SPRING 2011 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
Evan Lewis At Large 4 Nursewood Road Toronto, ON M4E 3R8 Canada Phone: 416-804-6048 Lewis_racing@hotmail.com
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
S P R I N G
2 0 11
District Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
President’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Sleep: an Intimate Relationship with Success . . . . . . . .10
From the Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Coaching Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Remembering Bob Riggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 2011 Event Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Tips and Technique - Mast Inspection & Care . . . . . . .18
Laser World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .center Regatta Reports
Florida Masters Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Whitefish Lake Regatta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 40th Orange Coffee Pot Regatta . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Mastery in Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
District Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Glimpses of Midwinters East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Laser Sailing in Guam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Membership Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
SPRING 2011 6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world
Cover: Paige Railey on her way to a RMOCR win in the Radial. Photo: Amory Ross/US Sailing
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6 22 24 26
Hawaii
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District 1
Danielle Dube, 8 Sunnydale Dr, Glen Haven, NS B3Z 2T8 902-823-2802, danielle_dube947@hotmail.com
4 21
23
20 16
15
14
District 2 District 3
Jon Deutsch 3422 Blithewood Dr., Richmond, VA 23225 804-305-1244, jon@laserdistrict11.org http://www.laserdistrict11.org
District 4
Christian Koppernaes weebee@hargray.com Wrightsville Beach, NC www.d12.laserforum.org
Philippe Dormoy, 385 Place Desmarest, Ile Bizard, Quebec, H9C 2G8 514-620-8124 Philippe_dormoy@steris.com Robert Koci, 804 Sammon Ave. Toronto, ON M4C 2E8 647-407-0754. robert.koci@rci.rogers.com D3 website: www.d3laser.com Brigitte Smutney, MSA: 224 200 Main Street Winnipeg, MB 3RC 4M2 204-925-5647, sailing@sport.mb.ca
District 5
Mark Lammens 510 Cynthia St. Saskatoon, SK S7K 7K7 306-975-0833. sasksail@shaw.ca www.sasksail.com
District 6
Andy Hunt, 111-2260 W 8th Ave, Vancouver BC, V6K 2A7 604-733-9663. Hotline: 206-525-5788. athunt@vcn.bc.ca www.cycseattle.org/slf
District 7
Kim Ferguson, 12 Florida Ave. Jamestown, RI 02835 Laserd7@gmail.com
District 8
Ted Cremer, 7 Maple Street Blue Point, NY 11715. 631-363-8830, tcremer@optonline.net www.laserd8.tripod.com
District 9
Chas Williamson, 9 Lagrand Court Ithaca, NY 14850 607-272-0630. cw26@cornell.edu
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District 12 District 13
Antolin Rivera, PO Box 26674 Tampa, FL 33623 813-837-3013, shipajoy@yahoo.com www.laser.org/m/_general/d13.asp
District 14
Cal Herman, 7038 Catina St New Orleans, LA 70124, 504-282-1770 callender.herman@wachoviasec.com 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
District 18
19
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10
7
1
8
11 12
17
District 11
District 15
2
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District 10
Eric Reitinger 7908 Normandy Dr. Mt Laurel, NJ 08054 er4599@gmail.com http://d10.laserforum.org
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13 District 19
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
John Shockey 614-256-2254 johnrshockey@gmail.com
SPRING 2011
NEW! HARKEN LASERŽ MAINSHEET BLOCKS Don’t fight friction to ease at the windward mark or in light air; get ball bearing smoothness with Harken’s class-legal traveler/boom blocks.
16 MM FORKHEAD BLOCK These 16 mm blocks for the mastbase have shackles built into their heads so your cunningham and outhaul stay close to the deck—perfect for integrating with compass mounts.
CARBO RATCHET The Carbo ratchet’s sheave design offers the perfect balance between holding power and easing ability. Line-friendly geometry prevents premature line wear. For no-hands switching, try a RatchamaticŽ—the patented design switches the ratchet on at a load you choose. Simply adjust it to match your strength and sailing style. Visit www.laserperformance.com to find your local dealer
www.Laser.org
4EL s %MAIL HARKEN HARKEN COM For more information on Harken hardware for the LaserÂŽ, visit www.harken.com
7
President’s Notes TRACY USHER
As I write this the major winter regattas in North America have ended. With just over a year to the Olympics the world’s sailors are starting to get into final form and the competition is getting fiercer. With that in mind it’s clear that Paige Railey is really hitting her stride with dominating performances at the “big three”: Rolex Miami OCR, Women’s North American Championship and the Midwinters East. On the Men’s side, Luke Ramsey turned in a solid performance at Miami to finish 7th, followed not far behind by Clay Johnson and Rob Crane, all great performances in a solid international field. Midwinters East did not see the strong international presence of Miami but, in a still very tough field, Brad Funk showed that he is planning to be a strong contender for the US Olympic spot. It’s great to see such strong performances from North American sailors as we approach the end of another quadrennium, clearly a testament to the long hours and hard work they are putting in!
During the winter months we often put aside sailing as we wait for the weather to improve... or in some cases wait for the water to return to liquid form! No More! With the ease of modern travel it’s now possible to get a temporary escape from winter while getting in some great Laser sailing in a nice, warm and tropical location. In this edition of The Laser Sailor, and the accompanying Laser World insert, are two excellent articles on winter training options in warm weather locations: the International Sailing Academy in La Cruz, Mexico, and the Laser Training Center in Cabarete, DR. As you can see from the articles, both offer fantastic sailing possibilities with top level coaching - all while in a beautiful vacation setting and, importantly, at an affordable price. Sticking with the general winter theme, this time of year brings two things to the Laser Class: a new rule book updated with the results of the balloting for the previous years proposed rule changes AND a new set of proposed rule changes for next year. Normally the rule changes almost always fall into the category of adjusting the wording of existing rules to allow for common practice. This year is a bit different with two important rule changes: a modification of the rule on compasses aimed at being more specific about the use of electronic devices, and a very important change to the Fundamental Rule.
8
As it stands right now, the compass rule bans the use of electronic compasses and the more general category of electronic devices are banned through the Fundamental Rule (i.e. they are not explicitly allowed). There are a number of small problems with this, for example most people wear digital electronic wrist watches, including some that contain compasses, and allowance needs to be made for this. More importantly we are seeing increased use of tracking devices, primarily during regattas to provide live racing positions via the internet. And more and more people are finding use in mounting small cameras on their boats to record their sailing. After what seemed like endless discussions weighing the benefits of allowing certain devices (e.g. more regatta exposure) versus the real concerns of opening the rule completely (e.g. rich sailing federations instrumenting boats and gaining an unfair advantage for Olympic level sailors). In the end, the Technical Committee and World Council were in favor of allowing for the obvious (electronic digital watches), making it possible for regatta organizers to provide something that could help promote the sport, while keeping the boat as simple as possible for the average sailor. The result is the proposed change to rule 22 which is listed as rule change #4 in the discussion in the accompanying Laser World insert.
the average sailor in many regions of the world. This is a continually reviewed item, do not think that voting yes to the current rule change means NO to electronic compasses in the future. It will happen eventually!
The really major proposed change is to the Fundamental Rule. There is not much I can really ad to the discussion over the excellent summary by Jeff Martin and Heini Wellmann that you can find in the Laser World insert. I strongly urge all members of the Laser Class to carefully read their article and thoughtfully weigh their points before voting as this is clearly an extremely important rule change! Ok, time to pack the boats and head to Midwinters West! See you on the water!
A short side note: the World Council is not yet ready to open to digital electronic compasses (specifically TackTick) because the price is still considered to be too high for
AMNESTY FOR MISSING PERPETUAL TROPHIES
Is that silver bowl now your change collector? Was that large plaque moved to the garage?
ILCA-NA is missing some of our more pertinent perpetual trophies and we’d love to award them to the current champions. If you’re the holder or have seen any of the perpetuals – contact the ILCA-NA office – no questions asked! Deep Throat will remain anonymous here! sherri@odmsail.co or: 619-222-0252
SPRING 2011
YOU BRING THE TALENT.
We’ll Bring the Boat. NO DISTRACTIONS, WORRIES OR LOGISTICS. Arrive at the race with a fully rigged Laser ready and
waiting just for you. Dinghy Locker Charters feature top-of-the line race gear and exclusive upgrades. Best of all, our knowledgeable staff will be onsite at your race with expert advice and a trailer full of gear and parts. We do all the work—and leave the sailing to you! UPCOMING LASER CHARTER EVENTS: Laser North Americans | Jul. 11-15 | Brant Beach YC, NJ Buzzards Bay Regatta | Aug. 5-7 | New Bedford YC, South Dartmouth, MA US Sailing Youth Champs | Aug. 14-18 | Sail Newport, RI
SAVE BIG ON 2010 EVENT LASERS Pre-raced 2010 Full Rig and Radial Lasers start at just $3946! And Dinghy Locker has the hardware and race gear you need from Harken, North Sails, Musto, Magic Marine, and more.
LASER
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CALL, CLICK OR VISIT. Get our new Outfitting 2011 catalog, sign up for our monthly e-mail, or visit us in Stamford for expert outfitting help. Shop online anytime!
dinghylocker.com | 203-487-0775 151 Harvard Avenue, Stamford, CT (I-95, Exit 6)
Photo ©Carter Kelly Kramer
©2011 Landfall Navigation. Logos shown are trademarks of their respective companies. LaserPerformance and associated logos are trademarks used under license. All rights reserved.
Sleep: an intimate relationship with success EVAN LEWIS H.B.KIN., CSCS, CK
After spending five semi-restless nights on an uncomfortable mattress during Mids East, I wanted to look into how important a good nights sleep is for sports performance.
Why sleep important? Athletes are constantly search for a competitive edge against their competitors. As a result there has been a large emphasis put on recovery from training and competition. This is a logical area to maximize your advantage, as (i) how you recover is directly under your control; and (ii) the faster or more effectively you recover the harder you can train or better you can race the next day, ultimately resulting in improved performances.
When you are asleep there a numerous different process that occur throughout your body, which facilitate recovery and regeneration. After a day of training, your mind and muscles have learned new skills that require complex adaptations within your body. Sleep has been proven to enhance memory, learning and the acquisition and development of new skills (1). During this time your brain works to reorganize information and create new neural programs and pathways to carry out freshly learned skills. After learning new skills, especially complex skills (e.g. tacking, downwind techniques etc) individuals have been shown to have higher success at executing these skills following sleep.
From a muscle point of view, time during sleep is essential for rebuilding damaged tissue. The changes in hormones that occur during sleep and your proper daily nutrition combine to provide an ideal environment for muscle repair and growth, especially in youth and teen athletes. Additionally, muscle glycogen stores are also topped up during sleep, which provides you with necessary energy for intense training and racing.
patience, which are especially important on light air days (2).
In a collaborative study between the UK Sport Council and Queensland Academy of Sport, researchers examined differences in rugby pass execution when elite athletes had 7-9 hours of sleep and 3-5 hours sleep (2). The results clearly showed that the athletes performed significantly worse in pass accuracy after 3-5 hours of sleep.
Additionally, researchers in New Zealand examined muscle energy stores and sprint performance on three consecutive days, which included one night of severe sleep deprivation (3). The morning after sleep deprivation, athlete’s muscle glycogen stores were significantly reduced, which resulted in less stored energy for that day’s sprint trials. When sprint performance was measured, participants experienced reduced average speed, lower total running distance and impaired quadriceps activation and force production.
What is the bare minimum? While every individual can have different needs for sleep depending on training volume or other influencing factors from life, it is necessary to have at least 7 hours of quality sleep per night. Teens generally need 9-10 hours of sleep per night to facilitate growth, especially increases in muscle mass. Adults in comparison require 7-8 hours.
