Lasersailorfall2010 by Jerelyn Biehl

FALL 2010 6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world

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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, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2

Editors

Sherri Campbell & Jerelyn Biehl ILCA-NA

Officers

Tracy Usher Chairman PO Box 370701 Montara, CA 94037 Phone: (650) 340-1129 usher@slac.stanford.edu Eric Faust Vice Chairman 821 East 53rd Street Austin, TX 78751 Phone: (512) 791-8218 ehfaust@gmail.com

Clay Johnson Treasurer 26 River Bend Dr. Toms River, NJ 08753 Phone: 732-330-7281 clayton.e.johnson@gmail.com Lauralee Symes Secretary 3576 SW Mt. Adams Drive Portland, OR 97239 Phone: (503) 274-2818 llsymes@comcast.net

Tommy Wharton At Large 705 King Street West, Unit 1514 Toronto, ON M5V 2W8 Canada Phone: 647-296-6544 twharton@sailing.ca Sherri Campbell Executive Secretary 2812 Canon Street San Diego, CA 92106 Phone: (619) 222-0252 Fax: (619) 222-0528 admin@Laser.org

www.Laser.org

FA L L

2 0 10

District Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Report-Guest Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Laser 200,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Membership Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Laser World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .center 2011 Event Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Regatta Reports

North American Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Radial Youth Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Canadian Championships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Canadian Masters Champs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

World Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 North Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 District 6 Champs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

District Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Weight - Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Just a Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Pilates for Sailors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32-33

Sailing Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

FALL 2010 6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world

Cover: Erika Reineke on her way to winning the Radial Youth Worlds in Largs, Scotland. Photo: Marc Turner, PFM Pictures 5

6 22 24 26

Hawaii

4 21

20 16

17 13

District 9

District 18

District 2

District 10

District 19

Denys Deschambeault, 5120 Du Havre, Trois Rivieres, PQ G8Y 5Y9 819-372-0842 denys.deschambeault@tr.cgocable.ca

District 3

Robert Koci, 804 Sammon Ave. Toronto, ON M4C 2E8 647-407-0754. robert.koci@rci.rogers.com D3 website: www.d3laser.com

District 4

Brigitte Smutney, MSA: 224 200 Main Street Winnipeg, MB 3RC 4M2 204-925-5647, sailing@sport.mb.ca

Chas Williamson, 9 Lagrand Court Ithaca, NY 14850 607-272-0630. cw26@cornell.edu Eric Reitinger 7908 Normandy Dr. Mt Laurel, NJ 08054 er4599@gmail.com http://d10.laserforum.org

District 11

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

District 12

District 5

Christian Koppernaes LaserDistrict12@gmail.com Wrightsville Beach, NC www.d12.laserforum.org

District 6

Meka Taulbee & Michelle Davis Dunedin, FL 34968 727-631-7005, meka@sailfit.com www.laser.org/m/_general/d13.asp

Mark Lammens 510 Cynthia St. Saskatoon, SK S7K 7K7 306-975-0833. sasksail@shaw.ca www.jdecm.com/laser Andy Hunt, 111-2260 W 8th Ave, Vancouver BC, V6K 2A7 604-733-9663. Hotline: 206-525-5788. athunt@vcn.bc.ca www.cycseattle.org/slf

District 7

Kim Ferguson, 12 Florida Ave. Jamestown, RI 02835 Laserd7@gmail.com D7 Newsletter Chris Morin abcmorin@maine.rr.com 207.775.5485 www.d7laserforum.org

District 8

Ted Cremer, 7 Maple Street Blue Point, NY 11715. 631-363-8830, tcremer@optonline.net www.laserd8.tripod.com

District 13 District 14

Cal Herman, 7038 Catina St New Orleans, LA 70124, 504-282-1770 callender.herman@wachoviasec.com

District 15

James Freedman, 8324 Horse Whisperer Ln. Ft. Worth, TX 76131 james.freedman@aa.com; 214-864-6024 www.cerebus.winsite.com/Laser/districts/d15/

District 16

Tim Fitzgerald, 2322 Bromfield Circle Wichita, KS, 67226, 316-650-3636 timfitz@cox.net

District 17

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

11 12

District 1

Daniel Dube, 8 Sunnydale Dr, Glen Haven, NS B3Z 2T8 902-823-2802, danielle_dube947@hotmail.com

John Shockey 614-256-2254 jshockna06@yahoo.com Ken Swetka 27022 Koerber St., St. Claire Shores, MI 48081 248-635-5363 www.d29laser.org

District 20

Steve Dolan 21140 Chancery Ct. Brookfield, WI 53045 262-506-8879. dolan@mcw.edu http://d20.laserforum.org/

District 21

Kurt Holtze, 710 Summer St. NE Minneapolis, MN 55413 621-281-1447 kurt@kurtphoto.com d21@laserforum.org

District 22

Mike Gilbert, 1620 Gerald Ave. Missoula, MT 59801 406-327-7855, mike@gilbertarch.com

District 23

Fletcher Avery 23 South Pearl St, Denver, CO 80209 favery@gtri.com www.usdiscovery.com/laser

District 24

David Lapier 408-525-6396, dlapier@cisco.com www.technicalwizardry.com/d24laser/d24

District 25

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

District 26

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

FALL 2010

www.Laser.org

President’s Notes-Guest Column CLAY JOHNSON

The sun has set on another great season of Laser sailing in North America. 2010 was unique in that many of the major regattas were spread to all parts of the United States: the Miami OCR and Midwinters East were in Florida, the Midwinters West and PCCs in California, the ACCs in New York, North Americans in Texas, Nationals in Wisconsin, CORK in Kingston, and the Canadian Nationals in Quebec. What I take away from this is that the Laser class is thriving all over the country. How cool is it that no matter where you live in North America, there’s usually a big regatta nearby to test your skills and meet up with your Laser sailing friends? As someone who is campaigning for the Olympics, I have the opportunity to spend time racing in Europe and Australia and to see what Laser sailing looks like elsewhere. My observations are simple: the Laser class is tough! At all of the World Cup events it’s not uncommon to have 150+ Laser sailors who are all very talented. Each country has five or eight

guys who are campaigning full time, creating an unparalleled breadth and depth in the class. I often put forth that the Laser is the most difficult class in the world; sure, many other classes have a lot of talent at the top of their fleets, but in no other class do you find such diversification across scores at the major regattas. For the younger generation of Laser sailors who may aspire to sail internationally, the fall is a great time to hone your skills and utilize what you learned this summer. The Laser scene in both high school and college sailing has grown tremendously and there are plenty of opportunities to race all over North America. So go out after school for a sail or grab a buddy and practice some boat-handling. Even if you’re not campaigning for a particular regatta, I’d still encourage you to get out and race your Laser as much as possible. Many fall series have started already and frostbite series will begin in the coming weeks. Pretty soon it may be too cold to race so you’ll wish you sailed more when it was warmer! Next year is going to be an exciting

time to race Lasers in North America. If you’re looking for a break from the winter, consider heading down to the Miami OCR, Master’s Midwinters, or the Midwinters East, all in Florida in January and February. These regattas are always well-attended and worthwhile. Next summer, the United States will be hosting the 4.7 and Master Worlds in San Francisco, CA, so it will be exciting to have two World Championships right in our back yard. I strongly urge you to take advantage of the opportunity to sail in a World Championship, not only in our home region, but also in one of the best places in the world to sail. 2011 is going to be an extraordinary time in North America to race Lasers! Enjoy the fall, and sail your Laser as much as you can! I’ll see you on the water.

Raffle for Laser 200000

The class will soon issue boat number 200000. A special drawing will be organized by ILCA to give that boat away. Boats 199999 through 200010 have been reserved for special use for builders. For more information, keep an eye posted on www.laserinternational.org website!!

FALL 2010

ILCA-NA Membership 2010 Memberships as of August 31, 2010

District

Members

District

Members

District

Members

101

161

4 6

126

113

7 9

248 58

119

152 146 39

110

16 18 19 20

18 48 63 81

21 23 24

40 41

111

158

Total

2121

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COCONUT GROVE SAILING CLUB 48TH ANNUAL

OPEN ORANGE BOWL REGATTA Co-Sponsored by the Orange Bowl Committee

Biscayne Bay, Coconut Grove, (Miami), FL USA Monday, December 27-Thursday, December 30, 2010

Lasers, Laser Masters and Laser Radials Ages 19 and Above

Some lodging available at homes or on boats of CGSC Members (first comefirst served). Priority parking for CGSC Open Orange Bowl Regatta competitors. See Notice of Race.

www.Laser.org

Jill Powell photo: Midwest High School sailors prepare for singlehanded qualifications in Chicago

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FALL 2010

www.Laser.org

Regatta Reports STEVEN SMITH

2010 Laser Masters North American Championship

top five finisher, Tracy Usher from St. Francis YC (St. FYC) in the third race, but never let that happen again. Adding Masters Handicap points after the first day, Kevin was tied with Masters World Championship top five finisher, Peter Vessella from St. FYC. They were followed in order by; Masters World Championship top five finishers from ABYC, Vann Wilson & Chuck Tripp and Tracy Usher. In the Radial fleet Doug Dubois from Park City Utah scored the first bullet, but Dave Leuck from Mission Bay YC (MBYC) finished first in race two and

race four. The breeze picked up for the remaining three races with the Race Committee setting a triangle windward leeI do not believe a single Laser racer ward course for the last two races. who competed would say the 2010 Laser Interesting for this event, all races finished Masters North American Championship downwind save for the last race on Sunday. Regatta hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club At the end of day two, Kevin was still (ABYC) in Long Beach CA August 13-15 in the lead scoring four first finishes on was anything less than near perfection for Saturday. After adding handicaps, followsailing conditions, race management and ing in order were; Vann, Andy Roy, another ABYC hospitality. Masters World Championship top five finFor readers who may not know, Laser isher from Sugarloaf Sailing Club in Masters are sailors 35 years of age and Canada, moving up nicely after discarding older. There are numerous Regional, a DNF on day one, Chuck Tripp and Greg National as well as World Championship Tawaststjerna from Virginia. Chuck Masters events on the International Laser seemed to be doing fine despite a Class Association (ILCA) calenTrophy Winners little problem he related to me; dar of which the North “Every time I looked in my cockAmerican Championship is one. pit, it was full of water. For some Laser Masters compete in sepaFull Rig rate age groups; Apprentice (35Kevin Taugher 1st, 1st Apprentice reason, no matter how many times I tried to empty it, the cock44 yrs.), Master (45-54 yrs.), Conor Gallagher 2nd Apprentice pit remained full…even downGrand Master (55-64 yrs.) and Vann Wilson 1st Master wind. I was able to kick the Great Grand Master (65+ yrs.) water out periodically, but when I as well as against each other Andy Roy 2nd Master got in and was able to flush it, the with final results being deterGreg Tawaststjern 3rd Master cause was evident. Somehow mined by actual finishing posiPeter Vessella 1st Grand Master some bubble kelp was inside the tion and handicap points. Points bailer acting like a stopper. are added to finishing scores as Never had that happen follows; Apprentice 3 points, Radial fleet before…needed a screwdriver and Master 2 points, Grand Master 1 David Leuck 1st my plumbing skills to fix it.” point and Great Grand Master 0 Nils Andersson 2nd , 1st Great GM all On a personnel note it was fun for points. Additionally, Masters Christy Usher 1st Female me to see Greg as he won the can choose to race with the 1993 Laser Masters National Laser full-rig or the smaller three. Factoring in the handicap, Jay Championship at New York Yacht Club’s Radial rig. For this regatta the full-rig and Winberg from Seattle YC stood first folNewport RI venue, the first Laser Masters Radial fleets were split with separate starts lowed in order by; Dave and Nils Regatta I attended. and scores. Andersson also from MBYC, David Hector In the Radial fleet handicap points Friday, the first day of racing, dawned hampered Dave Leuck as he gave up his with typical Long Beach marine layer over- from Argentina and David Wylie from Port cast that cleared as boats headed out a short Melbourne YC in Australia. When the tired overall first place standing to Jay Winberg. and wet racers returned to the dock a cold Nils Andersson was in third, David Wylie distance to the race course in the ocean keg of Sam Adams, chips and salsa were fourth and David Hector fifth. south of Seal Beach. The breeze quickly waiting to take an edge off the appetite and During dinner Saturday, we held a rafincreased to Force Four on the Beaufort whet the thirst. fle courtesy of Art Vasenius’ Sailing Pro Wind Scale and both fleets were off on a Day two dawned much the same as Shop, Zhik and Bottleport. Through Art’s windward leeward course. The racers Friday with sailors hoping for maybe just a encountered a building sea with steep bit less breeze. As a matter of fact, followsometimes breaking waves. I understand Photo below: Vann Wilson courtesy ing the punishment of day one, several full- of Rob Rice this condition is the result of a convergence rig racers decided to move over to of wind driven waves against the shallow the Radial fleet. This meant they sea floor and the shoreline geography. were scored as not having sailed Regardless, this made upwind legs a tough the first day, but they felt the penalslog but provided nice waves to catch and ty worth the cost. surf on reaching and downwind legs. As The first of four races schedthe day progressed, so did the breeze which uled was a comparatively light air was blowing Force Five for the last race. affair three times around a windThis made for exciting downwind and ward leeward course. This suited reaching legs and not just a few capsizes. Radial racer Bruce Braly from Right out of the blocks, ABYC’s Kevin Humboldt YC who finished first Taugher notched two first places and a secand ABYC’s Jay Golison in the ond in the first three races. He was bested full-rig fleet who finished third in by multiple Masters World Championship

FALL 2010

(Baumann)] and gave me his boat. Soon after Kevin (Taugher) sailed over in his boat and said, “Hey take my boat”. He had secured the regatta with a race to spare and with his offer both Jorge and I could finish the regatta. So I jumped into Kevin’s boat. Kevin sailed over to the whaler in Jorge’s boat and gave it back to him. Kevin watched race 10 from the whaler with Robin and Mike.

