Four members of the Malta Laser Class national team competed in the Laser Europa Cup regatta which took place in Carnac, on the Atlantic coast of France, recently.

The sailors were Benji Borg, Jan Rossi and Peter Valentino in the Laser Radial class and Zak Borg in the Laser Standard class. These sailors are all registered with the Malta Laser Class Association and of the Malta Young Sailors Club. Top sailors from 11 nations, including Turkey, France, the Nederlands, Italy, Poland, Monaco, Belgium, Great Britain, Finland, Switzerland and Malta competed in this important event.

The Laser Radial fleet was the largest, with a total of 191 identical boats competing, while 82 boats competed in the Laser Standard fleet. This impressive number of competitors was the largest ever to be faced by Maltese sailors, but this fact did not in any way dampen their determination to prove their abilities, abilities which have been nurtured under the direction of their coach Bogdan Andersz.

extremely light on day one to a maximum of 22 knots on day two.

In the Standard class, Zak Borg finished in 31st place, with his best position being 10th. Zak has only recently graduated to the Laser Standard class, and should be very satisfied with this result which puts him well within the top half of the fleet.

In the Radial class, Jan Rossi sailing in his first regatta abroad managed to achieve 73rd position, with a 24th position being his best – again a good first result for this young sailor. Benji Borg, on the other hand, sailed a brilliant regatta finishing in 28th position, with an impressive fifth place in the sixth race. Again, both these sailors are new to the Laser class, having only recently moved out of the Optimist class, and their performance augurs very well for the future of Maltese sailing.

The star of the show was, however, Peter Valentino, who achieved a 12th final position out of the 191 competitors, with impressive first, second and sixth positions in three of the seven races. His result would have been even better were it not for an unfortunate disqualification on the third day for having been marginally over the starting line at the start of the race. The top-ranked Maltese sailor once more showed his abilities and strength against tough foreign opposition.

A total of seven races were sailed over four days, with wind strengths varying from

These four sailors form part of a group of ten sailors currently undergoing serious and regular training, under the direction of the Malta Sailing Federation and the Malta Olympic Committee, in preparation for the next Games of the Small States of Europe which will take place in Monaco in 2007.

Because of the lack of Government funds to alleviate the considerable costs of competing in international regattas, and of the inexplicable lack of commercial sponsorship for the national team, these sailors will have to continue to pay their own way in order to compete abroad since the benefits to be achieved from exposure to such events are unquestionable.

However, when the medals are won in 2007 and when the Maltese flag is raised on the winners’ podium, the credit for the sailors’ achievements will go entirely to themselves and their families.