Good sleeping environments There are several simple changes you can make to ensure a good night sleep: Do not eat 2 hours before you go to bed, this includes late night snacks Daily exercise promotes sleep but exer-
cising close to when you sleep can keep you awake Keep the room that you sleep in as dark as possible and Falling asleep before midnight can give better quality sleep and recovery Developing a personal sleeping routine helps to regulate your body’s rhythm
Summary It is clear that a good nights sleep is a key component to training and regatta success. The recovery and adaptations that occur during this time are critical. So the next time you consider crashing on your friend’s couch or sleeping in your van think twice, because at the end of the day, the little bit extra it may costs for a good night sleep is insignificant considering how much it is costing you to be at a regatta anyways. 1.
2.
3.
Van der Werf, Y. D., Van der Helm, E., Schoonheim, M. M., Ridderikhoff, A., and Van Someren, E. J. W. (2009) Procedings of the National Academy of Science 106, 18926-30. Cook, C. J., Crewther, B. T., Kilduff, L. P., Drawer, S., and Gaviglio, C. M. (2011) Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 8. Skein, M., Duffield, R., Edge, J., Short, M. J., and Mundel, T. (2010) Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise Epublished.
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.
What happens when you do not get enough sleep? Within the general population, sleep deprivation is a common occurrence. Sleep deprivation can result from many factors but most commonly from high training volume, school/work commitments and generally having a busy lifestyle. The obvious side effects from lack sleep include fatigue, irritability and mood changes. These factors can have a direct effect on mental performance through reduced concentration and
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SPRING 2011
What is going on at LaserPerformance? BRENT RICHARDS
Spring is right around the corner and while some areas of North America may still be under snow, the fact is our major sailing season will be upon us in no time. No place is that
more evident than in our factory. The LaserPerformance warehouse is packed and we’re continuing to bring in stock of components in anticipation the high season. In the first quarter of 2011, we’re selling boats at pre-recession
2008 levels. Trucks are leaving at a steady pace making deliveries to dealers across North America.
2011 will see the Fleet Grant program return for the 2nd year. The premises of the program being that your local fleet can purchase a Laser at
a significant discount. The idea is to use the boat creatively to generate activity and enthusiasm in emerging fleets. Use the boat for Guest Skipper of the Week or give the boat to the participant from the prior week that “won the middle of the fleet”. At the end of
From the Builder the sailing season your fleet can keep it for the next year or sell/auction/raffle off the boat (restrictions apply) to help fund the fleet.
LaserPerformance places a high mark on providing charter Laser Sailboats for different championship events in North America. This year we will be providing over 500 Lasers alone in North America this summer. Events include ILCA Worlds, numerous US Sailing events, ISSA and ICSA Single Handed Champs. These events will span over 4 months and 1,000’s of man hours to making it all happen. Something we love to do to help keep the Laser as the best and largest one design class in the world.
As always feel free to contact me at the office or pull me aside at the boat park.
We Are Your Ultimate Laser Store! We have everything you need IN STOCK and READY TO GO Founded and Run by DINGHY SAILORS for DINGHY SAILORS
888-884-5536
FREE SHIPPING! NO SALES TAX! FREE SAIL NUMBERS & APPLICATION
www.WestCoastSailing.net
www.Laser.org
11
Coaching Feedback MARK LAMMENS
Preface: Many coaching clinics in a variety of sports work on the technical components, for effective performance. Coaches try to manipulate the drill or activity to create a learning situation or opportunity to address one of the identified performance factors. Coaches and athletes need to ensure straight talk, positive communication that is clear and focused and builds partnerships that are based on interdependence and self-reliance. There should be a focus on empowerment where athletes take responsibility for how they practice and perform through development of a strong sense of personal power and confidence.
Coaches need to be sensative to the following issues, which also vary based on the age and level of the athlete. What to say. What is it that the session is focusing on, what are you trying to improve? Although some coaches feel that there is so much an athlete needs to improve, it is important to focus on 1 or 2 specifics and ensure it is something they can change today. If their bum is dragging in the water when going upwind, it could be because the strap is too lose, boat is healing to windward or their legs are weak. Some of these things are easy to adjust; fitness may take a little longer. Feedback needs to be specific.
When to say it. Research indicates that it is important to give feedback almost immediately, that is why on water sessions are so important to address improvement. Waiting until you are off the water may be the only option in a race, but try to give input to technique, racing situations, boat handling or set up when it is actually happening. Coach boat rafting up to the boat after a drill after the maneuver is good for individual specific feedback. Feedback needs to be immediate.
How you say it. Sport can be a very emotional, ensure that the communication is not negatively affected by it. Coaches yelling at sailors may not have the positive change in behaviour and if it does, it may not be a change that was done by appealing to the athletes, ‘student of the game’ philosophy, but instead using fear. Feedback needs to be precise. Other elements to be concerned with
12
trying to create other positives.
Embarrassing your athletes, Research shows that young girls 11 to 15 quit sport because they felt people where laughing at them, did not want to be ‘stupid’ or could not do the task to the correct level. Be aware of the gender issues, learner style of the athlete, and adjust your message to ensure they are having fun playing sport and being young.
Sailing is a difficult sport to assess. We do not have a world record time for laser sailing; we lack visible quickly measureable variables. It has a significant relative component; it is the first boat to cross the line. As a coach we have seen athletes sail poor and score well and sail well and score poor. The challenge is trying to figure out what went wrong and what to change or improve, then how to help it happen. Good luck.
Praise cleanly and towards positive behaviour. Research shows that you do not need to be a cheerleader and positive all the time, to effect intensity of work or support positive behaviors and outcomes. Strategically placed positive comments can have incredible affect on self-esteem, level of effort and have a positive effect on your relationship with the athlete. Non verbal Communication Sunglasses, crossed arms, bad posture while you are giving feedback will certainly taint how the feedback is received.
Celebrate. When you see something that is done well, and is not related to the theme of the training session, praise them. Athletes sometimes are trying to impress the coach and if you miss an opportunity to praise when it is warranted, athletes may feel the coach is not into it so why should they be. If you catch it, athletes feed into it
CL268AN
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Micros cleats are smaller, lighter and CL277 more compact than any other cleat, making them ideal for use with modern control lines.
Can be mounted on flat or curved surfaces. Ideal for tillers and furling lines.
CL263W
Alloy CL268, CL270, CL277 and CL278 Racing Micros are available in a silver or Hard Anodised finish. The nylon Micros, CL263 is available in Black or White.
CL268
CL270AN CL823
Side entry cleats gives the benefit of a fairlead but use of temporary cleating. 1-4mmø
(3/64"-5/32")
Rigging the CL270 with Becket
More Information at: www.clamcleat.com
SPRING 2011
Fantastic accommodation... amazing facilities... and great sailing! -Paul Goodison
San Francisco Masters Worlds Training Clinics The International Sailing Academy is teaming up with John Bertrand to put on an array of clinics in preparation for the 4.7 and Master’s World Championships this summer! No one knows how to teach the challenging currents of the San Francisco Bay better than Bertrand. Learning this new dynamic is a must, so don’t miss out!
John Bertrand x Olympic Medalist x World Champion Coach x Finn Silver Cup World Champion
Coach in San Fran Bay
Chris Dold x North American Laser Champion x ISA Coach
Vaughn Harrison x ISA Head Coach
Inquiries chris@internationalsailingacademy.com
All clinics will take place on the City Front on the same course as the Worlds. There are 10 charter boats available for each clinic at a cost of $500. The cost of each clinic is $1000/person. After attending: x x x x x x
you will have learned Bertrand’s “fool proof” current method be able to exploit the current in a large laser fleet race become a master in heavy air boat handling learn heavy air straight line technique learn heavy air starting/down speed technique and learn how to survive downwind in 30 knots! Master’s Clinic #1 June 27 Ͳ July 1 Master’s Clinic #2 July 4 Ͳ July 8
Master’s Clinic #3 July 11 Ͳ July 15 Master’s Clinic #4 July 18 Ͳ 22
4.7 World’s Prep Clinic: July 21 Ͳ 24
ISA is also offering : x Pre Master’s World charters from July 25ͲAugust 2: $700 x Master World charters from August 3 Ͳ 13: $700 x 4.7 and Master’s World event coaching
WWW.INTERNATIONALSAILINGACADEMY.COM www.Laser.org
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H R K W O L 6D H J U * V G O U R : V U H W V D 0 U H V D / Q D O S J Q L Q L D U W
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30!2 0 30!2 0!24.%23 !24.%23 0!)2 0!)2 30!2 30!2 0!24.%23 0!24.%23 0!)2 0!)2 FFOR OR CCUNN OUTHAUL UNN OUTHAUL U UPGRADE PGRADE 47/ "/!4 4 7/ "/!4 !$!04%2 !$!04%2 99OU OU G GLUE LUE TTOGETHER OGETHER
47/ 4 7/ "/!4 "/!4 !$!04%2 !$!04%2 #OMPLETE #OMPLETE
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SPRING 2011
Celebrating 10 Years! Sea-HP011 Men Wetsuit Convertible Sizes – XS, S, M, L, XL
• Optional adjustable batten system • Super stretch neoprene • Upper body panels use metalite reflective neoprene to prevent wind chill. • Blindstitch & liquid seam construction • Velcro shoulder entry • Lycra binding around arms and neck • Reinforced Sea Shark Skin seat panels • Reinforced grip knee pads • Glide skin on ankle to prevent water intake • Suitable for all classes whether you hike, trapeze or fly!!
Sea-LP006 Long Sleeve Thermo Skins SIZE: XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL • Ideal base layer • Snug feel • Moisture wicking
Sea-W003 Ultra Warm Long Sleeve SIZE: XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL
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Bob Riggle Seattle Laser sailor Bob Riggle and his partner Phyllis Macay were killed by pirates off the coast of Oman in the Indian Ocean on Feb. 22, 2011. Bob sailed with the Seattle Laser Fleet for several years until his focus shifted to offshore cruising. He did several traveling regattas, including to Cork for Laser Master Worlds in 2001. His former boat remains in the fleet, actively sailed by Mike Johnson.
also a polo player, a retired veterinarian, a volunteer with the SPCA, and a volunteer with the Nightwatch homeless program. He was an officer of the Seattle Singles Yacht Club and an active organizer of the J/109 fleet in Seattle. Phyllis sounds like the kind of person you’d want on your boat, as a friend and certainly to organize a party. Rest In Peace, Bob and Phyllis.
