Congratulations to Vanessa Dudley of Australia who is the new Laser Radial Grandmaster World Champion.
The Laser Masters Worlds are currently being held in Oman, and Vanessa clinched her victory today without even needing to sail in the two races tomorrow. Although I hear from my sources that she does intend to sail on the last day of the regatta anyway. What a sport!
Vanessa is one of only eight women sailing in the Masters Worlds this year and she faced some tough competition in the Radial Grandmaster fleet from 22 men including a couple of former Masters world champions.
Vanessa is only the second woman to achieve the feat of beating all the men to win a Masters world championship. Lyndall Patterson, also from Australia, won the Radial Grandmaster fleet in Hayling Island in 2010.
Let's hope this victory is an inspiration for more women to get involved in Laser Masters sailing.
What about it ladies?
5 comments:
Vanessa was Editor of a sailing magazine in Australia three maybe five years ago and wrote of her transition from keelboats back to dinghy's with humour and a fair degree of honesty as to her basic mistakes. She seems to have worked it out better than I ever did. Congratulations
Steve
Definitely an encouraging accomplishment. I am tempted to try to sail in a Worlds sometime but I have this thing about not wanting to sail in waters where I'm part of the food chain. Doug said the big warning in Oman was huge man sized poisonous snakes. Although he didn't see one, it probably would have been enough to keep me from sailing. I'm a wimp that way.
Oh yeah. You need to watch out for the huge school-bus-sized woman-eating saltwater crocodiles in France next year.
Seriously,I am sure that other wives/partners of top Masters sailors have sailed Laser Worlds on occasions. Christy Usher sailed at Hayling Island I think. There must be others.
Go for it, girl.
Christy was in Oman but didn't sail. She would have done well. Wonder why she didn't sail.
And I just realized, Kim Ferguson (Mrs. Scott F.) sailed at the Hayling Island Masters Worlds too. Maybe she and Christy inspired each other to do it? Seriously Mrs. /Pam, you should try and encourage other lady Masters to sail in France. Ooh la la!
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