The Laser Sailor Summer 2008 by Tracy Usher

SUMMER 2008 6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world

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S T I T C H E D

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We sweat the details so our customers don’t have to… As a supplier and outfitter of small sailboats our attention to detail is unprecedented. At Colie Sails Pro Shop we strive daily to source out the very best stuff for your sailing and to also determine that which is inferior. If you are unsure of exactly what gear, clothing, parts or performance upgrades are right for you – PLEASE call and discuss your needs with Dev, Steph or Marc. The favorite part of our business is helping Laser sailors and their families!

Laser/Radial/4.7 MOJO, Race & XD models are available fully upgraded “Colie Style”.

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WORLD D CHAMP CHAMPION PION CO COACHING OA OACHING G Sail Equipment Australia and C-vane Sailing ar are e pleased to present prese ent the opportunity to lear learn n ffrom fr om the world’ world’ss best, d wo develop develo op new techniques, and maximize yo your our sailing potential. Let us share shar e our world-class knowledge know wledge with you.

SERVICES SER VICES A AVAILABLE VA AILAB LABLE • Private & team tea co coaching c oaching • Coaching at loca local, al, national and inter international nation nal events • Clinics and train ttraining ning camps • Boat speed dev development d velopment camps • Str Strength ength ngth and conditioning conditioning training • Program Program development dev lopment deve All training and an coa coaching aching sessions ar are e pr prepared epared and d targeted exclusively for age, skill, and expe experience erience levels. Do not miss out o on this opportunity for top-level instruc instruction ction for you or your team. Register your inter interest e with Br est Brendan endan or R Ryan yan now to sec secure cure dates during the coming season or to lear learn n more more about the services of offered. fffered.

BRENDAN CASEY Y

RYAN R YA AN ERIC MINTH

HAYDEN HA AYDEN Y COWIE E

• 2 times Laser Radial World Champion • 5 times Australian Laser and Finn National Champion • 2006 North American Laser Champion

• Laser Radial World World Champion ampion Coach, Co 2006 20006 • US Sailing Team T am – Laser Laser, er,r, 2005 • Tw Two-time wo-time NA Grand Prixx Radial Champion C Champion

• FFive ive years sailing spec speciﬁc ciﬁc strength and conditioning coaching • FFormer ormer US Army Maste Master er FFitness itness TTrainer, rainerr, Medic, & OR Tech Teech • FFormer ormer two division Ki Kickboxing ckboxing W World orld Champion

Brendan Br endan +61417604648 + Skype - br brendan312353 endan312353 or ema email ail br brendancasey@hotmail.com rendancasey@hotma ail.com or R Ryan 212 292 7245 Sky Skype ype - ryanericminth or email em mail ryan@c-vane.com SUMMER 2008

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

SU M M E R

2 0 0 8

District Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Membership Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 From the Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 2009 Qualification System for ILCA Worlds . . . . . . . .12 Technical Tips: Getting Laser News on the Internet . . .14 2008 Event Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 ILCA-NA Olympic Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Laser World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .center Fleet Profiles - Lake Eustis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Regatta Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-24 Midwinters West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Gulf Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Youth Radial Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Regatta Promotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Masters Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Ben Richardson Treasurer Phone: (978) 283-6983 benjaminrichardson@postharvard.edu

Grand Prix Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Lauralee Symes Secretary 3576 SW Mt. Adams Drive Portland, OR 97239 Phone: (503) 274-2818 llsymes@comcast.net

Membership Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

District Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Sailing Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

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

www.Laser.org

Cover photo: Ari Barshi of the Laser Training Center sent this photo of Olympians in training in Cabarete in June.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

