Laser sailor summer 2016

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SUMMER 2016 6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world

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SUMMER 2016

Official publication of the International Laser Class Association North American Region US Postal Service: Please return undeliverables to: ILCA-NA 2812 Canon Street San Diego, CA 92106 USA Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608 Please return undeliverables to: Bleuchip International PO Box 25542 London, ON N6C 6BC

Editors

SUMMER2016

District Contacts .....................................................................................................6 President’s Report....................................................................................................8 Race Preparation.....................................................................................................10 Rio Olympic Preview - NA Sailors.....................................................................14 Rig like Australia’s Brett Beyer...........................................................................16 Sailing in Belize.......................................................................................................17 Vann is the Man......................................................................................................18

Sherri Campbell & Jerelyn Biehl ILCA-NA

Newport Laser Fleet Honors Moose McClintock...........................................20

Officers

Lesson Learned........................................................................................................27

Andy Roy Chairman 15 Claudette Court Peterborough, ON K9J 7Y7 Canada 705-750-0189 aroy187740@gmail.com

2016 Event Schedule..............................................................................................23

Meka Taulbee Vice Chairman Dunedin, FL USA 727-631-7005 meka@sailfit.com Eric Reitinger Treasurer 7908 Normandy Drive Mt Laurel, NJ 08054 609-206-2973 er4599@gmail.com John Long Secretary 4707 Sierra Madre Road Santa Barbara, CA 93110 805-705-1435 jlonginsb@yahoo.com

Regatta Reports Fleet 413 Ends Season with Record Turnout......................................22 Canadian Masters......................................................................................24 ACCs...........................................................................................................25 ACC Masters Preview.............................................................................26 Little Egg Delivers - District 10............................................................28 District Reports.......................................................................................................29 Traumatic Injuries while Racing.........................................................................36 Why Join the Laser Class?....................................................................................40 Membership Applications.....................................................................................41

®

Al Clark Member at Large 337 E 6th North Vancouver, BC V7L1P7 604-988-4799 al.clark@shaw.ca Sherri Campbell Executive Secretary 2812 Canon Street San Diego, CA 92106 USA phone: 619-222-0252 fax: 619-222-0528 sherri@odmsail.com

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SUMMER 2016

6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world

District 8 sailors suited up and ready to sail.

Correction: the cover last month incorrectly identified Ari Barshi as Peter Seidenberg sailing in Laser Sailor Heaven -the Caribbean. Apologies to all.

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HAWAII

District 1

Claire Sears 506-650-8821 clairesears1@gmail.com

District 2

Philippe Dormoy, 385 Place Desmarest, Ile Bizard, Quebec, H9C 2G8 514-620-8124 Philippe_dormoy@steris.com

District 3

Nigel Heath 416-417-0193; nigel_heath@manulife.com D3 website: www.d3laser.com

District 4

Brigitte Smutney, Sail Manitoba; 409-145 Pacific Ave. Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2Z6 204-925-5647 sailing@sportmanitoba.ca www.sailmanitoba.com

District 5

Mark Lammens 510 Cynthia St. Saskatoon, SK S7K 7K7 306-975-0833, sasksail@sasktel.net www.sasksail.com

District 6

Andy Hunt, 111-2260 W 8th Ave Vancouver BC V6K 2A7 604-733-9663, hotline: 206-525-5788 athunt@vcn.bc.ca www.district6x.ca

District 7

Judith Krimski Laserd7@gmail.com

District 8

Frank Keckler laserd8@gmail.com www.LaserD8.org

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District 9

District 18

District 10

District 19

Peter Bushnell Cazenovia, NY 13035 315-655-4671- peter.bushnell@carrier.utc.com

John Shockey 216-386-1920 johnrshockey@gmail.com

Eric Reitinger 7908 Normandy Dr Mt. Laurel NJ 08054 Er4599@gmail.com http://d10.laserforum.org

District 20

Jon Deutsch 3422 Blithewood Dr, Richmond VA 23225 804-305-1244, jon@laserdistrict11.org http://www.laserdistrict11.org

District 21

District 11

District 12

Finn Hassing likwidhsd@embarqmail.com www.d12laserforum.org

District 13

Michelle Davis laserbrain2@hotmail.com www.laser.org/m/_general/d13.asp

District 14

Britt Drake 850-252-3829 cbdrakelll@yahoo.com

District 15

Griffin Orr Griffin.orr@me.com https://groups.google.com/ forum/?fromgroups#!forum/txLaser/

District 16

Ken Swetka 27022 Koerber St., St Claire Shores, MI 48081 248-635-5363 www.d19laser.org

Sean Lennon 920-573-1922 spatricklennon11@gmail.com Facebook: Laserd20 Matthew Thompson D21.sec@gmail.com D21.laserforum.org

District 22

Kurt Hoehne, 524 N 67th St Seattle, WA 98103 206-335-8776 kurthoehne@gmail.com

District 23

Geoff Hurwitch Geoffh437@yahoo.com

District 24

Stephen Aguilar 1809 Brier Way, Carmichael, CA sailsteve55@gmail.com 916-968-3554

District 25

Tim Fitzgerald, 2322 Bromfield Circle Wichita KS 67226, 316-650-3636 TIMFITZ875@gmail.com

Jorge Suarez, 7 Covina Ave Long Beach, CA 90803 562-260-8116. jorgesuarez0@yahoo.com Groups.yahoo.com/group/nalaserdistrict25

John E. Coolidge, Jr., 1113 Hanover St Chattanooga, TN 37405 423-309-1926 jc@chattprint.com

Guy Fleming, 44-392 Olina St. #6 Kaneohe, HI 96744-2617 808-955-4405, guynsyd@hawaii.rr.com

District 17

District 26

SUMMER 2016

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President’s Report

BY ANDY ROY The 2016 NA Laser season is in full swing, with the North American Championships, U.S. and Canadian Nationals all being held within the next month as of this writing. I just returned from my first regatta of the summer, which was the Laser Canadian Masters held in Montreal.

The Beaconsfield Yacht Club put on a superb event both on the water and on shore, with Nova Scotia lobster being served for the regatta dinner.

The hosts arranged for a new trophy to be presented to the overall winner that will now be the perpetual award for the Canadian Masters, and it is aptly named the Ian Bruce Memorial.

Ian lived just down the road from BYC and was a member of the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club. For those that did not hear, Ian passed away earlier this year at the age of 82, and I was honoured to be Laser Class representative at the celebration of Ian’s life held at RStLYC in early May. The Bruce family organized a wonderful gathering, and the large turn-out of family and friends were treated to some great stories and also heard from the family on how Ian established the company that built the first 100,000 Lasers or so. Running on a monitor in the Club was a movie, produced by the National Film Board of Canada, called The Boat the Ian Built. I had not seen this wonderful film before, which shows footage of early Laser racing, work going on inside the Performance Sailcraft factory when Laser production was at its peak, and also footage of Ian talking about how it all got started. I will try to obtain the video and get it up on YouTube with a link from the NA class web site.

Getting back to the Canadian Masters this past weekend, having known Ian and he being one of my early sailing

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idols, I really wanted to give it my best shot to try and win the inaugural trophy. We were sailing on the same waters where I raced in my first big fleet Laser regatta, the 1975 Quebec Laser Open and against the likes of Ian Bruce. Despite the mainly light winds this past weekend (not normally my best conditions), I was able to just come out on top, as it came down the final race. It was an honour to have been presented the award by Evert Bastet, a close friend of Ian and the Bruce family and I think also the winner of that 1975 regatta. “EB” won the 207 boat 1973 Laser North Americans in hull #8000 (interestingly a half blue/half white hull that could easily fool competitors trying to find him on an upwind leg). He told me that somehow he was able to relocate old 8000 and it’s sitting now in his garage. Evert went on to win a Silver medal in the FD Class at the 1984 Olympics and was a member of six Canadian Olympic sailing teams.

For younger sailors who may not know much about Ian Bruce, he was truly the “father” of not only the Laser as a sailboat, but also established the Class Association and the rules that have ensured the strict one-design principle that have been maintained over the past 45 years – certainly a key to the boat’s success.

excellent race management direction from ILCA’s Jeff Martin and Hugh Leicester that Laser World competitors are accustomed to. But the story from the Worlds definitely has to be the tale of how Peter Stephinson, a Radial Great Grand Master sailor, effectively died for a few minutes from a sudden heart attack after coming ashore after racing. Incredibly, Peter was brought back to life by the amazing work of the local medical team that fortunately was located nearby the regatta site.

For an account of this great story, go online to www.impropercourse.com, and read Pam’s article called “Sailor Down”, dated April 26th. It will make you stop and think.

Enjoy the summer Laser season!

I’ve heard several reports from sailors who attended one of the Laser World events held near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in April and May. By all accounts the organizers put on a tremendous string of four World title regattas, ably supported by the

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Race Preparation: An Organized Approach BY: JUDITH KRIMSKI Just when I thought I’d covered pretty much everything about starts I realized NOT! Like the recurring dream I always seem to have when I’m stressed… It’s the last day of high school. I haven’t been to class. Actually, I don’t even know where the classroom is. There’s a calculus test…I wouldn’t know a calculus if it bit me in the you-know-what. Anyway you get the idea.

Coaching has allowed me a lot of the opportunity to ponder all aspects of sailing the Laser, some times is seems like it’s 24-7. I confess I do lie in bed some nights and cry to myself, “MAKE IT STOP!” But being obsessed with one topic does have its advantages especially when one is a creative person (I am a graphic designer and illustrator by trade) who is used to examining subjects from many perspectives.

Let’s face it sailboat racing with all it’s variables is a challenging sport.

Basketball players don’t worry about the weather. Bowlers always have the same smooth lane to roll their strikes.

I really can’t think of any other sport that has as many variables as sailboat racing. Even golfers—like sailors—deal with weather but compete knowing where the boundaries are and how far they have to hit the golf ball to hit the green. In sailboat races you could believe you’ve chosen the favored side of the course. All the sudden the wind shifts and you are on the completely wrong side with many more boat lengths to sail.

Pre-race Preparation Doing your homework When asked, most sailors will say “Yes!” pre-race preparation is important. Even at the club level sailors check the weather, the tides, etc. before venturing out for their weekly series. When it comes to big regattas race prep takes on major importance. That said I am constantly amazed how many sailors skip the prep and instead opt for learning “on the fly.” Yes. Sailing instructions can be tedious, all that “The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing…” mumbo jumbo. But get past that and you’ll learn very important information including the regatta schedule, race starting times and most importantly which courses will be used. It goes without saying that the Racing Rules of Sailing must be a fundamental part of a sailor’s racing knowledge. While the book is close to 200 pages the first 12 include definitions and the majority of rules a racing sailor needs to know.

Racing in a new venue? Getting the inside scoop on weather patterns, currents/tides and other geographic information will help enhance the racing experience. With all the resources available on the web information is easy to find out. Going to a regatta on Chesapeake Bay? Check out the Severn Sailing Association (www.severnsailing.org) has links to all sorts of racing related information.

Getting Acclimated to Course Conditions Race day has arrived. You’ve read the RRS, the sailing instructions, boned up on local knowledge and can proudly inform your fellow competitors of the significance of the U flag. It’s time to go racing, right? Not yet. You still have some detective work to do so get out on the racecourse early! The only way to learn its features is to sail it. Preferably team up with another sailor who is willing to compare information. Is one side favored? Is there current? What are the tacking angles? How close is the windward mark to land and is the wind affected by its proximity. The more information you can glean the better so head out early Sherlock!

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SUMMER 2016

Lets’ Race!?

The marks have been positioned. The starting line is set and the starting sequence is about to begin. Time to race right? Not quite. There is more information to be processed.

Leg One Strategy Now that you’ve done all your detective work you can formulate your first leg strategy. Do you want to go right after the start or play the shifts up the center of the course? What’s the long tack? Is there fair current on one side that you want to take advantage of? Is the wind light or strong? Is it steady from one direction (like this ever happens!)? Oscillating or shifting in a persistent manner? If it’s light you want to connect areas of pressure upwind (those dark patches of wind) rather than looking to go to one side or the other. It’s important to remember that your strategy is the fastest way you will sail up the course in the absence of other boats. If early on you are faced with a tactical situation—needing to tack out to get into clear air for example—you should have strategy in the forefront of your mind and not let yourself get distracted from implementing it.

Starting Plan To have a successful start you need information. Information is key to deciding where you want to start, when to set up, and how to start without being OCS. There are myriad pieces of information to take into account but the main ones are listed in the graphic. Note that the “Starting Plan” is focused on strategic aspects of the start. The when and the where in the absence of other boats.

Fleet Behavior I have found that most fleets have patterns of behavior in how they set up for the start. Some will set up early holding position on the line. Some will all come charging in from the right side with 30 seconds to go. Some will pile up at the pin or boat depending on which end is favored. In our local Marblehead fleet sailors like to “lead not follow,” setting up anywhere inside of one minute to the start which is usually the case for bigger fleets in major regattas. In such a situation noting time in the sequence boats are starting to set-up is important because with a short line and many boats it is easy to get shut out and end up second row. The point is every fleet has certain characteristics and it’s important to figure those into your plan.

Heh! What about the boat!

Exactly! Boat set-up is integral to getting a great start. Marking trim controls so you can easily set up your rig properly is as important as anything else. Practicing acceleration techniques; sailing in high mode (when you need to climb to windward) and low mode (when you want to extend out) will allow you to easily switch technique when needed. It’s important to remember when practicing these techniques that while the boat is the same every sailor is different. Baseline settings are helpful but you need to find your own groove.

PRO TIP! This tip on pinching comes from Coach Vaughn Harrison of the International Sailing Academy which sits on beautiful Banderas Bay in La Cruz, Mexico. For more info on ISA go to http://internationalsailingacademy.com/ What’s the difference between pinching and stalling? Pinching is when the boat is sailed too close to the wind direction, causing the angle of attack on the sail to be too narrow. The sailor will see a large separation bubble of flow on the windward

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side of the sail, indicated by the luffing just behind the mast. Stalling is the opposite, when the boat is sailed with a wider angle of attack usually from bearing away too far from close hauled or having the sail trimmed in too tight.

Why pinching is bad: Whether the boat sailed into a header, or steered too high to the wind it is critical that the boat not stay this course. Almost immediately the relief of pressure on the sail will lower the drive force on the sails and foils combined output, allowing for drag to manipulate the performance of the boat.

The 4 types of drag that play a big role on sailboats are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Skin drag: boat bottom surface friction Form drag: The boat shape in the water and how the streamline may optimize performance or create drag Bow impact drag: waves or chop hitting the bow Aerodynamic drag: windage on the hull, sails and everything else above water

How long does it take for pinching to make a difference on the boat? The longer you pinch for the more the boat slows, and less the sail maintains function, which is compounded by the drag components. Even a mild amount of pinching has some huge affects on performance. Even for those who have great focus and avoid pinching at all costs understand that if you even notice the pinch occur, speed is already affected.

