After losing the first day’s racing in the Laser Radial European Championship at Ballyholme due to lack of wind, there was great relief yeerday when the breeze filled in enough to allow one race. However, this does mean that the scheduled programme is now three races in arrears.

The easterly breeze hardly ruffled Belfast Lough but it did get up to 7kts at times and the 200 sailors in three fleets completed one race over a trapezoidal course. After a further wait of one and half hours, the breeze shifted to east-north-easterly and went light and there was no further racing for the day.

The fleet is split randomly into three for the first four days and then on results into Gold, Silver and Bronze divisions. Five qualifying races constitute a championship.

Winner of the Blue fleet was 19-year-old Keir Clarke, formerly from Northern Ireland but now living in England and sailing for GBR. Coming from fourth round the weather mark to first at the gybe, he held his lead until the end, finishing 21/2 minutes ahead of Jure Zbogar of Slovenia and one of the sponsors, Steve Cockerill of Rooster Sailing (GBR). In the Red fleet Marion Chaix (France) led Georgios Markogiannis from Greece over the line and another French sailor, Benoit Raphalen took first in the Yellow fleet ahead of Fred Cudmore (Ireland).

Three races are scheduled for today.

Results (after 1 race)

1 FRA 157592 CHAIX Marion 1,0

1 GBR 176358 CLARKE Keir 1,0

1 FRA 167066 RAPHALEN Benoit 1,0

4 IRL 173054 CUDMORE Frederick 2,0

4 GRE 171343 MARKOGIANNIS Georgios 2,0

4 SLO 167991 ZBOGAR Jure 2,0

7 GBR 178821 COCKERILL Stephen 3,0

7 GBR 180043 EMMETT Jon 3,0

7 IRL 176416 MINIHANE Revelin 3,0

10 FRA 176305 MARCHAND Anthony 4,0

10 IRL 178822 MCMAHON Paul 4,0

10 NED 169846 SCHAARDENBURG Rutger van 4,0