Long Beach shop, Zhik provided several of their really trick Laser hiking straps and Bottleport provided several of their unique water bottle holders designed to screw into an inspection port…clever idea. Another sponsor of our regatta was David Dellenbaugh who provided us with copies of his popular Speed and Smarts newsletter which we provided to each competitor in their welcome pack. I also wish to gratefully acknowledge Pease & Jay Glaser who, through their business, Glaser Sails graciously provided all competitors with a nicely fabricated age group color band with pre-attached adhesive strips making secure attachment to the mast a snap. I guess anticipating another day of Force Four to Five winds Sunday, the old guys wiped out the food Saturday night, but just like washing your car predicts a rain storm, the winds moderated Sunday giving every racer a chance to excel in their favored conditions. For two days our Principal Race Officer, Mark Townsend had his team running smoothly setting perfect courses and encountering only two general recalls in the entire regatta. The wind cooperated varying only a few degrees each day. On the last day three races were run in quick succession with the final race being a triangle windward leeward with an upwind finish in a freshening Force Four breeze and that nasty chop. I suppose the only real drama in the regatta was this wonderful example of sportsmanship exhibited before the penultimate race on the final day. I believe Vann Wilson’s words are best to tell the tale. Here is what he wrote: “The rig sheared off at the deck inside the 5 minute gun of race nine. Jorge (Suarez) immediately offered up his boat to me and sailed over to a whaler to get a ruling on if it would be allowed. The Judge’s ruling came back that yes, I could switch boats but not for the race in progress. So Jorge stayed in his boat but was a little late in starting because of the time he took to get a ruling. At the end of race nine, Jorge came by [I was on a race management whaler with Robin (Townsend) and Mike

www.Laser.org

“I remember I was going into the right mark of the gate on starboard. There was an inside boat reaching up to the mark below me. At about four boat lengths I said “Go ahead, you have room”, as the overlap was close. He shouted back, “No! you go ahead!” I looked at him a little stunned and repeated, “go ahead, you got it!” He reached up behind me and followed me around the mark!” Prior to awarding the unique and slick regatta trophies courtesy of Chris Raab, we awarded some “fun” awards, courtesy of CVane and Sailing Pro Shop. A C-Vane was awarded to; the oldest racer (Jim Christopher), the racer with the most OCS, BFD, ZFP & DSQ in their score (Conor Gallagher), the racer with the deepest bullet in their score (Tracy Usher) and the racer who completed all the races, finished lowest and still came to the trophy presentation (Steve Hendricks)…a fun touch to the event To see complete results, go to: http://www.abyc.org/upload/laser15.htm

The immediate response to my broken mast gives me goose bumps thinking about it. Scott Young from (Austin YC) Texas who had a good regatta going of his own and Nick Madigan from Newport Harbor YC also offered their boat immediately. I think they felt the pain of my having a good regatta going that was quickly turning into a nightmare. I won race ten in Kevin’s boat to secure second overall in what was certainly a fairy tale story of sportsmanship by my competitors.” I certainly concur with Vann’s sentiment and believe this incident illustrates the spirit of Laser Masters racing and why we see men and women continuing to race well past the age they qualify for Medicare and can collect Social Security. Jorge Suarez related another anecdote that illustrates the spirit of Masters racing,

To see pictures of just about everyone who was on the water and on shore for the regatta, go to Rob Rice’s website: http://captainrob.smugmug.com/

For another perspective by a competitor in this regatta, check Scott Young’s blog: http://scottyoungsailing.blogspot.com/

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USSDT’s Reineke Becomes Laser Radial Youth World Champion

MARNI LANE

Largs, Scotland (July 25, 2010) – US Sailing Development Team member Erika Reineke (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) continued her successful sailing streak this month by becoming the 2010 Laser Radial Youth World Champion today. After winning a bronze medal at the 40th Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship 10 days ago, Reineke firmly stated her aspiration for this event: “My goal is to win and bring home a gold medal,” she said. She achieved that goal with a race to spare and a healthy 27-point cushion, thanks to a string of first and second place finishes in the 44-boat girls fleet. “I am very excited. I set a goal and went after it, and I didn’t let the results from last week get in my head,” said the talented 16-year-old sailor, referring to her bronze medal at the ISAF Youth Worlds, as it’s commonly called, held in Istanbul, Turkey. This time, she swapped podium finishes with The Netherland’s Michelle Broekhuizen, who finished third. “After the second day when I got two firsts, I said to myself, ‘I can definitely do this. I’m in the running for gold, so I have to execute well,’” she said today before the awards ceremony. “I pushed hard to

achieve results, and it paid off.” Reineke credited her lead to her starts and downwind speed, which worked to her advantage in Istanbul as well. “I had amazing starts every single race, except for one, and I was able to push back the fleet,” she said. “It was exciting to do that, and it also gave me confidence. On the downwind [legs], I was very fast again, and I was able to gain a lot of boats.” Despite her small size, she knew she had the strength to keep up with the bigger girls in the breeze. “Because of all the training I had done leading up to now, I knew I was strong and could hang with them,” she said. “I felt very strong when I was hiking.” “She never quit,” said Coach Ryan Minth (New York, N.Y.). “Her determination and effort were remarkable. When she was doing well, she persevered. When she was behind, she had remarkable recoveries.” The world’s best youth Laser Radial sailors – 320 sailors from 42 countries – competed

in the boys and girls divisions this week in a mixture of light air and breeze in the teens. For complete results, please visit the event web site: http://www.laserworlds2010.co.uk. Mitchell Kiss (Holland, Mich.), won a bronze medal at the Laser Radial World Championship in the men’s division and fifth in the youth boys division in Largs, Scotland.

Photo: Upper right:Mitchell Kiss and Erika Reineke celebrate in Largs, Scotland. Photo credit: Larry Kennedy. Other photos: Boat park & salling in Largs. Photo: Larry Kennedy

NIGEL HEATH

Canadian Laser/Radial Championships

After sailing in light air for the past month, we were pleasantly surprised but in disbelief when we arrived at Oka, Quebec for the Canadian Championships and our host (a local sailor and windsurfer) indicated that the wind forecast for the following day would be 15-25 knots. How could this be? We were all expecting 3 days of light air, but this forecast was coming from a reputable local sailor, so it must be correct. Sure enough, the following morning the wind picked up and was bang on forecast…..the best wind I had seen all summer. Coming from the SW off the shore, it proved to be very shifty on the Lake of Two Mountains, somewhat similar to a NW wind in the outer harbour in Toronto. We had 5 races on Friday that really tested the sailors’ ability to read the wind oscillations and look for pressure changes. With a lot of familiarity in these conditions, I did well on Friday with a 1, 6, 3, 4, 1, for first place, followed by Danielle Dube and Rob Koci.

Back on shore much of the après-sail chatter was focused on tacking decisionmaking, i.e. was it best to tack immediately on every shift or eat into the header for 10 seconds then reassess? My thought process in Friday’s conditions worked like this: First priority was pressure, second was wind shifts and third priority clean air (weeds weren’t a factor on Friday). Ignore minor oscillations, but with any moderate or significant wind shift the gains that could be picked up by immediately tacking and sailing high on the new lifted tack offset the 1-2 boat length hit taken by tacking, or from sailing for 10 seconds into a header. Of course it sucked when the oscillation was a fake and a second tack was required. Having a precise read on the degree of wind shift in these rapidly oscillating conditions is vital to your decision making. My approach to this worked well, but unfortunately there isn’t sufficient room here to go into detail here…..lol. Approach me

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after sailing sometime with an appropriate adult beverage in hand and we can talk.

Saturday brought slightly weaker winds from a similar direction, but racing was cut short due to a series of thunderstorms. Only 1 race was completed for the Radial fleet. Saturday night the locals put on a fantastic smoked meat extravaganza. Sunday was another day of great conditions with wind in the 10-18 knot range, but from a more westerly direction. This allowed for a shift in the race course location, with more stable winds coming directly down the Ottawa River. Danielle and I were tied for first heading into the last day, with Rob close behind in third position, so we all knew the final outcome would likely be tight. On Sunday my upwind boat speed was good, but I had a lot of difficulty on the downwind, so I knew I needed to gain on the upwind legs in order to offset any losses I would suffer on the runs. The first race on Sunday didn’t go well after a terrible start, but I caught several boats by working left upwind to finish in sixth. So my strategy for the last two races was similar. Focus

on fleet management by working up the centre of the course but to the left side of those in the fleet I had to beat. Several nice lifts from the left at the top of the course provided exactly what I needed and gave me enough for a third and a first in the last two races.

The last run/reach of the last race was hair-raising as my tiller extension snapped off, and I couldn’t reach forward to adjust any lines. The finish wasn’t pretty, but it worked and gave me first in the last race and the regatta. Other observations: (1) The last day was owned by a hardcharging Jean-Luc Robitaille, who finished with two firsts and a second, enough to finish in third place overall. (2) Several of us Masters sailors stayed in a local cottage near the club. I think we benefited from some good “go-fast” karma in that cottage, as it belongs to the family of Canada’s newest astronaut – David Saint-Jacques. Look for him in the skies or on Mars soon. (3) Two master sailors in the top 5 of a 70 boat Radial fleet…..GO GEEZERS GO!!

Photo below: Doug Honey enjoys a wet ride in Seattle.

2010 Canadian Laser Masters Championships at Sturgeon Lake

From July 23 to 25, fifty four sailors from coast to coast in Canada (British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia), from various parts of the U.S. and a single sailor from Northern Ireland descended on the Village of Sturgeon Point, in Ontario cottage country, to participate in the 2010 Canadian Laser Masters Championships, hosted by the Sturgeon Lake Sailing Club. The Sturgeon Lake community has a long history of hosting Laser sailors and has a well earned reputation for being hospitable hosts. The Masters and their guests were greeted on July 22 with enthusiasm. Cottages were opened to the sailors and their guests around the Village, with communal breakfasts and dinners prepared and served by a bevy of community volunteers. The food was great, the beer and wine flowed, and the conversation on the race course was non stop, as were the stories after. The fleet included sailors aged 35 to 77 – Canadian and international hall of famers, an Olympic medallist and World Champion, a North American Laser Champion, champions from other classes, other Olympians, stars of yesteryear, stars of the Masters circuit as well as a number of good club sailors who came to compete with the stars. Some of the sailors were regatta hardened and others were jumping back into a Laser after a more lengthy absence to relive their youth and see old friends and foes. Seven of the sailors were Great Grand Masters, over the age of 65, and one Heinz Gebauer – 77 1/2 (if you believe what his birth certificate says). The regatta saw generally good winds ranging from 7 knots to 15 knots, swinging between north and west over the three days of competition. Richard Roberts’ race committee held the first five races on a trapezoid course and the last five on a windward leeward. A total of ten good tough races were completed, leaving competitors with one drop race. Race 1 was a battle at the top between Ray Davies, Al Clark (from BC), Mike Schmidt (from the US) and Andy Roy, with Clark passing Davies on the last reach to take top honours. Race 2 was a renewal of the rivalry between Terry Nielson and Andy Roy -

Canada’s two greatest all time Laser sailors – the gold and silver finishers in the 1982 World Laser Championships doing battle almost thirty years later and finishing in the same order, a first for Terry and a second for Andy. The 3rd race was won by John Rae, who hit the pin end of the line, sailed left and tacked last onto port and was rewarded by a lift up the left side. Race 4 saw Al Clark, Andy Roy, Ray Davies and Rob Koci battling for the top four spots with Clark taking the bullet. Race 5 was another Clark victory. He was followed by Davies, Neilson and Roy. With lighter winds for Race 6, combined with the new course, we had a new winner. Greg Tawaststjerna won on the lake that he grew up sailing on after an absence of a few decades. The 7th race and the last of day 2 saw Rob Koci win in lighter winds, only to be denied his bullet by the ZFP. Koci was followed by the consistently brilliant Clark, Neilson and Davies. The final 3 races were won by Rob Muru, Clark and Davies. After 3 days of racing, Al Clark of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club was crowned the 2010 Canadian Laser Masters Champion. He edged out Ray Davies of the Whitby Yacht Club by two points (based on the Masters handicap system of scoring) and, by doing so, he earned the title of 2010 Canadian Laser Masters Champion and bragging rights for the next 12 months. Terry Nielson of the Boulevard Club in Toronto was third followed by his training partner of years gone by Andy Roy. Rob Koci, Greg Tawaststjerna, Rob Muru, Nigel Heath, John Rae and Henry Amthor rounded out the top 10. Ray Davies was the top Apprentice, Al Clark the top Master, Rob Koci (of Water

Rats) the top Grand Master and Lindsay Hewitt (of Cold Spring Harbour Beach Club in New York) the top Great Grand Master. Susie Pegel (of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club in Wisconsin) was the top woman placing 12th overall. In his remarks at prize giving, Al Clark noted that he had attended well over a 100 regattas either as a competitor or as a coach of his charges at Royal Vancouver and never had he been to a regatta that combined such hospitality, such community support, such fabulous meals and all with such great racing and race committee work. Clark’s words were echoed by Rob Muru who sent in the following comment: “You folks really captured the spirit of earlier times when the “lake regatta” was the biggest event of the year. The food, the parties, the billeting in the cottages……beautiful!” In a nice postscript, Andy Roy had these stories to tell: “In an early race, I rounded in the lead and was holding on approaching the leeward mark when Al Clark, well known sailor and racing coach from Vancouver, was (as usual) smokin’ downwind. As we hit the three boat length circle, it looked like he nabbed the overlap on me. I said, “I think you’ve got it, Al,” and he replied, “No, you take it.” “You sure?” “I insist”, he said. He passed me up the next leg anyhow, and went on to win the event. In a subsequent race, Al rounded the top mark in the lead and bore off on to a run having forgotten about the short spacer reaching leg. Greg Tawaststjerna rounded a few lengths behind and immediately shouted at Al to remind him about the spacer mark. These are the type of exchanges that make Masters Laser racing pretty cool.” The link to the regatta website with detailed results, reports and photographs is as follows: http://www.slsc.ca/cdn-masters/ Photos by James Wisener

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Regatta

World Championship ISAF Grade 1

NA Championship 40 GP pts. ISAF Grade 1

North American

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Radial Champs ISAF Grade 1

Canadian Championships

30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 2

US Championships 30 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 2

CORK

30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 1

Laser Sr: Perth, AUS: Dec 3-18 Jr: La Rochelle, FRAJuly 16-23

Brant Beach YC, NJ July 12-15

2011 Schedule

Radial

Laser 4.7

Brant Beach YC, NY July 12-15

TBD

Ft Walton YC, FL May 20-22

Wabamun SC, Edmonton, AB June 23-26

D1-D6

Women's:Perth, AUS; Dec 3-18 Mens: La Rochelle, FRA, July 16-23 San Francisco, CA Youth: La Rochelle, FRA, July 26-Aug 2 July 24-31