How should one react to pinching? Avoid stalling the sail by sheeting out while bearing away. Since the boat speed has decreased, the apparent wind moves aft, meaning that bearing away back to close-hauled will widen the angle of attack, creating some level of stall on the sail even though it is the correct angle for VMG. This is usually not noticeable from the sailor’s point of view, but viewed from behind the boat slips sideways until the apparent wind settles forward and the foils grip again. Depending on how long the boat was pinched for, this stall can be much worse than the pinching itself! So be sure to bear away quickly, and drop sheet for the wind angle to adjust.

The second, and equally important tip about getting off the pinch is: A lot of people criticize use of rudder as adding drag to the boat. I would say that it is very true, but rudder drag is only 1 small type of drag amongst 4 greater types of drag mentioned earlier. Try pushing a canoe up a swell and into the wind and through chop and it won’t make it very far due to drag. When the angle of attack is narrowed so much to create the pinching effect, so much drive force is lost that the boat is already losing speed. My suggestion would be to use as much tiller as you need to get the boat off the pinch ASAP! *pro tip: if you can bear away down the back of a wave you will get the benefit of reducing impact drag and getting off of the pinch at the same time.

Lastly, don’t bear away with windward heel. When sailing to windward, boats track best with some degree of weather helm. Pinching will result in a loss in pressure in the sails and foils, having a flattening affect that contributes to lee helm. Lee helm is when your boat wants to bear away. Sailing upwind with lee helm is BAD! What makes things worse is sailing with lee helm and bearing away with your rudder! Pulling your tiller to windward when your boat is in windward heel is likely one of the worst looking things from a performance perspective.

So it’s simple right? If you accidentally pinch, or sail into a header, adjust your course to the new close hauled as soon as you notice it! While bearing away ease some sheet, and move your weight inboard slightly (if needed).

Thanks Vaughn!

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SUMMER 2016

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2016 Rio Olympic Preview Charlie Buckingham - USA How long have you been sailing in the Laser Radial/ Standard?

I’ve been racing the Laser Standard on an international level since 2008.

What has been your training heading to Rio? I’ve been training and competing full time since I graduated from Georgetown University in June of 2011, all with Rio in mind. In terms of Rio specific training, by the time the games come, I will have spent over 100 days sailing on Guanabara Bay. What other boats have you been racing in this year? Did you consider this cross-training and/or what benefit did you derive from that?

This year has been dedicated solely to the Laser.

How many days have you spent at home this year? How many days have you spent in Rio training?

This year has been less travel intensive than others, with the main focus having been the trials and now the Olympics. It’s only June and I’ve spent almost half of this year at home so far. Over each of the last four years I would have been lucky to spend that amount of time at home over the whole year! I have spent 25 days training in Rio this year.

Besides the sailing, what are you looking forward to/have experienced so far in Brazil?

I’m most looking forward to walking with Team USA at the opening ceremony and competing in my first Olympic games.

What are your plans September 1, 2016?

I will be taking a break from sailing and contemplating my future!

Brenda Bowskill - Canada How long have you been sailing in the Laser Radial/Standard? I began sailing a radial in 2008. I previous sailed bytes and byte CII.

What has been your training heading to Rio? Our trials went until May 2016, so my focus wasn’t necessarily on Rio-based training until the decision was made.

I focused a lot of time training in Miami over the winter in preparation for World Cup Miami, and also preparing for Palma Princes Sofia regatta, and Mexico worlds. All of which were considered towards my selection. Once I was picked as Canada’s radial representative, I went to Rio and did an intensive 10 day training block with international training partner and past world champion Anne Marie Rindom from Denmark. We adjusted our plans along the way and decided to head to Weymouth for the Weymouth/Portland WC as this would be the last opportunity for world class racing before the Olympics. Weymouth went well, I finished 9th. Now I am headed back to Rio for another training camp exact same as last time; 10 days, intensive, with Anne Marie. Afterwards, I will be based at home and will spend time on the water while here in Toronto before heading back to Rio at the end of July for the Games.

What other boats have you been racing in this year? Did you consider this cross-training and/or what benefit did you derive from that? I haven’t sailed any other boats this year. I have focused 100% of my time and energy on laser sailing, determined to win the Olympic Trials and now determined to do as best as I can at the Olympics.

How many days have you spent at home this year? How many days have you spent in Rio training?

I will have spent 20 days in Rio training, not even close to as much as some of my competition but I am confident that we know what we need to know specific to Rio. Sailing is sailing, at the end of the day you have to adapt to what you have in the moment. I have spent probably 30 days at home this year.

Besides the sailing, what are you looking forward to/have experienced so far in Brazil? I am excited for my Olympic debut, to see what that really means. I will spend a day exploring the village and all the cool things it has to offer. I hope to meet people and make life long friends and memories along the way. I believe if I give myself a day to bask in the Olympic experience, I will get it out of my system and then will focus my thoughts and energy towards what I am there to do; sail. This next trip to Rio I will do the hike up to Christ the Redeemer and also the Sugar Loaf experience. The Brazilian culture is very unique, I really like the food and I hope to check out a nice Brazilian beach on my next trip.

What are your plans September 1, 2016? I will be back in school mid-September working towards finishing my undergrad in Nursing at Ryerson, here in Toronto. I plan to keep sailing to Japan 2020 so come September 1, it will be time to sit down and begin planning another 4 year campaign.

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SUMMER 2016

2016 Rio Olympic Preview Lee Parkhill - Canada Parkhill has been the Canadian frontrunner in the Laser class for the past year, bringing home a Bronze medal at 2015 the Pan Am Games and placing 5th at the Rio Olympic Test event in August. Subsequently, Lee was honoured with the 2015 Rolex Sailor of the Year award. “To say that I am elated would be an understatement. I have dedicated much of my life towards the sport of sailing. I’ve been sailing in the Laser class since I was 13 years old, and competing internationally since 2008. My ultimate goal has been to qualify for the Olympics, and yesterday I learned that my dream has come true!”

The journey to the achieving the dream is never without heartbreak along the way.

“I’ve certainly had many ups and downs in terms of results during the last four years of sailing. I’ve witnessed the intense loss amongst friends in other countries who do not qualify, and I’ve experienced that loss first hand myself during the last 2012 Olympic qualifier. My fellow Canadian teammates, and competitors, Robert Davis and Evert McLaughlin, have been an integral part to me reaching my goal today, along with our coach, Steve Mitchell. My hat goes off to both Rob and Evert for pushing our team as a whole to get better.”

The Toronto native sails out of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and has been member of the National Team for eight years. “This past year has been the strongest in my sailing career, and will likely be one the most memorable years of my life. Last summer began with a Bronze medal at the Pan Am Games and this winter I was honoured with the Rolex Sailor of the Year award. A few months ago, my daughter, Emma Rose was born. Now I look forward to representing my country at the Olympic Games!”

Paige Railey - USA How long have you been sailing in the Laser Radial/Standard? I’ve been sailing for 15 years…yikes What has been your training heading to Rio? Same thing every day!!! Wake up at 8.30 eat breakfast, meeting at 10.30, sailing at 12.00, gym at 6.30, physio at 8. Dinner and sleep What other boats have you been racing in this year? Did you consider this crosstraining and/or what benefit did you derive from that? I haven’t sailed any other boats... strictly radials How many days have you spent at home this year? How many days have you spent in Rio training? I have spent 1.5 months at home. It’s extremely difficult being away, but I love Rio. The atmosphere is amazing and the people are so friendly. The conditions here are challenging so I am learning new things every day!

Besides the sailing, what are you looking forward to/have experienced so far in Brazil? I loved carnival!!!!! To see the dancing was beautiful. I also love learning a new language. I speak portunhol...lol Portuguese and Spanish together. I’ve always made some wonderful friends that will be in my life for years to come. This place is full of life and I’m experiencing things I never knew I would encounter

www.Laser.org

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Rig like Australia’s Brett Beyer PHOTOS AND STORY BY JOE BERKELEY Two minutes after the start at the Laser Masters’ Worlds, Brett Beyer of Australia was consistently beating me by half a mile or so. After racing I wondered, is it his boat handling? Is it his speed? Is it the fact that he’s an Aussie?

Nah, it’s got to be the way he rigs his boat. Beyer was kind enough to walk this correspondent through his rigging style. He is very particular about his mainsheet, he likes the blue Rooster.

After that, it’s all about simplicity. He has one set of tell tales on his main, no wind indicator, and does not mark any of his controls. He sails by feel.

He did use a compass at the Masters’ Worlds, but seldom looked at it.

His hiking strap is not adjustable. When asked what he does on the reaches to keep his backside out of the water, he replied he scoots aft in the boat and hikes off the aft deck.

The only thing about Beyer’s rigging style that is unique is the fact that even when his outhaul is at its maximum tension, there is still at least two inches of depth in the sail.

When questioned what kind of line he prefers for his running rigging, he made a face like a man who asked what was the name of his ex-girlfriend’s cat. He did not recall and was not concerned.

Overall, the conversation with world champion Brett Beyer was a chance to relearn the major lesson about Lasers. The most important piece of equipment is the sailor.

Thanks to world champion Brett Beyer for making time for the correspondent.

Joe Berkeley is a professional writer and an amateur sailor. His work is at joeberkeley.com

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SUMMER 2016

Sailing in Belize On Sunday, April 10, 2016, two vivacious and highly decorated Laser Sailors, Hanne Weaver, 20, and her brother Ted, 23, visited the Belize Sailing Center and provided inspirational training and racing for the school’s aspiring young Laser sailors.

Among Hanne Weaver’s many accomplishments is winning the 2012 USA Junior Female Single-person-Dingy Championship at age 16. She currently ranks 3rd among US senior women Laser Radial sailors and is in a very strong position to make the 2020 Women’s US Olympic Laser sailing team. Hanne is putting off full-time college to pursue her Olympic goal; she is an assistant manager at a Seattle WA branch of West Marine, the large and prestigious US water sports outfitter and retailer. West Marine fully supports Hanne’s sailing ambitions and allows her time off to pursue them.

The Belize Sailing Center was fortunate that Hanne and her family took the time for their visit. By the end of February, Hanne had already competed in 2 international regattas - the Miami Olympic Class Regatta followed by the European Laser Senior Championships in the Canary Islands.

Her older brother Ted has been out of Lasers for some years and sails other classes, but when younger he sailed into the 3rd spot in the junior men’s USA Laser rankings.

On Sunday, April 9, Hanne and Ted responded to the challenge to race against some of the Belizean Sailing School’s sailors. A friendly 3-race regatta was arranged. It took place in deceptively shifty 10-12 knot winds over clear waters off Caribbean Villas Hotel in San Pedro.

The challengers were Belize’s own Blanca Velasquez, 15, who competed well in Lasers in last December’s 2015 International Youth Laser Radial World Championship Regatta in Langkawi Malaysia, Sarah White, 15, of San Pedro, who got her own Laser last year, and Everald Dixon,15, who has been sailing Lasers for only 6 months. Competing in his own Laser against these 5 young entrants was Andy Milner, 48, the wiley old vet who had trained the Belizean racers in Optimist Dinghies. He is now the Belize Sailing School’s Founder and Managing Director. In brief, it was a one-day multi-generational, 3-race, mini-regatta. Winner-take all... against 2 of the world’s best. What a thrill.

Two of Belize’s top Optimist sailors refused to be left out of the chance to be on starting lines against two of the world’s finest sailors, so National champ Kevin Velasquez and 3rd ranked Caroline Sersland joined the regatta in an Optimist match race, which Caroline won.

Not surprisingly, Hanne Weaver won the Laser regatta sweeping first place in all three races.

Brother Ted ranked second with two 2nd places and a 3rd. Blanca Velasquez had managed to edge him out and take the number 2 spot in the second race. Andy Milner finished the regatta in 3rd place, ahead of all of his former Optimist Dinghy students. Sarah White finished fourth. San Pedro’s own delicious Kaw Kaw Dark Chocolate with Nibs bars were awarded as trophies to Hanne, Ted, and Andy.

Later, the sailors all gathered around Hanne, asking questions, getting advice on boat handling and tactics, and learning what it is like to be at her level in the sailing world and how to get there. Sarah White doubtless spoke for the other Belizean sailors when she said that the time spent on the water and on land with the Weavers was an inspirational experience and revealed that Hanne had given her several tips that improved her racing skills then and there.

Photos (courtesy of Belize Sailing School).

www.Laser.org

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Vann is the Man PHOTO BY PETER HURLEY STORY BY JOE BERKELEY At the Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, which hosted the Laser Worlds, there are several pools. The largest features a slide in the shape of an alligator.

Guests walk up 27 circular stairs, cross a suspension bridge, and then enter the backside of the gator.

A merry stream of water shoots the guest through the gator’s intestines, up his throat and out his jaws into the pool where many bob and float to the beat of music with a booming bass line.

The Laser Worlds is a bit of a reverse journey. You start out in the jaws of the gator, claw your way up the slide against the current, then get shot out the backside.

Finishing is an accomplishment in itself, finishing with a cube, well, that’s special.

For most competitors, one Worlds is more than enough, as the event is taxing. Then there’s 59-year-old Vann Wilson, who did it not once, but twice, first at the Open Worlds against competitors who could be his grandchildren, then again with his age group at the Masters’ World.

There is an expression for participating in both. Al Clark, the former Master’s World Champion and Royal Vancouver Yacht Club coach calls it “doing the double.”

Wilson is not one to seek attention, he prefers to fly under the radar, but that became impossible when he registered for the Laser Open Worlds at the age of 59. As soon as his name was on the entry list, he began to generate interest.

Vann Wilson is from Long Beach, California. He stands just shy of six feet tall, looks at you with piercing blue eyes, and weighs precisely 183 pounds.

He rigs up without a shirt and competes barefoot. He is lean and fit as a result of ocean swimming and spin class and if you were to glance at him casually you would think he was in great shape for a 40-yearold guy. His training partners from Long Beach like Jorge Suarez say that when it is blowing nuclear, Vann is the guy who is strongest.

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He started sailing when he was a kid and won the Mallory Cup at the age of 18, the youngest person to ever do so. Life took him away from sailing for 20 years, and he got back into the sport when he was in his forties as a result of what he called a mid-life crisis. Coming off a high stress corporate job, he was 210 pounds with borderline high blood pressure, out of shape and out of sorts. He bought a Laser and six months later, he was a very fit 190 pounds and his life was transformed.

So what motivated Vann at the age of almost 60 to put it on the line against the best Laser sailors in the world? He said, “Being able to compete in the Open Worlds gave me access that you can’t get any other way. If you’re a coach, you coach whoever you’re coaching right up to the gun, then you’re forced way off the course. When you’re a competitor, you have a front row seat. You’ve got the best ticket to see the best Laser sailors in the world, up close, in action. I always wanted to do an Open worlds, it’s the major leagues, it’s the chance to stand at the plate against Nolan Ryan throwing the fastball.”

The courses at the Open Worlds were twice as long as the courses at the Master’s Worlds. According to Vann, “I couldn’t even see the weather mark. They put a Catalina 30 up there just so we could find it.”

Steve Kirkpatrick, an accomplished

Master’s sailor from Newport, Rhode Island sailed the Open Worlds once and said, “I was so far behind, it looked like I was winning.”

Vann’s participation garnered respect at the Masters’ Worlds. Tim Law from Devon, England, who finished fourth in the Grand Master division and went home with a cube said, “First of all I think it’s brilliant that he’s allowed to participate.