ALBERTA

SASKATCHEWAN

QUEBEC

MANITOBA

NEW BRUNSWICK

ONTARIO

WASHINGTON NORTH DAKOTA

OREGON

VERMONT

MONTANA MICHIGAN WYOMING

19 IOWA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEBRASKA

HAWAII

NEW 9 YORK

WISCONSIN

OHIO

UTAH

ILLINOIS

WEST VIRGINIA

KANSAS

23 25

MASSACHUSETTS RHODE ISLAND CONNECTICUT

NEW JERSEY

MARYLAND

KENTUCKY NORTH CAROLINA

MISSOURI

16 OKLAHOMA

ARIZONA

NEW HAMPSHIRE

VIRGINIA

COLORADO

CALIFORNIA

7 7

DELAWARE

INDIANA

NEVADA

NOVA SCOTIA

MAINE

MINNESOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA IDAHO

TENNESSEE ARKANSAS

SOUTH CAROLINA

NEW MEXICO TEXAS

GEORGIA LOUISIANA

PUERTO RICO AND THE CARIBBEAN

14 ALABAMA MISSISSIPPI

29 13 FLORIDA

District 1

District 9

District 18

Brian Mills, 71 Bristol Street, Fredricton, NB E3B 4W2 506-457-1580, bnmills@nb.sympatico.ca

Chas Williamson, 9 Lagrand Court Ithaca, NY 14850 607-272-0630. cw26@cornell.edu

John Shockey 614-256-2254 jshockna06@yahoo.com

District 2

District 10

District 19

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

Eric Reitinger er4599@gmail.com New Jersey

Sean Fidler Michigan smfidler@gmail.com

District 3

District 11

Heinz Gebauer, 2205 Soth Millway- Unit 109 Mississauga, ON L5L 3T2 905-820-8446. heinzgebauer@rogers.com D3 website: www.d3laser.ca

Jon Deutsch 411 N. Blvd. Apt. 2, Richmond, VA 23220 804-305-1244, jon@laserdistrict11.org http://www.laserdistrict11.org

District 4

District 12

Kyle Ross, 106 River Pointe Dr. Winnipeg, MB 2RM 5N6 204-803-3834, wkpr1990@hotmail.com

Glenn Walker Doug Sherwood: LaserDistrict12@gmail.com Wrightsville Beach, NC www.d12.laserforum.org

District 5 Mark Lammens 510 Cynthia St. Saskatoon, SK S7K 7K7 306-975-0833. sasksail@shaw.ca www.jdecm.com/laser

District 6

District 13 Meka Taulbee & Michelle Davis Dunedin, FL 34968 727-631-7005, meka@sailfit.com www.laser.org/m/_general/d13.asp

Andy Hunt, 111-2260 W 8st Ave, Vancouver BC, V6K 2A7 604-733-9663. Hotline: 206-525-5788. athunt@vcn.bc.ca www.cycseattle.org/slf

District 14

District 7

Renee Ruais 512-266-7088 RMRuais@austin.rr.com www.cerebus.winsite.com/Laser/districts/d15/

Sally Sharp, 39 Caleb Dyer Lane Enfield, NH 03748 603-632-4192. sally.sharp@dartmouth.edu D7 Newsletter Chris Morin abcmorin@maine.rr.com 207.775.5485 www.d7laserforum.org

District 8 Ted Cremer, 7 Maple Street Blue Point, NY 11715. 631-363-8830, tcremer@optonline.net www.laserd8.tripod.com

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

District 15

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 20 Dave Abbott, 2129 West Shore Dr. Delafield, WI 53018 262-303-4084. sailmc1983@yahoo.com www.cerebus.winsite.com/district/d20/

District 21 Mike Elson 2235 West 21st Street Minneapolis, MN 55405 621-377-8903 melson@visi.com www.cerebus.winsite.com/laser/district/d21

District 22 Mike Gilbert, 1620 Gerald Ave. Missoula, MT 59801 406-327-7855, mike@gilbertarch.com

District 23 Larry Arbuthnot PO Box 132, Nederland, CO 80466 www.sailtherockies.com

District 24 David Lapier 408-525-6396, dlapier@cisco.com www.technicalwizardry.com/d24laser/d24

District 25 Nils Andersson, 6929 Wyoming Avenue, La Mesa, CA 91942 619-463-6001. nilssail@cox.net 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

SUMMER 2008

www.Laser.org

Reports President’s Notes

always know what events are coming up in your area. Finally, it has a mobile access feature so that you can easily get events on your mobile device. Give it a try at www.laser.org and let us know how you like it or what could be made better!

