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World Championship 1996

Varberg, Sweden

82 competitors, 80 who qualified through national qualifications plus last years champion Björn Førslund and 1996 olympic gold medalist Mateusz Kusznierewicz, from 11 countries, came to Varberg on the west coast of Sweden to find the new World Champion.

The weather was good during the whole week, but the promised stronger breeze, which blew before the worlds, never came except after the last race. The racing conditions have were very tricky with some current. To catch or to loose about 30 boats on a single beat was not uncommon.

After two days of measurement the practice race was started on monday in a very light breeze. It was won by Karsten Hitz, GER 672.

Tuesday

About 6-7 m/s (12-14 knts) from SE.

The first race was won by Boguslaw Moczordynski (POL 6), but he lost a protest about a prestart incident. So Anders Persson (SWE 2742) was first in the list.

The second race was started in the same conditions, but the teach-book clouds over the coast promised seabreeze. It came with a 120 degree shift to the west and very light shifty conditions during the second reach. Dirk Gericke (GER 695), who lead the fleet until the shift, felt back to 7. Danish Anders Andersen (DEN 1246), 2nd in the '92 Worlds, finished in the time limit with only a few minutes to spare, to win the race. Only 65 of the fleet got to the finish in time.

Wednesday

One race scheduled in SE winds, about 5 m/s.

"Old man" Jorgen Lindhartsen, olympic competitor in 1976, won the race and was one of the few who had no really bad race until that.

Mateusz (POL 17) saw the yellow flag of the jury the second time in this race, so he had to retire and everyone understood that he started holiday after that race, as he sailed for 12 month before nearly every day.

Thursday

After a long Postponement on the water in no wind (the whole fleet went about 1.5 miles away from the committee boat due to the current), the first of two scheduled races was started in a building SE wind.

Both races were to be won on the left. Roger Blasse (AUS 678) and Christian Carlsson (SWE 2701) showed that best with 2-1 and 1-3.

In the evening it was clear to everyone, that Christian Carlsson, a 20 year old sailor who just came from the Europe class, was well on his way to win the event.

Friday

Light SE winds.

Again Christian Carlsson won the race.

Only Mats Caap (SWE 2731), world champion 1987 and olympic competitor 1988, was still able to get in front of him, but only with a result in the top five and a bad race of Christian.

After the racing on Friday morning there was a match race event in the habour of Varberg, with live comments by Pelle Petterson, and with a lot of spectators around the old Fort of Varberg.

The Match race was won by Bart Bomans (BEL 44) who showed very good boat handling against Mateusz Kusznierewicz in the semi-final and Roger Blasse in the best-of-three final.

Saturday

Building breeze from SE, shifting slowly to S.

Until the middle of the second beat it looked like Christian would win the event, as he was around the top ten. But then he got problems with his boom vang during a tack and capsized. When he was ready to sail again he was nearly last and retired.

So it was on Mats Caap now to finish fifth or better to win the Worlds. Mats was near that goal on the last leeward mark, but also worried about the guys behind him and followed the first boats to the left, wich was always the better choice in the races before... .

Not in this race. Hedley Fletcher (GBR 2073), who had overtaken about 30 boats on the second beat by going right, tried it again on the final beat to win the race. The top ten of the leeward mark went left to finish between 33rd and 50th.

The saturday night dinner and prize giving took place in a restaurant in the city. After closing the restaurant, the race officer and his wife invited us to their home (they said garden-we understand house) and they also got some crates of beer. It was a very friendly event in a very nice town. As it was very hard to sail a constant series and the competitors were of a high standard, it was a really though competition.

