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| Andrew Burton, doing it the hard way. |
Report written by Tom Dailey:
Peter Shope bested Ben Richardson and the rest of Marblehead's Laser fleet on a windy day that offered 30 knot winds smack dab in the middle of the harbor. Shope, the only skipper not to capsize, used the same dry technique this summer to beat Richardson in the 1:1 final of the 2011 St. Francis Heavy Weather Slalom. A few days later Richardson would claim the Laser World Championship (Apprentice Masters), setting up the rematch in our harbor Sunday.
But Marblehead hero Richardson, found ashore as 3 races started, sang that he had retired to 'save lives' as the winds increased. Denied their showdown, spectators bobbing on moorings ringing the shore were buoyed by Shope's pledge to return one day. On the Lasers themselves, there were no capsized smiles: top junior and lady, Christina Magnosa commented: "It looked worse than it was, and if there were another way to learn to sail on a windy day... but, there just isn't, is there?"
Racing resumes this Sunday with the first heat at 12:30. Race days continue until November 20th.
For more information contact Tom Dailey at Tom.Dailey@gfk.com