Press Release 25 February 2023
Pattaya, Thailand – Two races were completed on the penultimate day of the 2023 ILCA 7 Masters World Championships, hosted by the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in about 10–12 knots of shifty breeze on the Gulf of Thailand. The same breeze is forecasted for the final day tomorrow.
Thailand’s Olympian Keerati Bualong added two more first-place finishes to his nearly perfect score in the Apprentice fleet, netting out nine points after 10 races at the event. In a similar fashion, Greek Olympian Adonis Bougiouris won both of today’s races in the Masters fleet, also netting out nine points and carrying a 10-point lead into the final day.
Master Christoph Bottoni from Australia shared in more detail his experience, “In first race I was leading, then the pressure came in from the bottom left and I was on the right, so I got pretty much rolled over. My mistake was not to protect my position…but there was no forecast telling you the wind was coming in from 290 [degrees]. So that’s why I assumed I should go left…I was so convinced. The second race was a bit better. It was interesting because the current turned around, so we had current actually pushing us over the starting line. We had to do three starts, and one which was abandoned. They got four guys black flagged. But the breeze was more consistent, pressure was more regular…overall it was good.”
In the Grand Masters division, the largest division, Australian Brett Beyer finished with a ninth and first place today, maintaining his position in first overall. Although Australian’s Stephen Gunther won both races today in the Great Grand Masters fleet, Great Britain’s Tim Law sits 10 points ahead in first after finishing second and fourth in today’s races.
Principal sponsor Idemitsu is a long-term partner to the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, its contribution part of its impressive CSR program. The Singha Corporation joins as co-sponsor, continuing a long-standing relationship that stretches back to the 1970s. Supporting sponsors include Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, Coca-Cola, Element Six Evolution, The Pizza Company, Bonchon, and UF.
Organizing partners are the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand and the ILCA. Strategic partners include Pattaya City, the Sports Authority of Thailand, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Full results: https://jpvm.org/results/2023/ILCA7_Master_Worlds/results.html
Photos: https://2023ilca7masters.ilca-worlds.org/photos/
Videos: https://2023ilca7masters.ilca-worlds.org/videos/
Text: ILCA
Photos: Matias Capizzano / CapizzanoPhotography
Event website: https://2023ilca7masters.ilca-worlds.org/
ILCA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/intlaserclass