TRACY USHER

After four long years we are now just a few weeks away from the 2008 Summer Olympics. This Summer the North American Region sends its strongest Laser and Radial team ever with Andrew Campbell (US – 16th in the ISAF World Rankings) and Mike Leigh (Canada – 5th in the rankings) sailing Lasers and Lisa Ross (Canada – 27th in the rankings) and Anna Tunnicliffe (US - #1 in the rankings) sailing Radials. This team has been working hard and each stands a great chance to come home with a medal. Read more about them in this issue and then join with me in wishing good luck to all of them from the Laser Class! We’ve taken advantage of a recent opportunity (so to speak) to do a major upgrade to the online calendar at www.laser.org. The new calendar allows one to enter a lot more information about events, has a nice mapping feature so you can see where the event is, and how to get there. And it provides several levels of syndication so you can do things like set live bookmarks in your browser so you

Summer is here and we are in to a full schedule of big events in North America. The big circuit this year is the West Coast tour starting with the North Americans in San Francisco, followed immediately by the Pacific Coast Championships in Monterey and then the US Championship in Long Beach. In between the NA’s and PCC’s, the St Francis Yacht Club is bringing back the Laser Slalom, made famous back in the 1970’s, which promises to not only fun to sail in but also fun to watch. And for Master sailors, the “tour” ends after the US Championships with the Master North American Championship in the Columbia River Gorge. For those not making it out west, there is the Atlantic Coast Championship at Brant Beach (who will host the US Championship next year), the Great Lakes Championship in Milwaukee, the No Coast Championship at Lake Lanier in Georgia and, of course, CORK. Once again, a great schedule of more regattas than one person can attend… and I hope to see lots of you out there at as many as possible! See you on the water!

photo: Canadian Olympic sailor Lisa Ross shows her upwind style.

SUMMER 2008

ILCA-NA Membership As of June 1, 2008 Age Categories: • 309 Juniors (not 18 in 2008) • 904 Masters (35+)

Gender Categories: • 1674 Male • 257 Female • 7 “undisclosed”

Regular Junior Family, 1 Family, 2 Family, 3 International Total

Complimentary Honorary New Renewals Yacht Club

67 6 244 1247 0

Total

1938

1341 294 226 72 4 1 1938

Boat Categories: • 448 Radial • 44 4.7 • 1426 Full Rig District

Members

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

26 33 129 7 40 129 239 111 38 120 134 94 167 20 70 16 13 55 59 85 37 2 30 107 142 4

Laser E-Mall Have you tried out the new Laser eMall? Now you can support the Laser Class of North America every time you shop online. Go to www.laser.org and click on the Laser eMall button. From there choose your online store. When you make your purchase, a percentage of your purchase total goes to the class association at no cost to you. Every time you make a purchase from a store through the eMall, the class gets a contribution from the retailer. You get the same products for the same price through the eMall, but eMall allows you to support the ILCA-NA, at no extra cost to you.

www.Laser.org

From the Builder BY BRENT RICHARDS Well it’s summer and that means spending more time on the water. Days are now longer and some of us can take advantage of getting in some sailing during the week as well as on the weekend. Laser Sailors will have plenty of opportunities this summer from your local yacht club series to national and international events to compete in the largest one design class worldwide. Last article we talked about the official change from Vanguard Sailboats to LaserPerformance (LP) and the positive steps that have been taken to continue to bring hulls and hardware that the Laser community expects and deserves. LP has come out with three new deck kits for your new Laser, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7, compared to the Standard and Pro kit that was available from Vanguard Sailboats. Our three new kits will match up well with your sailing needs and wants. LP also has some new products in the market place such as the Hyde rolled Laser sail and LP designed