A lot of sports would not allow that to happen. It’s a bit like Eddie the Eagle and I mean that as a compliment. It’s great that he could do it. In my opinion, Vann’s the man. It’s not the winning, it’s the trying to win. And Vann epitomizes that spirit of sport.”

While Vann trained hard and has excellent physical fitness, he was in for a surprise when he arrived at the Open Worlds. He said, “I thought I was in the wrong place, I thought I was in an Iowa wrestling camp.

These guys are specimens and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some tall, some short, I didn’t see anyone who didn’t show up incredibly fit for the regatta.”

Tracy Usher knows what Vann was up against. He wrote, “I’ve heard it said by several great Laser sailors that the Senior Worlds is the greatest regatta in sailing in terms of all out competition. Those guys are really, really good especially in an Olympic year when most are at or near peak form. For the more regular sailor it requires an all out effort just to keep up and can be an exhausting and very

SUMMER 2016

humbling event though, at the same time, exhilarating. In the end it is definitely worth every minute.”

Vann intended to use the Open Worlds as a tune-up for the Master Worlds. He said, “I’ve always believed you’re as good as your practice group, and this would be the way to get ready for the Masters’ Worlds. That was misguided because their level is so much higher than mine, it’s hard to learn from guys you’re only going to see for maybe a minute after the start because they’re long gone and up and away.”

Former Masters’ World Champion Al Clark of Vancouver, Canada knows what Vann is talking about. He said, “I did the Open Worlds once. I trained with some of the top guys and I could hang with them in practice. What I didn’t know was that in training, they’re in like seventh gear, then at the regatta they had three more gears that I didn’t have. Downwind they were swooping by me to windward and to leeward like birds of prey and they didn’t even care about my wind shadow, it didn’t matter.”

Despite the difficulty of sailing in the Open Worlds, Vann savored every second. He said, “I think the moment that I hold onto was when I was sailing around Ramon and Gerardo Benitez of the Mexican National team. I really enjoyed seeing these young, Mexican kids that had trained very hard, that are definitely going to be a force in Laser sailing in the next ten years. To see the future of the sport at the back of the pack, just how hard these kids had trained, they were racing me just as hard as I was racing them.”

Former Olympian and Grand Master World Champion Mark Bethwaite from Sydney, Australia said, “The notion of sailing the Standard Worlds then the Master’s Worlds right afterward, well, the idea of it just exhausts me. I admire Vann.”

Eleven-time Masters’ World Champion Brett Beyer of Sydney, Australia, agreed. He said, “The Open Worlds is seven days straight. I think it takes its toll. If you keep it in context, I want to learn about the venue, the tactics, that can help. In 2001 at CORK I did both

www.Laser.org

events and it was quite good for me. I was in the 40’s in the gold fleet at the Open Worlds, at the age of 35.” When asked if he thought he could sail both at the age of 59, the World Champion Beyer replied with a chuckle, “not if I knew it was going to be windy, it would be physically tough.”

Vann doesn’t ask for respect, with his participation in back-to-back world championships, he inspires it. David Rosenthall of Australia who participated in the Masters’ Worlds may have summed it up best when he said, “It’s not the people you beat, it’s the people you meet.”

every sailor at the Masters’ Worlds, Vann Wilson became a winner the moment he dared to do the double.

Photographer Peter Hurley is a former member of the US Sailing team who still carries the card in his wallet. He finished fifth at the Laser Masters’ World Championship. He is the number one headshot photographer in the world and his work is at peterhurley.com Joe Berkeley is an amateur sailor and a professional writer who finished the Laser Masters’ Worlds in 24th. His work is at joeberkeley.com.

According to the official scores, Vann finished the Open Worlds in 52nd in the Silver fleet out of 56 competitors. He finished the Grand Master Worlds in 6th out of 39 competitors. In the opinion of

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Newport Laser Fleet Honors Moose McClintock

BY JOE BERKELEY Moose McClintock was agitated. Newport Laser Fleet’s regular race committee was told that the powerboat his volunteer used to move marks was broken so he would have to make do with a ninefoot inflatable that in his words, “would barely fit a mark in it.” Smart sailors at the skipper’s meeting were asking stupid questions, like when world champion Peter Shope queried, “Moose, what’s a triangle course?”

Then fleet co-captain Jack McVicker pulled up behind Moose towing the new rigid bottom inflatable, that was donated to Sail Newport by Fleet 413 and named “Moose” as a tribute to one of Newport’s greatest sailors, mentors, and race committee members.

Stuart Streuli, a fleet 413 member concurred. He said, “Moose was a longtime fleet regular when I started frostbiting more than a decade ago.

He was one of the guys that helped define the fleet’s great blend of competitive fire and camaraderie, and he was always willing to help out newer fleet members. When he started sailing less and doing more race committee more (due to a back injury), he brought that same passion to the signal boat and raised the bar for how the fleet runs its races.”

Fleet 413 member Ed Adams, the two-time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and former Laser Master world champion, noted that for many years, Moose was the strongest person he had ever met. He remembers meeting Moose

Brad Read, the executive director of Sail Newport, who won a J24 world championship with Moose onboard, said, “I’ve always looked up to him as a mentor. He taught us how to win.” Read also noted another unique Moose skill. “I have never seen anyone who can look at a tangle of line in the cockpit and pick that ball of line up, look at it for three seconds, and completely untangle it.”

Moose McClintock knows his way around a race course. He has won six J24 World Championships, three J24 North American Championships, three J24 National Championships, a J-22 world championships, a Swan World Championship, and competed in several America’s Cups. This list goes on and on.

But if the man with the gruff exterior has a soft spot in his heart for one boat, it is the least expensive and most competitive, the Laser. Moose said, “I’m part of the Laser generation. It’s the greatest boat of all time. I remember the first race of the first Laser world championships in 1974.

I rounded the first mark in first place and there were 100 boats behind me.”

Dave Moffet, who has been with fleet 413 since the beginning, said, “Moose has a sailing record, both professional and amateur matched by few in the world but on Sunday afternoons in the middle of winter that didn’t matter. What mattered is that as a competitor he was always out there raising the game for the rest of us.

Moose now continues to raise our game by running the best RC and pushing us to do one more race when we can no longer feel our hands.”

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the hood of the car so we had no choice.

He rigged and launched his Beverly Dinghy, immediately half swamped it, and pin balled off every moored boat on Salt Pond on the way to the race course for another memorable day of practicing with Moose.”

at URI when he was a freshman. He said, “At my first practice at URI, I made the mistake of trying to cut inside Moose at the leeward mark, after he had told me not to try. He reached out with his left hand, grabbed my bow, stood up in his boat, and actually lifted my entire boat into the air, flipping it bow over stern, on top of me. I steered clear of him the rest of my freshman year.”

Moose has a passion for sailing. Ken Legler, who was on the URI sailing team with Moose said, “I remember when Moose and his roommate challenged each other to a flaming shots contest one weekday morning. His roommate, all of 150 pounds, passed out but not Moose.

My roommate, Jay, and I tried to get to practice without him but he lied down on

Gary Jobson, who won the America’s Cup, said, “I have raced with and against Moose many times over the past 40 plus years. He is a very focused, competitive sailor. He can also seem stoic. In one match race, we were in a tough battle.

Moose was our jib trimmer. When our arch rival jumped the gun, I had to smile when Moose uttered, “ALRIGHT!” He’s human, like the rest of us, I thought with a smile.”

Ken Read is quite busy as the President of North Sails. But when asked for a quote about Moose, he responds immediately.

“Moose McClintock is one of the key people I owe my career to. Not only as a friend but as a mentor. He and I sailed a million times back in our successful J-24 days. What did I learn from Moose?

A lot I can’t talk about…and a ton about winning and improving. We could win

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a race by half a leg and he would self critique every second of the race. “Never be satisfied, you can always improve.”

Thanks, Moose.”

Bill MacGowan, known as “Billy Mac,” has a business in Newport, macdesignsnewport.com, that creates stunning graphics for some of the most important yachts in the world, like Rambler. When he received the call to create the name and the graphics for the Moose boat, he dropped what he was doing and donated his services. He said, “I’ve known Moose since I moved to Newport 30 years ago. He’s been a fixture on the water, a great sailor, and he’s still out there making it happen for the Laser sailors and that’s awesome.”

At the dedication ceremony, host Mark Bear, a professor at MIT who has finished on the podium at the Laser Master worlds twice, said, “How do you thank someone like this, the person who gives up his Sundays to freeze his tail off so we can have fun in our Lasers? If it were college basketball, we might name the court for him. If it is sailing, we might name a boat for him. So after due consideration, the fleet elders – in particular our leaders Jack McVicker and Peter Shope – rejected the idea of naming the new RIB “Boaty McBoatface” and instead have christened her “Moose” in honor of the guy who has given us so much.”

Joe Berkeley, a member of Fleet 413, is a professional writer and an amateur sailor.

His work is at joeberkeley.com

www.Laser.org

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21

Fleet 413 ends regular season with record turnout

BY JOE BERKELEY For those who missed the Thrilla in Manila, the third and final fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier back in 1975, the Nail Biter in Newport was a good substitute.

World Champion Peter Shope and Steve Kirkpatrick slugged it out for bragging rights for the Fleet 413 season and it all came down to the last day. Using the tactics he perfected on the Tufts University sailing team, Kirkpatrick just barely got the better of Shope for the season, winning by one point.

The world champion Shope was gracious. “I’m impressed with how Steve sailed. I’m disappointed with second, but there are so many positives that happened this season that outweigh the disappointment. We had kids and their parents sailing this season, like Dave and Alli Moffet. Never did a day go by that I didn’t realize how special a fleet we have.”

As a Fleet Co-Captain with Jack McVicker, Shope is responsible for the work that goes on behind the scenes. Under their leadership, the fleet enjoyed record participation. There were 100 boats registered for the season, and there were more than 53 boats on the line on a single day.

Steve Kirkpatrick was quick to credit Shope as the source of his motivation. He said, “It’s incredibly hard to beat Peter Shope, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” As he approaches the age of 50, Kirkpatrick believes the fleet is on the edge of seeing a new generation of sailors dominate. One of them may well be Ted Bjerregard, the St. George’s School student who is always one of the last sailors to show up in the parking lot and one of the first to finish.

Everyone in the fleet is quick to credit Moose McClintock for much of the success. A former America’s Cup sailor, J-24 World Champion, and champion in too many classes to note in a newspaper, Moose did more race committee work than anyone.

And his races were run perfectly. When Moose is flying the flags, no tomfoolery is tolerated, respect is shown.

In sixth overall, Dan Neri sailed consistently and smartly.

Christine Neville said, “Dan doesn’t make mistakes.” High praise indeed.

Coming off her Olympic campaign, Christine Neville finished in seventh overall. She was a huge fan of the large turnouts enjoyed “getting to race against younger kids and experienced older sailors.”

Fleet 413 stalwart Will Donaldson finished the year in eighth overall, and he said, “It was a great season, the winter was so mild. Way better than last year when the harbor froze.”

The prodigal sailor, PJ Schaffer returned to the fleet after an absence due to the demands of fatherhood and was welcomed back with open arms.

In tenth overall, fleet scribe Joe Berkeley accomplished his goal of cracking the top ten and sailing with dignity, which is a polite way of saying he spent more time sailing than swimming.

Kira Munger summed it up when she said, “It was a great season for participation, at least 30 boats on the line every weekend.

Great competition, great practice, with lots of starts.”

To celebrate the end of the season, Fleet 413 has made a donation to Sail Newport which made the purchase of a new motorboat possible. The Zodiac with brand new Yamaha is far superior to the used Boston Whaler fleet champion Steve Kirkpatrick once purchased from a friend. The first day he started the motor, it burst into a ball of flames.

Joe Berkeley lives to tell beautiful stories about sailing. If you have one, reach him at Berkeley.joseph@gmail.com.

Third overall for the season was Andy Pimental. He also was the first-placed finisher on the Fleet’s Facebook page. When a photo of Andy’s buttocks, clad in worn out hiking pants procured more “likes” than a beautiful portrait of Steve Kirkpatrick’s face, Pimental commented, “as it should be.”

Proving that the equipment isn’t as important as the sailor, Dave Moffet finished the year in fourth overall. Moffet quipped that he finished “first among the B fleet.” Given that Moffet sailed on the same course with his daughter Alli, and celebrated her sweet 16th birthday by going frostbiting together, it could be argued that he really won the season.

North Sail’s Mike Marshall was fifth overall and he won the last day of the series to show that he knows his way around the race course.

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SUMMER 2016

2016 Schedule Regatta

Standard

World Championship

Vallarta, Mexico May 10-18

NA Championship

Colombia Gorge RA Cascade Locks, OR July 21-24

Laser 4.7

Masters

Kiel Germany July 30-Aug 7

Vallarta, Mexico Radial: April 22-30 Standard: May 20-28

Colombia Gorge RA Cascade Locks, OR July 21-24

Colombia Gorge RA Cascade Locks, OR July 21-24

Richmond YC Point Richmond, CA Aug 5-7

Gimli YC Gimli, MB July 16-17

Gimli YC Gimli, MB July 16-17

Gimli YC Gimli, MB July 16-17

US Championships

Mentor Harbor YC Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH July 7-10

Mentor Harbor YC Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH July 7-10

Mentor Harbor YC Mentor-on-the-Lake, OH July 7-10

Eastern YC Marblehead, MA Sept 30-Oct 2

CORK

Kingston, ON www.cork.org August 20-24

Kingston, ON www.cork.org August 20-24

Kingston, ON www.cork.org August 15-18

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Midwinters East

Clearwater, FL www.clwyc.org Feb 18-21

Clearwater, FL www.clwyc.org Feb 18-21

Clearwater, FL www.clwyc.org Feb 18-21

USSC Martin County Jensen Beach, FL Feb 6-8

Midwinters West

Alamitos Bay YC Long Beach, CA March 18-20

Alamitos Bay YC Long Beach, CA March 18-20

Alamitos Bay YC Long Beach, CA March 18-20

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Miami OCR

Miami, FL (men only) www.ussailing.org January 23-30

Miami, FL (women only) www.ussailing.org January 23-30

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Atlantic Coast Championships

Bellport Bay YC Bellport, NY June 10-12

Bellport Bay YC Bellport, NY June 10-12

Bellport Bay YC Bellport, NY June 10-12

Sayville YC Sayville, NY July 16-17

Pacific Coast Championships

Cabrillo Beach YC San Pedro, CA June 4-5

Cabrillo Beach YC San Pedro, CA June 4-5

Cabrillo Beach YC San Pedro, CA June 4-5

Gold County YC Grass Valley, CA June 4-5

Gulf Coast Championships

Texas Corinthian YC Kemah, TX October 15-16

Texas Corinthian YC Kemah, TX October 15-16

Texas Corinthian YC Kemah, TX October 15-16

Sarasota SS Sarasota, FL October 8-9

No Coast Championships

Ithaca YC Ithaca, NY August 6-7

Ithaca YC Ithaca, NY August 6-7

Ithaca YC Ithaca, NY August 6-7

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Great Lakes Championships

Milwaukee YC MIlwaukee, WI Sept. 10-11

Milwaukee YC MIlwaukee, WI Sept. 10-11

Milwaukee YC MIlwaukee, WI Sept. 10-11

Buffalo Canoe Club Ridgeway, ON August 27-28

ISAF 200 points

40 GP pts. ISAF 100 points

Canadian Championships

30 GP pts. ISAF 50 points

30 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 2

30 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points

30 GP Pts. ISAF 100 points

30 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points

ISAF 200 points

25 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points

25 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points

25 GP Pts

25 GP Pts

25 GP Pts

www.Laser.org

Radial Women: Vallarta, MEX April 12-20 Youth:Dun Laoghaire, IRL July 23-30

Beaconsfield YC Beaconsfield, QC June 17-19

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Laser Canadian Master Championship The Laser Canadian Master Championships were held on June 18-20th at the Beaconsfield Yacht Club, located on Lac Saint Louis just outside Montreal. The sailors who arrived ready to race in a Radial fleet were informed that there would be only one standard rig fleet of 40 (there wasn’t a separate start since there weren’t enough Radial entries received by the deadline). There was a bit of a scramble to locate enough full rig sails and bottom sections for a few that didn’t bring them. This, however, turned out just fine for the lighter weight sailors, as most of the 8-race series were sailed in lighter conditions. On Day 1, Rich Roberts, who tips the scales at about 160, was on fire scoring a 2,2,4 to take a comfortable lead. Nine sailors were not happy after race 1 to see their numbers on the board of the RC boat recorded as “BFD”, but on the bright side they got their drop race out of the way right away without having to worry about it anymore. Pat “Stickman” Wachholz, followed up his race one BFD with an OCS in race 2, so he seemed to be staking claim to the dreaded “alphabet award”. The hot, high pressure system didn’t relent for Day 2, and much of the day was spent ashore hoping for sign of an expected system to make its way into the area. A bit of a breeze started to fill in mid-afternoon and the RC sent the fleet out and managed to get a fair race in before sailors headed back to shore to quench their thirsts. Cold beer from a local craft brewery was on tap (both days) just a few feet from the ramp and rigging area – much appreciated by all! This treat was just barely topped by a superb BBQ with choice of Nova Scotia lobster or Alberta steak – happy faces all around.