Lauderdale YC www.lyc.org February 17-20

Wabamun SC, Edmonton, AB June 23-26

Kingston, ON

California YC Marina del Rey, CA Aug 3-7 www.cork.org

August 20-24

California YC Marina del Rey, CA Aug 3-7 www.cork.org

August 20-24

Districts 6, 24, 25 Kingston, ON www.cork.org

August 20-24

Masters

San Francisco, CA Aug 5-13

Macatawa Bay YC Macatawa, MI July 29-31

Midwinters East

Clearwater, FL

Clearwater, FL www.clwyc.org

D13

Midwinters West

CaliforniaYC Marina del Rey, CA March 25-27

www.ussailing.org

30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 1

30 GP Pts., ISAF Grade 2

Rolex Miami OCR ISAF Grade 1

www.clwyc.org

Feb 24-27

www.clwyc.org

Feb 24-27

Miami, FL (men only) Miami, FL (women only) www.ussailing.org

January 24-29

Feb 24-27

Atlantic Coast Championships

Wrightsville Beach, NC

Carolina Yacht Club,

D7, D8, D10, D11, D12

Pacific Coast Championships

D25

D6, D24, D25

Gulf Coast Championships

D13

D13, D14, D15

No Coast Championships

D16

D16, D21, D22, D23

Great Lakes Championships

Royal Hamilton YC Hamilton, ON June 25-26

25 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 2

Carolina Yacht Club, April 30-May 1

April 30-May 1

25 GP Pts., ISAF Grade 2

25 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 3

25 GP Pts., ISAF Grade 3

www.Laser.org

The final outcome, Ferguson retains Standards Masters Title

Moderate to fresh winds and some well proportioned waves to surf down provided an outstanding final day of racing at the Laser Masters World Championships in Hayling Bay Two races were held in each of the classes within the giant fleet of more than 350 boats, split between the Laser Standard and Laser Radial and then into fleet based on age groups: the ‘Apprentices’ – 35-44 year olds, Masters – 45-54 year olds, Grand Masters – 55-65 years and for the Radials the Great Grand Masters (65+). While New Zealand’s Scott Leith had the Laser Radial Apprentice title sewn up yesterday, so today Australian Brett Beyer came out first in the Laser Standard Apprentice class. Despite posting two bullets today he still only managed to finish five points ahead of Greece’s Adonis Bougiouris. Perhaps the hardest class, being the biggest at this Championship was the Laser Standard Masters where the USA’s Scott Ferguson clinching honours with a race to spare. His final tally of 15 points puts him 21 ahead of the Netherland’s Arnoud Hummel, in turn just a point ahead of 1984 Olympic Finn silver medallist, American John Bertrand. Ferguson, who heralds from Rhode Island where his company designs masts for leading America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race boats, was the defending champion in the class following on from his victory in hurricane-swept Halifax last year. With four bullets and discarding a sixth going into today Ferguson said he was concerned that in the wavy conditions that he might wipe out. In fact the margin between first and second may have been closer had his principle rival Arnoud Hummel not suffered a ‘death roll’. Winner in the Radial Master class was local man Steve Cockerill, the well-known proprietor of Rooster Sailing. This is his fourth Laser Radial World Championship title, his first coming in Cork in 2001. Cockerill posted a 1-2 today leaving him 16 points clear of second placed Brazilian Joao Ramos, in turn a further 18 adrift of New Zealander Hamish Atkinson. After a dismal set of results yesterday including a DNC and an OCS, the other star act of the day was Brazilian favourite Eduardo Carlos Wanderley who redeemed himself by posting a 2-1, hoisting him from 13th place yesterday to go home fourth overall. Cockerill might have posted two bullets today had it not been for a unique incident in the second race, when wondering why he

was going slowly up the first beat, discovered the impediment to be a woman’s bra wrapped around his Laser’s centreboard. Otherwise this week Cockerill has been sailing on familiar waters – his home club is neighbouring Stokes Bay – and his worst discard was a 16th, scored yesterday when he was caught out on the wrong side of a shift. Perhaps star of this year’s Championship, if not all time in the Laser Masters class, was Keith Wilkins who won his 11th Laser Worlds title today having this year been forced out of the Standard and into the Radial as a Great Grand Master, following his 65th birthday. Wilkins who heralds from distinctly land-locked Shropshire where he normally sails on a lake, has raced out of Hayling Island Sailing Club on several occasions in his long illustrious career. He particularly enjoyed today’s more boisterous conditions as he admits he is a little heavy for the Radial. He also admitted that racing in class bands, as occurs at these championships, favours the young and being the

nipper in the Great Grand Masters certainly benefitted him. His last Worlds win in 2001. Today with the slightly strong winds the fleet was well spread out in the Great Grand Masters class with Wilkins ending the regatta 10 points clear of the USA’s Peter Seidenberg, in turn 13 ahead of the Netherland’s Johan Stam. The only leadership change today came in the Radial Grand Master fleet where two bullets today allowed Brisbane anaesthetist Lyndall Patterson, a mother of two grown up daughters who won the IYRU Women’s World title on the same waters of Hayling Bay 33 years ago, to finally overhaul the

Scott Ferguson (USA), Laser Standard Master fleet winner:

“This is my fourth Worlds. The first was in Brazil when I was third and then Spain when I was fourth and I won last year and this year. “Originally I sailed Lasers pretty competitively but only at US National level and I didn’t have a chance to go further – I had a family and got a job right out of school, so I didn’t have much a chance to campaign it when I was younger. That was around 19845, just after the Ed Baird period. “I live in Jamestown, RI and sail out of the Connecticut Yacht Club. It is not too far and you are into the ocean, so you get waves like we had today there. “I don’t sail a lot - with work my time is limited, but there is another guy in the top 10, Peter Shope and he is from Portsmouth near to where I live and we hooked up. He has got seriously into the Laser so we did some training together. The downwind is huge – you can hang in upwind and if you can do the same or faster downwind you are going to be in good shape. We did some runs from Point Judith, 10 miles south west of Newport. We’d drive the boats up there and do a full downwind. It was good. “I was a little bit surprised I did as well as I did because there are a lot of really good guys out there. A lot of things fell into place for me. Last year we didn’t quite finish the series so this time is was a lot closer with Arnoud. I thought Arnoud would be a lot better than me in a lot of breeze and he is really good. I was surprised how well I was going. “This week the conditions were good. A lot of people complain about shifty conditions, but I find that pretty challenging. I went to the University of Michigan in the mid-west so it was sailing on lakes, and they sail there competitively all the time and it is part of the game. So I enjoy it when it is challenging and shifty and not just a total drag race where you have to out hike the same guy for 10 races.

FALL 2010

strong American malemale contingent, in particular yesterstrong American contingent, in particular yesterday’sday’s leader Alden Shattuck, who who ended the regatta six six leader Alden Shattuck, ended the regatta points out of Patterson’s success onceonce againagain underpoints outfirst. of first. Patterson’s success underlineslines her outstanding prowess and sheer tenacity and is her outstanding prowess and sheer tenacity and is believed to betothe time time a female sailorsailor has won the the believed befirst the first a female has won overall title.title. overall LikeLike ScottScott Ferguson another to defend his title suc- sucFerguson another to defend his title cessfully this year was was German former Olympic FinnFinn cessfully this year German former Olympic sailorsailor and Finn GoldGold Cup Cup winner, Wolfgang GerzGerz in thein the and Finn winner, Wolfgang Standard Grand Master fleet.fleet. FromFrom Munich, the meticuStandard Grand Master Munich, the meticulous lous GerzGerz posted a 3-1a today to finish on 18onpoints. posted 3-1 today to finish 18 points. However American PeterPeter Vessella, a newcomer this year However American Vessella, a newcomer this year into into the Grand Master fleet,fleet, also also posted 1-3 and the Grand Master posted 1-3 this and this allowed him him to overhaul Britain’s PeterPeter Sherwin to claim allowed to overhaul Britain’s Sherwin to claim second with with the help of a of second discard, 10 points fromfrom second the help a second discard, 10 points Gerz.Gerz. The The German winner spentspent mostmost of today covering German winner of today covering the potent Vessella, who who next next year year will will havehave the advanthe potent Vessella, the advantage tage of sailing on his waters in San of sailing onhome his home waters in Francisco. San Francisco. While two days of racing werewere lost this due to While two days of racing lost week this week due to excessive windwind conditions, otherwise the regatta has proexcessive conditions, otherwise the regatta has providedvided a challenging mix mix of wind strengths fromfrom lightlight and and a challenging of wind strengths shiftyshifty to verging on the to verging onnearly-too-strong. the nearly-too-strong. International ClassClass Secretary Jeff Jeff Martin commented: International Secretary Martin commented: “On “On Monday it was up onupthe and then we had Monday it was onlimit the limit and then we two had two daysdays where we couldn’t sail and it in ittoin to where we couldn’t sail had and to hadconvert to convert the rest then then they they havehave had ahad bit aofbiteverythe day rest and day since and since of everythingthing and today was was perfect to finish off with: glorious and today perfect to finish off with: glorious sailing, Hayling Bay Bay waves and steady breeze of 15-17 sailing, Hayling waves and steady breeze of 15-17 knotsknots occasionally gusting up toup20.toI20. don’t thinkthink therethere occasionally gusting I don’t can be aboutabout today. I would havehave likedliked to to canany be complaints any complaints today. I would havehave beenbeen sailing myself. It’s been a great event. I think sailing myself. It’s been a great event. I think the sailors are happy. There won’twon’t be many people not not the sailors are happy. There be many people sleeping tonight.” sleeping tonight.” The The next next LaserLaser Masters World Championships are toare to Masters World Championships take take placeplace in 2011 in San in 2011 in Francisco. San Francisco.

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19 19

2010 Laser North American Championships JACK HATTENDORF

When I read that the Laser NAs were going to be in Keemah, TX a few months ago, I couldn’t resist the temptation to drag my boat down for a week’s worth of abuse. Free place to stay at the in-laws, racing against some of the best Laser sailors in the world…. How could anyone pass that up! All up, there were nearly 200 boats racing in three classes (Full <my class> 73 boats, Radial – 94 boats and the junior 4.7 rig 21 boats) with sailors from over 10 countries!

Well, the week finally arrived and with some pre-ribbing from the race committee the weekend before for having my country code on my sail and my nifty new hikers, I was ready for action. Boy, my expectations were not exactly what the reality was! Build a mental picture of this in your head; I’m sporting my “Police” (band from the ‘80s) concert t-shirt and my Mt. Gay Rum 2004 MC Nationals hat with the family in tow. To top it off, my dinghy made this awaful squeak! As I rounded the corner, I was quite surprised to see that I was probably the oldest competitor there by at least 20 years! When I went to get my sail measured, the class measurer looked at my numbers and said, “These are around 5 inches off.” I was bummed. “Don’t worry they are off the wrong way. You will just be easier to spot on the line. You are okay. By the way, your country code is spot on.” Was this a premonition of things to come?

The only phrase that kept coming to mind was, “Well, at least I’ll have some good stories of me getting my butt kicked!” That premonition was spot on as I would come to find out. As many of you know, the Laser is an Olympic class boat, and this regatta had some of the best Laser sailors in the world show up. I remember as I was sitting around on Wednesday afternoon having finally found a couple guys that were closer to my age to shoot the breeze with. I said, “I’m getting a little nervous, I’ve only had my boat out around a dozen times this season.” My new found friend replied, “Don’t be nervous, but understand these guys went out a dozen times already this week!” Thursday, the first day of racing. I was so nervous, I got to the yacht club at 8:15. I was the first one there (never happens). I

got my banana and water to hang around. As it turns out, the sea breeze never came up. They sent us out, and with 10 seconds before the start: BEEEEEP BEEEEEP – Postpone. Around 10 minutes later, BEEEEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEP no races, head to shore. The striking thing that just cracked me up was the fact that I headed toward you know where – the bar. At most of the MC Regattas I’ve been to, the bar is a very popular place. I was joined by the race committee and a few parents! “Crap, these guys are serious.” I thought to myself.

One thing that really struck me was the amount of coaches. There were no fewer than 25 coach’s boats mulling about. Some had 5-10 sailors and others had 1-2. They would tow them out to the race course and bring them back. They even set up a ring of buoys 40 yards down from the starting line that they had to stay behind during the starts. It was crazy! One other unique item to our racing was the on the water judges to enforce rule 42. They cruised around within the fleet ready to throw the yellow flag at a moment’s notice.

42.1 Basic Rule Except when permitted in rule 42.3 or 45, a boat shall compete by using only the wind and water to increase, maintain or decrease her speed. Her crew may adjust the trim of sails and hull, and perform other acts of seamanship, but shall not otherwise move their bodies to propel the boat.

Friday, Day two. Will we ever get to go sailing! I got there early with the expectation that races would start at 10:00. Didn’t quite work out like that. We ended up sitting on shore until 3:00 waiting for the sea breeze to fill in. As we were going out (did I mention the course was 2 miles off shore), I felt pretty good. The wind had filled in quite well, so my weight wouldn’t be that big (no pun intended) of a problem.

Race 1 - It was the same as the day before. General recall, general recall, general recall, BLACK FLAG. My goal in the starts was to be mid-line and take advantage of the standard mid-line sag. Be bow out and with speed. Well, it worked out great for all the generals, but when the race actually started, my hole got taken up by some guy from Canada! I was in the second wave and not moving fast. I decided to clear my air and tack. Mainsheet hung up on my lifejacket, and I capsized! 100 darn

yards from the start!!! That being said, I gave the entire fleet around a 2 minute head start. I was able to reel up a few boats for a stellar 61st out of 68. OUCH! Okay I thought, more racing to come! I can dig out of this hole.

Race 2 – Right where I wanted to be! Bow out and speed at the start! The wind had come up, and I was actually hanging with the big guys. I was smiling ear to ear. Maybe I would actually get a good finish out of this! I’ve seen pictures and videos of the parade to the windward mark, but I’ve only tried to fit in a few times into a place where I shouldn’t be. I was around 15-20th approaching the top mark. I was coming in on port tack and the parade was at least 50 yards long with NO gaps. Well, I said screw it and stuck my boat in with about .003 inches around me. Not quite enough. I hit the mark (*&#^@&^)! When I got done with my 360, I was in the back again! I think I ended up in the upper 40’s.

Race 3 – Standard, General, general, general, BLACK FLAG postpone, postpone, postpone, HUH? General again! Up comes a white board with about 12 boats that were black flagged for race 3 (DSQ’d, so don’t even bother to race, go in…) I look up and I see 182941 (my sail #). Oh, well at least I did better in Race 2 than race 1 AND I don’t have to fight traffic! Oh, did I also mention it was 7:15! Happy hour was just about over! The Radial class stayed out until almost 9:00! They put their boats up in the dark!!!! Saturday Day 3 – Races were slated to start at 12:00, so I got the club around 10:00. Got to sleep in a bit which was nice seeing how we went so late the day before. First things first, check the scores. What! Not only was I black flagged in race 3, but I also got BF’d in race2! I was so depressed! The following three races were rather uneventful. I was totally gun shy at the starts which would often put me in the back at the start. I would almost always gain 5-10 boats on the beats, but lose them and more off the breeze. The waves were perplexing on the down winds and reaches. I lost every time. AND since we were racing on some funky trapezoid course, I did a lot of reaching and running. I ended the day with 52, 61 and 58 place finishes.

I did have another boat handling mishap in the third race. In okay position at the top mark, I rounded, got a puff while

FALL 2010

surfing down a wave, lost my balance and fell out of the boat. Totally fatigued I got myself back in without capsizing, but found myself in familiar territory, the back of the pack.

