Stan Eriksson mastered the lighter, more variable winds to win the 12-boat, A Fleet division of the Monday Night Laser Races on Lake Tahoe. Eriksson posted a consistent 3, 1, 1 score over three races.

“I was able to get clear starts close to the right side of the course without fouling other boats,” Eriksson said.

“The start is the most important part of the race,” Eriksson continued. “You have to be able to cross the line at full speed when the starting gun fires, and also start at the favored end of the line. The challenge is that everyone is trying to start in the same place, which can make the starts look more like bumper boats.”

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In the five-boat B Fleet, the fleet for beginning racers, Jim Claussen edged out Chaco Mohler with a 1,3,1 finish.

“I had good speed in the light stuff,” Claussen said. “I kept the sail powered up and was able to play the shifts pretty well.”-

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By playing shifts, Claussen was referring to cutting down on the overall distance to the next mark by taking advantage of the natural swings in wind direction.

“There are so many aspects of this sport, we’d love to see more people come out and race,” Claussen said.