The scoreboard was tightening up, and the Sunday wind forecast was calling for the opportunity for everyone to get out in the hiking strap, with the RC calling for an early start to try to get in at least 4 races. Although it couldn’t be called a windy day (until later in the day during pack up), there was certainly enough breeze for competitors to stretch their legs out, hike hard and play some waves on the runs. The title would come down to the last race, with “game on” between Nigel Heath, Ray Davies and Andy Roy. The three, along with Pat “Vanna, I’d like to buy a vowel” Wachholz, rounded in a tight pack at the first mark with Andy holding a slim lead. He stretched it out to a few lengths over Ray and Pat on the wave-playing run, but the second windward leg would offer up some passing lanes, with subtle shifts and pressure lanes to be found. With

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Nigel back in about 6th, Roy managed to round the final top mark still holding the lead and was able to hold off the others for the race victory and the overall title, finishing with a 7 point lead over Nigel (including Grand Master vs. Master handicap points). Without the handicap the two would have been even on points, although Roy would have still won on a tiebreaker.

The awards presentation included special guest, Evert Bastet, 1973 Laser North American Champ and 1984 Olympic silver medalist, who kindly came to award the inaugural and now perpetual Ian Bruce Memorial Trophy to the winner, Andy Roy. Evert was a close friend of Ian’s and he worked at the nearby Laser Performance factory back in the early 70’s.

Other winners included: Ryosuke Sakai (1st Apprentice and 8th overall), Nigel (1st Master), Andy (1st GM) and some guy named Seidenberg (1st GGM and Legend, and 4th overall). The competitors were universal in their praise and appreciation for the event organizers: Lisa Pelling (also Top Female competitor), Phillipe Dormoy (3rd GM), and Dave Speak.

Photos by SailingShots: Luka Bartulovic

SUMMER 2016

Atlantic Coast Championships

BY FRANK KECKLER

The first day was all about skill and the second day was all about survival at The 2016 Open ACC’s held at Bellport Bay YC which drew 82 competitors from 3 countries, and 13 states for two days of championship style racing. Bellport Bay YC was ready off the water with a launching area and boat prep area large enough for 200. A full array of land staff and on water staff in 16 support boats helped host 2 trapezoid courses. Each race took approximate 60 minutes to finish.

Teams from Florida, Nova Scotia, and Ontario arrived on Wednesday to beat the weekend traffic and get some practicing in. Friday was a typical Bellport Bay YC sailing day with bright sunshine and a warm sea breeze starting at 10 am and building into the afternoon to 20 knts.

Saturday started right on-time to the minute with a steady SW 12-20 building sea breeze filling in. Completing two races a massive cold front blew threw bring severe wind and rain, forced a return to the beach for a short break (perfect for lunch). After a postponement it was back out to the race course where the Radial fleet completed 3 more races in a strong but shifty westerly with gusts in the mid 20s.

Saturday night sailors enjoyed a catered BBQ, a live band, and local Blue

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Point beer for those of age.

Sundays forecast was wicked 15-35 from the NE, the expert RC of Bellport moved the course to the quieter side of the bay were the water would be smoother rather than 3-5 rollers. The course was set and the fleet released, however the winds kicked up a notch, a shifty 20-27 with gusts hitting high 30’s. Steve Kirkpatrick of District 7 said he had never sailed a Laser faster on flat water as he did on the top reach leg! Two races were completed on Sunday.

Bellport Bay YC is a pristine location for Laser racing.

It was room enough for 200 hundred boats, easy launching beach and a spectator location to watch all the sailing action, Thanks to Tom Conlin, Chris Everitt, and the entire Bellport Bay membership and volunteers for their efforts in hosting a first class event!

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Master ACC - preview The Master’s ACC’s is scheduled to be hosted at Sayville Yacht Club during the weekend of July 16th and 17th and it is expected to be a great event!

Hoping for the SW Sea breeze to be locked in and you can count on Blue Point IPA on tap, some acoustic music on the deck, and an awesome barbeque! Plus there is an awesome music festival one town over so a banner weekend to be on Long Island’s south shore!

Great South Bay Music Festival Link in Patchogue, located several miles to the east of the club.

Competitors shall be divided into the following divisions: Apprentice (35-44 years of age) Master (45-54 years of age) Grand Master (55-64 years of age) Great Grand Master (65+ years of age) and the divisions shall be determined by competitor’s age on July 16th, 2016.

Unless a minimum of 15 Standard and 15 Radial entries has been received by July 8th, 2016 all entrants shall start and finish together and be scored as a single fleet. Competitors may choose Standard, Radial or 4.7 rigs at their discretion, provided that all rig changes are made on shore and all sails have the same number (Rig-Swapping Rule turned on). If a minimum of 15 Standard and 15 Radial entries has been received by the pre-registration deadline, both fleets shall be given their own starts (Rig-Swapping Rule turned off).

This changes ILCA Class Rule 28(d) by permission of the International Laser Class Association of North America.

The entry fee is $75 USD. Sailors that preregister ONLINE by Friday, July 8th, 2016 will get a regatta T-shirt. Please specify size when registering. The entry fee AFTER July 8th, 2016 is $100. Registration will close at 9:30 am on June 16th, 2016. Competitors MUST register online at https://www.regattatech.com/events/SYC/LaserACC16/registration/showEntryForm so that the competitors sail numbers can be entered into the online scoring program.

The entry fee includes continental breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, Snacks on the Water during racing (Energy Bars and Water) Saturday night Barbeque with live music, and beverages after racing on Saturday and Sunday.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Friday, July 15th 1600-1900 Registration Saturday, July 16th 0800-0915: Registration and Continental Breakfast 1000: Skippers Meeting 1100: First warning signal, races to follow At least four races are planned, wind permitting. Dinner and beverages after racing are included in registration fee.

Sunday, July 17th 0800-0930: Continental Breakfast 1100: 1st warning signal, races to follow.

At least three races are planned, wind permitting.

At least Seven (7) races are planned, of which a minimum of three (3) races must be completed to constitute a regatta.

AWARDS Prizes will be awarded for each age group, for first female and first overall.

Hope you can make it! Sayville Yacht Club Also, please consider coming back to Sayville YC in August (20-21) for the District 8 Grand Prix. Same deal… free camping, warm hospitality, and great sailing! We’ll see you on the water. Hope you can make it!!!

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SUMMER 2016

Lesson Learned

the heavier the breeze leading to some back to back capsizes.

BY TED CREMER Sayville YC Regatta Committee

I’m the guy that had to get pulled from the water Sunday Morning at the Laser ACC’s. I have raced lasers 40 years, am a US Sailing CRO, and have chaired Laser regattas at Sayville YC for more than a decade. I also served as D8 Secretary for 5 years.

Saturday was a fine day of racing with four long races in trapezoid courses. I was pretty tapped out at the end but not bad and looking forward to the big breeze on Sunday. I ate well, had plenty of sleep, and headed out around 10:30 on Sunday for an 11AM start. Conditions were nuking; northerly breeze steady at around 22-25 with gusts over 30. The reach to the starting line was a sleigh ride; hiking hard off the back, I rounded up a couple of times and saved my boat.

The closer to the starting line I got,

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My mistake was not fully understanding how cold the water really was out near the new inlet. The bay water is warm, but the fresh tidal cycle of 60 degree ocean water made that part of the Great South Bay colder than off Sayville Yacht Club where I train. The cold water sapped my strength fast and age just caught up with me. Prior to my last capsize, I had decided that I would get myself settled and then beat back in, but my last capsize resulted in a detached dagger board as my shock cord slipped off the bow of my boat (I know--old school) and the longer I bobbed in the water, the colder I got and more tired I became trying to get the daggerboard back in. 30 knot gusts, a bobbing boat and 60 degree water was a dangerous combination.

Special thanks to US Sailing Judge John Fryer who came to my assist and to the Conlin/Pokorny team from

Bellport who towed me in. I can relate to a young Optimist sailor better now knowing the shame of the tow, but I am here to sail another day and offer some good takeaways.

Really think about your gear on the big wind days. It may be warm on the beach, but remember to factor in water temperature.

Us Grand Masters have to train harder to hang in on these big wind days…

Yup, I’m back in the pool again.

And as Clint Eastwood said, A Man’s Got to Know his Limitations. You don’t have to do every race to have a great time catching up with the fine folks who regularly race lasers.

Thanks to my friends Eric Reitinger, Jon Deutsch and Dennis Russom for their gear and dagger board retainer recommendations. I’ll be much better prepared next time we cross tacks.

See you on the water.

Colie has the gear you need to win, not just get around the course.

Rigged exactly how Clay Johnson rigs his boat.

• Clay’s Centerboard Bungee System: often copied but never matched • Top of the line Allen blocks • Spliced and whipped 5mm V12 traveler • FSE Robline Dinghy Control • Hand-made, spliced dingleberry • Spectra hiking strap line with instructions

1649 Bay Avenue Point Pleasant NJ 08742 27

Little

Egg delivers District 10s

for

Puopolo dominates in ideal conditions

BY GLEN DICKSON “It’s a beautiful day in Beach Haven!” was the famous proclamation of the late Walter Smedley Jr., Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club’s legendary race committee chair, and it’s still regularly said today by LEHYC members. It’s easy to see why.

In the summer there are few better places to sail than the LEHYC race circle on Barnegat Bay, with reliable sea breezes, warm water and surfable chop. The club, which is a regular host of the E-Scow Nationals and other big onedesign events, also knows how to run a crisp, efficient regatta on the water and give great hospitality on shore.

The 20-boat fleet at this year’s Laser District 10 Championship got treated to classic Beach Haven racing, as sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s generated a building sea breeze for both days of the event. Andrew Puopolo of Marsh Creek Sailing Club obviously enjoyed the conditions, showing exceptional downwind speed to win five out of seven races and take the District 10 title for the first time.

Things started off on the mild side on Saturday, as the sea breeze filled early and the RC started Race 1 before 11 am in about 5 knots from the SE. An outgoing tide equated to a fair current running diagonally from left to right across the course, which often favors the left side in this direction. But the early pressure was on the right and that’s from where the lead pack emerged. Jack Swikart of Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club took a wire-to-wire win ahead of Mike Hecky and Eric Reitinger of Brant Beach YC on the windward-leeward, twicearound course.

The breeze built to 8 knots for race two, which was won by Puopolo ahead of Matt Goetting of Toms River YC and Mike Russom of Brant Beach YC. Puopolo and Goetting have developed a close rivalry this spring, with Puopolo winning the Orange Coffee Pot at Surf City YC by a point over Goetting and Goetting returning the favor at the Atlantic Coast Championship on Long Island the next weekend, edging Puopolo by two points to place sixth to his seventh.

The breeze built to about 10 knots for Race Three and shifted a tad right, though the left side showed better pressure and perhaps a bit of a current boost on the top part of the course.

Puopolo again took the win ahead of Goetting, displaying great speed on the runs in the

28

increasing waves. Swikart took third.

By race four the sea breeze had built significantly, to about 12-15 knots. Master Glen Dickson of Bay Head YC showed he could still hike a bit, winning the pin and working the left side to round first. But Puopolo quickly used his downwind jets to take the lead and the win, ahead of Dickson and Goetting.

With the breeze increasing to 15-18 knots, the RC wisely decided to take advantage of the ideal conditions and go for a fifth race. Dickson won the pin and led at the first mark but once again was passed by Puopolo on the run.

Puopolo led to the finish with Dickson second and Russom grinding his way into third ahead of Goetting. Close behind was Grand Master Dennis Russom, Mike’s father, who placed fifth after a fourth in race 4.

The tired fleet returned to the club for a delicious dinner of cheeseburgers and hot dogs, ready within 30 minutes of hitting the dock.

A look at the scores showed that, barring a Sunday disaster, Puopolo had already pretty much wrapped up the regatta with four firsts and a discarded fifth for a total of four points.

Goetting was also firmly established in second, dropping a fourth to count 11 points. But there was a four-way battle for third place with two races to go, with Mike Russom in third with 18 pts, Reitinger and Dickson tied with 19 and Hecky lurking in sixth at 22 pts.

Sunny skies and a stronger-than-expected westerly greeted the sailors on Sunday morning, which at Beach Haven usually means a bit of a wait for the sea breeze. The fleet launched on time for a 10:30 start but as the sailors reached the course the westerly was already starting to fade in and out, blowing 5 knots for a couple of minutes and then dying off to almost nothing. The RC postponed and waited the westerly out, and by noon the seabreeze was in and starting to stabilize. After a general recall, the fleet got underway for Race 6 with about 10 knots from the SE and another outgoing tide.

pin-end start and showing good upwind speed to lead wire-to-wire on the windward-leeward, twice-around course. As the breeze built to about 12 knots by the finish, Puopolo and Dickson both sailed through the fleet to finish second and third. Reitinger placed a close fourth while Russom and Hecky faded on the second lap (Hecky actually turned out to be OCS).

With Puopolo and Goetting already locking up first and second overall, the only suspense for Race 7 was who would get third. The left side upwind remained the place to be, and Puopolo worked it to take the lead ahead of a pack including Goetting, Mike Russom and Hecky.