Sunday – Day 4 Races were supposed to start at 10:00, and they had planned on pushing the 2:30 limit to try to get as many in as possible. I had a trip to go on the next day, and to be honest, I was pretty frustrated. I had breakfast with my family and went to get my boat for the long drive home. The final tally; this was my worst regatta finish I think - ever! That being said, I had a great time. Sailing with sailors on the caliber that I was racing against was very cool. It was like no regatta I’ve ever been to. To be a part of the experience was something that I will remember forever. My family had a great time, so all in all, it was a success. It also solidified my resolve to try to get better in this boat. Learn to sail the darn thing off the breeze in waves. Although, I think my next Laser event will be in the Masters division…

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District Reports

District 1 Brian Mills & Danielle Dube NB, Canada

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!! Several years ago, I renewed my interest in racing Lasers, joined the Class association and started to receive the Laser Sailor magazine. Much to my dismay there was just a blank spot for several issues of Laser Sailor where the District 1 report goes. Being a Master sailor I was not in the information loop of the younger racing sailors around Atlantic Canada. So I offered to take over the volunteer position of District Secretary. There has been a District report and District 1 championship regatta ever since. Mission accomplished. This summer I received an email from Danielle Dube expressing an interest in getting involved in sport management and asking for suggestions. After conferring with a few of my friends that knew her, my response was...”How you like would to take on the District 1 secretary position!!! “She agreed!!! So I pass the torch onto Danielle knowing the District will be in good hands with this national class sailor who is keen to serve all the Laser sailors in Atlantic Canada. -Brian Mills I’d like to start out by thanking you Brian for your dedication to the sport of laser sailing, and particularly the work that you have done to promote Masters sailing in the Atlantic Provinces. Is it just me or are there a lot more old salts navigating the race course (often times more successfully than me) these days?? I had the pleasure of coaching during the Masters Worlds in St. Margarets Bay last year, and I came to the conclusion that like a fine wine, this sport only gets better with age. The experience, the intelligence, and the die-hard attitude of these racers is truly something to aspire to. If I am fortunate enough to live to Great Grand Master status someday, I’m going to strap on a helmet (seriously… you’d be crazy not to!) and race my laser! So with this in mind, I will continue to focus on Masters sailing in addition to youth laser and radial sailing in the Atlantic Provinces. And where to even begin… Perhaps I can touch on some great regattas that were held in District 1 this past summer. As per usual in Nova Scotia, YOTS and ARK kicked off the season in Bedford, and brought a number of sailors from across the province (and a few from out of province) to take part. The skill level in the laser and radial fleets was impressive.. better than I have seen it in years. In addition, it was remarkable to see sailors of all ages and backgrounds competing and learning together. The conditions at ARK were trying to say the least… windy and wet. But with 5 races sailed in both fleets, in the laser fleet, it was Karl Mitchell of Lunenburg who rose to the top with a grand total of 9 points, with Fraser Wells (sailing for RNSYS but really from New Brunswick) hot on his heels with 10 points. In third was Jeff Fullerton of BBYC, also with 10 points. In the radial fleet, I managed to squeak out a win with 9 points, with Cole Rice of CYC coming in second with 11 points, and Thomas Nicholson in third with 16 points. The next weekend saw racing taking place in St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia. In the laser class, it

was Alexander Palmeter who came out of a tooearly retirement to win with 6 points in 7 races (or “straight bullets” as some would say). In second was Bryant Wood of Lunenburg with 19 points, and in third was David Cripton of SBYC with 23 points. In the radial fleet, it was Sandy Beatty of Lunenburg who took line honours with 17 points, followed by Alex Burke of HYC and Nathan Fields of LYC, with 24 and 29 points respectively. That same weekend, the Laser and Radial Canadian Championships were held in Oka, Quebec. Some notable D1 sailors came away with great results from that regatta as well. In the Laser Fleet, Tom Brosky of RNSYS (last year’s Canada Games silver medallist) placed 10th overall in the 43 boat fleet. Fraser Wells finished up 19th overall, and was the 6th Junior. In the radial fleet, I finished 2nd overall behind Nigel Heath of the Water Rat Sailing Club in Toronto. Eric Siegel from Halifax finished 20th, and Eric Dagenais (from Prince Edward Island originally) finished 21st in the 70 boat fleet. In New Brunswick, the first week in July saw the RKYC regatta taking place. In the Laser Fleet, Nicholas Ford made his mark and took the top spot. In 2nd was Aaron Alexander Stairs, and in 3rd, Matt Dean. For the radials it was Jill Landry in 1st, with Marc-Andre Bourgeois in 2nd, and Pierre Coutellier in 3rd. Next was the Shediac Subway Regatta. In the Laser fleet, Nicholas Ford of SBYC again came in 1st , with Masters sailors Brian Mills (your former D1 secretary!) of MSA placing 2nd and Stephen Fucillo of RYC placing 3rd. For the radials, it was Tom Nicholson of RKYC with consistent wins to place him firmly in 1st, with teammate Jill Landry of RKYC in 2nd, and Marc-Andre Bourgeois of SBYC in 3rd.

As for the D1 and Masters championships, this year they were held in New Brunswick at the Rothesay Yacht Club. In the laser fleet it was Nicholas Ford who triumphed (wow.. who is this guy?), with Stephen Fucillo in 2nd and Anthony Ford in 3rd. Top Grand Master was Brian Mills, and top Master was again Stephen Fucillo. In the radial it was Alec Evans, Pierre Coutillier, and Matieu Leger who placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively. And last but not least, some fantastic results at Cork rounded out the season for most sailors, who shortly thereafter had to lay down their tillers and hang up their booties and return to school or work L. This year Cork International Week was held for youth sailors in the week before the Cork OCR. Fraser Wells of New Brunswick (sailing for RNSYS) placed 1st in the 25 boat fleet, and Bryant Wood of LYC placed 3rd. Zachary Dunn of RNSYS showed great improvement over the season and finished 7th overall. In the radial, Devan Dube (no, we’re not related) finished 14th in the 144 boat fleet, with Eric Dagenais of Charlottetown close behind in 16th. Also in the Gold fleet, Maggie Kennedy of BBYC finished up in 36th, with teammates Michael Cunningham hot on her heels in 37th and Meghan Henneberry in 38th. A few days later, in the Laser fleet, Tom Brosky again had a great performance in the Cork OCR (a grade 1 event for lasers and radials), coming in 3rd overall in this very difficult, experienced fleet. Masters sailor David Wells from New Brunswick finished up a great series in 7th,and most importantly learned a lot of valuable lessons which he would then take with him to the Masters Worlds held in

Hayling Island (Great Britain) in September. Fraser Wells had another great result with a 9th place finish, capping off a great season and proving that he will be one to look out for on the laser circuit in the upcoming years. In the radial fleet, I finished 4th overall, with teammate and friend Erin Rafuse from RNSYS finishing in 10th. Also notable was Rebecca Power’s 19th place finish. Although she is now sailing out of Vancouver, Rebecca is originally from Newfoundland so we like to think of her as our own. It is also worth mentioning that D1 has 3 radial girls who represent Canada year-round as members of the Canadian Sailing Team. This year, Lisa Ross had her best World Championship result ever by placing 17th overall in a 114 boat fleet. This year Lisa made huge strides in her training program and the results clearly showed it. Fellow teammate Erin Rafuse of RNSYS also attended the World Championships, finishing 35th in the Silver fleet.. a fantastic result considering Erin is new to the team and this was only her 2nd Worlds in an Olympic Class. For the first time in a long time I did not attend the Worlds in Scotland this year, as I took a year off from sailing to complete my University studies. I hope to rejoin the Canadian Sailing Team next year and continue to compete in World Cup events and campaign for the upcoming Olympics. September is a critical time for D1 sailors in the laser and radial to show their stuff at NQRs (held in Kingston this year) and make moves towards being on the National Team. Best of luck to all! So clearly this has been a very busy and very successful sailing season in D1. I hope the onslaught of results has not bored you to tears… there was simply too much going on and too much to say! I hope that I have not missed any fantastic performances, though I fear it is inevitable as one can only be at one event at a time, and this year several events occurred on the same weekend. Regardless, congratulations to everyone who came out and participated, I hope to see more good stuff from D1 sailors throughout the winter, and I look forward to being the D1 secretary from now on! If you have any questions about laser sailing in the Atlantic Provinces, please contact me via email at danielle_dube947@hotmail.com, or by phone at (902) 229-1020.

District 2 Louis Beauregard Quebec, Canada

2010 was a bumper year for D2 masters sailing in terms of sailors attending regattas across North America from the East Coast to Florida, even Alamitos, CA. Several enthusiastic sailors have joined our ranks and we are nearing critical mass to develop a viable local scene. Our spring training camp has enjoyed continuous success... we now need to restrict admission to 14 hardy early season sailors. Upcoming: D2 Champs 25-26 September at Pointe-Claire Yacht Club (more info and results: www.laserd2.org).

District 3 Robert Koci Toronto, Canada

Please read this report silently and don’t move your lips. I am writing this at work so we need to be very quiet. And if I stop, or sound like I am doing something else, that’s because my boss, a VP for Rogers

FALL 2010

Communications, is walking past on his way to the john, which is just outside my office. He does that a lot.

It was a summer to remember for its unbelievably warm weather and my subsequent need to surreptitiously shop for candy, hats and shorts. It was one or the other (I can’t remember) that I promised my local sailing friends I would eat if global warming turned out to be real. I am not yet willing to acknowledge global warming, but I will say that the places that sell candy shorts are not for children. Let me start with the Masters fleet. In D3…

LA LA LA, NOTHING TO SEE HERE! DEAR JOHN, THANK YOU FOR YOU WONDERFUL LETTER. IT IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HEAR THAT SOMEONE LOVES THE MAGAZINE AS MUCH AS YOU DO...

(That was close)…we had a feast of regattas for the Masters in D3: the Great Lakes Masters in Sarnia, the Canadian Masters at Sturgeon Lake, the Ontario Masters at Lake Muskoka and the Ottawa Valley Masters at Lac Deschenes Sailing Club in Ottawa. Without negating the fun and excellent competition of all the regattas, it has to be said that the Canadian Masters may count as one of the best held in Ontario. Close to 50 masters from the US and Canada converged on one of Ontario’s most beautiful lakes to race over three days with some of the best wind of the summer. Master Al Clarke from Vancouver won the regatta, but needed his old man points to get past the guy I call The Ghost, Apprentice Ray Davies. Davies gets the moniker because we never see him until the big regattas, and then we never see him when he races because he is so far ahead.

Right behind Ray was Terry Neilson and Andy Roy, two of Ontario’s Laser sailing royalty. After that, the pageboys and spear-holders: me, Greg Tawaststjerna, Rob Muru and Nigel Heath.

The Ontario Masters was about as good, except one day shorter. For those of you who don’t know, Muskoka is to Toronto what the Hamptons are to New York City. There is an air of unreality about the place, but not the Jersey Shore, Snookie type. It is more like the Wives of D.C. unreality with nicer people and (way) less botox. Even when it rains, you feel like the sun is shining. Somehow you know that nothing bad will happen to you there, and nothing ever does. Both days brought an excellent breeze. I won the regatta, with Nigel next and Tobin Young third. The big boys in Fulls and the women in Radials were out sailing hard but mostly outside of the district. The Canadian Open was held in neighbouring D2 where D3 was in high-vis mode. The Radial fleet was won by Master D3 sailor Nigel Heath, with the Fulls captured by D3ers Chris Dold in first, Lee Parkhill, 2nd and Evan Lewis 3rd.

The crown jewel of D3 is CORK, and there our district was not quite as dominant. In fact in Radials, we could barely get a Canadian let alone a D3er on the podium, with Claire Merry from Toronto coming in third. YES SIR, I HAVE THE READER’S REPORT YOU

www.Laser.org

ASKED FOR AND THE COVER STORY IS BEING PROOFED AS WE SPEAK. YES, SIR. I KNOW SIR. OH NOTHING. I HURT MY ARM IN THE GYM AND IT FEELS BETTER WHEN I DRAPE IT OVER MY COMPUTER SCREEN LIKE THIS.

In the CORK Fulls we got two out of three, which, I am told, is not too bad. That is, Evert McLaughlin was first and Greg Clunies second. Speaking of Evert, he emerged this summer as the one to watch. His performances at the NAs (third place) and the US Nats (first place) were extraordinary for a guy who has not been on the Fulls scene for long.

At the World level, D3 struggled this summer, managing to get only one sailor (Chris Dold) into the Gold Fleet of the Senior Worlds and none in the Radial Worlds Gold Fleet. First D3 racer for the Worlds women was Claire Merry in the Silver Fleet. The Masters were better, with Andy Roy coming home in sixth place in the Full Rig Masters fleet and Joe Van Rossem a solid 11th place in the Great Grand Masters.

For those who stay closer to home, the D3 Gold Cup Series determines the top D3 sailor counting the scores of the best four of six local regattas. Five have been run to date, with Daniel Berry and Tyler Merrick duking it out for first place in the Radials and Paul Throop and Rob Hemming leading in the Fulls. The winner of the Gold Cups in Fulls, Radials, Juniors and Masters category will receive a new sail from Fogh Marine and D3. Okay, you can breathe now. I’m done. Thanks for being so quiet. I think we got away with…

WHAT DID YOU SAY? BUT I NEED MY PASS CARD TO GET OUT. YOU CAN’T TAKE MY PASS CARD…BUT…HEY…THAT MINE!! NO, I DON’T NEED AN ESCORT, I KNOW WHERE THE ELEVATOR IS, THANK YOU. GET YOUR HAND OFF MY ARM!! LET ME AT LEAST HIT SEND BEFORE YOU SHUT MY COMPUTER DOWN…

District 4 Brigitte Smutny Winnipeg, Canada

It was a busy summer season for the Laser sailors in Manitoba and north western Ontario. A provincial Laser circuit was established at the beginning of the season and was well attended throughout the summer. Our district 4 championships were hosted by Royal Lake of the Woods YC and were won by Royden Brousseau in the Laser, Andrew Fast in the Radial and Olivia Parkhill in the 4.7, all sailors are from RLWYC. The Provincial Team went on a three week road trip and participated in the US Nationals in Milwaukee after attending the Youth Nationals in Ottawa. The Provincial Championships circuit (best 5 out of 6 regattas) was won by Bill Dawson in the Laser, Sanders Belliveau-Pattern in the Radial and Emma Williams in the 4.7. For the first time in many years we had five Laser Master sailors participating in the Laser circuit. The Master title went to Bill Dawson. Congratulation to all winners!

District 6 Andy Hunt Vancouver, Canada

This will be the last District 6 report that covers regattas in the United States. As of October 1, District 6 will cover just British Columbia and Alaska. Oregon and Washington will become part of District 22. The conditions in the months of July, August and September provided competitors with a variety of wind and weather. It was either very light (0-5 knots) or very windy (20-23 knots). Competitors showed up to race in Standard Lasers (between 28 and 7) and Radials (between 32 and none) but with one notable exception, usually one 4.7. The exception to the 4.7s was Columbia Gorge OneDesign Regatta which had 10 4.7s.