Bob was always quiet and thoughtful, but one could tell he enjoyed sailing Lasers greatly. At the Celebration of Life gathering of the Seattle Singles Yacht Club, an endearing picture emerged of Bob and Phyllis, something we in the Laser fleet generally didn’t see. Phyllis, a dynamo of energy and enthusiasm, put Bob front and center of her antics. In the meantime, Bob’s quiet competence and good nature certainly brought a great deal of adventure to Phyllis. They’d cruised Bob’s J/109 for three years and many tens of thousands of miles. Some things many of us didn’t know: Bob was
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SPRING 2011
Regatta
World Championship ISAF Grade 1
NA Championship 40 GP pts. ISAF Grade 1
North American
Women’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: LaRochelle,FRAJuly16-23
Brant Beach YC, NJ July 12-15
na
2011 Schedule
Radial
Laser 4.7
Brant Beach YC, NY July 12-15
TBD
FtWaltonYC,FL May20-22
na
na
Wabamun SC, Edmonton, AB June 23-26
D1-D6
Women's:Perth, AUS; Dec 3-18 Mens: LaRochelle,FRA,July16-23 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
Wabamun SC, Edmonton, AB June 23-26
Kingston, ON
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
na
Midwinters East
Clearwater, FL
Clearwater, FL
Clearwater, FL
Midwinters West
CaliforniaYC Marina del Rey, CA March 25-27
CaliforniaYC Marina del Rey, CA March 25-27
CaliforniaYC Marina del Rey, CA March 25-27
www.ussailing.org
na
na
Carolina Yacht Club,
D7, D8, D10, D11, D12
30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 1
30 GP Pts., ISAF Grade 2
Rolex Miami OCR ISAF Grade 1
Atlantic Coast Championships
25 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 2
Pacific Coast Championships
25 GP Pts., ISAF Grade 2
Gulf Coast Championships
25 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 3
No Coast Championships
25 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 3
Great Lakes Championships
25 GP Pts., ISAF Grade 3
www.Laser.org
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
Carolina Yacht Club,
January 24-29
Carolina Yacht Club,
www.clwyc.org
Feb 24-27
Wrightsville Beach, NC
Wrightsville Beach, NC
Wrightsville Beach, NC
Seattle Yacht Club Seattle, WA June 4-5
Seattle Yacht Club Seattle, WA June 4-5
Seattle Yacht Club Seattle, WA June 4-5
April 30-May 1
St. Petersburg YC Tampa, FL April 16-17
Jordanelle Reservoir Park City, UT Sept. 24-25 CORK Kingston, ON Sept 17-18
April 30-May 1
St. Petersburg YC Tampa, FL April 16-17
Jordanelle Reservoir Park City, UT Sept. 24-25 CORK Kingston, ON Sept 17-18
April 30-May 1
St. Petersburg YC Tampa, FL April 16-17
Tampa, FL Davis Island YC Feb 18-20 na
D6, D24, D25 D13, D14, D15
na
D16, D21, D22, D23
na
Royal Hamilton YC Hamilton, ON June 25-26
17
Tips & Technique MAST INSPECTION AND CARE
RYAN ERIC MINTH, C-VANE SAILING
Top Laser sailors recognize that mast inspection, set-up, and adjusting (aka bending) is often a daily routine. Performed correctly, it all but ensures that your rig stays together with no major failures as well as helps your sail shape. The Laser spars are dramatically different from each other (upper versus lower section) when compared to those of a Radial or the 4.7 rigs. While the tips here make the most difference on the Laser, Radials and 4.7 alike will benefit from these suggestions as well. As a result, when Laser is stated below, it applies to all rigs. Step one is a performance issue. The upper section needs to fit into the lower as tightly as possible. This minimizes the differing bend characteristics between the two sections and promotes an even bend across a wider arc, helping the mast behave more like a onepiece spar. A loose connection at the joint (especially when paired with a soft upper) will insure that the ‘ugly’ Laser-wrinkle running from the mast joint to the clew will be the worst amidst the fleet. The mast sleeve of a Laser sail already struggles at the joint area, where it wraps around a fat lower section then is forced to immediately adapt to the thinner diameter of the upper. Distortion in this area off the luff is going to happen (until cunningham tension takes over). Tape must be applied to the collars of the upper carefully so that no wrinkles appear in the tape. Thin packing tape is a great, low-cost material for this, allowing for a slow buildup until the proper thickness has been applied. Adhesive-backed teflon tape is very nice, but also expensive. The teflon 18
helps the tight fitting upper into the lower, but McLube may be applied to help glide them together. Tyvek tape is another durable, albeit expensive material that works well. This particular spar combination took almost a dozen wraps of this tape at the top and around ten turns at the lower collar.
The spars will likely not go completely together by hand. Get the upper inserted as best as possible and align the rivet straight aft along with the boom gooseneck fitting. When sighting down the mast, the exposed rivet on the upper mast collar should align between the sides of the gooseneck fitting, dead center. The rivet hole acts as a perforation to the spar and will corrode due to saltwater exposure and dissimilar metals (mast and rivet). This is a terrible combination for a high stress area, and having the rivet always aft places the hole in compression, greatly reducing the risk of failure. Once your rivet is perfectly aft, draw an arrow where the rivet should be set for reference.
The best way to fully insert the upper into the lower is to gently tap down the spar using its own weight. Chase Shaw (4th in the 2009 Radial
GP) illustrates the procedure well. Only a four to six inch drop onto something fairly solid is required. Nice touch using the flip flop protecting the plastic cap on the mast base. Too radical of a blow will sheer the rivets holding the upper collars in place, so do not go nuts.
While we are on the mast bottom cap, ensure that the hole is open and clear to allow water to drain through into and out of the step. The lower is not sealed and after a flip to turtle, the water is able to at least drain down to mast deck/step level. This particular lower was new and the hole was sealed over. A car key was able to push through the spot in the center. An upper should be sealed to keep water out at all times and provide some floatation to a capsized Laser.
Once the mast is fully together, it is now legal to tape the connection preventing the upper from rotating in the lower (and exposing the rivet or a permanent bend of the upper to asymmetry tack to tack). If the connection is quite snug (as it should be) this should not be too much of a concern. During extended regattas and training sessions it is a nice touch. It remains illegal to tape above the plastic collar, presumably to prevent any fairing at the joint and further minimizing the ‘ugly’ wrinkle (remember the sleeve wrapping around two diameters next to each other?). SPRING 2011
It is a bit safer to have a buddy hold the mast top, but should you be in the parking lot late or just training alone, an eight foot fence works almost as well.
At the end of the day to inspect the mast, the sail must be removed (a good sail should not be wrapped around the mast as it promotes an odd, almost vertical wrinkle at the head). Keep the spars connected as this will allow for a more accurate look at where the mast is bent and how far off straight it has become. Sight down the spar from the mast head to base. This was the worst spar in the lot and was chosen to illustrate the bend.
At some point in time, and with some spars it is EVERYDAY, the mast will bend and need to be realigned. In fact, it is a Class Rule that spars are to be straight. The best method for returning a spar to straight is to bend it back, again while the mast is connected. Many times the mast will need radical corrective bending to return it to straight, to the extent that the vang and gooseneck fittings are close to bottoming out! This spar was pretty close and we were also hesitant to go nuts on someone else’s stuff (even if we were ‘helping’). No need to risk buying a spar for the sake of this article. Chase again shows where to apply the pressure to get the spar straight again. www.Laser.org
A recently new upper spar when bent may be flipped around and sailed rivet forward for the first couple of months fairly safely three or four rotations. While illegal for racing, the spar will settle back to straight and eventually re-bend aft. This workhardens the aluminum and is probably best for the spar and one’s budget. After this period, do not take a chance, and stay rivet aft. After sailing
straighten ashore immediately for several reasons. One, if it breaks here a day of sailing is not lost. Two, a sail sleeve repair is avoided. Three, you have avoided the likely need for a tow and/or Coast Guard assistance. And four, it allows at least an overnight or early morning time frame to find a replacement.
One last tip for all true budget conscientious Laser sailor. If you have a particularly good, stiff spar that is relatively bend resistant, but are concerned about its age, you may lengthen its life by end-forending the upper extrusion. Make sure the spar is straight. Remove the collars and mast head cap (may be a good time to replace these) and flip the mast head for the collar/mast joint section. Carefully install the (new) collars inside the width restrictions of the Class Rules and drill the new exposed rivet hole in line with
the old one, keeping the old rivet ft and off the mast sleeve of the sail. Re-pop rivets into the old holes to help maintain the strength of the spar and make sure that the upper is sealed. The spar below has been end-for-ended and rivets sealed.
Radial Lower mast sections are certainly capable of bending. The bend almost always occurs just above the mast stiffener. Ensure that the mast base is well supported, at least as well as if in the mast step of the boat. A sharp corner at the end of the support is likely to ding the spar and probably kill it altogether. It will probably take several Radial sailors to bend the lower back straight. It is probably best to straighten lowers out by themselves (mast disconnected). While not easy, it can be done. A Laser Standard Lower is a telephone pole and will not bend. If it does, seek warranty replacement or if twelve months have passed, your nearest aluminum recycling center (drill off your fittings for spares!).
One last note, do not try to straighten the bend out of a 4.7 Lower. That one is supposed to be there!
19
Regatta Reports 2011 Florida Masters Week
Florida Laser Masters Championship, Feb. 12-13 The 2011 mid-winter masters’ migration to south Florida started with a bang and ended with a whimper. Things got off to a rousing start at the annual Jack Swenson Memorial Florida Laser Masters Championship, where 55 competitors were greeted with big wind, big waves and the warm hospitality of the Palm Beach Sailing Club. The RC elected to send the geezers outside on day one despite 20 knot winds and epic seas. After two races, much carnage, and some confusion about the exact coordinates of the leeward mark (resulting in a protest, later disallowed, of 19 boats), the tired troops were sent in, John Bertrand and Ernesto Rodriguez leading the pack with a first and a second each. Day two dawned sunny and brisk, but no less breezy. This time the RC set a course inside the channel, and the gang proceeded to duke it out in four tightly fought windward-leewards in a stiff northerly. Ernesto put the pedal down hard, taking three bullets and beating the masters’ handicap to win first Apprentice and the coveted champion’s green jacket. Bertrand hung on to take second overall and first Master. Grand Master Jorge Abreu and Great Grand Master Peter Seidenberg tied for sixth, each taking first in his age division, but Peter winning the tiebreaker based on the masters scoring rule of age before beauty. Michelle Davis was the first woman, and also the artistic talent behind the handsome prizes. Food, drink, and race management were all first rate, thanks to the great team at PBSC. 20
Midweek Madness, Feb. 1516 After a (way too short) day to rest and recover, the fleet reconvened at West Palm Beach for Midweek Madness. Meanwhile, the temperature warmed up and the wind calmed down, resulting in the kind of champagne sailing conditions that lure sailors from thousands of miles away to sail in Florida in the winter. The 42-boat fleet included entries from Germany, Denmark, Mexico, Canada, Dominican Republic, Hawaii, and the far corners of the continental US. But it was local boy Ville Roberts from Ft. Lauderdale (via Finland) who crushed it the first day, recovering from a first race restart after being over early to finish 13-2-11 and end the day in a dead heat with
David Hartman
Cooper River, NJ, rock star John McCausland. Day two brought a lighter, shiftier, easterly breeze and some major shakeups in the finishing orders. Still, at the end of the day it was the same two names at the top, McCausland finally getting the best of Roberts in the last race to win first Master and first overall by three points. Third overall and first Great Grand Master was Peter Seidenberg, and Bill Symes’s fifth overall was good enough to win the Grand Master division. Jay Vann finished first in the Apprentice division and Michelle Davis once again took home the prize for first woman. Blissful but bleary-eyed after four magnificent days of sailing, the happy band packed up their Lasers, bid a fond farewell to Palm Beach, and headed west to the big one–Masters Midwinters East.
Masters Midwinters East, Feb. 18-20 By the time the masters fleet arrived at Davis Island Yacht Club for the 2011 Masters Midwinters East, its numbers had swelled to 71, but the wind had shrunk to zero. Fortunately for the competitors, the race committee was patient and the kitchen was proficient. As everyone sat gazing across the perfect glass of Tampa Bay on Friday morning, the Davis Island YC staff Bill Symes was serving up whopping plates of
SPRING 2011
the RC detected whispers of a dog for the week. Ville Roberts of developing sea breeze and sent Lauderdale Yacht Club took the overall the fleet out. Race three got off title with scores of 3-2-6 in the Masters to a hopeful start in an 8-knot division. Age group winners ar in the westerly, but the breeze faded, box at bottom: then veered hard right on lap two. 2010 Masters Peter Seidenberg Midwinters champ Peter Vessella figured it out to take the bullet, followed home by John McCausland and Laser legend Dick Tillman. As the breeze filled in and steadied, two-time Many thanks to the huge team of volworld champion John Bertrand found unteers that put on this terrific sailhis groove, leading Matias Del Solar ing/dining extravaganza, especially and Mike Matan across the finish line Regatta Chair Eric Robbins and PRO in race four. There was just enough Jane Anne Pincus. Full results can be time and just enough wind to squeeze found at http://diyc.org/results.asp. off one more heat, at the end of which Matia Del Solar was once again at the Photos by Cal Landau Photography; front of the pack, followed by Peter www.callandau.com Shope and Eric Oetgen. The beer boat was on duty at the finish line, and the Masters Midwinters East Top Finishers weary competitors Apprentice Grand Master sailed home to hot 1. Matias Del Solar 1. Peter Vessella showers and a boda2. Eric Oetgen 2. Bill Symes cious regatta dinner. 3. Juan Pablo Del Solar 3. Alden Shattuck
Ville Roberts
eggs, bacon, grits, biscuits and gravy. Then, just when we feared all this carbo loading might go to waste, zephyrs started to appear out of the northwest. The breeze filled in, the AP came down, and the fleet hit the water around 4 pm, just in time to knock off two brisk races before sundown. Showing the way around the course was the amazingly youthful looking Matias Del Solar, followed in the first race by his amazingly youthful looking brother Juan Pablo and in the second race by the amazingly youthful looking Eric Oetgen (is nobody checking IDs?). Just beyond the finish line, the beer boat was handing out pre-opened cans of Bud Light to refresh the competitors for their reach back into the club, where more Bud Light and hot appetizers awaited.