Behind them, Dickson and Reitinger rounded a distant fifth and sixth after battling up the middle.

Reitinger had a fantastic first run to surge into third, behind Puopolo and Russom, and held that to the finish. Dickson managed to eventually pass Hecky and Goetting to finish fourth, tying with Reitinger but winning the tiebreaker for third overall. Mike Russom was fifth overall, with BBYC Commodore (and Great Grand Master) Don Hahl sixth. First woman was Kelly McGlynn of LEHYC in 12th.

Many thanks go to regatta chairman Mike Reynolds, principal race officers Jim Stevens and Jeff Condon and all the other LEHYC volunteers who helped run a flawless event.

Reynolds deserves extra credit for not only organizing the regatta but also finishing all of the races after a long hiatus from Laser sailing.

He predicted being very sore at his desk on Monday morning. I’m sure the rest of his competitors can relate.

Top five: Andrew Puopolo Matt Goetting Glen Dickson Eric Reitinger Mike Russom

7 pts 16 pts 26 pts 26 pts 30 pts

Goetting sailed a masterful race, getting a nice

SUMMER 2016

District Reports District 1 Claire Sears Nova Scotia

This spring things have been getting busy for Laser D1 sailors gearing up for summer. Many will be hitting the water soon to begin training or for a casual sail if they haven’t already. The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron has run a successful spring series not only for their club sailors but for those around Nova Scotia and outside the province, providing coaching and training group opportunities during the shoulder season. They also hosted the annual RNSYS Spring Dinghy Regatta. Although it was a small event, the weekend boasted some great conditions with lots of races and for many it was a fun start to the competitive season. Luke Ruitenberg (RNSYS) won the Laser Standard Class with Will McInnes (Lunenburg Yacht Club) taking first in the Radial. There are lots of events around the region this summer, and we are particularly excited for the D1 Championships hosted by the Bay Wind Regatta.

This year the racing for all classes has been extended to 3 days so well worth your while to come down!

spring and people have been on the lake since the beginning of May. As every year our provincial laser team participated at the Short Course Regatta in Saskatchewan, this time at Blackstrap Lake. Great season starter with great conditions. The regatta was followed by six training weekends at the Falcon YC. Next up is a training camp at Pelican Lake and then it’s time to get ready for the Laser Canadians.

10 of our best Laser sailors will be taking a clinic with Angelo Tabanero, who is normally teaching at Cabarete. The Laser Canadians will be taking place on July 16/17 at the Gimli YC. Eight female and eight male radial sailors will be representing their region at the Manitoba Games at West Hawk Lake from August 7-10. The provincial team will go on to compete at the U19 at Kingston and the development team will stay back for a camp at Victoria Beach YC. The Laser District 4 Championships will take place at the Commodores Cup at the Gimli YC on September 4. Fall training includes nine weekends of training and regattas. It will be a busy season with events for every level of sailing.

District 4 Brigitte Smutney Manitoba Manitoba’s Sailors were lucky with an early spring and people have been on the lake since the beginning of May. As every year our provincial laser team participated at the Short Course Regatta in Saskatchewan, this time at Blackstrap Lake. Great season starter with great conditions. The regatta was followed by six training weekends at the Falcon YC. Next up is a training camp at Pelican Lake and then it’s time to get ready for the Laser Canadians.

10 of our best Laser sailors will be taking a clinic with Angelo Tabanero, who is normally teaching at Cabarete. The Laser Canadians will be taking place on July 16/17 at the Gimli YC. Eight female and eight male radial sailors will be representing their region at the Manitoba Games at West Hawk Lake from August 7-10. The provincial team will go on to compete at the U19 at Kingston and the development team will stay back for a camp at Victoria Beach YC. The Laser District 4 Championships will take place at the Commodores Cup at the Gimli YC on September 4. Fall training includes nine weekends of training and regattas. It will be a busy season with events for every level of sailing.

District 5 Mark Lammens Saskatchewan

All photo credit to Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron Race Teams.

District 3 Nigel Heath Ontario District 3 executive would like to tell everyone to grab a friend or family member and introduce them to Laser/Radial sailing. It is the peak of the season and we have gone sailing. See you on the water.

District 4 Brigitte Smutney Manitoba Manitoba’s Sailors were lucky with an early

www.Laser.org

The SK spring short course had LP Gagnon first, Kayden Polachek was 2nd and Connor Boyle 3rd in Full Rigs.

Anthony Clarke, 1st, Molly Ingenmay 2nd/1st female, James Thompson was 3rd and Gillian Craig 2nd female in the Radial fleet.

Connor Boyle won Mountain Madness and is wining the Ebs sunset series with great starts and superior speed. Soccer boy Brendan Potts is helping with water quality, weather prediction and training issues

District 6 Andy Hunt Vancouver Greetings to all District 6 sailors, volunteers and coaches.

First of all, I would like to apologize for stating the

wrong web address for the Jericho Laser Fleet in the last edition of The Laser Sailor. I stated that the address was: www.jericholaserfleet.wordpress.com.

However, the correct address is: www.jscalaserfleet. wordpress.com. I am sorry for any confusion that I might have caused.

Casual weekend and evening racing at local clubs have now been on-going for a few months. If any sailor is interested in some low-key racing, I encourage them to check out any local clubs in their vicinity.

The regatta season is also upon us. Sailors were partaking in District 6 regattas in March, April, May and June.

The regatta in March was a low-key event, organized by the Kitsilano Yacht Club and the local Cal 20 fleet. The KYC was the host club and provided a mark set boat and operator. Cal 20 Fleet 38 provided the committee boat and RC members. Seven local boats (six Standards and one Radial). All based out of the Jericho Sailing Centre, raced in the regatta.

The regatta took place on March 19 and 20, 2016.

There were 9 races over the two days and winds were moderate to light. Results: Jorge L Yanez, 12.00; Bob Ennenberg, 21.00; Michael Lum, 28.00; Peter Woytkowiak, 38.00; Marcia Macdonald (Radial), 39.00; Jacek Suski, 41.00; Tim Murphy, 41.00. The first regatta in April was also the first regatta of the BC Sailing Circuit. This regatta was the Kitten Cup. The regatta was on April 23 and 24 and hosted by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. For what is fairly rare in District 6, the race course had Laser 4.7s (2), Laser Radials (31) and Laser Standards (15). Eight races in total (6 for the Laser 4.7s) were run over the two days. The two Laser 4.7 sailors were Adrian Conn (NSST) and Garrett Reid (HSC).

Thanks for showing up. Adrian had 5 points while Garrett had 10 points. The Laser Radial Fleet was dominated by the top three sailors. Hanne Weaver (SYC, RVANYC), Maura Dewey (RVICY0 and Talia Toland (SYC,RVANYC), ran away from the rest of the fleet. Hanne had 15 points while Maura and Talia each had 18 points. Fourth place went to Owen Timms (SYC who had 28 points. Benji MacMaster was the top local sailor in fifth place with 46 points.

Seattle sailors Analucia Clarkson (49 points) and Christopher Stoll (53 points) rounded out the top seven sailors. In the Laser Standards, Canadian 2020 Olympic candidate, Max Gallant RVICYC), finished in first place with 13 points. In second place, was Reece Myerscough (RVICYC) with 15 points, Third place went to Ian Elliiott (RVICYC, CYC, SALSA) with 18 points. John Owen (RVICYC) and Tony Martin (JSCA) were in fourth and fifth places respectively with John having 23 points and Tony with 37 points. The following weekend, April 30 and May 1, saw the Jericho Sailing Centre hosting it’s annual Flights of Spring Regatta. Turnout for both the Laser Standards and Laser Radials was very low. There were 7 Laser Standards and 2 Laser Radials. Each fleet had one sailor from the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club show up, Branden Bugden in Standards and Benji McMaster in Radials. I suspect that there were two main reasons for the low turnout: some sailors were in Mexico for the Laser Radial Master Worlds and the Flights of Spring Regatta was after the Kitten Cup and not before. The RVANYC Race Team often uses the Flights of Spring as a tune-up regatta for the Kitten Cup. The winds were strong enough for the race committee to run 4 races on Saturday and 3 races on Sunday. Results: (Standards) - Andriy Kanyuka, 9.00; John Polglase, 16.00; Tony Martin, 16.00; Tim Murphy, 24.00; Jorge L Yanez, 29.00; Branden Bugden, 43.00; Alex Blinou, 46.00. Radials -

29

Benji McMaster, 6.00; Deirdre Webster, 12.00. The following weekend (May 7 and 8) saw the Royal Victoria Yacht Club host the second event of the BC Sailing Circuit, the Spring Dinghy Championships.

I don’t have much information about the regatta as I was unable to attend. There were 17 Standard Rigs and 21 Radials. Seven races were completed over the two days. Maura Dewey, usually a Radial sailor, switched rigs and won the Laser Standards with 11 points. Hot on her heels was John Owen who had 12 points. Third, fourth and fifth went to Reid Cannon (18), Aiden Koster (23) and Robert Britten (26). All of the above sailors use RVICYC as home base. In the Laser Radials, the Comox Bay Sailing Club placed three sailors in the top six. Results: Chris Volkers, CBSC, 9.00; Benji McMaster, RVANYC, 16.00; Justin Yuen, RVANYC, 28.00; Nate Bell, CBSC,, 33.00; Matthew Stranagahan, WVYC, 36.00; Nigel Fletcher, CBSC, 38.00. The main regatta for BC Interior sailors is the Springtime Regatta (part of the BC Sailing Circuit) which is hosted by the Central Okanagan Sailing Association (COSA).

Sailors from the North Shore Sailing Team and from the Royal Victoria Yacht Club provided competition for the interior sailors. A complete report on the regatta is available at: www.cosa.bc.ca.

The regatta was held on May 20 and 21, 2016. There were 13 Laser Standards and 11 Laser Radials.

Results: Standards: John Owen, RVICYC, 5.00; Maura Dewey, RVICYC, 12.00; Adam Sorenson, RVICYC, 13.00. Josh Smithman, Makena Shepard and Bryana van Leeuwen were first, second and third in the Laser Radials. Josh had 5 points, Makena had 8 points and Bryana had 10 points. The final regatta in my report is the Jericho Classic Regatta which was held at the Jericho Sailing Centre on June 4 and 5. There were strong winds on Saturday (gusts were recorded at 22 knots) and considerably less on Sunday (max 12 knots). The winds were from the west on Saturday and from the east on Sunday. There were 11 Laser Radials and 4 Laser Standards.

There are more and more sailors at Jericho who will switch between the Standard Rig and the Radial Rig depending on the winds strength. Jorge L Yanez was in first place in the Radial Fleet with 9 points.

Next in the Radial Fleet was Peter Woytkowiak with 17 points and Tania Smutny with 24 points.

The four Laser Standards were Tony Martin (12), Liam Quinlan (14), Branden Bugden (22) and Geoff Chambers (38).

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions and / or comments.

District 7 Judith Krimski MA, NH, VT Summer’s Here! The District 7 summer racing season is in full swing with regattas taking place all over New England and youth programs gearing up for the summer. This season the schedule includes the D7 Championship, July 29-31, hosted at the Hyannis Yacht Club, The New England Championships, September 10-11, hosted by the Wickford, Yacht Club and topping off what we hope will be a great season the US Masters Nationals on September 30 – October 2, hosted by the Eastern Yacht Club, Marblehead, MA. We look forward to seeing competitors from all over the U.S. at this exciting regatta. For updated results on all D7 summer regattas go to: http://www.laserdistrict7.com/ regattaresults2016.html D7 at the Worlds: Congratulations to Rhode Island

30

resident Peter Seidenberg for winning the Legends (75+) division at this year’s Laser Masters Worlds.

Seidenberg fought hard against Australian Kerry Waraker. In the end the champion threw out two third place finishes taking the trophy in a 14-16 victory.

On the Club Scene: A major shout-out to the D7 club fleets sailing all over New England. The growth of local racing fleets is so important and these clubs have become the lifeblood of the D7 Laser scene. The growth of fleets is due in large part to the diligent work of dedicated fleet captains who continually encourage participation. A HUGE THANKS TO ALL who volunteer their timeUGE THANKShugeHU. This grass roots effort towards getting more sailors out on the racecourse is worth noting because on any given week there are several hundred sailors participating in not just summer fleets, but year-round as well. The hallmark of these fleets is the spirit of inclusion. Everyone is welcome, the cost to sail is low and the camaraderie is high. In Marblehead, MA, fleet captain Tom Dailey makes sure that newcomers are welcome by giving out a Corinthian trophy every week to the top-finishing newcomer. Peter Hallemeier, fleet captain for the Hyannis Yacht Club fleet, promotes the club spirit with weekly newsletters providing all the information sailors need to participate in racing. At the Cedar Point Yacht Club, one of the oldest and most successful D7 club fleets, captains Britt Hughes and AJ Sorensen welcome all comers. Whether you’re a hot shot youth looking for some regular fun sailing or a newbie looking to enter into low-stress competition this intergenerational club format has something for everyone. Visiting New England and want to do some racing? Check out the D7 Fleets p[age on the website: http://www.laserdistrict7.com/fleets.html.

SEE YOU ON THE WATER! WE’RE ON FACEBOOK TOO! Check us out at LASER DISTRICT 7

With the help of Bill Mooney and Julian Fisher, Eric sacrificed himself to serve as PRO for the day. He had our usual stalwart crew of Will Peters and Brett Boisits working the mark/crash boats (btw, those two gentlemen deserve our hearty thanks!!) Instead of hiding in the Peppermint Lounge, the RC decided they were tough enough to hang in the signal boat at the entrance of the Tri-Harbor area. We had 14 boats registered; as the first gun went off at noon, 10 boats headed into the teeth of the nor’easter with a breeze hovering around 12-14 and some nice, stiff chop.

Perfect to keep us wet and cold.

It was not easy to keep up with the ever-shifting breeze, but the RC and mark boats did yeomen’s work and were quick to respond and get off 7 solid races. There were only and handful of equipment casualties and remarkably few capsizes given the conditions. In short, the event went off without a hitch and we headed to the beach well ahead of the 4 p.m. deadline. (Remember, as I thought about the day, it was going to be warm and sunny; I figured we would sail all afternoon and be dragged back to land kicking and screaming.) We were wet, cold and ready to be back inside. Some of us dreamt of handing off our vessels to imaginary attendants, who would enthusiastically de-rig and pack up our boats while we went in search of feeling in our fingers.

I can tell you, there was not a weekend at any other time this year when the fireplace in that clubhouse was more welcome. Once people had found some semblance of dry clothes, we gathered to hear the results. Immediately following we rolled right into the season awards.

I

District 8 Frank Keckler NY When you received this edition of the Laser Sailor we should be in the middle of our summer season.

Here is a recap of our spring season starting with the April 16, D8 Spring Fling at SCYC and a winter season recap…

2015/16 Seawanhaka Frostbiting season had 47 registered sailors, 111 races, Plus the D8 Spring Fling. Written by former frostbiting chairperson Wyz Mooney who will be missed.

A few of you got the overall gist on Saturday as we sat in the Junior Clubhouse, trying to warm up and enjoying the last of Doug’s culinary achievements and Ed’s & John’s beverage hospitality. As I mentioned then, the day did not exactly turn out the way I had envisioned.