LaserPerformance Race Packages Available

carbon fiber tiller with extension in an effort to continue to bring fresh new products to the market place. The Standard kit is 1st generation hardware and rigging set-up. This style of rigging is still popular with some of the best sailors in the world. The original 3:1 vang, aluminum gorilla tiller with extension, folded Laser sail, classic lines lengths and cordage. The Race package is our 1st upgrade for the Laser with vang, outhaul and cunningham kit from Holt. Cam cleats on the base plate and mainsheet ratchet block also come from Holt. It includes bare spectra (vang primary, outhaul mast block tie line, outhaul/cunningham primary lines), rolled Hyde Sail and Gorilla tiller with 41” aluminum tiller extension. The XD package is our 2nd upgrade kit that is very popular in Europe. The XD has been specified by some of the best Laser sailors in the world. Our XD package is how they would rig their new boats. Vang, outhaul and cunningham and deck hardware are all from Harken. Vectran line is

used on the primary controls to the vang/cunningham/outhaul, traveler and rudder downhaul. LP designed a new custom carbon fiber tiller with carbon extension, to go along with a Ronstan “Fredrickson” ratchet block, Southern Ropes mainsheet and Hyde rolled sail. You are now up to speed with some of the changes you will see the next time you walk into your LaserPerformance dealer. I can’t end without talking about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. This will be the fourth Olympics the Laser has been sailed dating back to the 1996 Games in Atlanta. A major step for the Laser class is that the Laser Radial will be used for the first time as the women’s single handed dinghy in Beijing. Laser sailors truly enjoy the best when it comes to one design sailing. With over 200,000 hulls built to date, it’s easy to see just how popular the Laser is worldwide. Good luck to Anna, Lisa, Mike and Andrew.

SUMMER 2008

Waist lock hiking pants Sea-HP007

Sea-HP005

Sea-HP006

Sea hiking pants

Allows for restriction free movement of the upper body while providing you with a little extra support to make hiking more comfortable. The elasticised back has a wide covering band that can be pulled in tight and Velcro locked to give support. You can quickly adjust the level of support you want and to customise the fit and feel around the waist and back.

Ultra w hiking arm p are be ants tt for co er o condit ler ions.

Sea hiking pants are the original and still the best performing wetsuits for Laser Sailors. Sea hiking pants have the following features: • Non-flex fibreglass battens • Reinforced small diamond seat • Reinforced kneepads • Super stretch neoprene • Functional designs

ne Airpre nts a p g in hik al ur ide are yo er summ . choice

Also a vail Airpr able & Neo ene Hikin Shorts g

Sea-HP004 Sea-HP002

Neo lycra

Sea-LP001 Sea-LP006

• 2mm Thermospan lined neoprene chest and back with spandex sides and neck • Perfect to wear in mild weather • Available in both short and long sleeve

lycra wet shirt • 50 + UV protection • Use to stay cool and keep the sun off • Colours available - White, Grey, Black & Royal.

Fleece lycra • Warm snug fit • Moisture wicking material • Ideal base layer

Sea-LP009 Sea-LP010

Metalite hottop • Ultra thin and flexible • Light weight water shield with body heat reflection • 0.5mm neoprene with lycra neck • Colours available Black and Navy / Red

Ultra warm • 2mm Super stretch neoprene • Water repellent outer coating • Inner layers are Thermospan and metalite • This top will make you smile on those cold sailing days.

ing a sail All Se porate cor tops in mance or r a Pe f making Fit n nal Desig functio le m the tab omfor and c ear. to w