Point System: "Olympic": 1st=0; 2nd=3; 3rd=5,7; 4th=8; 5th=10; 6th=11,7; place+6

Pos	Sailno.	Name	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Tot-1
1	SWE 2701	Christian Carlsson	3	3	42	1	3	1	DNF	65,1
2	GBR 2073	Hedley Fletcher	13	13	30	6	7	4	1	70,7
3	GER 693	Martin V.Zimmermann	2	11	16	51	16	5	6	85,7
4	DEN 1280	Jørgen Lindhartsen	5	17	1	7	15	16	30	89
5	NZL 476	Duncan Gourley	42	19	15	9	6	9	3	93,4
6	NZL 498	Nigel Mannering	4	50	2	20	9	10	26	100
7	SWE 2731	Mats Caap	8	48	14	3	2	6	44	104,4
8	NZL 499	Adrian Mannering	6	37	8	4	22	29	4	104,7
9	NZL 474	Tony Clifford	31	5	20	19	4	2	27	105
10	DEN 1246	Anders Andersen	46	1	3	12	8	20	53	115,7
11	SWE 99	Hans Elkjær	12	14	12	23	30	3	19	115,7
12	AUS 678	Roger Blasse	26	21	39	2	1	37	9	120
13	DEN 1275	Steen Christensen	22	16	4	29	14	8	38	127
14	SWE 66	Jan-Eric Nystedt	11	27	37	25	17	12	5	132
15	GER 672	Karsten Hitz	28	DNF	5	8	10	17	33	136
16	NZL 491	Peter Waymouth	33	10	11	5	11	36	50	141
17	DEN 1273	Ulf Brandt	19	4	49	27	5	19	46	153
18	GER 634	Rüdiger Prinz	20	15	33	39	50	11	18	172
19	SWE 2686	Stefan Jaenson	7	40	24	24	21	24	36	172
20	BEL 44	Bart Bomans	10	6	DNF	22	25	22	56	176,7
21	POL 113	Piotr Soltan	18	DNF	31	44	19	18	12	178
22	GER 699	Jörn Wille	21	12	22	38	58	14	42	185
23	GER 618	Peter Scheuerl	24	29	27	28	20	38	25	189
24	SWE 2742	Anders Persson	1	51	7	14	31	57	60	190
25	SWE 2733	Anders Thornell-Pers	41	38	40	30	13	45	2	195
26	SWE 2738	Olle Albrektsson	47	35	26	33	12	65	7	196
27	POL 31	Antoni Pawlowski	25	41	41	37	PMS	7	10	197
28	SWE 2732	Björn Førslund	39	28	6	11	37	43	47	199,7
29	SWE 2740	Jonas Persson	29	62	13	18	23	26	57	202
30	GBR 2010	Alistair Deaves	45	20	25	46	42	25	17	210
31	GER 707	Thorsten Schmidt	61	22	9	17	27	40	59	210
32	GBR 2080	Gavin Waldron	27	46	18	55	41	31	15	214
33	GBR 2054	Kenneth Carroll	40	58	DNF	26	32	13	13	218
34	GER 606	Harald Kölsch	35	45	17	57	24	50	11	218
35	DEN 1261	Tom Pedersen	38	2	35	36	47	34	63	223
36	GER 690	Jan Dissel	63	32	57	42	26	27	8	228
37	NZL 481	Joe Porebski	30	34	44	31	PMS	30	23	228
38	GER 679	Jörg Sylvester	52	44	34	32	34	21	29	230
39	DEN 1304	Christian Mittgaard	49	DNF	28	10	35	58	21	237
40	NZL 497	Paul Rhodes	32	24	54	13	33	64	45	237
41	GBR 2056	Giles Hudson	55	56	23	35	36	28	32	245
42	GBR 2060	Greg Casey	37	60	50	34	29	46	16	248
43	NZL 484	David Munro	23	61	29	49	39	32	41	249
44	GER 607	Ingo Ballerstein	14	9	47	59	51	DNS	35	251
45	NED 661	Erik Vliegenthart	15	53	19	58	56	52	22	253
46	GER 698	Jan-Dietmar Dellas	36,4	36	64	16	52	69	14	254,7
47	SWE 2739	Peder Thunander	16	DNF	32	15	28	66	62	255
48	SWE 2728	Thomas Hansson-Mild	54	43	46	54	18	15	52	264
49	GER 622	Christian Hartmann	50	23	36	60	49	48	31	273
50	DEN 1294	Mogens Johansen	48	30	60	45	38	33	48	278
51	GER 695	Dirk Gericke	53	7	63	47	40	51	51	285
52	GER 662	Gerd Breitbart	51	8	38	65	61	39	55	288
53	GER 449	Sönke Behrens	44	57	43	50	44	53	20	290
54	GER 670	Hinnerk Ries	57	54	48	64	48	35	24	302
55	GBR 1985	David Carroll	65	65	21	66	DNS	23	28	304
56	SWE 2741	Kjell Nystrøm	17	DNF	69	48	54	54	39	317
57	DEN 1303	Henrik Søgren	56	55	53	53	57	41	40	334
58	GBR 2007	Dan Ager	43	59	58	63	DNS	44	37	340
59	AUS 668	Andre Blasse	34,7	DNF	61	21	66	62	61	341
60	GER 638	Uwe Feedrich	64	DNF	45	71	43	56	27	342
61	GER 680	Marina Dellas	60	DNF	65	52	55	42	34	344
62	NZL 4	Rob Hengst	66	26	56	61	53	55	69	353
63	POL 624	Maichal Kotewicz	67	49	52	43	62	47	DNF	356
64	POL 116	Adam Sztormowski	58	42	71	73	59	59	49	374
65	GBR 2071	Alan Atkin	59	52	72	68	45	61	54	375
66	POL 58	Maciej Nowaczyk	68	DNF	62	40	46	67	65	384
67	BEL 177	Franz Hawer	76	33	55	74	60	60	67	385
68	POL 17	Mateusz Kusznierewicz	9	18	RET	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	391
69	DEN 1302	Karl-Erik Svare Nielsen	69	25	68	41	DNS	72	DNF	393
70	POL 141	Marian Jankowski	75	63	59	62	68	63	43	394
71	DEN 1305	Anders Steenfeldt Jensen	36	DNF	51	56	DNS	68	DNF	411
72	POL 6	Boguslaw Moczordynski	DSQ	39	10	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	413
73	GBR 2058	Mary Reddyhoff	62	47	75	70	64	74	68	421
74	GER 637	Kirstin Brand	78	31	77	DNF	DNS	49	72	425
75	POL 35	Maciej Roman	71	64	66	67	65	75	71	440
76	FRA 1336	Raymond Dodard	77	DNF	67	75	69	70	58	452
77	GBR 1984	Michael Edwards	73	DNF	73	69	67	71	66	455
78	NOR 458	Reidar Sårheim	72	DNF	76	76	63	76	70	469
79	FRA 1798	Arnaud Vanhoute	74	DNF	74	72	DNS	73	64	475
80	NOR 449	Håvard Hervik	70	DNF	70	DNF	DNS	DNS	DNS	504
81	BEL 1	Kris Lauwers	DNS	DNS	DNF	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	528