After a winter that never really was (a respite from the ice and snow of last year!) I figured that the D8 Spring Fling would be sailed under sunny skies, warm temperatures and a lovely breeze. But you have to love Mother Nature. As the forecast went from bad to worse, we woke up Saturday morning to clear blue skies. By 1000, the clouds had rolled in and the breeze had kicked up and around to the northeast.

With temperatures hovering in the low 40s, the only good news was that we would probably avoid sailing as it snowed.

had thought a day of sailing, followed by a BBQ would attract more of our fleet. I am guessing the weather, as well as a collection of family commitments, made it difficult for some people to make it.

Congratulations to all the season winners, as well as the overall winners: John McGrane, the Lady Glenn Memorial Winner and the Royal order of the Bath for all the outstanding rolls and capsizes that John experienced throughout the season; Vidar Minkovsky in 2nd place overall as well as the Top Junior; and Bob Blanco who came in 3rd and was cited for the “Defender of the Rights of the Port Tacker.”

Congratulations also go to our other perpetual award winners: “Hell or High Water” was awarded to Holly Sears who sailed 111 out of 113 races for a 98%

SUMMER 2016

attendance. WOW! In two seasons, she hit 100%!

Most Improved was awarded to Bill Archer. If the numbers do not speak for themselves, the committee was in unanimous agreement that over the course of this season alone, as well as all the time Bill has been sailing here, he has undoubtedly seen the biggest gains. If my memory serves me right, there was one race where he earned his first bullet this year! Nice work, Bill.

Finally, there is one sailor who is often recognized for his achievement and his consistency. This year, the consensus was that Bob Terry was the man who earned the Woody Glenn Award for Sportsmanship.

The fact that he is our sailing videographer extraordinaire is merely icing on the cake. To see his most recent creation, go to www.laserD8.org to check it out.

Memorial Day weekend was nearly a picture perfect weather weekend with clear skys and a building sea-breeze in the afternoons to 15. However, Mother Nature was not quite as co-operative for The Lagoon Regatta, on Monday, there was plenty of beautiful sun-shine, and no car traffic help pave the way for about 25 sailors to race at Nyack Boat Club, however the wind never quite filled. The competitors enjoyed a post event BBQ and shared Laser stories while waiting for the wind.

June 4, Dr Hulls Annual Laser Regatta, the Southampton Yacht Club once again treated us to a great day of sailing on beautiful Shinnecock Bay, followed by their renowned gourmet BBQ! 6 races were held in 7-12 knots of breeze under sunny skies.

A fog was seen off in the distance but never rolled in as the sun managed to burn it off. Many thanks to host Kent Rydberg and PRO Geoff Loffredo. 1. Ryo Sakai 2. Matt Doherty.

The first day was all about skill and the second day was all about survival at The 2016 Open ACC’s held at Bellport Bay YC which drew 72 competitors from 3 countries, and 13 states for two days of Championship style racing. Trapezoid courses were set and races took about 60 minutes to finish.

Saturday started right on time to the minute with a steady SW 12-20 building sea breeze filling in.

Completing two races a massive cold front blew through bring severe wind and rain, forced a return to the beach for a short break (perfect for lunch). After a postponement it was back out to the race course where the Radial fleet completed 3 more races in a strong but shifty westerly with gusts in the mid-20s.

Saturday night sailors enjoyed a catered BBQ, a live band, and local Blue Point beer for those of age.

Sundays forecast was wicked 15-35 from the NE, the expert RC of Bellport moved the course to the quieter side of the bay were the water would be smoother rather than 3-5 rollers. The course was set and the fleet released, however the winds kicked up a notch, a shifty 20-27 with gusts hitting high 30’s. Steve Kirkpatrick of District 7 said he had never sailed a Laser faster on flat water as he did on the top reach leg! Two races were completed on Sunday.

Bellport Bay YC is a pristine location for Laser racing. It was room enough for 200 hundred boats, easy launching beach and a spectator location to watch all the sailing action, Thanks to Tom Conlin, Chris Everitt, and the entire Bellport Bay membership and volunteers for their efforts in hosting a first class event! Top D8 finisher standards #24.Rick Wood; Top D8 Radial #20 Rudolph Ratsep.

www.Laser.org

Where can you sail now? Check out www.laserd8. org as there are posts from several clubs which have weekday nights that would welcome your attendance.

Fridays @Noyak Bay; Tuesdays @ Hempstead Harbor, Port Washington, Amityville, or Nyack are popular.

There are still plenty of racing and sailing opportunities coming up across Long Island and up and down the Hudson.

These are some featured events: July 16/17 Masters ACCs @ Sayville YC July 24 Laser Regatta at Shelter Island Aug.13 Around Shelter Island Regatta @ Southold YC Aug. 27 Ward Bell Cup @ Hempstead Harbor YC Sept 3 Laser Regatta @ American YC Sept 5 Last Chance Regatta @ Nyack BC

in the region; the District 9 Grand Prix will be hosted by Sodus Bay YC and Sodus Bay Jr Sailing Association on July 9-10 as part of the Centrals on Sodus Regatta. This event will be perfect for both adult and junior sailors. Finally, please consider and then just go ahead and register for the No Coast Championship which will be hosted by Ithaca YC on August 6-7. We are very excited about this event and hope to have a strong turnout for some great sailing on Cayuga Lake. Looking forward to seeing you there!

District 9 Peter Bushnell Upstate New York

District 10 Eric Reitinger New Jersey

The first three District 9 regattas are behind us at the time of this report. The Wine Keg Regatta First off many thanks to Glen Dickson who traveled was held on Memorial Day weekend at Ithaca to almost every event in the spring and provided a YC. Light NW breeze limited the regatta to three write-up of each. races. Congratulations to Prof. Williamson. Final results: 1) Chas Williamson, 2) Dan Fein, 3) David 35th Annual Philadelphia Laser Championship Filiberto, 4) Mark, 5) David, 6) Peter Gould. The April 16, 2016 Willow Bank YC Spring Laser Regatta was held on Marsh Creek Sailing Club Cazenovia Lake on June 4. Once again, light NW Downingtown, PA wind and just three races. Congratulations for a 17 sailors made the trek to Marsh Creek strong performance by David Filiberto (1,1,4) to win State Park for the annual kickoff to the District 10 the regatta. Excellent job by junior Liz Wolaver for Laser circuit, and the weather gods rewarded them a very competitive performance in full rig. Final with sunny skies, temperatures in the upper 60s and a results: 1) David Filiberto, 2) Drew Porter, 3) Peter Bushnell, 4) David Burtis, 5) Michael Kitner, 6) Liz Best prices on Dinghy sails, parts and gear!

Wolaver, 7) Peter Gould, 8) Todd Harrington, 9) Back to basics on price without Tom French, 10) Eduardo Solessio, 11) Jeremy compromising performance!

Forrett. The Saratoga Derby Laser Regatta was Laser • held on June 11 at the Optimist • Saratoga Lake Sailing Club. Wet and cold Bic O’Pen • conditions, downright Sunfish • nasty in the morning, but C420 • CFJ • much better thankfully after the first race and a JY15 • long wait for the wind to Flying Scott • settle in from the south.

Vanguard • Six races were held mostly in 5-10mph S breeze.

Rhodes 19 • Final results: 1) Peter Pico Zuma • Bushnell, 2) Mike Kitner, and more 3) Liz Wolaver, 4) David Burtis, 5) Brad Dunn, 6) Tom French. Photo by Paul Waterfield, Saratoga Lake Sailing Club shows Masters Mike Kitner and David Burtis and superfast junior Liz Wolaver on a close reach in race 1.

Thanks very much to all for making these regattas so much fun.

Looking ahead to the two championship regattas

SAIL WITH INTENSITY

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solid 6-10 knot northeast breeze as they rigged up.

The Marsh Creek Lake gods cooperated for a while, too, with the first two windward-leeward races run in relatively steady breeze with large but easily spotted shifts, as in “There’s dark water at 12 o’clock, it’s probably a header.” Locals Dave Cliffel and Mike Mays took the first two races, and both remarked that the conditions were about as good as they ever see on the notoriously tricky lake.

However, conditions returned more to normal for Race 3, an Olympic course that started in a flat calm, had a first beat where the wind shifted between north and southeast, and followed that a run for the first reach and an upwind fetch for the second reach. The direction, if not the velocity, steadied a bit for the next two legs and settled back to the northeast. Glen Dickson of Bay Head YC managed to sneak into some left-hand pressure on the last beat and pull out a win after rounding the leeward mark fifth.

The next race, a windward-leeward twicearound, had a straightforward first beat before turning into a drifter on the first run. Jim Knab of Corinthian YC, a veteran of the Cooper River frostbiting scene, showed his light-air expertise and ghosted through the fleet to take the win. Race 5 began in a solid 6 knots and Knab had a great start to lead at the first mark. The breeze completely shut off again on the run but Knab stayed in front and eventually sailed away from the fleet to win comfortably. With backto- back bullets, Knab took the title by two points over Dickson while Pennsylvania sailor Chris Myers had consistent scores all day and finished third, another four points back. Eric Bennung of Corinthian YC and Mays rounded out the top five. Allyn Miner was first woman in 10th.

Top three: Jim Knab (14)-3- 3-1- 1 8 pts Glen Dickson 2-2- 1-(5)- 5 10 pts Chris Myers (6)-4- 2-2- 6 14 pts Many thanks to MCSC Commodore Peter Madonna, the race committee and other volunteers for putting on a fun event. The lake may be challenging, but is always worth the trip.—By Glen Dickson Shrewsbury Spring Laser Regatta May 17, 2016 Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club Oceanport, NJ Despite rain and unseasonably cool temperatures in the mid-50s, 15 sailors turned out for SSYC’s annual regatta. Fortunately the rain abated by the time the fleet left the dock to sail the first of four windwardleeward, twice-around races in a 6-knot easterly which gradually died throughout the day.

Jack Swikart of SSYC, a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and former captain of its sailing team, won the first race wire-to-wire by making an early move right toward the south shore of the Shrewsbury River. High-school sailor Rob Gruskos, also of SSYC, was second and D10 Secretary Eric Reitinger was third.

While the pin was favored for all of the races, the right side of the beat continued to pay off throughout the day with better pressure. The runs were far dicier, as random puffs would fill from either side and an outgoing current made the legs rather long in duration. Staying patient and having good light-air running technique was crucial.

Swikart took the next two races, employing a similar strategy of judiciously working the right side upwind

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and showing good speed. In the fourth race he was topped by another youth sailor from SSYC, Michael Munger, who sailed a smart race in breeze that deteriorated to drifting conditions by the second beat.

importance of keeping one’s head out of the boat in race 6, when he was the first to head right for a big breeze line to the west and enjoyed a wire-to-wire win as a result.

By that point it was clear that the breeze wasn’t coming back anytime soon, and the RC abandoned for the rest of the day. Swikart took the regatta win followed by Munger and Gruskos for a home-club sweep. Jim Knab of Cooper River was fourth and Reitinger was fifth. Grand Master Knab took top honors in the handicapped Masters scoring, topping Masters Glen Dickson of Bay Head YC (6th overall) and Larry Nociolo of Monmouth Boat Club (7th overall). First Radial and first Woman was Kara Licata of SSYC in 14th.

After the drop, Dickson took the overall win by three points over Matan with Henkel another eight points back in third. Brick was fourth and Nociolo fifth, winning a tiebreaker over Gilman. The top five were rewarded with embroidered tote bags, as MBC maintained its tradition of high quality prizes, and all of the competitors enjoyed some great post-race lunch and beverages.

Many thanks to regatta chair Phil Arnheiter, the race committee of Peter and Georgi Munger and all the other SSYC volunteers for pulling together another fun day on the Shrewsbury River.—By Glen Dickson Top three: Jack Swikart 1-1-1-2 5 pts Michael Munger 8-3-2-1 14 pts Rob Gruskos 2-2-8-5 17 pts Monmouth Spring Laser Regatta May 15, 2016 Monmouth Boat Club Red Bank, NJ After a couple of light-air events to start the season, District 10 sailors finally got a chance to hit the hiking straps and stretch their legs at Monmouth Boat Club’s annual spring regatta. Sunny skies, warm temps and an approaching front combined to create a building southerly breeze, and the 10-boat fleet enjoyed seven races in ideal Laser conditions.

The capable MBC race committee, led by PRO Les Hathaway, even ran a few Olympic courses to provide some planing reaches—a rarity in today’s windward-leeward world.

The first race started in about six knots from the SSE and built to about 10 knots by the finish. Regatta chair Chris Henkel and his clubmate Larry Nociolo got an early jump on the fleet by hooking into a big lefty on the first beat, and after a tight race Nociolo took the bullet.

By race two, the breeze had veered slightly and built to 10-12 knots, with much higher puffs. Glen Dickson of Bay Head YC led from the start to edge out out Mike Matan of the Royal Yachting Association, who was visiting MBC for the first time to get some practice in for Masters Worlds in Mexico (an English native, Matan lives in New York). Nociolo finished a solid third.

By the third race the breeze had built to about 14 knots and it elevated a bit through the afternoon, with several puffs well over 20 knots. While that made boatspeed more important, the wind on the Navesink River is never steady, and staying in phase with the big shifts and sharp puffs upwind remained key.

With no real waves to surf, the downwind legs were all about lining up for the puffs and avoiding the frequent holes.

Heavyweights Dickson and Matan enjoyed a good battle over the next five races, each winning two, while Henkel and Brendan Gilman of BHYC also posted several top-three finishes. Wily old veteran Had Brick of Island Heights YC showed the

Many thanks to Henkel and his team of MBC volunteers for putting on a great event, including PRO Hathaway, chase boat drivers Brian Dellett and Eugene Gallagher, and registration/refreshment chief Eileen Nociolo. A particular note of appreciation goes to Hathaway, who was a last-minute substitute for PRO. He did a masterful job which included dropping and raising anchor solo for each race so the fleet could have an upwind finish.—By Glen Dickson The Plank regatta was held at Shore Acres the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. For those who did not know, Shore Acres is still working on rebuilding their club from Sandy. They had one plank left from their clubhouse and decided to use it as a trophy for the Laser regatta. You can see what the trophy looks like in the attached pic (sorry for the large pic). 8 full rigs and 2 radials arrived (some from across the bay) to race 6 races. The wind started off light out of the west around 5-8 mph A gold cup course started on time with the latter half of the race the sailors enjoyed the wind dying and just as the first few boats finished, the wind locked into the south west and started increasing. The next 3 gold cup courses were held in a very healthy seabreeze with gusts up to 20mph. After race 4 the course was moved into Kettle Creek for the last 2 races where the wind was puffy and far less chop. After racing the group was treated to a bbq under the shade of the tents and a healthy seabreeze in the background.

Thanks again to Shore Acres and their large group of volunteers who helped run the event. Consider making the trip next year. – Eric Reitinger Shore Acres Yacht Club was happy to host our fourth annual Plank Regatta on May 28th. Ten boats showed up, with the winds starting light from the southwest, but once the sea breeze turned on it built up to 29 mph and we had a surfing competition as much as a Laser regatta. A good time was had by all.