Saturday morning looked like a Groundhog Day of day one. Sailors lined up at the breakfast buffet and hunkered down to wait for wind. Out on the front lawn, amid a sea of limp Laser sails, Juan Pablo Del Solar offered an impromptu seminar on the latest rigging tricks. Then around 2:30,
And that, as it turned Master Great Grand Master out, was that. With no 1. John Bertrand 1. Peter Seidenberg wind lines in sight by 2. Peter Shope 2. David Hartman lunch time Sunday, 3. John MacCausland 3. Dick Tillman the RC called it a Overall regatta and fired up 1. Matias Del Solar the barbeques. 2. Peter Vesella Over burgers and 3. John Bertrand beers, the hardware was handed out to the sailors in the box to the right.
Florida Masters Week Final Masters Midwinters East Apprentice: Matias Del Solar was also the grand finale Master: John MacCausland of Florida Masters Week, GGrand Master: Peter Seidenberg which combined scores for Charlie Buckingham all three regattas to determine top www.Laser.org
21
Whitefish Lake Regatta
A steady and consistent wind greeted sailors July 10 for the second annual, and still very much informal, Whitefish Lake Laser Regatta. This a free regatta, with a great after-race lunch at Peter and Cheri Aronsson’s house above the lake. After meeting at Heather Mull’s house near the ramp at 5:30 a.m., a dozen Laser sailboats launched from City Beach at 7 a.m. and raced an Olympic triangle course in the middle of the lake. Race organizer Peter Aronsson set buoys in 85-foot deep water. Each of the day’s three races featured one lap and tight competition at the front. Aronsson took an early lead in the first race, but his mainsheet came
22
loose, forcing him to drop out. John Underwood took over the lead and ended up winning all three races. Scott Galbraith was a close second, finishing each race less than one boat length behind Underwood. “Those two guys were dueling the whole way around,” Aronsson said. In fact, the entire pack of boats stayed within earshot of Underwood, with the last-place boat never more than one minute behind. “That’s the goal in this kind of racing,” Aronsson explained. “It gets down to the minute differences, and that’s really good.” Mike Gilbert and Pete Young tied for third with 12 points. Underwood was awarded an engraved beer mug, and sponsor Flathead Lake Lodge supplied the grand prize of a cruise on Doug Averill’s classic
racing yacht, the Nor’Easter V, one of two Herreshoff-designed “Q boats.” A goal of the regatta is to promote the non-profit Whitefish Lake Institute, Aronsson said. The Institute researches water quality in the Flathead Lake watershed. The regatta will continue next summer and expand to a two-day affair July 16-17. There are 10 boats committed as of mid-February. Aronsson says as many as 75 Laser sailors reside in the North Valley. Taken from the Whitefish Pilot
SPRING 2011
40th Orange Coffee Pot Regatta
The historic Jack Elfman Orange Coffee Pot Regatta will celebrate its 40 Year anniversary on Saturday, June 4th at Surf City YC on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. We believe this is the longest running laser regatta in the Laser Class. The regatta was started in 1972 by a group of local Laser sailors including Jack Elfman. Jack donated an old orange porcelain coffee pot that became the perpetual trophy. The initial OCP winner was Skip Whyte. The next 2 years Gary Jobson was the winner and Clay Johnson has been the only 4 time champion. In the early years there were 40-50 Lasers participating. This great one day regatta is for Lasers, Radials and 4.7 rigs has a goal of 40 boats for the 40th Annual Regatta. Plenty of good racing, food and awards so hopefully many Laser
sailors will include this regatta on their sailing schedule. The NOR will be on the Surf City YC website (scyc-nj.org). Any questions contact: Newt Wattis NWattis@verizon.net Ph: 609 494 2801
Orange Coffee Pot Champions
1992 David Applegate 1972 Skip Whyte 1993 Max Skelley 1973 Gary Jobson 1994 Peter Hurley 1974 Gary Jobson 1995 Richard Colie 1975 Dave Gray 1976 Shawn Kempton 1996 Richard Colie 1977 Shawn Kempton 1997 1978 Shawn Kempton 1998 Travis Weber 1999 Clay Johnson 1979 Had Brick 1980 Frank Edelblut 2000 Clay Johnson 2001 Glen Dickson 1981 Had Brick 1982 Bill Mergenthaler2002 Dave Breder 2003 Clay Johnson 1983 Mike Waters 2004 Reed Johnson 1984 Jim Deering 2005 Royce Weber 1985 Had Brick 2006 Clay Johnson 1986 Chris Larson 1987 David Applegate 2007 Jerry Tullo 2008 Eric Reitinger 1988 Dave Magno 1989 Stephen Rhodes 2009 Theo Ingram 1990 Jim “T” Thieler 2010 Mike Hecky 1991 Jim “T” Thieler
Calgary 1520 Meridian Rd Calgary, AB, T2A 2N9 403 266 3055 calgary@glenmoresailboats.com
Edmonton 6507 104th Street Edmonton, AB, T6H 2L3 780 434 0101 edmonton@glenmoresailboats.com
Vancouver 1625 Powell Street Vancouver, BC, V5L 1H5 604 251 3455 vancouver@glenmoresailboats.com
www.Laser.org
Western Canada’s premiere sailing and paddling store since 1960
23
Mastery in Mexico WALT SPEVAK
Fourteen Masters sailors from the U.S. and Canada gathered in early March for the International Sailing Academy (www.internationalsailingacademy.com ) Laser Masters Racing Clinic and Mexican Masters Championships in sunny Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Those of us from San Francisco were happy to leave the Bay’s frigid waters. Our mates from Canada were happy to leave the frigid temperatures of their home towns! The format was to train for four days and then race for three with coaching from ISA cofounder Vaughn Harrison and former Laser World Champion and Olympian John Bertrand
(http://johnbertrand.blogspot.com/). Just days before, the ‘internationals’ (Paul Goodison, Nick Thompson, James Espey and others) had been training at ISA and John was determined to have our training drills mirror the younger stars of our sport. John also encouraged us to have a “go for it’ mentality which provided great entertainment for the locals as we practiced roll tacks and invariably rolled the boat on top of ourselves when initiating the tack or missed the hiking strap altogether when jumping to windward and quickly executed a head over heels flip with tiller extension and main sheet still in hand. With air and water temps in the 70s who cared! One day we were towed an hour upwind followed by several hours of downwind drills “just like the internationals”. Knowing the distance gains which can be made downwind this was a particularly important day, videotaped as was every day, which we would watch in the evening to debrief the days sailing. For many of us this was the first time seeing our starting
24
techniques, mark roundings and Scurves (or lack thereof) on film. Sessions included comparing our rather statue like techniques to those of the rock stars and their non-stop activity in the boat.
A huge part of what makes ISA such an ideal venue is the truly extraordinary, healthy cuisine cooked up by Leah HolstenDanielson whose home and North Sails Puerto Vallarta loft served as our daily gathering spot. Breakfast provided fuel for the day and got us started. Then, after our daily on-the-water sessions, we returned to Leah’s where, as we settled our weary bodies into oh so comfortable chairs, we were provided cold towels to clean up, myriad choices of fruit juices and snacks and later dinners which topped any restaurant food available, except perhaps for the wonderfully named “Tacos on the Street”.
Photo: Christy Usher leading the pack out of the leeward mark.
Calles, who had also run through drills with us, and aspiring Olympian Pablo Rabago. Even in the lighter air races Tania, in her Radial, kept up and usually led most of the Standard rigs, masterfully surfing downwind in conditions where few of us could find a wave. In the breeze Pablo was ridiculously horizontal keeping his boat flat and saying adios after the start. Pablo’s conditioning reminded John to encourage us to check out US Sailing Team partner, Bow Down Training www.bowdowntraining.com , if we wanted any chance to ‘be like Pablo’ in this August’s windy worlds of San Francisco Bay. Photo: View at the start from the top of Kurt Wessel’s mast
After four days of training it was time for racing where we were joined by several Mexican Laser sailors, of all ages, including 3-time Mexican Radial Olympian Tania Elias-
SPRING 2011
John joined us for the first two days of racing and it was inspiring to see his talent level after rejoining the Laser class just a few years ago. Tracy Usher proved victorious in the Masters division, Richard Quinlan the top Grand Master, David Elliott the top Great Grandmaster, and Kurt Wessels led the Apprentice Group. Of note was the superb race committee work who efficiently set up trapezoid courses to again mirror the configurations we’ll likely see in SF Bay.
Throughout the training sessions and racing we enjoyed the added bonus of being photographed by talented and creative photographer, Jen Edney. Jen had some very creative ideas on angles for photographs, from her taking pictures from the water, to mounting a camera at the masthead. I encourage you to check out her website www.jenedney.com and see Laser photography like you’ve never seen it before!
www.Laser.org
After seven days of morning to late afternoon sailable breezes, video debriefs, sumptuous food and balmy evenings in shorts and t-shirts it was time to say adios amigos and head back to the realities of winter, taking a cold bow wave racing again in SF Bay or a cold blast of Canadian air for the Alberta sailors amongst us. We all agreed to come back next March as an excellent way to kick off the sailing season with superb coaching from John
Photo: Nearing the end of the downwind practice day.
and Vaughn combined with Leah’s hospitality and cuisine. Thanks Vaughn, John, Leah, and Jen for making our week so memorable. All photos courtesy of Jen Edney
25
District Reports District 1 Danielle Dube Nova Scotia
There once was a man named Rob Koci Who lives in Toronto and writes for D3 He wrote a poem for the winter issue
And I laughed so hard I needed a tissue
And for better or worse it’s inspired me So now onto the daunting task at hand
I’ll tell a tale of escape from frozen land
Where sailors from all over District One Flocked south like birds
To greet the southern sun It began in January at the Miami OCR Where sailors came from near and far
To get our hands dirty in the first world cup event And after 5 days we all were spent
And Lisa came 17th, I was 25th, with Erin Rafuse in thirty. Next on our list was the Women’s NA’s
In Ft. Lauderdale we had light winds for days The courses sailed were windward-leewards The competitors were world-class and eager
I placed 11th, Erin came 12th, and to our amaze
Lisa placed 3rd to showcase her winning ways Now during this time, back in Miami
Where the palm trees sway and the beaches are sandy Laser sailors Greg Simms, Bryant Woods and Brandon Brown
Lived and trained out of the Squadron house in town And I heard their training was quite dandy
From mid February in Cabarete, D.R.
The Dunn brothers were training and narrowly escaped the E.R.