Sea-MS001 Sea-W003

Sail Equipment Australia

www.Laser.org

www.sailequipment.com.au

2009 Qualification System For ILCA World Championships Senior Worlds Basic Assumption: The North American Region will be allocated at least 12 berths to the 2009 Laser World Championship to be held in Canada in August, 2009. The Canadian Yachting Association and US Sailing will each be permitted to allocate one berth by March 1, 2009. Overriding Rules: 1) Competitors qualify for the 2009 Laser World Championship through the first berth for which they are eligible. For example, a competitor who wins the Laser Mid-winters East and is first in the Laser Grand Prix rankings qualifies through the Mid-winters East berth. 2) In order to qualify for a berth at one of the ILCA-NA regattas listed below in Opportunity #1, the competitor must finish among the top-six ILCA-NA members, except that this rule will be relaxed to the top-nine for the North American Championship. Qualification Opportunities: Berths will be awarded at the following ILCA-NA major regattas subject to overriding Rule #2 with the following ranking: 1. Two berths at the 2008 Laser North American Championship. 2. Two berths at the 2009 Laser Mid-winters East. 3. One berth at the 2008 Laser U.S. National Championship. 4. One berth at the 2008 Laser Canadian National Championship 5. One berth at the 2009 Rolex Miami OCR. 6. One berth at the 2008 CORK. (a) At the completion of each regatta, the first eligible competitor(s) will have 60 days or no later than March 1, 2009 in which to accept his/her spot at the Worlds. If this, or subsequent competitors declines the spot, the class office will continue to contact eligible competitors. If no eligible competitor(s) accepts the spot(s), it (they) will be awarded at a later date according to opportunity #2. (b) If a competitor who has accepted the spot within the original 60-day period subsequently decides not to use their spot that spot will be awarded according to opportunity #2. (c) Competitors who decline a spot through either, scenario described in 1(a) and 1(b) may still qualify for the Worlds, but it must occur at an event after the date on which they notify the class office of their intent not to attend the Worlds. Any berths not allocated though Opportunity #1 and #2, and any additional berths awarded to the North American Region beyond the twelve mentioned in the Basic Assumption above, will be allocated using the 2008 Laser Grand Prix rankings as of December 31, 2008. If necessary, these berths may be allocated to ensure that the ILCA-determined country quotas are satisfied.

Women’s Radial Worlds Basic Assumption: The North American Region will be allocated at least 6 berths to the 2009 Radial World Championship in Karatsu, Japan in August, 2009. The Canadian Yachting Association will allocate one berth and US SAILING will allocate one berth by February 15, 2009. Overriding Rules: 1) Competitors qualify for the 2009 Women’s Radial World Championship through the first berth for which they are eligible. 2) In order to qualify for a berth at one of the ILCA-NA regattas listed below, the competitor must finish among the top-five female ILCA-NA members. Qualification Opportunities: 1) Berths will be awarded at the following ILCA-NA major regattas subject to Overriding Rule #2 with the following ranking: Two berths at the 2009 Women’s Radial North American Championship Two berths at the 2009 Miami OCR. 2) Any berths beyond the six mentioned in the Basic Assumption above, not allocated through the Qualification Opportunities above, will be allocated using the 2008 Laser Grand Prix ranking as of December 31, 2008. If necessary, these berths may be allocated to ensure that the ILCA-determined country quotas are satisfied.

SUMMER 2008

2009 Qualification System For ILCA World Championships Men’s Radial Worlds Basic Assumption: The North American Region will be allocated at least 6 berths to the 2009 Radial World Championship in Karatsu, Japan in August, 2009. Overriding Rules: 1) Competitors qualify for the 2009 Men’s Radial World Championship through the first berth for which they are eligible. 2) In order to qualify for a berth at one of the ILCA-NA regattas listed below, the competitor must finish among the top-five male ILCA-NA members. Qualification Opportunities: Berths will be awarded at the following ILCA-NA major regatta subject to Overriding Rule #2 with the following ranking: Three berths at the 2008 Radial North American Championship 2) Any berths beyond the six mentioned in the Basic Assumption above, not allocated through the Qualification Opportunities above, will be allocated using the 2008 Laser Grand Prix ranking as of December 31, 2008. If necessary, these berths may be allocated to ensure that the ILCA-determined country quotas are satisfied.