The first regatta to report on is the WAVES regatta. This regatta is the biggest regatta on English Bay and has been going on for over 20 years. This year, the regatta started on July 2 and ended on July 4. As always, the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club hosted the regatta. There were 28 Standard Lasers, 23 Laser Radials and no Laser 4.7s. The race committee ran 9 races for both fleets over the three days. Courses were the standard RVYC double windwardleewards. The top 6 competitors were: Ricardo Montemayor, RVYC, 19.00; Kevin Grierson, RVYC, 30.00; Al Clark, RVYC, 35.00; Jason Rhodes, RVYC, 37.00; Michael Schalka, RVYC/SYC, 44.00; Geoff Abel, RvicYC, 53.00. The top 6 Radial sailors were: Joanna Moore, RVYC, 15.00; Cameron Ho, RVYC, 30.00; Maura Dewey, RvicYC, 31.00; Natalia Montemayor, RVYC, 37.00; Alexander Kroitzsch, RVYC, 47.00; Matthew Turner, RvicYC, 51.00. The next regatta was the following weekend at the Quilchena Sailing Centre on Nicola Lake. The support for the regatta was provided by the Kamloops Sailing Association. There was a combination of two different events. The main event was the BC Laser Master Championships. This event had 10 Master sailors competing for the coveted BC Laser Master Trophy. After 7 races, Bob Britten came out on top. The top three sailors were: Bob Britten (GM), RvicYC, 14.00; Jacek Suski (GM), JSCA, 25.00; David Westwood (A), JSCA, 30.00. Top Master was Tony Martin in 4th. place with 31 points and top Great Grand Master was Trevor Owen in 5th. place with 43 points. The other event was the BC Youth Championships. There were 5 Standard Lasers, 10 Laser Radials and 1 Laser 4.7. The five Standard Laser sailors were: Kyle Martin, RVYC, 6.00; Robbie Stevens, COSA, 14.00; Thomas Hardy, COSA, 18.00; Jonathan Cameron, KYC, 23.00 and Eavan Palmer, KYC, 28.00. There were two adult sailors who had to compete with the other Laser Radial sailors. These two sailors were master sailors but were not allowed by the race committee to race with the master sailors since they were sailing Radial rigs. The top four Radial sailors were all juniors and they were: Joanna Moore, RVYC, 6.00; Graeme Clendenan. NSST, 15.00; Fillah Karim, WVYC, 25.00 and Chris Wilson, NSST, 31.00. The only 4.7 sailor was Aidan Polglase,who sails out of the WVYC. The next regatta was the Pacific Coast Laser Master Championships. I believe that there will be a report of this event elsewhere in The Laser Sailor but for general information, the top five stan-

dard sailors were: Vilhelm Roberts (M), 31.00; Nicholas Pullen (A), 39.00; Tracy Usher (M), 42.00; Bill Symes (GM), 45.00 and Chris Boone (GM), 60.00. In the Radial division, the top five sailors were: Mark Halmen (GM), 40.00; John Sturman (A), 42.00; Bruce Braly (GM), 42.00; Jim Christopher (GM), 43.00 and Rob Hodson (GM), 47.00. The next regatta was held at Yale Lake and hosted by the Willamette Sailing Club. This regatta was called the Al Morris Regatta. The dates were July 31 and August 1. There were 7 Standard Lasers and the race committee ran 10 races. All of the competitors were from the Willamette Sailing Club. Top three sailors were: Doug Sleeman with 15 points, Rob Hodson with 17 points and David Sexton with 25 points. The next regatta was one of the biggest of the 2010 District 6 schedule. This was the Columbia Gorge One Design Regatta. There were 8 Standard Lasers, 24 Laser Radials and 10 Laser 4.7s. The race committee ran 9 races over three days. The regatta was held at Cascade Locks on August 6 – 8. The top three Lasers were Bill Symes, WSC, 18.00; Joe Burcar, CYC, 21.00 and John Purdy, WSC, 25.00. The top six Laser Radials were: Teddy Weaver, SYC, 13.00; Karl Haelrig, Sail Orcas, 14.00; Jake White, Sail Orcas, 28.00; Hanne Weaver, SYC, 32.00; Alexis Aird, CYC, 47.00; David Brink, SYC, 50.00. The top three Laser 4.7s were: Abby Hartmann, PMYC, 13.00; Jonathan Cannard, WSC, 16.00; Nathaniel Clemett, SYC, 29.00. The next regatta was the Junior Olympics, hosted by the Seattle Yacht Club on August 21 and 22.There were 10 Standard Lasers and an incredible 32 Laser Radials. Unfortunately, there were only two races over the two days. The top three Lasers were: Taylor Smith, OIYC, 3.00; Josh Billings, 4.00 and Adam DiDomiziossi (I can’t read my writing and might have got the last name wrong), 29.00. The top ten Radials were: David Brink, SYC, 3.00; Jake White, OIYC, 4.00; Alexis Aird, SYC, 5.00; Alex Dzinbal, 11.00; Laura Smit, SSSS, 13.00; Rhys Thompson, OIYC, 16.00; Brooke Murphy, 17.00; Jonathan Cannard, WSC, 21.00; Jake Fetterman, PMYC, 24.00 and Christopher Mowers, 37.00. The last regatta is the District 6 Championships. This regatta was held at the Bellingham Yacht Club on September 18 and 19. In addition to the positions mentioned in another report, Jacek Suski was first Grand Master and fifth overall, Tony Martin was first Master and, as mentioned, third overall and Doug Honey was first apprentice and 7th. Overall.

District 7 Kim Ferguson Rhode Island

As I write this it is September and we are in the middle of the Laser Master Worlds in the UK where D7 is being well represented. In reviewing the D7 blog to refresh my memory of the last few months, I realized that almost each regatta was covered and if not, the scores are on the “results” link on the website. So, rather than regurgitate the scores, I thought that I would highlight a few sailors and events instead. First congratulations to the 2010 D7 Champions, Ryan Schmitz and Scott Ferguson. The Buzzards

Bay Regatta (also the D7 Championship) had a big turnout in the Radial and Standard fleets. Ryan Schmitz of Port Washington, NY completely dominated the Radial fleet of 65 boats with (18),3,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 and Scott Ferguson of Jamestown, RI took the Standard fleet of 56 boats with 2,(3),2,2,1,1,1,1,3 .

For the 2011 D7 Championship we will be adding a 4.7 division/champion to the event so mark your calendars!

At the 2010 Hyannis Regatta, New Hampshire sailors, Sara Helbling and Peter Follansbee took top honors with Sara winning the Radial fleet (41 sailors) and Peter winning the Standard fleet (34 sailors).

Peter Seidenberg of Portsmouth, RI traveled to the German Radial Masters where he competed in the fleet of 36 as the only American. Peter won the event finishing 7 points ahead of the second place finisher.

The Area A’s qualifier were held at the New Bedford Community Boating center and run by the top notch RC out of The New Bedford Yacht Club. Ben Richardson of Glouster, MA and Christine Neville of Richmond, VT were the winners. Christine went on to finish 4th in the US Women’s Singlehanded Championship, which was held in Pensacola, FL.

At the C.O.R.K. Olympic Class Regatta, OJ O’Connell of Niantic, CT finished in an impressive 7th overall in the Radial Gold fleet. There was a great turnout of D7 youths at CORK this year.

Rob Crane of Darien, CT. qualified as one of only 4 to represent the USA at the men’s standard Laser Worlds. 160 sailors competed and were eventually broken out into 3 fleets –Gold, Silver and Bronze. Rob finished 17th in the Silver fleet.

While I could go on and on, I am limited by space so please enter your email where indicated on the blog (http://laserdistrict7.blogspot.com) to get the most up-to-date stories and photos. Also, check the “Regatta NOR/Results” page on the D7 website for NOR and results! You can promote your own events and boost the enthusiasm by sending me photos and stories.

Cheers from the UK!

District 8 Ted Cremer Long Island, New York

Greetings from Long Island and the surrounding areas. Ahhhh summer sailing in the Hamptons!

Mike Duran and Lynn Sexton once again put together an outstanding summer laser series. This summer in the fifth annual East End Laser Series, 59 sailors enjoyed 50 races over 8 consecutive Saturday afternoons at 8 of the most beautiful clubs on New York Long Island’s east end. The series included regattas on the North Fork at Old Cove YC, Shelter Island YC and Southold YC; regattas on the South Fork at Breakwater YC, Devon YC, Noyac Bay Informal but Competitive Laser Racing Association and

Southampton YC and welcomed Westhampton YS as a new venue. The varied fleet included 10 women and girls, 7 juniors and 2 great grand masters. Race days were generally a 2pm start and 5 or 6 windward-leeward courses with the race committee in the middle.The series winner was Geoff Loffredo with regatta finishes of 1, 2, 2, and 7. Bob Terry (District Web Guru) was second and the top masters sailor with regatta finishes of 1, 3, 3, and 9. Doug Mercer was third and the top great grand master with regatta finishes of 3, 3, 4, and 10. Lynn Sexton was the top woman and top radial sailor. Congratulations to all the racers and a sincere Thank You!!! to the host clubs. Geoff joins previous EELS winners Matt Dougherty (2008), Spencer Olssen (2009) and Rudy Ratsep (2006 and 2007). Sayville Yacht Club once again hosted the District 8 Championship during a beautiful Mid July weekend. PRO George Becza did a fine job on Saturday managing the light and variable conditions. Sunday showed much more wind after the seabreeze kicked in with Kyle Swenson only getting faster as the breeze built. He won ALL 3 of Sunday’s windy races. There was a 3 way tie for second place! The Radial fleet once again was dominated by Ryan Schmitz who clearly benefited from all the practicing at Sayville throughout his stellar young career. Ryan was the most consistent sailor of the weekend just eeking out fellow LISOT sailor Matt Mollerus. The 4.7 fleet fielded 3 sailors with two Shanahans (Brendan was the winner!) and another Cremer sailing. Congratulations to Sayville Yacht Club for fielding seven sailors and for hosting a great regatta. Laser (11 boats) (top) Series Standing - 6 races scored 1. 190462, Kyle Swenson, , 1-[2]-2-1-1-1- ; 6 2. 185512, Mike Russom, , 5-1-[12/DNS]-6-2-2- ; 16T 3. 195428, Lindsay Hewitt, , 2-[5]-4-3-4-3- ; 16T 4. 175541, James Barry, , 4-4-3-2-3-[8]- ; 16T 5. 189788, Matt Doherty, , 6-3-1-5-[7]-7- ; 22 6. 173257, Michael Byrnes, , 3-6-7-[8]-6-4- ; 26 7. 162020, Ted Cremer, , [9]-7-6-4-5-5- ; 27 8. 173634, Donald Woodworth, , [8]-8-5-7-8-6- ; 34 9. 182388, Macklin Fluehr, , [10]-10-8-9-9-9- ; 45 10. 116812, Andrew Cremer, , 7-9-9-[12/DNS]-12/DNS-12/DNS-;49 11. 190432, Eric Stickney, [12D / NF]-12/DN C-12/DNS-1D 2/NS-12/D NS-12/DNS-; 60

Laser Radial (14 boats) (top) Series Standing - 6 races scored 1. 195921, Ryan Schmitz, , 1-2-5-[8]-2-1- ; 11 2. 195931, Matt Mollerus, , [5]-3-3-1-1-4- ; 12 3. 15778, Jack Swikart, , 4-1-2-4-4-[6]- ; 15 4. 187316, Gary Prieto, , 8-[10]-4-3-3-2- ; 20 5. 196261, Scott Houck, , [6]-6-1-5-6-3- ; 21 6. 195889, Catherine Shanahan, , 2-5-8-[9]-8-5- ; 28 7. 173256, Colin Kennedy, , 7-[9]-9-2-7-7- ; 32 8. 179135, Kaylee Schwitzer, , 10-7-7-[12]-5-9- ; 38 9. 175218, Andrew Puopolo, , [12]-11-12-7-9-8- ; 47 10. 169389, Morgan Russom, [13]-13-6-6-12-11- ; 48T 11. 183864, Kia Olsson, , [11]-8-10-10-10-10- ; 48T 12. 197996, Sarah Stubbs, 3-4-[15/DNS]-15/DNS-15/DNS-15/DNS-;52 13. 193341, Emma Davis, , 9-14-[15/DNS]-11-13-12- ; 59 14. 167488, Nicholas Klingler, , [14]-12-11-13-11-13- ; 60 Laser 4.7 (3 boats) (top) Series Standing - 6 races scored 1. 188969, Brendan Shanahan, , 1-1-[2]-1-1-1- ; 5 2. 188988, Patrick Shanahan, , [3]-2-1-2-2-2- ; 9 3. 162178, Brian Cremer, ,2-3-[4/DNS]-4/DNS-4/DNS-4/DNS-;17

FALL 2010

Upcoming fall series. New Fall Series! Hi Folks - Sebago CC Sailing in Brooklyn, NY will be having a Fall Race Series this year for Laser, Sunfish and Force 5. It is open to all sailors in the area, for a minimal fee of $15 (if you are not a Sebago member, & covers the entire series). You may store your boat at the club for $50 for the duration of the series. Here are the details SCC Sailing announces the Fall Racing Series 2010 Open to all Laser, Sunfish and Force 5 sailors Details: http://sebagocanoe club.org/pdfs/NOR_SCCSailing_Fall2010.pdf Notice of Race, http://sebagocanoeclub.org/pdfs/SI_SCCSailing_Fall 2010.pdf Sailing Instructions 7 days of Racing: SCHEDULE: Series Days Sept. 18, 2010 – Saturday Sept. 26, 2010 – Sunday Oct. 3, 2010 – Sunday Oct. 10, 2010 – Sunday Oct. 17, 2010 – Sunday Oct. 24, 2010 – Sunday Oct. 31, 2010 – Sunday

Series Times: 12:15 pm - Skippers’ Meeting. 1:00 pm - First Warning Signal, races to follow. (Water and Snacks available on the water)

Fee $15 for Non-Sebago members, $50 for Series boat storage.

Skippers meeting 11:45, water start 12:30.

Info - http://sebagocanoeclub.org/sailing.html

Holly and Jim, 917-587-0117.......... SCC Sailing Another New Fall Series! All of the great folks at the Dinghy Shop just wanted to let you know that they will be hosting their Laser fall series again this year. Racing will take place on Saturdays, beginning on September 18th and concluding on October 23rd.

If you have any questions feel free to contact them Dinghy Shop Inc 334 South Bayview Ave Amityville NY 11701

Email : info@dinghyshop.com Tel : 631-264-0005 Fax : 631-598-8540

North of buoy 20 on the Great South Bay Another New Fall Series! Just wanted to let you know that if you want to sail in Westhampton’s fall series it is not to late. You can still sail and reg if you want. Just contact the club and let them know you are interested. You can also leave your boat there for the whole series so no need to step and lower masts. Check out the link for the NOR. http://www.yachtsquadron.com/sailing_special.php

John Zambriski Sailing Coach Westhampton Yacht Squadron

Club # 631-325-8321

District 9 Chas Williamson Ithaca, NY

We have been having a very pleasant but slightly light weather season so far. Not good training for Phil Alley and Mike Rivlin’s 49er, or my Masters sailing. We need to travel to get wind and waves around these parts. I am writing from Bavaria, in the alps at a European Turbulence conference. I am not going to incorporate lederhosen as hiking pants yet, but the leather is quite resilient - it is tempting. We have had a full set of regattas this year, and I include here a couple of mid-season events - the regatta at Turner HQ - namely Chautauqua - and Youngstown. In the next report we shall have the District Championships at Sodus Bay, as well as Seneca and the dreaded Deathroll Regatta at Willowbank.

