2004 HARKEN LASER WORLD            CHAMPIONSHIPS        Bitez, Bodrum, Turkey

Laser Senior Worlds 10 - 19 May 2004

Report: Final Day

Some of the best conditions of the Harken Laser World Championship provided the perfect setting for an epic final which has become the norm in Laser World championships and the Olympics.

In 13 to 18 knots of wind the first attempted start was postponed when the wind started to back through 25 degrees and the course was reset.  The fleet got away cleanly under a black flag at the third attempt and split evenly up the first windward leg.  Series leader Robert Scheidt BRA had a good start in the middle of the line to leeward of his nearest competitor Michael Blackburn AUS.  Scheidt took up the story “I managed to pinch him off and he had to tack away.  I worked the middle to left and rounded the first mark around tenth with Michael 3 places behind me”.  Out in front 19 year old, Tom Slingsby AUS had established a comfortable lead from Luka Radelic CRO and Anders Nyholm DEN who held their positions to the finish.

Scheidt continued, “On the reach I got a yellow flag penalty and had to make a 720 turn and Michael passed me.  We sailed together downwind and then I passed him up on the second upwind and rounded seventh.  On the downwind he came closer and was also catching me on the last reach.  On the last short upwind I got a second yellow flag just before the finish and had to retire This was very frustrating as well as disappointing and I only had a few minutes to recover my composure and concentrate on the second race.”

In the second race the tables had turned and Blackburn started chasing Scheidt in the pre starts. Scheidt went on to say “We had a bit of a match race but I managed to escape from him on all three attempted starts.  In the final start I started to windward of him and I rolled him and he had to tack away.  I then had a clear lane and went left and rounded the top mark about sixth and Michael was a long way behind.  I had a lot of emotion and was excited because I had another chance.”

Mark Mendelblatt USA led the race from start to finish with Scheidt pulling through to second.  Blackburn had too much to do and could not influence the results and opted to use his second discard and take an early shower.

Mendelblatt’s first together with a fourth from the previous race was enough to give him the runner up spot one point ahead of Blackburn.

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