Eric Reitinger from Brant Beach Yacht Club took first place among the Laser standards, with Andrew O’Brien of Bay Head Yacht Club hot on his heels for second and Had Brick of Island Heights Yacht Club in third. Among the radials, Larry Nociolo of Monmouth Boat Club took first, and Nina Vandevaarst of Shore Acres Yacht Club took second.

The Plank itself, all that is left of our clubhouse after Superstorm Sandy, was won by Eric Reitinger, whose name is now added to a growing list of champions.

Clubhouses come and go, but glory is forever!

The Plank Regatta will continue to be held at Shore Acres Yacth Club on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, beckoning all the Plank worthy. – Philip Angello Laser Top 3 Eric Reitinger Andrew O’Brian Had Brick

Radial Top 2 Larry Nociolo Nina VanderVaarst

SUMMER 2016

45th Annual Jack Elfman Orange Coffee Pot Regatta June 4, 2016 Surf City Yacht Club Surf City, NJ

of last year’s E-Scow national championship team.

Goetting sailed a strong second lap to take the win over Pearce, with another junior, Leo Boucher of Severn Sailing Association, placing third.

The world’s oldest Laser trophy regatta, Surf City’s venerable Jack Elfman Orange Coffee Pot, got a nice turnout of 28 boats for its 45th running including visitors from Connecticut and New York. The weather certainly helped, as competitors were treated to sunny skies, temps in the mid-70s and a moderate seabreeze that allowed for seven races.

While the sun stayed out, the southerly breeze never really built and veered through the afternoon like a typical early-season New Jersey seabreeze. Instead, it stayed pretty much in the same mean direction and topped out at perhaps 12 knots. So the rest of the day saw a tricky tactical balance between playing the fairly reliable geographic shift off the left-hand shore against what was often steadier pressure in the middle and right side of the course, along with a rare big southwesterly puff or two. And of course, there was the “cone drill” on the shifty last 100 yards to the first mark.

This year’s fleet featured a lot of young talent, and youth was certainly served with the under-21 crowd taking three of the first four places in the 24-boat full-rig fleet and high-school junior Carrson Pearce of Surf City YC dominating the four-boat Radial fleet.

What was striking is that in most races a couple of Radials rounded the first mark in the top ten and then stayed there for the duration of a twice-around, windward-leeward course. With the weather mark tucked close to the Surf City shore, making for big shifts and lots of holes, being in the right spot was definitely more important than having a big sail. And those Radial guys were going plenty fast, too.

The first race took a while to get off, as a 6-8 knot southerly gradually shifted left to the southeast seabreeze direction and stabilized. The fleet went through a general recall and an abandonment before the wind and the fleet settled down. The first race got off in a solid 10 knots and a couple old guys named Dickson and Hahl punched out middle right and led at the first mark. They were soon passed downwind in a big easterly puff by Carrson’s brother, Carrter, and the relative graybeard Matt Goetting, a 30-something from Toms River YC who was part

www.Laser.org

Boucher took the next race ahead of Carrter Pearce and Goetting before Andrew Puopolo of Marsh Creek Sailing Club got on a roll, winning the next four races. Puopolo, who was top 10 in the Laser Nationals last year and just finished his freshman year sailing for Harvard, was consistently in the top group halfway up the first beat and showed excellent speed around the course. But because he started slow, with a seventh and a fifth, he was only a couple points ahead of Goetting and Pearce going into the last race with Boucher also within striking distance.

While in trouble early in the last race, a three-legger, Puopolo came back strong downwind and picked off a couple boats on the last beat to take third and win the Coffee Pot by a point over Goetting, who placed second in the race. Boucher posted his second win of the series to move up to third, while Pearce sailed a drop to place fourth overall and first junior. Mike Russom of Brant Beach Yacht Club (who is still kind

of young) rounded out the top 5. Had Brick placed 9th overall to win the 50-plus Master category, while Rachel Bennung of TRYC was first woman in 22nd.

Surf City’s large group of volunteers, headed by regatta chairman Rich Warren, did their usual masterful job of putting on a fun event. In addition to square courses and fair starting lines, they provided breakfast, ample snacks and water on the course, and a great post-race spread of food and beverages. Warren, who was running the Coffee Pot for the first time, gave a special note of thanks to “chairman emeritus” Newt Wattis for his many years of organizing and promoting the event. Wattis also sailed in the full-rig fleet, placing a very credible 14th, and pledged to be back next year. Hopefully even more D10 sailors will be there to join him for the 46th Coffee Pot. ——Glen Dickson Top five: Andrew Puopolo 12 pts Matt Goetting 13 pts Leo Boucher 15 pts Carrter Pearce 16 pts Mike Russom 32 pts July 7 Iron Man Jr Regatta @ Shore Acres YC July 8 Powder Puff Jr Regatta @ Metedeconk YC http://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu. cfm?eID=2716 July 12-13 Area C Smythe Qualifiers @ Mantoloking YC http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/12525 July 15 Beachwood Blast Jr. Regatta July 16-17 Masters ACCs @ Sayville YC July 17 Cooper River MAYRA event July 18-19 JOs @ Island Heights YC http://ihycjo. mysailspace.net/ August 5 Summer Sailing Classic @ Ocean Gate

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YC http://bbyra.org/temp/evt601.htm August 13-14 Cape May Laser Regatta August 22-23 Radial and 4.7 District 10 Championships @ Surf City YC August 26 Friends of Belmar Harbor Jr Regatta @ Belmar http://www.regattanetwork.com/ event/12565#_home September 10 Annual Regatta @ Surf City YC http:// scyc-nj.org/sailing-boating/regatta-schedule/scycannual-regatta-and-nj-lightning-championship/ September 17 Fall Laser Regatta @ Monmouth Boat Club September 24 Philadelphia Cup @ Philly Seaport Museum October 15 Bill McLaughlin Memorial Regatta @ Marsh Creek SC

19th of June and the Palacious Cannonball Run on August 27th and 28! _/) _/) _/)

District 12 Finn Hassing NC, SC

June 12 UofM Spring Regatta - Michigan SC Baseline Lake July 23-24 Leland Laser Regatta - Leland YC

In D12 the racing season is now in full swing. We have completed two of our six championship regattas both with great success. Both were sailed in rivers where attention to the tidal currents were critical to placing well. Peter Gamble had it dialed in and is leading the series. As we move towards more open waters different skills will come into play and we are looking forward to competing in a different set of conditions as we continue to search for ways to win the championship. This year we have more juniors racing than in previous years thanks to coaching efforts of several dedicated coaching parents. At least two of our juniors are heading to the upcoming Nationals in Mentor Ohio. Thanks to Chip Whitesides and the Carolina Yacht Club the 2017 ACC’s are now scheduled to be contested at one of the premiere sailing venues on the East coast; Wrightsville Beach Ocean sailing at its best.

District 15 Griffin Orr Texas District 15 has had a very busy spring filled with weekday racing, three exciting regattas, and lots of great wind!

The first regatta of the spring was the Austin Easter Regatta where competitors were greeted by two days of fantastic racing thanks to the Easter Bunny himself. Fred Shroeth and his team led a great regatta both onshore and offshore assisted by perfect laser sailing conditions (5-15knts on Saturday and 15-25knts on Sunday) and a FULL Lake Travis.

Congratulations to Skylar Bayman for winning the event!

Next we moved onto Lake Conroe, who was pleased to host their very first Laser District event at their Spring Fling Regatta. Competitors were greeted to the warm hospitality of the Conroe Yacht Club and steady breezes ranging from 10-25knts both days.

After some tight races and plenty of death rolls, it was Carson Shields who came out on top!

Last of the spring regattas, the Rush Creek Yacht Club and the Dallas Laser Fleet worked together to host the Spring Dinghy Fest Regatta/Area F Smythe Qualifier. Thank you to Dari Esfani and Yolanda Cortes Mares for helping to put this event together through difficult sailing conditions. Congratulations again to Skylar Bayman for winning his second event of the season!

District 15 is looking forward to an exciting summer with the Seabrook Summer Solstice the 18th and

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District 19 Ken Swetka Michigan Summer is in full swing but by this writing only one regatta has been held. It was Michigan Sailing’s annual Spring Regatta (details below).

The D19 Championships has a change of venue and date. It will be in conjunction with Lake Lansing’s Regatta which has been D19’s largest attended regatta for many years now.

2016 Regattas/Events

August 20 Lake Lansing Annual + D19 Grand Prix- Lansing SC Sept 11 UofM Fall Regatta - Michigan SC - Baseline Lake, Sept 11-12? Spring Lake Fall Regatta - Spring Lake YC Sept 25? No Sweat Regatta - Portage YC Sept 25? GTYC Fall Regatta - Traverse City Oct 2 Oct 9?

Frosty Mug - Irish Lasers, Little Traverse Bay, Harbor Springs Pumpkin Head Regatta - Grand Rapids YC

? – not confirmed date

Michigan Sailing Club Spring Regatta June 12 – story by Andy Van Stavern On a perfect spring day at Baseline Lake, Rick Lyons from PYC won the Spring Laser Regatta. Winds were 10 to 15 mph with temperatures in the low 70’s. There were 11 lasers racing with Craig Pearson finishing 2nd and Carey Jones in 3rd. Thanks to George Griswold for managing the PRO position, Robert Parker for providing lunch and all the volunteers for making the event possible.

There were 7 races and 1 throw-out.

Rank HelmName Nett 1st Rick Lyons 10 2nd Craig Pierson 12 3rd Carey Jones 18 4th Varun Prabhakar 22 5th Ben Synder 25 6th Ovidiu Adam 31 7th Razvan & Izzy Adam 37 8th Jeanne Bisantz 9th Edson Chagas 51 10th Jane Tucker 52 11th Raveen Rajendran 70

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I would like to thank Troy Tolan for his guidance and assistance as I begin my tenure as district secretary. He has done an amazing job organizing district events and making things run smoothly. I have learned a lot from him and I look forward to continually working with him.

This year has already seen great progress throughout the district. Many of the fleets have reported an increase in number and we also have the addition of Lasers in places like Green Lake. My goal as secretary is to increase the number of sailors participating in our events throughout the district.

I believe that this can be done by openly recruiting young sailors into our Laser fleets. Here at the Milwaukee Yacht Club Sailing School we have begun utilizing Laser 4.7 rigs to great success. This has allowed our kids to involve themselves in the Tuesday Night Series at a far younger age than was previously possible.

District 20 had a great opportunity to see some Laser greats sailing in Chicago at the Louis Vuitton Americas Cup World Series Event. I personally got to see both Ben Ainslie and Tom Slingsby. This was any Laser sailor’s dream come true. I am so glad that the Laser sailors in our district had the opportunity to see how great of a sailor can come from the Laser class.

District 20 has a number of upcoming regattas.

July 23-24 Hobelman, Chicago Corinthian YC Aug 13-14 Jimmy Talbot, Chicago YC, Belmont Aug 20-21 Verve Inshore, Chicago YC, Belmont Sept 3-4 Summer’s End, North Shore YC Highland Pk Sept 10-11 Great Lakes Champs, Milwaukee YC Sept 17-18 Border Challenge, La Crosse SC - *may only be one day event!

Sept 24-25 CSA Fall Laser, Carlyle SA, Carlyle IL Sept 24-25 Red Flannels, Chicago Corinthian YC (District 20 Championship) Oct 8-9 Oktoberfest, Nagawicka YC, Delafield WI The Lake Springfield Laser Regatta at Island Bay Yacht Club occurred on June 4th and 5th. Some great racing occurred. The regatta was won by 1.

Dave Chapin (171185).

2.

Jeff Londrilen (196153) 3.

Jeff Evans (198051) 4.

Tim Dixon (200407) 5.

Robert Christie (176204)

That’s all for now from D19 (Michigan)! As always check www.D19Laser.org or www.facebook.com/ D19Laser for even more schedules, reports, and photos!

Please continue to check the district Facebook page and District 20’s page on the Laser North American Website. We will continue to add new information to these daily.

District 20 Sean Lennon Il, WI

District 24 NorCal Stephen Aguilar

I am the new district 20 secretary. I have been sailing Lasers for 17 years. I currently sail in the Milwaukee Bay Laser Fleet. I am also the Junior Sailing School Director of Racing at the Milwaukee Yacht Club. I work with our intermediate and advanced students, coaching them in 420s and Lasers. We are really focused on growing the Laser fleet at MYC by incorporating Laser sailing at the youth level, and many of our students are now competing in our Tuesday night series out of the club. I love the Laser and I want to help District 20 be the best district in North America.

2016 Club Laser Championship Nine sailors showed up for this annual event, four from MPYC and the rest from the bay area and Santa Cruz. The first race was in light wind from the northwest, which Simon Bell, of Great Britain, won in his new laser and MKII full radial rig. Toshi Takayanagi, fresh off taking 21st in the Laser Masters Worlds in Puerto Vallarta, won the first Radial race.

The second race was thankfully abandoned as the wind dropped to zero about five minutes after the start and all the racers were barely off the start line.

Race committee, headed by John Ruck and very ably assisted by Kit and Sarah Duncan, waited till the

SUMMER 2016

new breeze built for the south and had to completely reposition the course. Thanks to David Duncan, Randy Frey, Louis Algaze and Rick Light on the two chase boats for making this happen. There was a general recall at the next start of the windward-finish course. Garth Hobson got two luck shifts on the left side of the course to round the windward mark in first place and was able to hold off Tracy Usher till the finish line. Lair Henkel won the Radial race. Dave Lapier won the next full rig race and Laird repeated in the radial rig division. The wind picked up and Tracy turned on the jets to win the next three races comfortably to take the Full rig division and the club laser championship yet again. Laird and Toshi shared the same number of wins at the end of the day with three each, but Ashley Hobson’s second place finish in the last race meant that Toshi took the Radial division. Ashley was particularly pleased with that The NorCals, always hosted by the Santa Cruz Yacht Club, can be notoriously windy (and cold) in April--would June be even windier? Apparently most people thought so, as no one signed up in a standard rig (maybe for the first time ever?). Eleven radials showed up, with the typical great representation of ages (not to name any names, but I believe there was a 50 year age difference between first and fourth place). Did the wind show up? Not really. Five races were held on Saturday, in pleasant conditions in the 10-15 knot range. On Sunday, racing had to be canceled due to lack of wind (Santa Cruz locals: “It’s never like this!”).

The college kids showed everyone how it was done.

Lindsey Baab took first with three bullets, and Michael Levy was close on her heals with the other two bullets. The rest of the fleet mixed it up a bit. Jon

Andron and Laird Henkel ended up tied for third, but Laird won the tie by eking out a second in one race.

Toshi Takanayagi and J.B. Duler were close behind in 5th and 6th. Another fun weekend in Santa Cruz.

Thanks to Santa Cruz YC for putting on another one for the history books!

District 25 Jorge Suarez SoCal D25 sailors just keep on sailing from the shores of Santa Barbara all the way down to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, and that was just in the month of May! Not only do the sailors step up their game, but our local yacht clubs answer the call to ensure that Laser sailors can hone their skills and compete in fair and inviting regattas. Of special note is Cabrillo Beach YC in San Pedro, CA, s who hosted this year’s PCC Championship in June. Joseph Hou of NHYC/ ABYC won the championship with a string of seven bullets! (Full results at www.cbyc.org). In May, Caden Scheiblauer of SBYC and Michael Kramer of ABYC won the Radial and Standard fleets at ABYC Memorial Day Regatta, respectively (www.abyc. org). Most recently, Jason Artof of Del Rey YC won the Laser Standard fleet of ABYC’s Olympic Classes Regatta. Joseph Hou won the Radial Fleet, this time with no bullets!