At Chautauqua YC (26 June 2010), the Turner Dynasty again ran a regatta in what finally sounded like good conditions: Here is a quote from the Team Turner on their CLYC website: “It was, of course, the first light wind day that we have seen in Chautauqua County this summer. Fortunately a sailable wind arose out of the Southwest that allowed us to get in what ended up as a good regatta. It was most of all, a day that you wanted to be in the wind”. Nice !! Last year the Turner Team beat all comers and took the first four places - and you should see Marc’s kids in their Opties cleaning up in all the regattas. More Dynasty watching to come,

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and that is not just on Texas ! The 2010 regatta was won by .....Mark Sertl with three bullets, and he came in from Rochester YC and sailed with panache as always. Rick Turner finished on equal points with Ithaca traveller Luke Miller, but got second on tie breaker. In fourth place was Lauren Turner, sophomore in the now-Coached Big Red Team at Cornell. Cherise Robinson rounded out the top five. David Menzies I am sure was a part of the great organisation. Well done Mark ! and thanks for your e-mail: “Charles - I missed you today at Chautauqua!“ I am sorry I could not go to that very beautiful venue. 1. Mark Sertl; 2. Rick Turner; 3. Lucky Luke Miller; 4. Lauren Turner; 5. Cherise Robinson; 6. Reid Gustafson; 7. David Menzies; 8. Pete Mueller; 9. Joe Miller; 10. Kirk Kelly.

On 3rd July, I drove to Youngstown YC for their regatta, and had the great joy of racing some enthusiastic sailors, including the great J22-J24 keelboat sailor Kevin Doyle, also it was great to meet up again with Richie who was in great form ! Chas took the first two races in some breezy conditions basically the whole race course would get windier and darker corresponding with a South Westerly coming in (prevailing wind), and we would all hike hard, and then it would peter out, and the pushy sealand breeze from East-Nor-East would come back as a lighter breeze. This would go on all afternoon, but at least we were hiking. Richie soooo got this right and won a deserving third race. Kev came through for the win in Race 4, and Palm Beach sailor John McNally won Race 5. At the end of a lovely warm day’s sailing, Chas had won with 1-1-2-2-2, followed by Richie with 2-3-1-4-5 (one of everything). John McNally was a very happy third, followed by J star Kevin Doyle. Great to see Bobby Bryant take fifth after also his win at Newport earlier this year Great to have you in a Laser Bobby ! The food afterwards was very nice as always - but we hope the great BBQ comes back next year. Thanks so much Youngstown - what a beautiful place to sail, with Canada on one side, US on the other, and a fantastic castle on a hill at the entrance to the river. Well done sailors: 1st Chas Williamson. 2. Richie Wait. 3. John McNally. 4. Kevin Doyle. 5. Bobby Bryant. 6. Chris Doyle. 7. Jimmy Carminati. 8. James Gardner. 9. Guy Jones. 10. Jack Doyle.

District 10 Eric Reitinger New Jersey

The summer was a busy season for the district. Some cool highlights: Saw at least 30 radials over a span of a few junior regattas in upper Barnegat Bay Saw 8-10 4.7s over a span of a few junior regattas in upper Barnegat Bay The junior group of the district is doing well. We also had weekly interclub races for juniors on Wednesdays on Long Beach Island, BBYRA (upper Barnegat Bay), and weekend racing in MAYRA (Southern New Jersey and Philly area). Just like last year there was so much to mention, I’ll list the sailors who traveled to various events and which ones they participated in. Arielle Delisser (Barnegat Light YC) – Leiter (champ) Eric Reitinger (Brant Beach YC) - O’Day, District 11s

Ryan Bailey (Island Heights YC) – Smythe, CORK, Hyannis, Gulf Coasts, NAs Mike Hecky (Riverton YC) - D9 (champ) Dylan Finneran (Toms River YC/GPYC ) – Youth Radial Worlds, D11s Jack Swikart (Shrewsbury and Sailing YC) – Nationals, D8, NAs Andrew Puopolo (Marsh Creek SC) – Youth Radial Worlds, BBR, D11, D8, NAs, Nationals Don Hahl (Brant Beach YC) – Master ACCs Joe Paggi (Ocean Gate YC/Island Heights YC) – Smythe, CORK, Hyannis, Billy Martin (Riverton YC) – BBR Mac Feaster (Island Heights YC) – GCCs, CORK Colin Feaster (Island Heights YC) – NAs, CORK Tommy Zanowik (Island Heights YC) – CORK Tommy Burke (Metedeconk River YC) – CORK Eric Sowell (Metedeconk River YC) – CORK David Alldian (Metedeconk River YC) – CORK Dan Kraus (Island Heights YC) – CORK, GCC, NAs Matt Kraus (Island Heights YC) – GCC, NAs Max Lopez (Monmouth Boat Club) – GCC Jerzy Sliwiniki (Marsh Creek SC) – D11 Faye Flam (Philadelphia Laser Fleet) – Masters Nationals, D11 Kelly McGlynn (Little Egg Harbor YC) – Leiter Joe Lepis (Lavallette YC) - CORK Bob DiFillippo (Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia) - Hyannis Nick Pro (Riverton YC) – CORK Austin Neuman (Riverton YC) – CORK Alec Hunter (Island Heights YC) – CORK Mike Russom (Greater Wildwood YC) – D8, CORK Morgan Russom (Greater Wildwood YC) – D8 The fall schedule starts back up in September with our fall series of 5 regattas. There are also a great set of fall series races on Sundays at various venues. Sailing doesn’t end there for the season because we also have 3 local frostbite series as well (Marsh Creek, Monmouth and Cooper River). SCYC Annual 9/11-12 BBYC Fall Series 9/19, 9/26, 10/3 Beachwood Fall Series 9/12,9/19, 9/26, 10/3 District 10 Champs @ Cape May Corinthian 9/2526 Marsh Creek Fall Laser Regatta 10/2 Monmouth Fall Regatta 10/9 Cooper River Fall 10/23

District 11 Jon Deutsch Virginia

At this point most of season has been completed and it sure was a great summer. Now that it’s over many of our fleets are gearing up for their winter frostbiting season with series planned in several locations around the district. In Annapolis, Severn Sailing Association will sail Sundays. Visit their website http://severnsailing.org/fleets/laser for specific dates and times. In Washington DC, Potomac River Sailing Association will sail Sundays. Their website with dates and times is available here: http://potomacriversailing.org/lasers/ The Dinghy Crazies in Norfolk Virginia will have some winter frostbiting planned. Email Leon Garber leongarber@aol.com for details. The North East River Laser Fleet sailing in Havre de Grace will have frostbiting and their website can

be found at: http://frostbitesailing.wordpress.com/ To recap some of our summer events: Our District 11 Championship was held at the end of August at Corsica River Yacht Club on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The club recently moved onto a new property with some great new facilities. The turnout was fantastic with 42 standard rigs and 19 radials. Unfortunately for us, the wind did not turn out like the sailors and both days were marred by light winds and challenging current. Both fleets did manage 3 races. Scott Houck (Annapolis Yacht Club) took 2 bullets and a 6th to finish first in the standard rig fleet ahead of Kyle Swenson (Fishing Bay Yacht Club) and Mathew Schofield (SSA/AYC). Two district 10 sailors Eric Reitinger (Brant Beach Yacht Club) and Dylan Finneran rounded out the top 5. The Radial fleet was dominated by a few LISOT sailors. The fleet was won by Gary Prieto (Old Cove Yacht Club) and he was followed by Sarah Stubbs (American Yacht Club) and Stefan Kuehn (Old Cove Yacht Club). Following racing and dinner on Saturday we held a quick District 11 Annual meeting which was attended by 20-25 members. Minutes of which can be found on our website. All of the folks at Corsica River YC did a great job hosting the regatta and we want to thank them for all of their hard work! A nice junior radial circuit has emerged in the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay. About 20-30 sailors sailed 4 regattas from July 4 through the following weekend. Events included West River’s Junior Regatta, AYC’s Annual Junior Regatta, SSA’s Sandy MacVickar and the Bay Open US Sailing Junior Olympic Festival at Rock Hall Yacht Club. Junior sailors – mark your calendar for next year and come to the Chesapeake Bay for week of Laser racing. Our 2011 District 11 championship is tentatively scheduled for a late May or Early June date to be held at Fishing Bay Yacht Club hopefully on the 4-5 of June. The event will be held in conjunction with the US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C Elimination. For all of the latest news, schedule, boats for sale and more, visit the District 11 Website at http://www.laserdistrict11.org

District 12 Christian Koppernaes North Carolina

The few of months have been busy for D12 Sailors. Check out our website @ d12.laserforum.org.

The Masters Mid-winters, Midweek Madness and the Florida Masters in Jensen beach and West Palm Beach and The Mid-winters in Clearwater were also well represented by D12. Good times were had by all, except maybe, Peter Vessella, who showed his TRUE LASER SAILOR spirit by winning the regatta while all the time he was experiencing an annoying heart attack. Worst of all, Peter had to take DNC’s for the next two events while he had a double by-pass performed. Tough break Peter! Good turnouts were reported in D12 events in Savannah and The grand Prix in Beaufort. I, unfortunately, was unable to attend. I did attend the event in Wrightsville Beach. Very challenging conditions caused by the light air and huge waves rolling in from “Collin” offshore.

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Krysta Rhode edged out Eric Otgen to take first overall and Leif Koppernaes was the top Junior finishing 11th on the Open Course. First place Radial was Avery Fanning. The sailing was tough but the surfing was excellent as reported by several competitors who also brought their boards along.

District 12 needs more regattas in the Midlands. This year only one D12 event is to be sailed on any of the Lakes. Any club interested in hosting an event next year can contact me through the district website.

District 19 Ken Swetka Michigan

In Michigan we had a great summer of Laser sailing. Between our own D19 regattas and other’s held close by there was always something coming up. June 19 UMSC Spring Regatta - Baseline Lake, Ann Arbor - It was a warm sunny day where the sailing attire was shorts and t-shirts. There were 7 full rigs and one 4.7 that race 7 races. Jim Meyer from nearby Barton Pond captured the victory. For more info go to http://www.umich.edu/~umsc/regattas.html, scroll down to Results and Pictures and select a link at 2010 Spring Laser Regatta results and photos. June 26-27 Masters Great Lakes - Sarnia Yacht Club, Ontario, Canada – This regatta was right across the border at Port Huron, MI so it was “almost” D19 where 23 boats took to the waters of lower Lake Huron. There 4 races on Saturday with winds from 5 to 12 knots. The weather mark ended up quite close to the beach which made for some challenging tactical situations. Each start had the current (a bit over 1 kt) pushing everyone over so if you look in the Full Results links you will find some OCS scores. On Sunday we were greeted by fog and no wind so we waited ashore for an hour before getting towed out. Some nice wind filled in and we started a race but part way through it got weird so it was abandoned. The wind shifted about 90 degrees, settled, and off we went again. The wind stayed fairly steady throughout this race at about 5-6 kts. The wind and current were almost the same direction which made for a very long beat and fairly quick run. The race committee tried to get another race off. We started and about 20 minutes later only made it 1/2 way up the beat. They were also monitoring weather and some nasty front was approaching so they thought it best to tow us in. We got heavy rain while putting away the boats but nothing too bad. Later that day we heard about a tornado just to the Northwest in Michigan. All in all from RC to food to billeting the Sarnia group did a great job! 1 Ken Swetka – Master 2 Tom Labelle – Master 3 Denys Deschameault – Great Grand Master 4 Harumitsu Yamamoto – Apprentice 5 Leigh Savage - Master Full Overall Results and by Category can be found in the Regattas section of www.d19laser.org. July 10-11 D19 Grand Prix Championship - Gull Lake Yacht Club Gull Lake Yacht Club did a great job hosting this year’s District. Chad Coberly and his wife Michelle did a lot of work getting it all organized. Michelle did registration and was able to get over a dozen

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new Laser Class members signed up! Way to go!! The club facilities are very, very nice. They even have towels in the shower! It is also a golf and country club but luckily they were able to tolerate us for a couple days. Saturday started out looking promising as we were rigging but then as we sailed out it got quite a bit lighter. We waited about 1/2 hour for the wind to settle enough before the RC got things going. Gull Lake had some interesting winds that sailors such as myself could never really figure out. If you look at the results you’ll see some guys had it figured out pretty good. We got 4 races, as planned, sailed and were in by about 5pm. Sunday did not look as promising and we all drifted to the starting area and waited about an hour for some wind. It was again difficult to figure out what side would pay. It seemed most of Saturday was “go left” but on Sunday it was hit and miss. Chad ended up winning the tie breaker over Matt Woodworth for the overall win. After Master’s scoring Chad also was top Master. He ran the regatta and won! 1 Chad Coberly -Gull Lake YC 2 Matt Woodworth -Chicago YC 3 Charlie Knapp -Grand Rapids YC 4 Doug Carlson -Lansing YC 5 Susie Pegel -Lake Geneva YC Full Results and links to photos can be found in the Regattas section of www.d19laser.org. Jul 31 - Aug 1 Leland Laser Regatta Another great event by Leland Yacht Club. Hats off to Alan and his group for top rate hospitality. We only got one day of racing but it is always fun to hang out with that group in Fish Town! First place was Jeff Ragains, second was Jim Meyers, and third was Ken Swetka. For full results and other info on the regatta check out the Regattas section of www.d19laser.org. Aug 11-14 Western Regional Championships – Spring Lake –story compliments of Bruce Hansen There was a fairly low turn-out in the Laser fleet, 18 boats. That was expected. Still had great racing though. Charlie Knapp won all 5 races while the rest of fleet battled for the remaining podium. In 2nd place with 31 points was Dell Todd. In third and the top woman in the fleet was Amy Bourne with 33 points. The top Junior also with 33 points was Isaac Kremers. Full results can be found here: http://www.wmya.org/race_info/2010/laser_results.h tml Aug 28 Annual Lake Lansing Regatta – story compliments of Doug Carlson ** 37 boats!!! Warm temperatures, clear skies and a favorable southerly wind provided the perfect playground for 37 Laser sailors from three different states who participated in the 2010 Lansing Sailing Club District 19 Laser Regatta. With winds blowing from the south the race committee was able to set an Olympic course with a windward leg approximately three quarters of a mile long. Tom LaBelle from Rochester Hills, a two time winner of the LSC Laser Regatta got off to a great start again this year winning the first race of the day. He went on to win two more races earning him the top spot of the regatta and his third LSC Laser Regatta title. Fresh off of his second at the US Nationals and first place finish at CORK, EJ O’Mara from Burton, MI, posted high finishes throughout the day to keep pressure on LaBelle and finish 2nd for the day. Doug Carlson from Okemos, MI and a LSC member rounded out the top three in

