Papercourt Weather

Laser/Radial/4.7 Classes at Papercourt

Laser/Radial/4.7 Classes at Papercourt
The Laser fleet is one of the largest and most active fleets at Papercourt

The Laser fleet is one of the largest and most active fleets at Papercourt, with around 100 registered boats, of which 25 race regularly in the various race series at the club.

We also have good representation and good results at many open meetings in and around the South East, and often have representation at the Inlands, the Club Championships, the Nationals, the Europeans and the Youth World Championships.

At Papercourt there are Laser sailors of all standards, from complete beginners to ex-National and UKLA Club Champions, so whatever your standard is, there will be someone for you to race against.

To help improve your skills we hold winter and summer Laser coaching days at the club, run by RYA qualified coaches – free for Papercourt members; 27 Laser sailors attended the 2008 / 2009 winter sessions and great fun was had by all.

News and Recent Results

laseer open 2010 1

Papercourt Laser Open 2nd May 2010

Winds gusting up to 25 knots and heavy rain met the 21 sailors who turned out for this year's Papercourt Open.  Fortunately the rain subsided just before lunch and stayed off the rest of the day but the wind stayed strong with the strongest gust recorded in the afternoon.

Four races were contested and in the standard fleet the racing was pretty tight at the front; Rob Hardwick managed to move clear in the first race and kept his lead until the end with Tim Granger taking 2nd and James Dickinson 3rd.  The second race was a different story with Daniel Francis taking the early lead followed closely by Granger, these two battled it out for the rest of the race with the lead changing several times, eventually Granger took the win on the line followed by Francis with Dickinson taking 3rd.  After lunch two more races were held, in race 3, Francis took the early lead with Hardwick, Granger and Dickinson hot on his heels, Francis couldn’t hold it to the end and lost out to Hardwick who took his second win and Dickinson taking a well deserved 2nd.  Final race Peter Hamment sailed a great first beat and made it to the windward mark with a 20m lead, Hardwick was close behind followed by Tom Key and Francis.  Hamment stretched his lead out to take the win with Hardwick closing him down on the final lap to take second; Francis managed to pass Key and took 3rd on the line.

Standards Final positions:
1st Rob Hardwick
2nd Tim Granger
3rd Daniel Francis

laser open 2010 22010 Standard Fleet Winner - Rob Hardwick

The Radial fleet and the 4.7 fleet started together, a couple of the boats getting into trouble in some of the stronger gusts, with several capsizes.  The Radial fleet was dominated by Sue Michelmore, taking a clear lead in every race and the eventual win; Catherine Whitehill kept Michelmore honest with a 2nd place in each race.  Oliver Phelps and Liz Hill-Smith swapped 3rd and 4th places in the first two races but Phelps DNS the final 2 races so Hill-Smith took 3rd overall. 

Radial Final positions:
1st Sue Michelmore
2nd Catherine Whitehill
3rd Liz Hill-Smith

The 4.7 fleet of 5 boats had some good racing, Steph Harding took the win in race 1 with Duncan Hampshire taking 2nd and Simon Hamment 3rd.  Fortunes were reversed somewhat in the second race with Hampshire taking the win with Hamment in 2nd and Harding a 3rd.  The third race went the same as the first with Harding 1st Hampshire 2nd and Hamment 3rd.  With the strong wind and gear failure taking its toll two of the boats didn’t make the final start, Hampshire managed to cross the line first and take the overall win, Hamment crossed 2nd with John Brooker taking a well deserved 3rd in his first open event. 

4.7 Final positions:
1st Duncan Hampshire
2nd Steph Harding
3rd Simon Hamment

Overall it was a great day with lots of close, fast sailing, Martin Smith the PRO laid a good course, Jill Hamment and Sue Whitehill put on a great lunch and Guildford Marine very kindly sponsored the event and donated over £200 in fantastic prizes.

For full results click here Laser Open Meeting Results