As the most sailed class in the world the Laser is a dinghy that requires great physical and mental strength. Known for its large fleets and tactical racing, laser sailors from around the world gathered this year in La Rochelle for the start of the 2011 Laser Radial World Championships.
One of Queensland and Australia’s best youth radial sailor Mitchell Kennedy travelled from his home on the warm Sunshine Coast to a surprisingly warm summer in France to compete in the Radial World Championships. Arriving in La Rochelle a week before the racing started, Kennedy had a few days of training and relaxing before beginning the intense racing that would follow over the next 10 days.
The regatta started with rain and wind that caused the cancellation of the practice race. Nonetheless Minimes Bay known for its large swell would turn on some exciting racing conditions in days to follow. Day two was more promising for the 86 strong fleet. Conditions cleared and a breeze that was steady at around 20knots blew across the bay. Known for his speed and strength in the windier conditions the young athlete from Queensland was more then excited to prove his metal against some of the best youth radial sailors in the world. “I’m really looking forward to the regatta, the racing will be awesome, and La Rochelle looks like such a nice spot for a regatta” Kennedy said.
Racing extremely well in the first three days with an extremely consistent score card of two fourths and three seconds, Kennedy was positioned for a top finish. The strong winds that challenged the fleet continued throughout the regatta, as the sailors were punished physically as they pushed their boats through the large running swell. “The racing was really tough, six days of intense conditions with winds of anywhere between 15 and 25 knots, Big waves and lots of tide” Kennedy said.
Coming into the final two days racing the Sunshine Coast sailor proved his physical and mental endurance to finish with two more consistent results and a second in the final race of the series. “The quality of the racing was really high, I got caught out a couple of times and lost some valuable placings. I’ve learnt alot and will bring that into the next regatta”.
Mitch now travels from his accommodation in the seaside town of La Rochelle to the Radial Youth World Championships in only a day’s time. Kennedy said he was stoked to come away with a solid result and can’t wait to get into some more racing next week. “The body is definitely feeling it, but I’m looking forward to getting some days off before the Radial youth worlds start next week”.
Andrew Gough
Yachting Queensland