3rd place. This year there were special classes for both women and junior competitors. Mary Vorel from Grand Rapids finished 14th in the regatta to top the woman’s group. Ethan Battani from Grand Rapids, MI finished 7th overall to lead the juniors. John LeFevre led the Race Committee consisting of Alanna Harvey, Paul Chaffee, Jonathan Ahlbrand, and Stephen Wagner with John Kolstoe assisting on shore. The team did a great job of keeping the day moving and enabling us to get all six races in with plenty of time for the post-racing festivities. Maribeth Fletcher again organized and set up all the fixings for the “you cook-it” BBQ that included huge steaks, chicken, baked potatoes, ice cream and beverages provided by Michigan Brewing Company. No one left hungry… After the BBQ trophies where presented to the top finishers and door prizes, provided by Avon Sailboats, were awarded to the lucky ticket holders. As always the regatta was also supported by many fleet members before and during the regatta in getting the facilities ready for hosting this annual event. Participants were especially appreciative of the contributions made by our Regatta Sponsors, Avon Sailboats and Michigan Brewing Company. Visit the Lansing Sailing Club Website at www.lansingsailing.org for complete race results and to view over 300+ pictures of the event taken by Stephen Wagner. Thank you to all our participants and sponsors. Without you we could not have had such a great day! Sep 18 Grand Traverse Yacht Club Fall Regatta Traverse City - the deadline for TLS is Sep 15. As of this writing the author is in Traverse City for a long weekend waiting to do this event… Other events that were very close to D19( Michigan) were the Great Lakes in Sandusky on Aug 7-8 and US Championships in Milwaukee on Aug 12-15. So with very little travelling D19 sailors had a lot to choose from this year! 2010 Remaining Events – more details at www.d19laser.org Sep 25 No Sweat - Portage Yacht Club Oct 2 Frosty Mug Regatta - Irish Laser Fleet, Little Traverse Bay, Harbor Springs Oct 3 UMSC Fall Regatta - Baseline Lake, Ann Arbor Oct 16 Pumpkin Head Regatta – Grand Rapids Yacht Club Nov 26 Black Friday Regatta - Mid-Michigan Laser Fleet That’s it for now from D19!

District 20 Steve Dolan Wisconsin

A year in the planning and the event came and went over 4 days last August 12-15. One hundred and twenty one sailors descended upon Milwaukee Yacht Club, my home base, from as far away as San Diego California, and the Southern Provinces of Canada to sail in the Laser US Championship on the waters of Lake Michigan. I had never before sailed in anything of its size or caliber and was left awe struck by sailing prowess and fitness of the competitors many of which were half my age and still not of legal age. Short lines there were at the beer keg after racing and so were the mark roundings from my vantage point way in the back of the fleet. Not one with brilliant boat speed, I learned quickly how

difficult it is to get off the starting line in the front row, how costly it is to loose the inside advantage at mark roundings but how easy it is to navigate an 8 mile trapezoid course 2 miles offshore when there are 50+ competitors ahead of you showing you the way. Yes I must confess I spent way too many hours in committee meetings making sure we had every detail covered and not enough time training on the open waters of Lake Michigan. Working too many nights and eating too many cheeseburgers probably didn’t help either. Hats off though to the 15 D20 sailors who competed: Radial Division Whitney Kent (168590) 53rd William Rozanski (178993) 54th Megan McMahon (126752) 55th Standard Rig Division Matt Woodworth (168196) 8th Roman Plutenko (196157) 25th Robert Pickens (193365) 33rd Dave Poquette (187223) 35th Jim Costakis (175224) 39th Paul Wurtzebach (175529) 40th Andrew Aronson (179491) 45th Terry McMahon (176980) 49th Steve Dolan (198003) 50th Mike Blumberg (177359 53rd Sean Lennon (183847) 56th Ben Roy (173944) 57th On another note, congratulations to Roman Plutenko (196157) for winning the District Championship yet again. Roman narrowly edge out Dave Poquette (187223) taking the championship on a tie breaker. Thanks to Bob Franke (160979) and South Shore Yacht Club for organizing and hosting this past August 1, 2 The fall sailing season in District 20 is heating up and Fall Frostbiting is not too far off. As always for up to date scores, regatta schedules and used boats for sale in our district, check out http://d20.laserforum.org See you out on the water.

District 21 Kurt Holtze Minnesota

Wow, what a year it was in D21. Everything happened so fast this year. We got in a lot of racing in in a short span of time. Our evening racing was very strong at Wayzata. We were getting 20 boats on the line and sometimes more. We had a lot new comers from the Wayzata Community Sailing Center sail with us this year. It was great to have them and to have so many boats on the line. Calhoun and White Bear were not as high in numbers but were also fun places to sail. Being able to sail three days during the week is such a treat here. Each venue is about a half hour away from Minneapolis which gives you plenty of time to make it after work. Actually to be far we have two places in the metro area to sail on Wednesday nights. Bold Eagle and Calhoun both have evening races. I didn’t make it to Bold Eagle this year but heard they are doing well. For regattas we had are usual events. Except this year we had our districts at the Minnetonka Yacht Club. We got to sail on the main lake. Turn out was around 25 boats. In 5th place was Mark Dunsworth with 25 points, 4th was Matt Thompson with 16 points. 3rd place was Mike Schmidt with 14 points. 2nd was Bruce Martinson

with 13 points. With 11 points was me. If I remember correctly it came down to the last race. Mike flipped while in first going down wind and Bruce didn’t cover me, sweet! Fun sailing was had by all. A big thanks need to go to Minnetonka Yacht Club and Bruce Martinson. It was the first time Minnetonka Yacht Club hosted a laser regatta for us and they did a great job. Lets do it again next year. Our big Grand Prix regatta this year was in Duluth MN. The weekend just before The US Champs in Millwakee. We were hoping for some wave practice and we got it. On Saturday we headed out onto Lake Superior. Record high water temperatures were strange and probably wrong but we did kind of like it. We had good winds and great waves. Surfing was fun and upwind was tricky for a bunch of pond sailors like myself. We got in 5 races in on Saturday. Except for an unexpected protest Saturday after racing I think everyone enjoyed them selves on Saturday. Since we knew Lara and John DallmanWeiss were tired of pushing all the lasers over the sand dunes we decided to sail in the bay. We got in 3 more races and were done in time for everyone to head home. In 5th place was Martin Bonsager with 39 points, Ryan Drake took 4th with 35 points, Mike Madge took 3rd with 30 points, Bruce ended up in 2nd with only 17points, and Mike Schmid came on strong with two first on Sunday to win the regatta with 16 points. Duluth is such a treat for everyone. We sail on the main lake on Saturday and on Sunday we sail in the bay. The Duluth scene on Friday and Saturday night is also fun. It’s a small club but they do a great job taking care for us whenever we come up, thank you. Big thanks needs to go to Bill Reed for all the work he did and for his unexpected accommodations. Thanks Bill. The year is wrapping up. The nights are getting shorter. Are evening racing is down to two more evenings at Calhoun. For regatta we have the NUMB and Thanks Giving Day regatta left. That’s all for now.

District 24 Dave Lapier NorCal

It was a great summer season for Laser Sailors in northern California. This was a year where it was easy to see that many sailors really improved a lot. Drake Jensen is now always seen at the front of the fleet, or charging back and winning, in many local races. He and his dad travel everywhere. Drake was honored at the Youth Champs with the Dave Perry Sportsmanship Trophy. Christy Usher made the switch from desperate laser wife to awesome competitor. She will be competing in the Master World Championship this year in Hayling Island. Mark Halman teaches sailing classes at his yacht club; he practices hard, really focuses on key aspects of his game, and shares his drive to improve with kindred spirits, like your author, which is greatly appreciated. Kaitlyn Baab turned in an outstanding performance in Florida in the Women’s Youth Nationals. Dominic Bove has worked very hard and now competes at the top of the class worldwide in the radials. Master sailor Jean-Bernard Duler brings abundant energy to the race course, he is in great shape, constantly on the water, and sailing better all the time. Each one of these people is fun to be with and really sets the standard for enthusiasm and sportsmanship. So why do we race sailboats?

Because it’s fun, it’s beautiful, and the people are great. Now to the racing!

Some of the more enthusiastic Laser sailors joined John Super at the Bayview Boat Club to participate in the “Plastic Classic”. Everyone should visit the Bayview Boat Club, which is situated just south of Pac Bell Park right on the bay. It is a funky gem in an urban setting. The club is bright yellow with a fantastic flower garden. I swear I saw Jerry Garcia the last time that I was there. The race is an invitational event for old fiberglass cruising boats — plastic classics – so I guess Lasers meet the requirement. San Francisco NOOD The”NOOD” was a huge event, Headquartered at the St Francis Yacht Club, over 160 boats in 16 separate classes on three separate racecourses. The French connection – Jean-Bernard and Jacques were there to be seen. Jon Andron put in a strong show on the first day. Results: 1) Nick Burke, 2) Walt Spevak, 3) Kurt Wessels, 4) Jean-Bernard Duler, 5) Jacques Kerrest. (16 Boats) High Sierra Regatta A record 25 Lasers made it to fabulous Huntington Lake. The sailing is fascinating in this picturesque mountain setting, with a local thermal created by high granite hills at one end of the lake. Chris Boome must have remembered to “head for the Boy Scout Camp”, then, “tack if you fall below the rock”, then “avoid the dam when you get to the top of the lake”, then “stay close to the shore on the run”, since he is the new champ. Results: 1) Chris Boome, 2) Joe Wells, 3) Roger Herbst, 4) Tracy Usher, 5) Richard Leland, 6) Chris Vilicich, 7) David Wyllie, 8) Jim Christopher, 9) John Barrere, 10) Julian Soto (25 Boats). Dinghy Delta Ditch The Dinghy Delta Ditch is a downwind long distance race travelling up the Sacramento River Delta. The event emulates a classic bay race for keelboats. The 2010 DDD had the makings of a record breaking year based on the conditions at the start blowing 15-25 knots. The pursuit start was underway sending the slower boats off first and the faster boats hunting them down. Putting a damper on the record books as soon as the boats turned the corner into the man-made shipping channel the wind moderated to a traditional 7-10 knots. The first boats finished just after 6:30 PM and the majority of the fleet was in by 7:15. While the 6th annual DDD won’t go down in the record books it may have been one of the most enjoyable yet with the pursuit race adding that extra bit of drama. The first Laser, Roger Herbst, finished 9th overall after applying the Portsmouth Handicap. Results: 1) Roger Herbst, 2) Josh Lindsay, 3) Will Lowe. Kip Laur Reunion – Tahoe YC Championship Our good friend John Jensen writes, “The day was beautiful with cloudless blue skies and perfect warm temperatures. A few spectators watched the 6 races from the pine shaded shore with hardly any need for binoculars. Sailors had the lake was to themselves except for a few fisherman and who seemed more interested in watching the fleet of little white sails form stretches of design — back and forth around the colorful buoys. “ “After the racing everyone gathered at the community campground. The barbecues produced outdoor cooking smells of meaty delicacies and unhusked

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corn cooked in the fire pit. The bar was open and free with all kinds of concoctions. Music flowed sweetly from the sound system and after the banquet concluded the awards commenced with the giving of the perpetual cup to a deserving club member and a showing of the newly trophy awarded at the Laser Masters Nationals, which was donated by Tahoe YC in memory of deceased laser sailor and beloved competitor Tony Dahlman. Last but not least the day’s trophies were awarded complete with great commentary.” “The light 3 to 5 kt wind with occasional gusts to 10 at most was tremendously difficult. “I just gave up trying to figure it out after the second race” was a quote from one of the veterans.” Drake Jensen was the champion, after his fourth try.

District 25 Nils Andersson SoCal

Well, the summer really went fast this year. Maybe because we have had a rather cold summer here in So Cal so it didn’t really feel like summer. However the Laser sailing has not cooled down in D25. The high point was the Laser Masters North American Championship August 13-15, hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club and sailed outside Long Beach on the ocean in big waves and nice breezes hitting over 20 knots the first day. Personally I haven’t had so much fun racing my Laser (Radial) in a long time. More by Steven Smith, the regatta chair, who has an inside report on the regatta in this issue of TLS. We still have Laser racing to do to the end of the

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year but the end of the summer season use to be the Labor Day Regatta hosted by ABYC and including our D25 Championship. This year the Radials ruled with 51 boats on the starting line and 23 Full rigs. The first day we had the typical Long Beach sea breeze of about 15 knots at the end of the day but the second day there was a stubborn marine layer that didn’t want to be burned off. The wind was out of the south and very light with the normal weekend power boat wakes. Winner in the Radial Fleet was Kieran Chung, New Port Harbor YC, second Matt Morris San Diego YC and third Domenic Bove, St Francis YC. The Full rig was won by Oliver Toole, Santa Barbara YC, second Ben Leibowitz, Alamitos Bay YC and third Michael Bradley, Long Beach YC. The complete results can be found at www.abyc.org.

After 10 years I have decided to turn over the District Secretary ship to someone else for 2011, when I turn 73, and before dementia hits too hard, although there are no signs of that yet. A great Laser sailor has accepted to take it on; he is Jorge Suarez of Alamitos Bay YC. Jorge has been Laser Co-Fleet Captain with Steven Smith at ABYC. We need some new brains and eyes to help the Class and to expand the membership; I know Jorge will be the man. I’ll still be racing and I’m looking forward to the Masters Worlds 2011.

Photo above: Midwest high school sailor during the singlehanded qualifier. Jill Powell photo.

EVAN LEWIS H.B.KIN., CSCS, CK

Weight – It’s just a number

If I had a dollar for every time that I saw a person in the gym struggling to perform a given exercise - whose form is so terrible I have to look away - I would be able to buy a new sail for every regatta I race for the rest of my life.

Weight or mass is an absolute numbered scale that describes the heaviness of an object based on an agreed standard. The gym is often a place where people obsess about weight, whether it is weight lifted or body weight. The focus of this article is how relevant or irrelevant the weight you are lifting is during your off-season training program.

When you perform a given resistance (weight training) exercise, like a bicep curl for example, your muscle is forced to work against the resistance of the object you are trying to lift. To perform each repetition your brain sends signals to your muscle, recruiting groups of muscle fibres to contract. Once enough groups have been activated your muscle fibres begin to contract. In this example, the contraction is your muscle fibres actively shortening to raise your forearm upwards. Once you have completed your range of motion you lower the weight and your muscle fibres are forced to lengthen. These two phases of movement are referred to as concentric and eccentric contractions respectively.