Youth Radial Worlds Basic Assumption: The North American Region will be allocated at least 5 berths for males and 4 berths for females to the 2009 Radial World Championship in Karatsu, Japan in August, 2009. Overriding Rules: 1) Competitors qualify for the 2009 Youth Radial World Championship through the first berth for which they are eligible. 2) In order to qualify for a berth at one of the ILCA-NA regattas listed below, the competitor must finish among the top-ten gender and age eligible ILCA-NA members. Qualification Opportunities: 1) Berths will be awarded at the following ILCA-NA major regatta subject to Overriding Rule #2 Three berths for males at the 2008 Radial North American Championship Three berths for females at the 2008 Radial North American Championship

with the following ranking:

Any berths beyond the six mentioned in the Basic Assumption above, not allocated through the Qualification Opportunities above, will be allocated using the 2008 Laser Grand Prix ranking as of December 31, 2008. If necessary, these berths may be allocated to ensure that the ILCA-determined country quotas are satisfied.

Master Worlds 2009 will be the first time that the Master World Championship will have a restricted entry process. We do not have any preliminary information with regard to the number of berths that will be allocated to North America (CAN & USA sailors only). The regatta will be held in St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia in late August, 2009. We will utilize the following system to qualify sailors for our allocated berths: To be eligible you must have: a) Competed in a Laser World Championship (Master, Senior or Radial) in the past 5 years, or b) Competed in a major North American Master’s event (North Americans, US or Canadian Nationals, MMWE, etc.) AND finished in the top 75% of your fleet. If, after satisfying the above, there are more applicants than spots available then entries will be taken in order of registration. NOTE: You must notify the ILCA-NA of your qualification under 1)(a) or 1)(b) in order to be ranked before those who fall into category 2) above. Do so by sending an email message to Sherri Campbell at sherri@odmsail.com prior to the close of the ILCA application period. Include your name, master’s category, and description of most recent qualifying regatta and year of that event.

www.Laser.org

Technical Tips

KITTY HAWK

Getting Laser News on the Internet JON DEUTSCH JON@LASERDISTRICT11.ORG

One of the best ways that I have found to keep up with the many different sailing, professional, personal and fun websites that I like to frequent is through the use of RSS feeds. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It allows a website to publish news in a common format. Then a tool that aggregates RSS Feeds to put all of the news stories together can be used so that all of the news can be read at one time without having to visit all of the various websites. My favorite tool for reading RSS feeds is Google’s Reader. http://reader.google.com It collects all of my news stories and lets me read them from work, from home or at a regatta using my Blackberry. It is free and simple to use and there are video demonstrations of how it works on the site. There are plenty of other RSS aggregators out there, so if you don’t like that one, hunt around, there are plenty to choose from. How do you know if a website has an RSS feed? In most new browsers when visiting a website with an RSS feed there is a small logo (IE7 or Firefox <!—[if !vml]—><!—[endif]—> ) (Safari <!—[if !vml]— ><!—[endif]—> ) somewhere on the browser window indicating the site has a feed. Clicking that logo will take you directly to the feed and offer options on how to subscribe.

The Stainless Steel Kitty Hawk is truly beautiful. Always staying shiny never rusts or oxidizes as all other materials do. At 98 lbs, it’s the lightest available by far and you will appreciate this when using your Kitty Hawk as a launching dolly. When you get to the regatta you save time and are the quickest from road to water by simply disattaching from your vehicle and start rigging. When the regatta is over you are the quickest from the water to road. Even quicker by placing your spars on Spar Partners® and securing them with super shock cords. STANDARD FEATURES Lightest Weight • Welded Construction • Fewer Parts • Fewer Fasteners Pivot Bow Support • Molded Polymer at Boat Contact Points Stainless Steel Axle • Galvanized Rims

SPAR PARTNERS® Spar Partners® carry your spars on the Laser® deck. They are the quickest on/off to get you on the water and on the road fast. Made from durable foam rubber. Spars fasten on with shock cords. Your deck cover fits over your spars. Now the new Spar Partners® are available that fit over the cam cleat system on the forcedeck for the outstanding new cunningham / outhaul performance upgrade. And, we also have super shock cords available with Spar Partners®

