As I watched the resuilts come in from the ILCA 6 (Laser Radial rig) Worlds scores come in from Vallerta, I was certain that I’d be reporting overall wins for my friends Bill Symes in the Legends (75+ year old) class and Al Clark in the Grand Master class. Alas, a black flag DSQ in this morning’s first race and a third in the last race cost Symes the overall win. He had, after all, a nearly perfect scoreline. Clark had a tough final day as well, but finished off a hard fought victory. Congrats to both of them. Here’s the press release:
Vallarta, Mexico – Although Hurricane Blas threatened to steal the breeze, the wind gods prevailed on Banderas Bay for the final day of the ILCA 6 Masters World Championships. With the hurricane moving west, two more perfect races were completed under sunny skies and warm temperatures in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. The 10–12 knot wind put the onus on boat speed and tactics for all the divisions. Downwind technique was also critical – those able to catch the waves most efficiently could make big gains on the fleet.
The final day brought a shake-up in the Legends division, for sailors over the age of 75. American Bill Symes who was unstoppable throughout the week, was caught over early in the first race of the day allowing fellow American Chris Boome to take the win and move into a tie for first overall heading into the last race. In the final race, Boome managed to sneak ahead of Symes and clinch the championship by one point over Symes.
Australia’s Jeff Loosemore added to his incredibly consistent event to win the Great Grand Masters division by a comfortable 25 points over former Olympic gold medalist, Miguel Noguer of Spain.
Allan Clark of Canada closed out a hard-fought victory in the very competitive Grand Masters division, with the overall championship decided in just the final race. After a capsize on the first leg, Clark’s victory appeared in jeopardy, but Australian David Luketima’s fourth place in the final race was not enough to close the difference for the win.
Great Britain’s sailors Ian Gregory and Jon Emmett closed out the championship in style, winning the Masters and Apprentice Masters divisions by comfortable margins.
A thank-you goes out to the Vallarta Yacht Club and all the volunteers, staff, and event sponsors for an unforgettable week of sailing.
For full results, see here: sailwave.com/results/vyc/ILCA6Masters2022.htm
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.