When you perform repeated repetitions of a given exercise, your muscle will gradually fatigue. During the onset of fatigue, until failure, there are several complex processes that take place within your muscle including the slight tearing of muscle fibres. It is this exercise-induced damage that promotes muscle growth and adaptation. In the time following your training session as your body recovers, this muscle damage causes an increase in muscle protein synthesis. This synthesis is responsible for not only repairing the tears in your muscle but also increasing the number of contractile units within your muscle and the size of your muscle fibres. When you regularly perform resistance exercises, these adaptations allow you to increase the number of repetitions or weight you can lift. During the repetition of each exercise you perform, it is incredibly important to perform a full range of motion. Each muscle has a specific range where it is strongest

(e.g. in the bicep curl from when your forearm is parallel to the floor until the end of the exercise), it is important to not only focus on this strong phase. While this can be difficult as fatigue sets in, it allows your muscle to increase strength at all lengths. Muscle tears during on-water training and regattas tend to occur not where your muscle is the strongest but at either end of your range of motion.

Based on this information, why is weight important? Really it is not. Your muscles are not able to read the numbers on weight stacks and dumbbells. By selecting an appropriate weight for your training goal and performing each set to failure, then you will maximize your training. See the chart below for a suggestion of sets and reps for each type of weight training goal.

Goal

Sets

Strength

3-4

Power

Muscle Grow Endurance

3-6 3-4 3

Chart 1 – Suggested number of set and reps to be performed for each type of weight training goal.

By trying to lift weight that is too heavy for your training goal, you are likely to sacrifice your form. Over time, not using proper form can lead to several problems including: muscle imbalances, tendonitis, joint pain from over use or damage and severe muscle tears. Each of these situations will require extensive therapy and recovery time, which will ultimately take away from your training and put you further away from achieving your off-season training goals.

There are two simple cues that you can monitor while you are training to make sure your form stays constant: Is the range of motion of your last two repetitions the same as your first two? Does your body alignment changes (e.g. side to side, leaning forwards or backwards, knee or hip position)

a spot. This will help you maintain your form while you fatigue so that you do not risk injury.

A common misconception that I have addressed with many female athletes is that if they strength train or perform resistance exercises to failure, they will get bulky muscles like men. In short, men easily gain muscle mass and can look bulky due to the effects of natural levels of testosterone. Women have approximately 20 times less testosterone in their bodies making it difficult to gain bulky amounts of muscle like men. As always, before you begin your offseason training program, consult with an experienced Certified Strength Conditioning Coach or certified personal

Reps 3-6 6-8

10-15 20-30

trainer. They will be able to provide you with a challenging training program and be able to provide proper instruction on how to perform exercises with proper form to prevent injuries.

Please send questions and comment to sailstronger@evanlewis.ca.

Evan is an MSc candidate at the University of Toronto where he is studying muscle health and aging and is a NSCA Certified Strength Conditioning Specialist and Certified Kinesiologist. For more information and training tips visit www.evanlewis.ca.

If you are looking to push yourself with an increase in weight, have a training partner or a staff member at your gym provide

FALL 2010

District 6 Championships Won by Kyle Martin

MICHAEL POULOS

The 2010 Laser District 6 Championship went off well, with 25 standard rigged Lasers and 6 Laser Radials lining up to do battle with old friends and nemesisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Conditions were challenging for racers and for the race committee, with the first day bringing light wind, and the second day bringing on the thunder. On day one, the Lasers got a nice suntan as they wallowed in their boats. P.R.O.s Jamie Ashton and Michelle Bodke worked hard to line things up, with several false starts. Eventually, they did manage to get off one light wind race. On Day 2, the tables were turned on their heads, with boats doing battle in 18 to 25 knots. The Laser course managed to get 4 races off in very shifty conditions.

Kyle Martin from the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club won the Laser event in a tie breaker with Elliott Drake from The University of Oregon. 3rd place honors went to Kyleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father Tony, who also won in a tie breaker with Teddy Weaver. Lily Grimshaw braved the winds on Tuesday in a full rig, being the only female competitor on both days. Robyn Lesh managed to get

second place in the radial division behind a very strong performance by Hanne Weaver, who ended up throwing out a bullet after 5 perfect races.

We had a great party, with free beer sponsored by Hand Therapy Incorporated. West Coast Sailing in Portland was our title sponsor. They provided the T shirts for that course, and owner George Yioulos came up to school us with his Laser Sailing prowess. The folks at Samson did not disappoint,

providing prize winners with a generous helping of high quality rope. We also had some great prizes from the folks at our local West Marine

This was another fantastic event, which, in conjunction with the Dale Jepsen One Design Regatta could not have happened without the support of more than 35 volunteers and the beautiful facilities of the Bellingham Yacht Club.

Hawaii States Won by Lance Miller

Lance Miller beat the fleet in Hawaii finishing with 14 points but tying Charles Buckingham and winning on the tie-breaker. Guy Fleming was 3rd. In the Radial division, Gracie Peck finished 1st followed by Laura Hughes and Rinchen Harrison.

Photos: above, Laura Hughes & Guy Fleming. Below: Evan Twigg-Smith. Left: Steven Hochart.

www.Laser.org

ELIZABETH SCHONAGEN

Pilates for Better Hiking

Dinghy sailing, especially Laser sailing, calls for great amounts of agility, strength, and endurance. A Laser sailor clearly demonstrates all these qualities on a windy day hiking out. Hiking out refers to when the sailor leans out and away from the boat, using his or her body mass to counteract the heeling forces of the sail(s) and centerboard.

Described as pseudo-static1 and quasiisometric,2 hiking out is neither motionless nor mobile but rather a bit of both - while the lower body is still, the upper body makes constant micro-movements in response to changes in wind velocity. That said, the more efficiently the sailor hikes out, the faster and more dynamic his or her boat will sail. This article features both styles of hiking out on the Laser sailboat, straight leg and bent knee, with suggestions from a Pilates Instructor’s perspective on maximizing the performance of each.

Straight Leg Hiking

Physically and tactically, the most efficient hiking style is with both legs fully extended and the muscles of the thighs and hips engaged. According to Laser champion Dick Tillman3, in straight leg hiking the legs are parallel to the water with pressure upon the deck equally distributed between calves and thighs. To achieve this position, the knees must fully extend, engaging the quadriceps and other muscles and ligaments surrounding the knee. This muscular action produces a powerful locking mechanism that actually serves to protect the knee joint.

For efficient straight leg hiking, situate the thighs as far out on the rail as possible so your dairy aire stays above the water to avoid additional drag. The leg muscles should be fully engaged all the way down through the feet (think to yourself as I recommend to clients, ‘my legs are breathing pieces of steel!’). With knees fully extended and the instep under the toe strap, an efficient, secure foundation is present from which the upper body can fine tune with micro-movements as it flexes and rotates in dialogue with the wind.

Hiking out with the legs straight is smoother, more effective, and safer for your knees. However, it also requires great strength in the quadriceps and surrounding thigh muscles. But practice makes perfect

– each and every time you correctly hike out, you actively gain strength and improve your capacity for performance!

Bent Knee Hiking, the Black Sheep?

Bent knee hiking is most instrumental when transitioning to and from the rail and when winds are too light for its straight leg counterpart. In contrast, bent knee hiking is mainly driven by the hip flexor muscles, two powerful muscles on the front of the body at hip-level, the psoas major and the iliacus. This less-efficient style tends not only to droop the dairy aire and produce drag but also — when done incorrectly – to exert unwanted pressure on the tops of still hooked-in and immobile feet as unengaged legs are left to luff about. This subsequent lack of muscular engagement subjects the knees to torque, excessive joint forces, and sometimes even injury.

So what’s a sea dog to do? In instances when the knees must bend, this Pilates Instructor recommends simultaneously flexing the feet back against the toe straps. Doing so activates the front of the lower leg and hamstring muscles, therefore providing at least some level of protection for the knee joint.

But all is not lost, mini mariners of the world, because this same study also found knee extensor and quadricep strength as two other significant indicators of hiking performance. Albeit less significant than having a higher body mass, stronger sailors also have the capacity for better hiking performance. So if you don’t weigh as much, beat them by lasting twice as long!

Designed to maximize the performance of sailors both large and/or strong, check out the following strengthening exercises adapted from the historical Pilates repertoire. All you need is a little space and an exercise mat; if you have any questions, I am only an email away (schonagen@mac.com). In the meantime, be strong, hike hard, and enjoy the sail! See you on the water.

Elizabeth Schonagen is a PMACertified Pilates Instructor and District 17 Laser Sailor out of Concord Yacht Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. For more information on Pilates, including articles, photos, links, and more, visit Pilates with Elizabeth on Facebook. For questions or comments, send Elizabeth an email at schonagen@mac.com.

It’s not all heart driving the fiberglass beast

Vis-à-vis diet or genetics, body mass has also been shown to play a significant role in a sailor’s efficiency in hiking out.4 Much to this writer’s 110-pound chagrin, one 2006 study determined that those with higher body masses, i.e. larger sailors, have the capacity for better hiking performance. Cited 3 de Menezes, Fáblo S., et al. “Biomechanical analysis of spine movements in hik ing on sailing: a preliminary study.” XXV ISBS Symposium, Ouro Preto, Brazil (2007). 2 Spurway, N. (1999). Sailing Physiology. In SjØgaard, G. (1999). Sailing & Science: in an interdisciplinary Perspective (pp 95-117). Institute of Exercise and Sports Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. 3 Tillman, Dick. The complete book of Laser sailing. New York: International Marine/McGraw Hill, 2000. 4 Tan, Benedict, et al. “Indicators of maximal hiking performance in Laser sailors.” European Journal of Applied Physiology 98. (2006): 169-176.

FALL 2010

Pilates for Better Hiking

Exercise Guidelines: Proper form does not hurt! Stop as soon as form is lost. Please consult your physician before beginning any new exercise program.

Exercise #1: Knee Extensions

Strengthens quadriceps & knee extensors for straight-leg hiking

Form: Sit on the edge of a table, a dock, or a chair tall enough so your feet do not touch the ground. The underside of the thighs should have full contact. Advanced Pilates form (figure 1): Begin seated tall on both sitting bones. Then, hollowing the abdominals, tuck the pelvis under to rock slightly behind and off the sitting bones to balance on the sacrum. Place the fingertips lightly on the floor behind you for support, and keep your chest lifted and your heart moving up and forward. Toes are pointed on the floor (the farther away the feet, the easier the exercise). If you can correctly hold the advanced Pilates form, try an additional challenge and begin with arms and shins parallel to floor (figure 2).

figure 4

Action (figure 3): Alternate straightening one leg at a time. Go slowly and mindfully, squeezing the knees, inner thighs, and buttocks throughout. The goal is to fully straighten the leg in order to strengthen the muscle and ligament fibers around the knee, many of which do not fire until later in the straightening process.

Exercise #2: Double Straight Leg Stretch

figure 1

figure 2

figure 3

Pelvic stability, core control, & hip flexor strength for bent-knee hiking

Form (figure 4): Lie on your back with the ribcage, back of the head, and sacrum in contact with the mat. Gently wedge your hands to either side of your hips (you will feel movement here if form is lost). Reach the feet to the ceiling with knees directly over hips (for tight hamstrings, bend the knees as needed to get them over your hips, see figure 5). Sink the abdominals toward the spine and relax your neck and shoulders. Keep the abdominals figure 5 engaged throughout â&#x20AC;&#x201C; breathe deeply instead by spreading the spaces between the ribs. Action (figure 6): On an inhale, lower your knees away and toward the floor without arching the back (doing so means your abs have given up), then exhale the knees back to the starting position. Draw the abdominals in more deeply, up and under your ribs, figure 6 with each repetition. Think of the arcing legs as moving independently from your strong, stable torso and hips.

5-8 reps each, 3x/day

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Sailing Fit

MEKA TAULBEE

ACE CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER SAILFIT INC

Mind, Body, Boat

I don’t know how many times I have heard something to this effect”If I only did well in a race then I would feel more motivated to keep sailing”. To a small extent I can understand this, but for the most part I think it is all backwards! The motivation to practice and race needs to come from places other than the finish line. Once that happens then you will start being the first to cross that line. Whether it’s sailing or your fitness plan the goals you set for yourself need to be attainable yet challenging. There is no way that you are going pick up a dumbbell or use a smith squat machine perfectly the first time you ever use it. Some of you probably don’t even know what a smith squat machine is! It may take you many times and many years before you are able to use weights correctly and in a way that gives you the most benefit. The same goes with sailing. While there are some exceptions to the rule most of you are not going to go out there rig your boat right and win the race the first time you try. It takes years of practice to learn to get your boat to go fast. Not only do you have to know how to sail it, you have to get your body, brain and the boat to work together. It’s like putting a puzzle together. Without each piece it is incomplete. If one is missing then the pieces don’t fit together tightly. Let’s look at some of the pieces we need to get the results we want. Mind, Body, Boat. Mind. Are you in the right frame of mind to achieve your goals? Maybe better said “Are you setting realistic goals?” It’s great to set big goals for yourself as long as you are breaking them down into smaller goals that will help you attain the big picture. Make sure you are constantly adjusting your goals to make them challenging. Once you attain some of the smaller goals you may be doing better than you imagined so you need to adjust so you can keep challenging yourself and improving. Most importantly are you telling yourself that you are a great sailor and you will get to the level you want. A positive frame of mind and attitude are everything. Body. Do you know what to do to get to the fitness level that is best for sailing a laser? Here is where we see how

the pieces start to fit together. Are you setting realistic fitness goals? This goes back to the mind. Go about your fitness with a plan. Set some small goals for yourself and educate yourself on why you are doing this exercise. How does it make you a better sailor? Once you understand why you are doing a particular exercise you may be more motivated to do it and to keep up your fitness routine. Boat. Seems simple enough, but with some of the things I’ve seen over the years you’d be surprised. Here is where people seem to put the cart in front of the horse most often. Start with the basics. Is your boat rigged correctly? Are you aware of the adjustments that need to be made to get off the start line, round the mark, go upwind/downwind? You get the idea. Without some of the basics it will be tough to be at the top of the pack. Now more pieces of the puzzle come into play. Did you set some realistic goals for this race or regatta? Are you physically ready for the conditions? There is always someone who is better than you AND someone who is not up to your level yet. Go out and ask the people who are better for advice. Never be

afraid to ask for help. They were once in your shoes. Like I said before no one has been perfect the first time they tried something. On the flip side make yourself available to help others as well. Now put all of these pieces together and you are a force to be reckoned with. Practice, practice, practice, that’s the only way to make yourself better. If you notice the sailors who spend the most time practicing on the water and in the gym are the ones who are getting better and better and passing you on the race course. Whether you are practicing with a team or by yourself you are still taking the time to improve yourself. Put a little thought into your game plan on the water as well as and you will begin to see that what is motivating you is actually putting the pieces together not just the finish line. Your success is now defined by the smaller goals and challenges you set for yourself rather than an imaginary line between two buoys. As always, if you want to hear about a certain topic or have any questions feel free to contact me. You can always find me at www.sailfit.com or email directly to meka@sailfit.com. I look forward to hearing from you

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