They were sailing their lasers in big wind and waves
But bailed on a reef, leaving coach Agustin in a daze They made it ashore, and we’re glad they’re okay
With smiles on their faces they sailed the next day
26
The last regatta in February was the midwinter’s East
Which takes place in Clearwater and is a whole different beast We packed the car and loaded the trailer badly
And took off from Miami to cross Alligator Alley Unlike past years Clearwater was hot, sunny, and sweet The type of conditions that couldn’t be beat
In the radials Erin was 17th, I placed 18th, Sandy Beatty 85th,
And Greg Simms 87th, and Maggie Kennedy with some unfortunate BFDs, Placed 104 in a hundred-and-something boat fleet And in the full rigs, competition was tough
A lot of sailors found the light conditions rough
Bryant Woods and Brandon Brown were numbers 58 and 66
They learned a lot and found some skills to be fixed And in Master’s news, Gerry Giffin went to compete In Tampa at the Laser Masters Midwinters East Where there was a seventy-one boat fleet,
And Gerry placed 48th, so many boats he did beat. And now, like winter, this poem must conclude I hope I didn’t do something rude
And forget to mention someone’s glorification If I did, send me an email
And it will be in next season’s publication.
District 2 Philippe Dormoy Quebec, Canada
Yes , Laser is really getting into my head!
It was with great pleasure that I proposed my candidature for the district 2 secretary position, and I am on as the new district 2 secretary. I want to thanks very much Louis Beauregard for his work and for bringing me to the class last year.
What a great class and dynamic group you guys are!
When I decided to get into Laser sailing last Spring, I found a good boat , I registered to the class and a training camp in Montreal. With all my sailing background and my physical training, I thought it was going to be a piece of cake. What a wake-up call I got! The training camp was help with winds up to 27 knots and I spent half of my time in the water! I had not putt my hiking pants (what is that for?) and
found out what they are all about. What a first contact it was! But I also found a nice group of passionate guys, and a great dinghy, and I rarely give up!
So a few weeks after that I went to the Canadian Laser Championship in Quebec and I had, again, a severe lesson… but a few good legs. I was so beatup after this championship that I told my wife that Laser was stronger than me. But, I told you, I rarely give-up. So a few weeks after, I went to the Canadian masters and things started to fall in place. It has been a great championship, a great event, where I met a bunch of great people. And that was it: It was totally intoxicated to the Laser and the Masters Class Association! But my windsurfer friends are not happy about my move.
We, unfortunately, had not a great participation to our district championship that was windy enough to be really fun. I broke my mast at the first race so I only race 3 of the 7 races. Jean-Pierre Kikens won the district title in front of Pierre Jasmin and Denys Deschambeau.
So what’s next? The boat in at rest, winter is coming to an end: We, as a group of Québec Laser sailors, want to bring more people to the races. I know that there are a lot people not coming to the regattas and I want to find out how to change that. There will still be the training camp in spring and our Quebec race agenda will most probably be in line with the “Fédération de voile du Québec” as they already have organized races that we can go to. I want to organize weekly “fun practice races” and group practices followed by BBQ’s
I also want to work closely with our friends from District 3, try to have common events/Activities and learn from them. This year the Canadian master is in Kingston and it should be a great regatta. Let’s make sure that the Quebec Laser 1 sailor’s participation will be significant.
I am open to any suggestions, ideas, help to bring more sailors to the class and the association. It needs to be fun and rewarding and it is up to us to create this climate. I wish you all a good end of winter, good spring time and back to sailing as soon as possible.
My biggest problem this summer will be to choose between Laser sailing and Windsurfing when winds will be above 20 knots, I think I will do both! Good sailing.
District 3 Rob Koci Toronto, Canada Spring is here. Whew.
The single most important development in the D3 this spring is the change to our Gold Cup Series, sponsored by Fogh Marine. This year, the series will be renamed the Fogh Gold Cup and registration will be necessary to qualify for the regatta points and overall winner prizes.
SPRING 2011
Olympics. His presence and the presence of Danielle Dube, international Radial sailor from Halifax, were enough to show just how far we Masters have to go avoiding the spanking we normally get downwind.
District 4 Brigitte Smutny Winnipeg, Canada
To register for the series, contact Fogh Marine by phone, fax or email to let them know you want to be scored for the six regatta series. There is no registration fee. You’ll need to give them your name, contact information, sail number, age and NA Laser Class Association number.
The six venues this year are: Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club Icebreaker, TS&CC, Toronto, May 21-22 Water Rats Spring WAR, Water Rats SC, Toronto, June 4-5 Sailfest Sarnia, Sarnia Yacht Club, Sarnia, July 9-10 Fogh Boorman Regatta, Royal Hamilton Yacht Club, Hamilton, July 23-24 Mid Ontarios, Sturgeon Lake Sailing Club, Sturgeon Point, August 6-7 National Capital Regatta, Britianna Yacht Club, Ottawa, Aug 13-14
As usual, your best four of the six regattas count towards the overall results. The prizes will be as last year; Fogh Marine is supplying new sails to the winners of the Full Rig fleet, the Radial fleet, and top Junior and top female in the Radial Fleet. Top Master will be awarded a gift certificate from Fogh Marine.
Beyond the Fogh Gold Cup, there are a number of excellent regattas in the D3. Two Masters regattas to watch for are the Great Lakes Masters in Hamilton and the Canadian Masters held this year in Kingston, Ont. As well, the Great Lakes Open Championship will take place in Kingston during Fall CORK. For information on all regattas this summer, go to www.d3laser.com and click on “Regattas.” The winter was good to us this year. The Ontario Masters Racing Team organized a trip to the Dominican Republic for training. The group included 18 sailors from Ontario along with their friends and family. Local coach Rulo and Thomas Peister, national coach for the German sailing team, were on hand to point the sailors in the right direction. The clinic included the Laser Training Center’s first downwind training day, where the fleet left from Cabarete Bay and sailed downwind about 10k to Sosua Bay. Joining the team was Raul Ayago, representative for the Dominican Republic in the last
www.Laser.org
On August 4-7, 2011 the Gimli Yacht Club will be hosting CYA SAIL WEST, the Western Canadian Sailing Championships. The event is expected to attract participation of 180 athletes from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The four day event will consist of a two day Youth Olympic Training Seminar with expert coaches from across the country, followed by a two day sailing regatta. “I am excited about competing at Sail West in Gimli this year. I was in Edmonton last year for Sail West and it was great. I am looking forward to competing with home field advantage where my friends and family can come and watch.” says Emma Williams, a sailor from Team Manitoba who trains in Gimli.
The Gimli Yacht Club was founded as a part of the legacy from the 1967 Pam Am Games. Sailboat racing was the “raison d’être” for the establishment of the club. “Gimli Yacht Club has been host to multiple title events over the years, including two Pan Am Games in 1967 and 1999, many National and North American Championships, Western Canada Summer Games, Western Canadian Championships, and even a World Boardsailing Championship in 1994.” says current Commodore Eric Turner. “For Sail West we will have over 50 volunteers working together to make the event a success. We want to showcase one of the best sailing venues across North America. Lake Winnipeg provides for some of the best inland sailing West of the Great Lakes, and the Gimli harbour has a world class dinghy beach.” For more information about CYA Sail West visit www.sailwest2011.com
District 5 Mark Lammens Saskatoon, Canada
The Dick Degner District-5 Summer Series events have been secured. Mostly the same as last year except Newell has been added to the scoring events with hosting the District’s, a first. DDD-5 scoring is 3 regattas in AB and 3 in SK, best 2 and 1 from either province, inverse scoring. Basically the sailor, (Master, Open, and Radial) that has finished in front of the most sailors gets their name on the Dick Degner trophy. Take a look on the D-5 link on the Sask sailing web site.
There has been discussion about the formalizing the HIKE AND HACK event, golf and sailing, to be done with the Western Masters/SK regatta in Meota,
SK. 9 holes of golf, 9 races in sailing. Scoring to be determined. Do we drop a hole for DSQ, “Did Shoot a Quall”, or for OCS- “One Crap Shot”…..and how to score the foot wedge? Basically it will be adding both numbers to get 1 number. A 52 is tacking up the course too much.
Other news, Calgary Yacht Club should have its new club house for 2011, weather projections are hot, spring run-off should be at a 20 year high and oil/gas/potash rich Alberta and Saskatchewan should thrive. Another good year to be sailing laser in D-5.
District 6 Andy Hunt Vancouver, Canada
This report will be shorter than usual due to lack of activities in District 6 in the winter. There was one regatta in February and one regatta in March. I have been informed that there is no longer any formal frostbite racing going on in Victoria. In the old days, there was a consistent group of sailors that would show up on Saturdays for some winter racing. This is no longer the case and now they do some training exercises and some short informal races. Since Washington State now is in District 22, the only frostbiting that I know of in District 6 is at the Surrey Sailing Club (www.surreysailingclub.bc.ca. The frostbite racing is now over and all the clubs will be starting their spring racing which I hope to report on in the next Laser Sailor. I have found out that there is a new sailing venue on Vancouver Island. The information on the new site is listed below: Port Alberni is the hottest Valley on Vancouver Island in the summer and due to the long inlet that opens to the west coast, it draws world-class, consistent, predictable thermal winds up the Alberni canal. A real plus to the sailing here is the warm water. Where else on Vancouver Island can you play in the windy water in anything less than a wetsuit. Due to the heat of the valley, the water is warm enough to swim in just a bathing suit for the summer months. Last summer, we (Wild West Watersports) created water access to the warm windy inlet for watercraft of all kinds. Historically, Port Alberni had no reasonable, safe water access, since the waterfront has been locked up in industry for years. Now, there’s plenty of room for parking, rigging and sailboat launching from the Wild West Watersports access point. In addition to the predictable, consistent thermal winds, Port Alberni is a city that offers plenty of other activities/ amenities for visitors. Many options for lodging, restaurants, and shopping, not to mention hiking/biking trails, kayak tours, scuba diving, and other adventures. For more information on Port Alberni, please visit
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www.albernivalleytourism.com. Wind conditions can be found at: www.bigwavedave.com Port Alberni Harbour Quay. There is a new Laser Performance dealer on Vancouver Island. They are Trotac Marine which is located in Victoria on Dallas Road, near the Ogden Point Breakwater. They took over when the Bosun’s Locker closed doors. Now, on to the real stuff, ie what happened in the two above mentioned regattas. The first regatta was in Victoria on February 5 and 6 at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. There were 4 races on the Saturday and five races on the Sunday for each fleet of Standard Lasers and Laser Radials. Winds were about 5 – 8 on Saturday and quite a bit more on Sunday, about 10 – 13. There were 13 Standard Lasers and 6 Laser Radials. Competitors came from the Island and the lower mainland (Vancouver and Surrey). Top three Standard Laser Sailors were: Phil Round, RVicYC, 21.00; Doug Honey, SSC, 33.00; Peter Woytkowiak, JSCA, 35.00. There was a mix of master, open and youth sailors in the Standard Lasers. In the Laser Radials, there were 6 sailors and there were 4 youth sailors and two master sailors. Maura Dewey, who sailed better in the lighter winds, edged out Mike Cannon 14 points to 16 points. Max Gallant was third with 22 points. My thanks to Darren Redies for the following report on the March Madness Regatta: The March Madness Regatta was hosted by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on March 12 & 13 as part of the District 6 Frostbite Series. 24 competitors from the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, the Jericho Sailing Centre, the Surrey Sailing Club and the Royal Victoria Yacht Club did battle in a range of conditions. On day one, the race committee was recording wind speeds of 21 knots prior to the first start, but the winds gradually faded as the day progressed ending the day with about 12 knots of breeze. Day two was forecast to be a gale, but instead greeted the competitors with a more steady breeze of about 18 knots. After two days, 7 races were completed. Al Clark showed his customary boat speed and prowess around the course, and dominated the Standard fleet with an 11 point lead over his nearest competitor. Similarly, Isabella Bertold was able to wrap up with a comfortable 8 point lead in the Radial fleet. Full results are available for both regattas on the club’s websites (www.rvyc.bc.ca & www.royalvan.com. There are plans in the works to have the 2011 District 6 Grand Prix at Cultus Lake on June 18 & 19. I hope to have this confirmed with the commodore of the Cultus Lake Sailing Club, Chris Carberry, as soon as possible. Finally, plans are also in the works for a new District 6 website. Details will follow when the site is up and running. For those of you who want to check out the regattas in District 6, please go to: www.cycseattle.org/slf.