PRICES Kitty Hawk 1, Stainless Steel

Laser Websites that have RSS Feeds: Andrew Campbell http://feeds.feedburner.com/AndrewCampbell Anna Tunnicliffe http://www.annatunnicliffe.com/component/option,com_rss/feed,RSS2.0/no_html,1/ Laser Email List http://groups.google.com/group/laserforum/feed/rss_v2_0_msgs.xml International Sailing Federation http://www.sailing.org/1889.php District 2 http://feeds.feedburner.com/NaLaserClassAssociationDistrict2 District 11 http://www.laserdistrict11.org/feed.rss District 12 http://d12.laserforum.org/wordpress/feed/ District 13 http://d13.laserforum.org/?feed=rss2 District 19 http://www.d19laser.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=1&format=feed District 24 http://d24.laserforum.org/?feed=rss2 The Laser Forum http://www.laserforum.org/external.php?type=RSS2

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SUMMER 2008

2008 Schedule Regatta

Laser

World Championship

Terrigal, Australia

ISAF Grade 1

February 4-13

NA Championship 40 GP pts. ISAF Grade 1

Radial

Laser 4.7

Masters

Auckland, New Zealand Women’s March 15-20 Men & Youth March 24-29

Trogir, Croatia

Terrigal, Australia

August 22-29

February 17-23

San Francisco, CA San Francisco, CA San Francisco, CA St. Francis Yacht Club St. Francis Yacht Club St. Francis Yacht Club July 24-27 July 24-27 July 24-27 na

Ft. Lauderdale, FL www.lyc.org February 14-17

St. Margaret’s Bay Nova Scotia July 18-20

30 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 2

Long Beach, CA Alamitos Bay YC August 8-10

CORK

Kingston, ON

www.cork.org

30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 1

August 16-20

Midwinters East

Clearwater, FL

Melbourne, FL

www.clwyc.org

30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 1

Feb 21-24

Feb 15-17

Midwinters West

San Diego, CA Mission Bay YC March 28-30

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

Miami, FL

www.ussailing.org/olympics

ISAF Grade 1

Jan 27-Feb 2

Atlantic Coast Championships 25 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 2

Brant Beach, NJ Brant Beach YC July 12-13

Pacific Coast Championships

Monterey, CA

Monterey Peninsula YC

25 GP Pts., ISAF Grade 2

August 1-3

Gulf Coast Championships

Ft. Myers, FL

25 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 3

April 19-20

No Coast Championships

Atlanta, CA Lake Lanier YC October 11-12

Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee YC August 2-3

Rolex Miami OCR

25 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 3

Great Lakes Championships 25 GP Pts., ISAF Grade 3

www.Laser.org

New Bedford, MA

June 20-22

Brant Beach, NJ Brant Beach YC July 12-13

Deltaville, VA Fishing Bay YC Sept. 6-7

To celebrate our North American Laser Olympians in their quest for gold in Beijing/Qingdao, we sent our intrepid reporter out for the answers you’ve all wanted to know. Follow these 4 sailors (and their fellow teammates) at the links below. The Games begin 08-08-08.

Lisa Ross - Canada Laser Radial How long have you been sailing a Laser Radial? I’ve been sailing the Radial since I was 15, after cutting my teeth on echos and FJ’s. Sail East at the Lunenburg Yacht Club was my first laser radial event, in 1992.

What has been your training leading up Qingdao? I just finished the Delta Lloyd Holland Regatta, and I’m now spending 17 days training in Qingdao with Anna Tunnicliffe and Tania Calles. There‘s a large number of our Olympic fleet in China right now, which is great for all of us. In a few days, we’re having a regatta held at the Olympic Venue and all the key players will be there. After the Qingdao training, I’ll train at home in Halifax and St. Margaret’s Bay for two weeks before heading to Belgium for the Radial Europeans as my last event leading up to the Games.

