they were forced into a must win race nine to take the title away from the French 2007 winners team Philippe Boite and Reges Viateur.
Race 2 saw the wind strengthen with gusts up to 27 knots making the down wind legs, with spinnakers set, a real muscle aching battle for all the crews, some of which demonstrated just how difficult it is to keep a Tempest upright when flat out with the kite. The British team of Mike Adams and Paul Adams were clocked at 14.4 knots by the RaceTrax race/spectator monitoring GPS system. Ultimately race two went to Boite/ Viateur. Race three also went Biote/ Viateur with the North and Mader works team of Christian Schafer and Andreas Mader taking second place and reminding the fleet of their multi title wining dominance before the French team challenged successfully in 2006.
Race four saw a change in fortune for the eventual German winners with team Weigelt and Rusitsch disqualified for a racing rule infringement which opened up the title race to all three leading teams. Races 6, 7 and 8 were scheduled for Thursday and the winds duly lightened to the point the PRO were able to set the courses out of the Portland Harbour in Weymouth Bay. The reducing wind strength saw teams retuning for the new conditions with most of the fleet selecting their first choice sail configurations.
During races 6, 7 and 8 the lead was shared, as was the potential to win the Championship between the two German and French teams, ensuring that the final race of the 2008 World Championships would go to the wire.
The race 9 course was laid out in Weymouth Bay. The finale was set to be a tense 5 lap, 2 plus hour battle between teams Boite/Viateur and Weigelt/Rusitsch. Which ever team led at the finish would be the Champions. For team Schafer/Mader to win the title they needed to win and the other two contenders be at least third or fourth..
After the start, the second sound signal indicated a number of boats on course side (OCS). As some teams returned to restart, the battle for the Championship saw team Boite/Viateur match racing Weigelt/Rusitsch and keeping the German team in second place while in third place was the British team of Modral / Higgens. At the start of lap 4 the shortened course signal led to a fight for overall places on the last beat, with team Schafer/Mader placed in the fleet, it looked like a two way race for first place between Boite/Viateur and Weigelt/Rusitsch. While teams from Antigua, Hart/Gill and Martinique, Lotaut/Albut had a brilliant last beat to take second and fourth from the Austrian team of Schumi/Frampton in third. A short time after the finish, the race winning French team learnt they were over the start line and the OCN result handed the 43rd Tempest World Championships to the German team of Frank Weigelt and Christian Rusitsch.
During the mid-series dinner, competitors were treated to a entertaining speech and slide show by Frank Newton on the Tempest Class at the Kiel and Montreal Olympic venues.
During the prize giving, competitors acknowledged the excellence of the race organization by Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and in particular the PRO, Frank Newton. The prizes were presented by Ken Proctor, the son of the Tempest designer, Ian Proctor.
The fleet looks forward to returning to the venue post 2012 Olympic Games and after future World Championships in Europe and the Caribbean.
The world championships were organised in the UK by John and Sheila Robinson and Mike and Lilian Adams. Special thanks go to Alan Curtis, the UK President of the Tempest Association for all the support and fund raising.
Overall Results:
1st GER 1087, Frank Weigelt and Christian Rusitsch, 11 points
2nd FRA 1182, Philippe Boite and Reges Viateur, 12 points
3rd GER 1187, Christian Schafer and Andreas Mader, 15 points
1st Women’s team, GBR 625 Caron Budden and Sarah Keeley, 201 points
1st British team, GBR 1114 Ian Modral and Robin Higgens, 59 points