District 7 Kim Ferguson Rhode Island
One thing that needs to be on every Laser sailor’s “bucket list” is a trip to The Laser Training Center in Cabarete, Dominican Republic! Scott was invited to sail in a Laser clinic over March run by wellknown coach Dr. Rulo and what a trip it was. I ended up tagging along and sailing as well and all I can say is that, a few days in Cabarete with coach Rulo, is the place to go if you want to get better sailing a Laser in breeze and waves.
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Whether you are a beginner Laser sailor or a family member that wants to hang on the beach, there is plenty to do in Cabarete! I had a huge smile on my face at the end of each day. The breeze, even when it’s up, is softer than sailing in the harsh East Coast off the US and the water, so warm. Even on the windiest days, with big waves and soaking wet, you never felt cold, not once. Cabarete is by far the nicest place that I have ever sailed a Laser! Check it out at www.caribwind.com
Tunnacliff definitely helped as did Luke Lawrence. Some of the D8 sailors also participated in the USA Development team practice the weekend before. They open 4 practices a year to up and the sailors and are Coached by Ryan Minth and head Coach Leandro Spina.
(out of 103) at the 2011 Miami OCR!
While we are speaking about travelling sailors, judging from Mike Matan’s facebook page, he’s been all over the globe training and racing and won a big masters event this winter down in Florida story below!
As far as big news in the D7 fleet, Rob Crane of Noroton YC takes the cake with a 10th place finish
In the Master’s fleet, Peter Shope of Sail Newport was 3rd place overall out of 58 competitors in the
2011 Florida Laser Masters. Peter Seidenberg also
of Sail Newport finished in 7th with Mike Matan of Cedar Point finishing in 8th.
For the juniors, Lucas Adams finished in 7th place overall in a competitive standard fleet at the Orange Bowl Regatta.
Despite the frigid winter and multiple “snow days,” the frostbiting across D7 was strong with the biggest turnout and least amount of cancellations being Newport’s Fleet 413. Please put your emails on the email list for 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.
District 8 Ted Cremer Long Island, NY
Happy spring Laser sailors!
Lets lead off with acknowledging our traveling sailors!
Laser Midwinters East saw that district 8 was well represented and the weather couldn’t be better. It was in the 70s everyday, mostly sunny, and wind for the most part was good. District 8’s Vic Thuroe and Daniel DelBello finished a respectable 23rd and 27th respectively in the Laser Gold Fleet!
LISOT Radial sailors did well although they sailed unattached this time around as coach Rob Crane was competing as he embarks on his Olympic campaign. http://robcraneracing.com/Welcome.html
Colin Kennedy (12th) Gary Prieto (20th) Ryan Schmitz (24th) Nick Valente (25th) Stefan Kuehn (51st) Matt Lyons (35th in Radial silver)
Colin Kennedy and Nic Valente were supported by Lauderdale YC. They have been sailing in the LYC Winter away program where they sail at LYC twice a month and get supported by them for all the Florida Regattas. Ryan and Matt were supported by Brett Davis. LYC coaches Anna
Thanks to Larry Kennedy for his report - definitely check out his pictures!
https://picasaweb.google.com/klarry123/Midwin tersEast20112
Matan wins Florida Laser Masters 54 Sailors from 5 countries and 15 states gathered at Palm Beach Sailing Club to experience great ocean sailing in an 6 to 8 knot southerly on Saturday in balmy 80 degree sunshine. The RC wisely decided the 25 knot breeze in the ocean could make for unsafe conditions for the fleet so we enjoyed “lake sailing” in 20 plus northerlies on Sunday. Mike Matan showed his speed in the heavier winds on Sunday to emerge as the winner. John MacCausland, last year’s winner, was 4 points behind to finish as runner-up. Ian Lineberger beat out Ryan Minth on a tie breaker for third overall. Full Results are at: http://www.pbsail.org/LaserMasters2008.htm I look forward to seeing Mike back at Sayville YC when he’s back in the area . . . the windier it is, the faster he goes!
On to local winter sailing and upcoming plans! Seawanhaka’s winter program is a great success, thanks for Maryanne Nash’s great leadership and Dave Trinder’s reports. Seawanhaka continues to be an awesome host to the district, and there is no way to thank Seawanhaka enough for their great efforts on our behalf. Special congrats go out to Ryan Schmitz who looks to be on a roll leading the spring series with an average score of 1.45 points over 18 races. Ryan is fast , , , if he keeps up with this, he’ll be sailing in college for sure! Fred Abels and Lindsay Hewitt are second and 3rd respectively with Matt Lyons in 4th. Geoffrey Loffredo had a strong fall season and is currently fifth in the springs series. He’ll be a force to recon with next summer in the East End Laser Series! In all, 19 folks dragged their lasers out and at one time or another sailed in the spring series. Congratulations to all involved! I want to thank my loyal webmaster Robert Terry (currently 7th for the spring season!) for his continued commitment to the website. You really need to go to the site and check out all of his videos... go to video archives. http://laserd8.tripod.com/
Upcoming regattas
May 7th Regatta at Sebago Canoe Club Brooklyn, NY
June 4th-5th Laser District 8 Grand Prix Sayville YC
June 11th Southampton YC regatta - sailing in the Hamptons followed by a killer feast!
June 18 AYC Spring Laser Regatta - American Yacht Club, Rye, NY
SPRING 2011
Southold Yacht Club is excited to announce the addition of the Laser class to its annual Around Shelter Island races, July 30, 2011. NOR’s will be available on the district website http://laserd8.tripod.com/ as they become available.
Finally, I need to Thank Mike Duran and Lynn for keeping that east end series together and cranking. It represents one of the best summer laser series in the country in terms of numbers... well done! We’ll have his schedule up soon, and I look forward to going back to North Haven July 4th weekend for Bud’s regatta. See you on the water!~
District 9 Chas Williamson Ithaca, NY
We have a beautiful day today - mid-50’s and the snow is melting fast, telling us to get out on the water soon, and especially after Spring Break.
The Spring 2011 season will start with Ithaca YC Wine Keg on 21 May 2011, and we will be off to a good start with guaranteed good breezes, followed by Newport YC (28 May); an early start this year for Willowbank YC (4 June); Saratoga Lake SC (11 June) and Chautauqua Lake YC (25 June). For these and later regattas see the calendar below, and also check out the D9 Schedule on the ILCA - North America website. There you will find complete schedules and information on the fleets and clubs, all over the country, plus any changes to this calendar, although all the regattas have been confirmed with the various yacht clubs.
Last year, we had 3 regattas in the second half of the season, which have not been reported on as yet. I will be receiving results from Seneca YC and the Willowbank YC Deathroll very soon. We should focus first on the results of the District Championships, held on 10-11 July 2011 at Sodus Bay YC and SBJSA, very ably coordinated by Mike Foley of SBJSA. The Laser Standard was won by Mike Hecky, who finished on equal points with Chas Williamson, but with placings of 1-2-2-1-4-511, he had a tie-break advantage over Chas who scored 4-1-4-8-3-2-1. Chas, and fantastic Coach Phil Alley, thought he had won, for around 2 hours, until the tie-break realisation came! Another Williamson did well in the Radial fleet - Philippe finished first with a 2-2-1-1-1-2-3 score, beating Colin Lange by one point. The wind was full hiking weather on the Saturday, and slightly lighter on the Sunday. Scott Possee and Jamie Moran also won races to finish 3rd and 4th, followed by Junior sailor Ian Ikeda, coached by the great Rochester YC team including Jon Faudree. Luke Miller of Ithaca finished very well in 6th place. Mike Kitner and Richie Wait did awesomely to finish as the two top Masters sailors. Overall placings: Laser Standard: 1. Mike Hecky; 2. Chas Williamson; 3. Scott Possee; 4. Jamie Moran; 5. Ian Ikeda; 6. Lucky Luke Miller; 7. AJ Murphy; 8. Tom Shaw; 9. Mike Kitner; 10. Richie Wait; 11. Nicholas Balta; 12. Alex Steo; 13. Chris Wilson; 14. Dave Filiberto; 15. Alexander Grassl; 16. Justin Reisch; 17. James; 18. Alden Kwy; 19. Marcus Costich; 20. Peter Fleckenstein; 21. Joe Miller of the Brothers; 22. Jared Caughill. Laser Radial: 1. Philippe Williamson; 2. Colin
www.Laser.org
Lange; 3. Grant Gefell; 4. Alana Macdonald; 5. Dalton Carison.
District 10 Eric Reitinger New Jersey
Winter set in for the district with some folks braving the cold up here and many making the trip down south for the warm weather.
For many the way to end the year is to head down to the Orange Bowl. Many sailors leave on Christmas day and make the trek down to Miami. 4.7 (20 boats)
Connor Swikart (Shrewsbury Sailing and YC) 7th
Full Rig (30 boats) Ryan Bailey (Island Heights YC) 17th Nick Pro (Riverton YC) 25th Radial (139 boats) Jack Swikart (Shrewsbury Sailing and YC) 25th Andrew Puopolo (Marsh Creek SC) 39th
The Miami OCR was the big international regatta of the winter for many. A few D10 sailors made the trip. Congratulations to Clay Johnson for his 9th
place finish and acceptance onto the US Sailing Alpha Graphics Team. Kyle Rogachenko finished 16th and Billy Martin finished 87th.
Before the open Midwinters, the Masters get a week of sailing all over Florida. The first two regattas, Florida Masters and Masters Midweek Madness both took place at Palm Beach Sailing Club and then Masters Midwinters East at Davis Island Yacht Club. Four made the trip down and sailed the entire circuit. Florida Masters:
John MacCausland (Cooper River YC) 11th Mike Hecky (Riverton YC) 24th
Newt Wattis (Surf City YC) 20th
Don Hahl (Brant Beach YC) 16th
Midweek Madness: Mac 1st,Mike 11th , Newt 18th , Don 22nd
Midwinters East:Mac 6th ,Mike 29th ,Newt 38th, Don 37th
Just after that the open Midwinters took place at Clearwater Yacht Club with perfect weather (much warmer than last year). The District was well represented.
Laser Gold Fleet Clay Johnson (3rd) Little Egg Harbor YC Kyle Rogochenko (14th) Toms River YC Eric Reitinger (29th) Brant Beach YC
Laser Silver Fleet Ryan Bailey (7th) Island Heights YC Joe Lepis (10th) Lavallette YC Mac Feaster (21st) Island Heights YC
Radial Gold Fleet Jack Swikart (35th) Shrewsbury Sailing and YC Radial Silver Fleet
Andrew Puopolo (2nd) Marsh Creek SC Isaac Cohen (28th) Toms River YC Jake Ellis (52nd) Brant Beach YC
4.7 Kayla Ellis (5th) Brant Beach YC Connor Swikart (7th) Shrewsbury Sailing and YC
Monmouth Boat Club had frostbiting that went in through December then stopped when the ice formed on the river. They started up in March and will finish up at the end of the month.
