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By Paige Brooks San Francisco Bay’s classic current and wild wind made a final appearance for the conclusion of the 2011 Laser Masters Worlds.  Competitors put on their warm gear and hopped on their boats one last time this morning in preparation for the day's races.   The week was one of grinding upwind work, epic downwind legs, heartbreak with OCSs and forgotten parts, and lots of on shore camaraderie.  The traveling party of Masters sailors and friends ends for this year here in San Francisco with closing ceremonies and...

By Paige Brooks August 12, 2011:  San Francisco Bay delivered again today with big wind and waves in the second to last day of the Laser Masters Worlds.  Today is the day where he competition hopes to lock in their leads, but it’s proving difficult, which will make for a number of battles for the lead tomorrow.  In the Grand Masters Standard Rig, the leads have been switching daily.  Colin Dibb (AUS), and Peter Vessella (USA, StFYC) both have a shot at the trophy tomorrow, just one point apart.  In the first race...

      By Paige Brooks With the ebb tide going against the 15 to 20 knot westerly wind, the wind and waves are up again, making for great downwind surfing in the Laser Masters Worlds in San Francisco.  Thirty sailors, 65 years and older, make up the Great Grand Masters Fleet ,  started their first race a little later today,  in hopes of bigger breezes, which they certainly saw.  Great Britain’s Keith Wilkins is in an enviable spot:  In eight races, he’s had six firsts, a tenth, which ...

By Paige Brooks Laser Masters from 27 countries trained this year in the biggest wind they could find in preparation for the 2011 Laser Masters Worlds on San Francisco Bay.  Today, the breeze did not disappoint.  After a postponement due to lack of wind, the racing commenced at high noon and the shoot-out began in 16 - 25 knots of breeze.   Peter Vessella (USA) who we reported yesterday was in second overall was re-scored with an OCS and dropped to fourth, with Colin Dibb (AUS) in first in the Standard Grand Masters.  ...

By Paige Brooks 8 August, 2011: San Francisco Bay showed her true form today and sorted the wheat from the chaff in some of the fleets when a 28 knot breeze came up at 1400 today over the entire Radial fleet and Masters fleet, some racing and some on their way out to race.  As the safety boats were out in force, there were more than a few capsizes, which is not unusual in Laser sailing, but everyone and their boats came out unscathed...so far a least. As I write at 1700, the racing continues.    The day started with a Southweste...

With barely six knots of breeze on San Francisco Bay the 2011 Laser Masters Worlds seemed to start with a whisper, rather than the anticipated bang of 15-25 knots.  Seemed to, but by the end of the day, the wind and waves had kicked up to the norm of 17-23 knots from just shy of due west, under the Golden Gate Bridge.   With such a large size fleet and many divisions, the Race Chairman and his committee set up two launching stations, the Standard boats will launch from the beach at Crissy field just West of the Club, and the Radials,...

August 6, 2011:  The Laser is a one design, one person boat that requires strength, agility, and a mastery of sailing tactics in order to be competitive.  Many of the sailors racing in Cascais in the America’s Cup World Series cut their teeth in these boats.    The Laser Masters Worlds, starting this week in San Francisco, brings together a great group of men (230 entered) and women (10 entered) who have over their years, raced Lasers in all parts of the world and in all sorts of conditions.  Many see each o...

Friday August 5 2011 The St. Francis Yacht Club kicks off the Laser Masters Worlds today, the third and last of a series of Laser Events hosted at the club over a three week period. The Masters fleets, divided by age, are comprised of seasoned Laser sailors from 35 to over 70 years old, who according to the Laser Class page, want competitive fleet racing but “recognizes that while your mind is still young, your body might not still be there anymore with the twenty-somethings.” At the Worlds level the top competitors may beg to diff...

Friday August 5 2011 The St. Francis Yacht Club kicks off the Laser Masters Worlds today, the third and last of a series of Laser Events hosted at the club over a three week period. The Masters fleets, divided by age, are comprised of seasoned Laser sailors from 35 to over 70 years old, who according to the Laser Class page, want competitive fleet racing but “recognizes that while your mind is still young, your body might not still be there anymore with the twenty-somethings.” At the Worlds level the top competitors may beg to diff...

By Michelle Slade San Francisco, CA - August 4, 2011 - With 25 knots registering on the committee boat the Laser Slalom 2011 fleet hit the water for the wildest ride on the Bay, the St Francis Yacht Club’s Heavy Weather Slalom event, sponsored by Laser Performance/Maclaren and Svendsen's Marine. Racing began about 1pm in a flood tide and white caps. Not quite perfect but good enough, noted Don Trask, event founder. Of the final four, Peter Shope and Ben Richardson (both USA) went head to head, with Shope prevailing and taking the overall...