It is no secret that Vallarta Yacht Club hosted all four Laser World Championships beginning on April 12 through May 28. And I must say, as a participant of the Master Standard class that if you ever have a chance to race at Vallarta YC, Do it! D25 sailors that

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raced in the Standard Master class were Vann Wilson, Chris Raab, Peter Drasnin, and Jorge Suarez. Open World D25 Sailors included Christopher Barnard, Paul Didham, and Vann Wilson. Radial Master sailors included Kathy Luciano and Keith Davids. Full results and excellent video reports from all for events can be found at www.laserworlds2016.org. And if you’ve come to this article first, check out Joseph Berkeley’s article on Vann Wilson in this issue.

Finally, I am privileged to speak on behalf of all the D25 Laser family in extending all the best wishes and Positive Vibes to Charlie Buckingham (D25!) in his quest for Gold in Rio!

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Laser Sailing: Traumatic Injuries While Racing BY: CHRIS HERRERA DPT, CSCS, USAW PATRICK HORST SPT Over the past 10 Years working with US sailing, covering over 20 National and International events, I have seen a variety of traumatic race injuries. Most people relate on-water trauma to skiff sailing visualizing high speed crashing, collision, and capsizing. As a laser sailor you know it also happens within this class. It is important that everybody is aware of these common injuries that occur secondary to traumatic injuries. Once the knowledge and understanding as to why and where it can happen is there, you will be able to strengthen and stabilize these areas, reducing your chance of injury.

The two most common traumatic areas of injury I have witnessed and treated at events are: • Knee Injuries: Meniscus Tears • Shoulder Injuries (Labral Tears (SLAP) and Rotator Cuff Tears)

Knee Meniscus Tear Treatment Options When treating a meniscus tear and determining if it needs surgery or just physical therapy, there are many variables to take into consideration, as well as outcome of the treatment. Examples include but are not limited to: size of the tear, location of the tear (outer edge of meniscus – red zone; center of meniscuswhite zone), age/gender of the person suffering the injury, and the general health of the person prior to the injury.

Surgical: The procedure itself may consist of surgical repair (suturing the torn pieces together) to restore function of the meniscus, removal of the entire

I will focus on how they occur while sailing (common mechanisms of injury), nonsurgical and surgical options, and rehab time frames for both.

The knee is always vulnerable during hiking, tacking, and even obtains excess compressive forces during light wind conditions. Traumatic injuries to the knee usually occur during non-contact instances when an athlete has been hiking for hours or is on the third or fourth day of sailing and has developed some range of motion restrictions and swelling within the knee. The athlete may initiate a tack and with the simultaneous action of stepping across the boat, planting the foot, and rotating the body in a deep and sometimes full flexion of the knee, the meniscus will pinch and tear. This is very painful and most commonly will cause immediate swelling and catching or locking when trying to bend the knee.

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meniscus (total meniscectomy), or just a partial removal of the meniscus (partial meniscectomy). Typically, surgical repair is preferred over partial or total meniscectomy due to the lower occurrence of long-term complications, such as osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Surgical repair may result in less pain and allow the knee to return to normal function. The total rehab time for a surgical meniscal repair is patient-dependent, but is typically between 6-12 weeks of physical therapy.

Non-Surgical: A nonsurgical approach consists of rest, ice, compression, elevation, and physical therapy to rehabilitate the affected area.

Small tears located toward the outer edge

of the meniscus (red zone) often heal on their own and are good candidates for non-surgical options.

Larger tears located toward the center of the meniscus (white zone) may not heal as well due to a low blood supply in the area, and are typically better candidates for surgical repair. Physical therapy is extremely important for a meniscal injuries to prevent long-term complications such as osteoarthritis and other joint pathologies. The rehab protocol for a meniscal injury typically consists of strengthening, stabilization, and mobilization of the knee joint.

Sport specific exercises are also a key component when returning an athlete to their prior level of function. The total rehab time for a nonsurgical meniscal rehab approach is also patient-dependent, but is typically between 6-8 weeks of physical therapy.

The shoulder is the most dynamic joint in the body. Since it has the most freedom of movement it also makes it the most vulnerable joint in the body. During laser sailing the shoulders play a huge part and are consistently working. The most common traumatic injuries in the shoulder occur because of capsizing and/or trying to avoid capsizing at the last minute. This is because as the boat is rolling and about to flip the athlete will try to grab it causing the shoulder to be flexed, externally rotated and distracted all past its normal range of motion. This will cause a stretch and possibly tear in either the labrum or rotator cuff. This also occurs post capsizing and trying to pull up and get back in the boat. If a wave hits the boat while the athlete is holding on and getting ready to pull up, the shoulder is put in the same position listed above and the outcome could be the same. Like

SUMMER 2016

a meniscus tear of the knee, the shoulder treatment Options for Labral and Rotator Cuff Injuries vary from physical therapy to surgery.

Shoulder Labral and Rotator Cuff Tear Treatment Options Surgical: A common surgical treatment for a labral tear of the shoulder is arthroscopy.

Shoulder arthroscopy utilizes a small camera that allows the surgeon to see inside the shoulder joint and guide the surgical instruments needed to repair the labrum. A repair may consist of either removing the torn part of the labrum, or suturing the torn part of the labrum to reattach it.

The total rehab time for an arthroscopic procedure to repair the labrum is patientdependent, but is typically 6-10 weeks of physical therapy. Shoulder arthroscopy is also beneďŹ cial for repairing rotator cuff injuries. The procedure allows the surgeon to reattach the rotator cuff muscle tendons back to their insertion points. The total rehab time for rotator cuff injuries is typically between 8-14 weeks but is also patient-dependent. The physical therapy protocol for labral and rotator cuff injuries

Your

Source

for

Laser

consists of strengthening, stabilization, mobilization, and neurological rehabilitation of the shoulder joint.

Non-surgical: The non-surgical approach to labral and rotator cuff injuries has a similar protocol from a physical therapy standpoint. It also consists of strengthening, stabilization, mobilization, and neurological rehabilitation of the shoulder joint. The goal for the nonsurgical approach, however, is to rehab these shoulder pathologies in a non-

Rentals

in

invasive manner. Choosing a non-surgical method is also based on the assumption that the pathology will resolve itself naturally with the aforementioned therapy techniques. The standard recovery time for these shoulder pathologies is typically 6-8 weeks, but is patient-dependent.

These two areas (Knee and Shoulder) all have been featured within Laser Sailing articles I have written over the past 2 years with a variety of topics for both strength and conditioning and injury prevention. Please refer to previous articles (speciďŹ cally: Hiking 360 (2014) and I Need to Develop More Strength (2014)). By understanding these major injuries and taking the steps to strengthen, stabilize, and rehabilitate them, the athlete may avoid injury and prevent time away from the sport secondary to rehab and/or surgery.

California

Laser and RIB Coach boats Rentals available for any event in California New boats for summer 2016. Reserve your boat today!

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37

Laser Legends at the 2016 Radial Master Worlds Nueva Vallarta, Mexico

Left to right: Geoffrey Lucas, AUS; Peter Seidenberg, USA; Kerry Warraker, AUS; Jay Winberg, USA; Claude Tigier, FRA; Peter Craig, AUS; David Hartman, USA; Dannis O’Sullivan, IRL. Legends Fleet Sailed: 12, Discards: 2, To count: 10, Entries: 8, Scoring system: Appendix A Rank

SailNo

Name

1st

189811

Peter Seidenberg

2nd

202701

3rd

R1

R2

R3

R4

R5

R6

R7

R8

R9

R10

R11

R12

Total

USA

2.0

1.0

(3.0)

1.0

2.0

2.0

1.0

(3.0)

1.0

2.0

1.0

1.0

20.0

Kerry Waraker

AUS

(3.0)

3.0

1.0

2.0

1.0

1.0

2.0

1.0

(9.0 BFD)

1.0

2.0

2.0

28.0

199916

David Hartman

USA

1.0

2.0

2.0

3.0

(4.0)

3.0

4.0

2.0

(9.0 BFD)

3.0

3.0

3.0

39.0

4th

192622

Geoffrey Lucas

AUS

(8.0)

4.0

4.0

(7.0)

5.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

5.0

5.0

5.0

4.0

62.0

5th

201002

Denis O'sullivan

IRL

4.0

6.0

6.0

5.0

(8.0)

7.0

(8.0)

5.0

3.0

4.0

6.0

5.0

67.0

6th

201582

Claude Tigier

FRA

6.0

7.0

(8.0)

6.0

7.0

(8.0)

7.0

4.0

2.0

6.0

4.0

6.0

71.0

7th

199207

Jay Winberg

USA

5.0

5.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

6.0

6.0

7.0

(9.0 DNC)

(9.0 DNC) 9.0 DNC 9.0 DNC 77.0

8th

205002

Peter Craig

AUS

7.0

(8.0)

7.0

(8.0)

6.0

5.0

3.0

8.0

4.0

7.0

38

NAT

7.0

7.0

77.0

SUMMER 2016

G. TH THIS ISN’T CLOTHIN

IS IS EQUIPMENT.

Nett

14.0

16.0

26.0

47.0

51.0

SPEEDSKIN SYSTEM To perform at your best you need to be versatile. You need a system that works with you. Protects you.

Becomes part of you. Light neoprene layers lock out wind, water and UV rays. While strategically placed flex panels and protection points keep delivering. Speedskin. Mix it, match it, you’ll never beat it.

G IL L NA . COM

55.0

59.0

61.0

www.Laser.org

39

Why Join the Laser Class?

What are some of the benefits of a strong class association? 

A strong class association means lots of boats to race against, near you and around the world!



A strong class association with lots of racing attracts the world’s best sailors - giving you the best racing possible!



A strong class association means major events scheduled at the best sailing locations and moving all over the North American Region - there will always be a big event near you!



points when sailing in major events, ranking you against your fellow competitors and making you eligible for end of the season prizes, like new sails, carbon tillers, etc.

You get direct benefit by joining the Laser Class!

What does the class association do with your membership dues? 

The first $14.00 of your membership dues go to pay the North American staff who work incredibly hard to: make sure our North American events get scheduled every year and that these events follow the high standards of the Laser Class, to publish our quarterly newsletter, etc. Importantly, that money also makes sure that if you ever have a question you can simply pick up the phone, or send an email, and a knowledgeable person will answer you right away.



$9.72 of your dues goes to the International Class where they use the money to pay their staff to make sure world level events get scheduled, ensuring all the boats are the same by inspecting the builders to make sure they are complying with the Laser Construction Manual, keep track of rules changes proposed by members, interfacing with ISAF on various levels, including keeping both the Laser Standard and Laser Radial as Olympic equipment, etc.

You receive the annual Laser Class Handbook with the current class rules, interpretations of those rules, class constitution, guidelines for events, useful information for keeping your boat in good shape, contact information for your district, etc.



A little over $7.00 goes to the quarterly assembling, printing and mailing of The Laser Sailor to you for the year.



Around $5.00 goes to support and promotion, ranging from direct support of the districts and regattas to the website.



You receive the International Class Association’s quarterly publication “Laser World” which gives a roundup of international events sailed around the world, as well as information from the international office.





You receive the North American Association’s quarterly publication “The Laser Sailor” which is loaded with regatta reports, technique articles, fitness and nutrition tips, sailor profiles, reports from each of the North American Region’s 26 Districts and much, much more. In addition, the magazine also contains advertising from Laser dealers selling Laser specific gear and aimed entirely at Laser sailors - if you are looking for something for your boat you will see it advertised here!

Most of the remaining dues go toward all the things it takes to running an organization of 2400 members, from Executive Secretary travel costs, to federal income taxes all the way to mundane office expenses.

Your membership dues are used to keep the Laser Standard, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 as THE singlehanded dinghy to sail and race in North America and throughout the world!



A strong class association means solid class rules making all boats as identical as possible - you are competing against other sailors, not their pocket books!



A strong class association means lots of people looking to buy boats keeping the resale value of your boat high.



A strong class association keeps an eye towards the future and works with the builders to make improvements where needed while preserving as well as possible the competitiveness of older boats.

To be strong, a class association needs the support of its sailors!

What are some of the direct benefits of membership? 



You will have access to the class website at www.laser. org containing all the latest news as well as the up to date calendar of events, complete with maps to show you how to find the events. And you can also find archived copies of The Laser Sailor as well as useful articles on how to sail your boat faster.



Your membership makes you eligible to sail in any of the 50+ major Laser Class regattas scheduled every year throughout the North American Region, including open, masters’, youth and women’s events.



Your membership makes you eligible for the LaserPeformance/ILCA-NA Grand Prix where you earn

40

Why should you join the Laser Class? 

To enable the Laser Class to remain a strong class association and continue to make the Laser the pre-eminent singlehanded dinghy of our time.



To gain the benefits of membership outlined above.



To protect your investment in your boat, making sure that if the time comes to sell then you can be certain that the high demand driven by a strong class will enable you to get the best price for your boat.

The International Laser Class Association, North American Region is what it is today because of the support of its members.

Keep that tradition alive, join or renew your membership TODAY!

SUMMER 2016

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Name_______________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________ City ___________________State / Prov. _____Zip / postal code ________ Phone ____________________ E-mail____________________________ Sail # ______________DOB (month/day/year) _____________Sex ______ Boat usually sailed _____Laser ______Radial _____Laser 4.7 Current Membership Fees All amounts are in US dollars. (Canadian checks must be in US dollars.)

• Regular - $45 for one year or $85 for 2 years • Junior - $40 (Member may not turn 18 during term of membership), or $75 for 2 years (Member may not turn 18 during term of membership) • International - $55 (any member not living in the US or Canada), one year only

Amount enclosed __________________US$ Please make checks payable to ILCA of NA or provide credit card information as shown below. Thank you for joining the Laser Class.

Credit Card payment by Visa, Mastercard or AMEX (Sorry – no Discover)

Name on credit card: ________________________________________________________ Credit card number: ________________________________________________________ Exp. date: _________ Credit card billing zip/postal code _________ Security code____ NOTE: Occasionally we make our mailing list available to our advertisers. If you do not want your name included on these lists, please check here: _________

RETURN THIS FORM TO: ILCA OF NA 2812 CANON STREET SAN DIEGO, CA 92106

www.Laser.org

41

*

0

5 R$

E

V O S

R DE

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Buzz

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APS Pro Clew Inhauler $46.07

APS Pro Spliced Outhaul Mast Blocks APS Pro Cunningham $50.33

42

Single-Berry $42.06

Double-Berry $59.31

APS Pro Outhaul Primary $30.95

APS Pro Spliced Traveler $30.16

APS Pro Daggerboard Downhaul Kit $36.87

APS Pro Outhaul Set Up $109.51

APS Pro EPIC Traveler $49.95

APS Clew Straps $15.95

Laser Traveler and Boom Blocks $95.00

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