The calendar for the District can be found at the Laser class site. Most of the adult events are in the spring and fall while the junior events dominate the summer. Brant Beach is hosting the North Americans July 12-15 so please come and join us then. The Districts will be held at Little Egg on June 11-12. Spring and early Summer Schedule
April 10 and 17 Ice Breaker @ Riverton YC
April 30 30th Annual Phil Champ for Lasers @ Marsh Creek May 14 Monmouth Spring Regatta @ Monmouth BC May 28 Lavallette Laser Regatta @ Lavallette YC June 4 2011OrangeCoffeePotLaserRegatta@SurfCityYC June 11-12 Laser District 10 Championship @ Little Egg Harbor YC
June 12 Rust Removal @ Island Heights YC June 18 Shrewsbury Spring Regatta @ Shrewsbury Sailing and YC June 30 Feed the Need Jr. Regatta @ Pine Beach YC July 1 Jr. Commodore’s Regatta @ Surf City YC July 7 Iron Man Jr. Regatta (boys only) @ Shore Acres YC July 8 Powder Puff Regatta (girls only) @ Metedeconk River YC July 12-15 2011 North American Championship @ Brant Beach YC July 18 Jr Team Race @ Lavallette YC July 25-26 US Sailing Mid-Atlantic Junior Olympic Regatta @ Island Heights YC
District 11
Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, DC, West Virginia Jon Deutsch http://laserdistrict11.org
Our frostbite season has wrapped up and we’ve got a great summer season of sailing ahead of us. Our premiere event of the season is our District 11 Championship. It will be May 14-15 at Fishing Bay Yacht Club and it will also serve as the US Sailing Singlehanded Championship Area C elimination. Fishing Bay is a great place to sail and if you are too young and haven’t been to a Master’s regatta, now’s your chance to sail there. There will be starts for Standards and Radials and the NOR is posted on the District 11 website at http://laserdistrict11.org
The best thing about District 11 is that there is sailing somewhere almost every weekend. The Hampton Roads Laser fleet will start an early spring season in April. SSA will kick off their season with the Sunshine Open May 7. West River Sailing Club, Rock Hall Yacht Club and Potomac River Sailing Association all have spring regattas and race days as well. Not only will do we have a number of great regattas
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for Standard rig lasers, but we’ve got a number of regattas for Radials too. There will be Open Radial starts at:
-Sunshine Open 4/16-17 -District 11 Championship 5/14-15 -SSA Spring Series 5/8, 6/19 -Corsica River Annual 7/23-24 -Crab Claw 9/24 -And more.
We’ve also got a number of junior laser and radial events around the Chesapeake Bay this summer. These include:
-Virginia Junior State Championship 6/25-26 FBYC -Maryland Junior State Championship 6/30 RHYC -West River Junior Regatta 7/5 WRSC -Sandy MacVickar Regatta 7/21 SSA
Check out the District 11 calendar online for all of the events in district 11 at http://district11.org/events
Our winter frostbiting has gone well with great turnouts at Severn Sailing Association, Potomac River Sailing Association, Hampton Roads Laser Fleet, Corsica River Yacht Club and others. It hasn’t wrapped up just yet, but we’ll have a recap in the summer edition of the Laser Sailor.
Potomac River Sailing Association held their Annual Hangover Regatta and 33 sailors were treated to air temperatures in the 50’s on the Potomac River in Washington DC. The wind was in the 7-12 range which made for about a nice of weather as one could ask for that time of the year. Tim Zimmerman took line honors winning 4 out of 5 races. He was followed by Erich Hesse and David Teale. CBYRA Announced their high point awards in the Open and Junior categories.
New Stainless Sunfish Trailer
Open Laser Standard: 1. Brady White (SSA) 2. David Schoene (SSA) 3. Matthew Schofield (SSA/AYC) 4. Jon Deutsch (FBYC)
Open Laser Radial: 1. Matthew Schofield (SSA/AYC) 2. Harrison Hawk (AYC) 3. Brian Bay (WRSC) Junior Laser Radial: 1. Alex Jacob (FBYC) 2. Ben Buhl (FBYC) 3. Austin Powers (FBYC)
New Stainless Coupler
Junior Girls Radial: 1. Nicole Hause (TAYC) 2. Madeleine Alderman (FBYC) 3. Mary Peyton Sanford (FBYC)
We’re looking forward to another great season. See you on the water!
District 12 Christian Koppernaes North Carolina
The 2010 Season Grand Finale was held in Columbia, South Carolina at the Columbia Sailing Club. The final results were: 1st 4.7 – Christina Glover 1st Female – Devon Rhode 1st Radial – Avery Fanning 1st Junior – Avery Fanning
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SPRING 2011
1st Full – Eric Oetgen 1st Apprentice Master Eric Oetgen 1st Master John Potter 1st Grand Master Joel Lambinus (Volvo NED!!!) 1st Great Grand Master Finn Hassing 1st Overall Master John Potter (This one came down to the final regatta!)
After the racing the annual meeting was held and really cool trophies were distributed to the winners. Doug Sherwood stepped down as district co-secretary after serving for 3 years. During that time the district has nearly doubled in size. Of course he had help during the first two years by Glenn Walker. Thank you Doug and Glenn! During the festivities we had our raffle where fantastic prizes were awarded. If you missed this one you really missed out.
Here is schedule of some notable events in D12 for 2011:
March 26-27 Beaufort BYSC D12 Grand Prix Full Rigs and Radials Season Opener
April Friday22-23 Charleston D12 CYC SC (In conjunction with the easter regatta) April Thursday28-May 1 Atlantic Coast Championships CYC NC June 4-5 Savannah D12 SYC June 11-12 Hobcaw Open HYC June 18-19 James Island Open JIYC June 25-26 Lowcountry Open BYSC
August 6-7 Wrightsville Beach D12 CYC NC Also Rockville Open SIYC
September 17-18 Columbia Sailing Club D12 Lake Murray + Annual Meeting September 24-25 Leukemia Cup Charleston
Please check out the district website for any updates.
Our District has many new rising stars that are about to graduate from the Opti Fleet. We are currently looking for donations of 4.7 lower sections to help facilitate the growth of the class. The Idea is to lend lower sections to sailors during the short period between 4.7 and Radial. Allowing parents to purchase Radial or Standard rigged boats for their young sailors. Please contact me directly at weebee@hargray.com for more information about the program.
District 13 Antolin Rivera Florida
Our District 13 is blessed with Laser sailing weather every day of the year. As such, we constantly have regattas going on all over the State. Presently, we are transitioning our Secretary position; Meka Taulbee has been our D13 Secretary for many years and we owe her gratitude for all her efforts through those years. It is interesting to witness how much it takes to get things done and how little recognition folks get. As the new D13 Secretary I have several goals which basically follows Meka’s mantra of “getting more Laser sailors on the water”. There are several active pockets of Laser sailing around the State and this year we are aiming to sponsor even more activities and to have more communication between those
www.Laser.org
active fleets so we can make them even stronger and expand to other geographical areas interest of Laser sailing. The Laser sailors on the East coast have a lovely model of Saturday races with a super affordable entry fee schedule, one day event, trinkets for awards and an easy formula to attract Laser sailors and have them engaged and excited all year long. We are copying that model here on the West coast as well and given that I am a convert, we will try to replicate it all over the place. Our schedule for the SunCoast Laser Series this year will consist of six Saturday regattas (constituting a “series”) visiting five different venues along the West coast including my local SunCoast-DIYC Laser Fleet out of the Davis Island YC. The clubs or sailing centers being visited are (in no particular order) Tampa Sailing Squadron, St Petersburg YC, Clearwater Community Center, Sarasota Sailing Squadron and Davis Island YC. Having a bunch of Laser sailors participate in these events provides a sense of travel to different sailing venues, a chance to sail in other waters beyond everybody’s local waters, a great opportunity to make new Laser friends and a fantastic opportunity to boost the local Laser sailors numbers for the event thus exposing more people to our awesome Laser sailing platform. Local youth sailing program kids get in on the action and we ALL win. As we get into a more global vision for the State, I can foresee events when alike a championship, all our little fleets come together for a true District 13 Laser sailing festival. Another particularity of our State is that we have lots of Youth Sailing Programs and while those programs keep our kids active, once they start college their focus in life changes a little to favor academic pursuits (as it should be), I want to align those younger sailors with our Saturday events so they too can have scheduled races in a laid back environment, often.
And so we will strive to grow our numbers and work with local dealers, SailLaser outfits around the State (we have three of those stores in the State), organizations such as the Florida Sailing Association, yacht clubs and sailing centers to convey the idea that we exist to serve the Laser sailors and the Laser sailor’s needs are the driving force behind our existence. We need to focus on what Meka has said all along, “get more Laser sailors on the water”.
District 14 Cal Herman New Orleans
GYA Laser Radial Circuit – (score 4/7)
March 19-20 DChamps Alfonso Sutter Gulfport YC June 4-5 Area D Smythe Semis
September 10-11 Back to to School Regatta Pontchartrain YC
September 24-25 Wadewitz Regatta Fairhope YC GYA Laser Full Rig Circuit – (score 4/6)
March 19-20 DChamp Alfonso Sutter Gulfport YC April 16 Preemie Cup
July 9-10 Meigs Regatta August 13-14
Pensacola Beach YC Fort Walton YC
GYA Laser - Galloway Gulfport YC
September 24-25 November 13-14
Wadewitz
Jubilee Regatta
District 15 James Freedman Texas
Fairhope YC
Pensacola YC
Last year we had a total of 60 competitors. This was down from the 2009 total of 69 competitors. We had some really great racing, and welcomed North America into our backyard down in Houston. The District 15 2010 Circuit results are in. Jacques Roy
James Freedman
Doug Peckover
Stephen Nelson
Brad Winslett Eric Faust
Forest Atkins Mike Hansen Mark Eldred
David Morgan
The District 15 2011 year will begin April 23-24 for the Easter regatta. See below for our full schedule. AYC Easter Regatta April 23-24 Austin Yacht Club RCYC Spring Dinghyfest May 14-15 Rush Creek Yacht Club
CSC Laser Regatta June 4-5 Corinthian Sailing Club
District 14 began 2011 with 2 Radial sailors attending the 2011 ISAF Youth World Qualifiers at Houston, TX. Clerc Cooper and Dustin Brennan both Southern Yacht Club Juniors made the trip to LaPorte, TX to compete against some of the best Laser Radial sailors in the country. Looking ahead we have the D-14 Championships at Gulfport YC and the GYA Laser and Radial Circuits which will count 4 of the regatta’s slated for the circuit. All are welcome to join us at any of these events.
March 26-27 Dogwood Regatta
August 13-14 GYA Laser Galloway Regatta Gulfport YC
SSC Summer Solstice / GC Masters / Area F O’Day qualifier Regatta / District 15 Championships June 18-19 Seabrook Sailing Club
AYC Centerboard Regatta September 3-4 Austin Yacht Club
FWBC Laser Regatta October 1-2 Fort Worth Boat Club
LCYC Wurstfest Regatta November 4-6 Lake Canyon Yacht Club
Fairhope YC
Atlanta YC
July 2-3 US Sailing Jr. Olympic Festival Pensacola YC
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D19 Ken Swetka Michigan
As of this writing Michigan is still a frozen tundra. Some of our Laser “crossover” sailors have been racing DN’s. Ron Sherry (photo above) won yet another DN World Championship and his nephew, Mike Rehe, won the Silver fleet. Congrats and we hope both join us often in Lasers this summer. Others have travelled south for some Mid-Winter sailing. Tom Labelle and Leigh Savage sailed in the Florida Masters held in West Palm Beach. Other D19 sailors Mitchell Kiss and EJ O’Mara sailed the Miami Rolex and Midwinters East Regattas. The rest of us are just cold and envious…
The 2011 schedule is taking shape. Below is roughly what it should be but for up to date listings check out www.d19laser.org.
2011 Schedule (in process) – If you see a “?” next to the date this means it is an annual regatta but the date is not 100% confirmed. May 28? Gull Lake Spring Regatta – Gull Lake Yacht Club
June 11-12 D19 Championships / O’Day Area E Qualifiers - Crescent Sail YC, Grosse Pointe, MI Ken Swetka June 18 Muskegon Regatta - Bruce Hansen
June 18? UMSC Spring Regatta - Baseline Lake, Ann Arbor
July ?? Lake Leland Annual Regatta – Leland Yacht Club
July 29-31 Laser Masters US Championships – Macatawa Bay Yacht Club August ?? Lake Lansing Annual Regatta -
Sept 24 No Sweat Regatta - Portage Yacht Club
Oct 1 Frosty Mug Regatta - Irish Laser Fleet, Little Traverse Bay, Harbor Springs
Oct 2? UMSC Fall Regatta - Baseline Lake, Ann Arbor
Oct 15 Pumpkin Head Regatta - Grand Rapids Yacht Club
Nov 25 Black Friday Regatta - Mid-Michigan Laser Fleet Anxiously waiting for the “thaw” in D19!
District 20 Steve Dolan Wisconson
dolan@mcw.edu http://d20.laserforum.org Facebook: Laser Racing Dist. 20 (IL and WI)
Still winter. Snow on the ground and area lakes still under solid ice here in cheese land. Different picture south of the border in Chi town. So much so that spring frost biting is gearing up at Belmont Harbor, Chicago Yacht Club in 2 weeks. Time to
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find that dry suit and “summarize” those skis. Come out and join us. Pewaukee Lake Frostbiting will follow once the ice is out.
Tuesdays: Wayzata Wednesdays: Calhoun and Bald Eagle Thursdays: White Bear and the Saint Croix Sundays: Minnetonka
Here is a short list of what is in store for the new season: We have gone to the dogs with social networking. Thanks to District stalwart, Dave Abbott we now have a Facebook Page: Laser Racing Dist. 20. Check us out and stay connected. We will be migrating the content of our old web page, d20.laserforum.org, to our new Facebook page in the months ahead
Upcoming Events “The Heckl Memorial”/ O’Day Qualifier: @ White Bear May 14th and 15th “Aquatennial”: @ Calhoun July 23rd and 24th “The D21 Champs”: @ Minnetonka July 30th and 31st
With the Vince Lombardi Trophy returning to Title Town this past January, it is only fitting that we sail Districts nearby. The Green Bay Laser Fleet and Windjammers Sailing Club will be hosting the 2011 Laser District 20 Championship on the waters of Green Bay in Suaimico, Wisconsin next fall. Mark your calendars now for the weekend of September 10-11. Great venue and great folks.
For those of you who have missed sailing off the beach on Lake Michigan fear not. Another District stalwart, Mark Kastel has missed that too and has taken it upon himself to find an alternate venue while we wait for the return of Super Sail in Winnetka. With Mark’s help, Lake Bluff Yacht Club has stepped forward and will be hosting a Laser event over Labor Day Weekend.
For us grey haired types (and you wannabees) the Laser Masters US Champs is coming to Holland Michigan next July. Time to plan your training schedule as a lead up to that event.
As always, the full season schedule along with NORs and SIs as they become available can be found on D20.laserforum.org
See you out on the water
District 21 Kurt Holtze Minnesota
http://d21.laserforum.or g/index.html The snow is melting, and sailors are getting restless. Time to trim the fat back and get ready to race lasers. By the time you read this, D21 will to be in full swing. Average ice out on Minnetonka is April 15th. And yes, we don’t waste any time once the ice is moving out. This year we will be having lots of evening races. If you are in town even for a night and want to come race with us, please let us know. If you need a boat, we will find you one. We always want more boats on the line and new sailors to race against.
Some upcoming events are listed below. We will be having more, so check our website. If you’re interested in coming to any of these, please let me know how we can help you. Again, we want more boats on the line. Happy sailing to everyone. Lets make this year a fun one!
District 22 Mike Gilbert Montana
Laser events planned in Western Montana for 2011 begin with the 3rd Annual Whitefish Lake Regatta,
benefiting the Whitefish Lake Institute, the weekend of July 16-17.
The Flathead Lake Laser Championship will be held August 19-21 at the north end of spectacular Flathead Lake in northwest Montana. The regatta is generously hosted by the North Flathead Yacht Club in Somers. The NOR will be available later this spring.
Flathead Lake is huge, clear, clean, beautiful, and the north end is about 45 miles from Glacier
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National Park, one of the bucket list places everyone should see. Last year the District 22 Championship was held at the same venue, and we were greeted by 4 foot waves and strong winds, making it a challenge for us lightweights and a total blast for the experienced racers who attended from two countries and several western states. We plan to work on several Saturday clinics for all skill levels on the west shore at Big Arm Bay or Dayton Bay earlier in the summer. Recruiting and fleet-building efforts continue, with several new people shopping for boats.
District 24 David LaPier NorCal
We had a good rainy winter here in northern California. Pacific storms started early and are continuing now into mid-March. People were preparing for the upcoming Laser 4.7 and Masters Worlds here in San Francisco with some sailing, clinics, and in the gym.
Richmond YC Midwinter Series On the first Sunday of every month from December to March hundreds of sailors in classes ranging from 8 ft El Toros to 23 ft Wylie Wabbit keelboats descend on Richmond Yacht Club. We had a mix of conditions this year: light air and rain in December; shifts and big puffs with smooth water and freezing cold air in January. Superbowl Sunday brought beautiful sunshine with big shifts and sea lions out to feed on herring. In March we had high overcast tending toward rain, thousands of migrating birds were resting on the mud-flats as we warmed up in the light southerly, but the breeze died and we could not race. Mike Bishop missed the first weekend but consistently led the way in January and February; if we had raced in March, it is highly likely he would have won overall after discards. Results: Standard: 1) Mark Halman, 2) Christine Neville, 3) Mike Bishop, 4) Ryan Nelson, 5) Simon Bell.(23 Boats) Radial: 1) Olivia MacDonald, 2) Kaitlyn Baab, 3) Dominique Bertrand, 4) Lindsay Baab, 5) Maddie Pont. (13 Boats)
Richmond YC Juniors Mark Halman writes, “Every year between October and the next March, Richmond YC runs its junior program. Most kids sail El Toros and Opti until they are 15 years old. They then graduate to FJ’s or Lasers. Coaches, Mark Halman and Tim Stapleton, have encouraged adults to join in the afternoons and introduced a Laser series – 12 afternoons and around 65 races. This has given the Laser kids more boats to race against and the adults have proved to be great role-models. It also added a venue where Bay Area Laser sailors, Junior parents, and club members who had or could borrow a Laser were able to get out on the water and have some fun racing for $10. After the first season we were able to buy a video camera and have added a video debrief of starts after racing. Over the weeks, 20 different adults joined in. Everybody involved has enjoyed this casual approach, and raised their sailing skills through the winter. Joe Carter managed to fight off the group of Masters to win this year.” Results: 1) Joe Carter, 2) Mark Halman, 3) John
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Barrere, 4) Christine Neville, 5) Haydon Stapleton. (13 qualifiers)
St Francis Spring Dinghy The new season starts traditionally at the St Francis YC in mid-March, with two days of racing on the City Front. Tidal remnants of the Tsunami from Friday, which evidently pulled masses of water out of the bay, the together with big spring run-off from the Sacramento River Delta created unique weekend of tides with incoming floods eddying along the shore that persisted all day. On Saturday, the fleet would split; with most boats short-tacking up the shore for relief (at least on the first beat), but others heading out for the middle to catch favorable outgoing water. The strange thing was, different boats would go out to the middle or into the shore on alternating beats –go figure.
Many of us observed the significant improvements that many sailors in our fleet have made. Ryan Nelson, Mike Rutledge, Kurt Wessels and Nick Burke are making our Standard rig fleet much stronger. More folks are practicing a lot, travelling to regattas, attending clinics, studying the great videos that are on the market, and getting their boats and bodies in better shape. It is really fun to compete with friends that show such dedication to the sport. Results: Standard: 1) Stephen Bourdow, 2) Russ Silvestri, 3) Tracy Usher, 4) Jon Andron, 5) David LaPier (18 Boats) Radial: 1) Dominic Bove, 2) Mark Halman, 3) Christine Neville, 4) Walt Spevak, 5) Richard Leland. (10 Boats) 4.7: 1) Joe Carter, 2) Markus Suorsa, 3) Michael Tan, 4) Oliver Meldrum, 5) Kyle Larsen (7 Boats)
District 25 Jorge Suarez SoCal
It is no secret that Laser sailing does not stop through the winter in District 25! There are training sessions and regatta’s going on from Santa Barbara to San Diego, which, I will wager, there is always a Laser on the water every weekend!
The largest event this winter was the Southern California Yachting Association’s 82nd Annual
which employs the Master handicap system were experience and cunning won over youth and strength! Here are the top three finishers: Chuck Tripp – Great Grand Master ABYC
Kevin Taugher – Apprentice Master ABYC Jay Golison – Master ABYC
Although I don’t think the temperature dropped below 55 degrees, Racing was called on the first day after the second race when lightning and waterspouts were observed in the harbor!
The 76th annual SCYA EE Manning regatta was also held at ABYC on March 5-6. This regatta is held each year specifically for non-keel boats of 20 feet or less. 13 Standard rigs raced in ideal conditions that attracted sailors from Washington State and Arizona! Here are the top three finishers: Vann Wilson – ABYC Chuck Tripp – ABYC
Jorge Suarez – ABYC
On the same weekend, the Santa Barbara Sailing Association held their annual Opening Day Regatta. Pat Toole of Santa Barbara won solidly with David Klatt from Ventura in second and George Witter in third. Pat and David are making good use of these regattas in preparation for the Laser Master Worlds this August in San Francisco. Finally, there is more Laser sailing in Ventura as the Ventura Yacht Club’s Friday night series begins in March, thanks to daylight savings time! Last Friday, a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. All of the West Coast had tsunami warnings. In Long Beach, CA, beach locals walking their dogs were asked to leave the beach by lifeguards; no sailing or fishing was allowed. At about 8:30AM, the first of 1-3 foot waves hit and was seen as rapid receding water level followed by a surge, most notable in marinas and harbors. The next day, our regular group of Laser sailors went out to train and found ominous currents just outside the jetties and breakwater. It was a grim reminder of the devastation and loss of life of the day before. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all in Japan and everywhere affected by the tsunami.
Midwinter regatta held February 19-20, 2011. 26 yacht clubs ran races for hundreds of races in scores of classes up and down the Southern California coast and Lasers were no exception. A strong showing of 24 Radials and 13 Standards raced at Mission Bay Yacht Club with the following top three results: Radials
Matthew Morris – SDYC Stephen Long – SBYC
Richard Didham – SDYC Standards
Olin Paine – MBYC
Doug Seeman – MBYC
Evan Hoffman – MBYC
Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach hosted Standard rigs in the bay with Gator Cook of BYC beating five loyal Laser sailors in the rain. Alamitos Bay Yacht Club hosted the Laser Master Midwinter’s,
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Glimpses of Midwinters East
Photography by Robert Dunkley: http://dunks.smugmug.com/sailing 34
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Laser Sailing in Guam MIKE JOHNSON
I’m over in Guam for a few days on a work assignment and while walking off the ship this past Saturday, I saw a fleet of Lasers in Apra Harbor racing in a wonderful 18-22 knot sunny breeze. So after work I drove to where I thought they were launching and found the Marianas Yacht Club and a super friendly bunch of people sitting under a palapa with the after race glow on their faces. Turns out they were having the 34th annual Guam Japan Goodwill Regatta. Not sure how many years it has been in Lasers, but the locals have memories that go way back and the perpetual trophy has survived several typhoons. Long story short I was provided a charter boat from MYC and was able to join the 5 races on Sunday. They start at 10:30 for 3 races, come in for lunch, and then go out for 2 more. Very civilized and the mid day break under the palapa (out of the sun) was welcomed by everyone. We had a big buffet feed Sunday after racing and then another big party at the organizers home on Monday. The Japanese brought some special elixer and played some traditional musical instruments.
Photo above: Kuni & MJ
On Sunday winds were steady 22 with gusts up to 30. Sailing with old school rigging and no hiking pants or shoes in the 84 degree water was a real challenge. A few photos are attached. Looking fwd to coming back to Seattle for some real frostbiting. (NOT).
Photo above: Kuni Below: Series Winner MORI Champion Left: Ross
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SPRING 2011
It's your move 4.7 worlds will be in San Francisco next July. --Get a boat --get a rig --get on the water to show the World the US sailors are the best!
For more information: www.laserinternational.org MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
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