08-08-08

What other boats have you been racing in this year? Did you consider this cross-training and/or what benefit did you derive from that? This year, I didn’t get a chance to race as many other boats as I would’ve liked. Our schedule has been exceptionally busy, so I didn’t have much time to do match racing, or any other racing for that matter. Match racing is great for cross training because it really hones your boat-to-boat tactics and quick decision-making. Sailing any keelboat is a good way to learn from others, and it definitely keeps sailing fun and fresh. I did sail Vanguard 15’s at Buzzard’s Bay Regatta, which was a lot of fun, and the 80 boat gate starts were very interesting!

at home. My friends and family are getting used to my short visits at home!

Besides the sailing, what are you looking forward to in China? One of the highlights for me at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens was the Opening Ceremonies, so I’m really happy that our competition schedule for the 2008 Games allows me to attend the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. It is a huge part of the Games experience and one that I would be sad to miss.

What are your plans September 1, 2008? I will definitely be taking some vacation time, but may postpone some of my time off until after the National Team Qualifying Regatta for Canada, which will be hosted in St. Margaret’s Bay, Nova Scotia, in October. It is an important regatta for Canadian sailors and I will be coaching the event and helping the Nova Scotia sailors prepare. After that, I would like to take some vacation time, hopefully in Cabarete, and improve on my windsurfing and surfing!

How many days have you spent at home this year? In the seven months, from January to the beginning of August, leading up to the Games I will have spent 80 days

SUMMER 2008

Mike Leigh - Canada Laser Standard How long have you been sailing a Laser? I started sailing full rigs in 1999 when I was 14, and have been focusing on them ever since.

What has been your training leading up Qingdao? I spend quite a bit of time in the gym and on my bike off the water. I spend most of my time racing and training in Europe. There are so many good sailors over there to challenge you.

What other boats have you been racing in this year? Did you consider this cross-training and/or what benefit did you derive from that?

Want to follow along with

This year, I have sailed on a Farr 40, Sydney 38, and Radial this year. It has definitely helped my understanding of rig setup, and the interactions between the controls. Also, I was fortunate enough to sail on the Farr 40 and Sydney 38 with Tom Slingsby-it was great to see how he thinks, and what he thinks about at certain times. It is a lot of fun to branch out into other boats.

How many days have you spent at home this year?

the results? Below are various links where you’ll find the results and additional info. Official Beijing Olympic sites Official site: www.en.beijing2008.cn Sailing: www.sailing2008.org

Where’s home? I think about 4 days.

Besides the sailing, what are you looking forward to in China? I really enjoy traveling to China-especially Qingdao. The facilities in Qingdao look amazing, and the organizers look like they will put on quite a show. Hopefully we will get some wind.

Canadian sites www.olympic.ca www.canada.com www.sailing.ca www.cbc.ca www.tsn.ca

What are your plans September 1, 2008? I plan to keep sailing mostly on my Laser and on the Farr 40. I imagine I will join up with a few other boats as there are a few things in the works. I would love to get into a Star, but I don’t think the finances will be there.

www.Laser.org

ISAF www.sailing.org

Anna Tunnicliffe - USA Laser Radial How long have you been sailing a Laser Radial? Seriously since 2005. I sailed it for one regatta a year during college and sailed a full rig my last year of youth sailing.

What has been your training leading up Qingdao? Lots of cardio to drop weight and then lots of practice in light and lumpy conditions.

What other boats have you been racing in this year? Did you consider this cross-training and/or what benefit did you derive from that? I haven’t sailed any other boats this year, but last year I did some “big” boat regattas (j/22 or sonar’s) in fleet and match racing. The idea was to get practice for possible match racing at the Games and to practice in a boat where tactics are very important to get ahead rather than just boat speed.

Want to follow along with the results? Below are various links where you’ll find the results and additional

How many days have you spent at home this year?

info.

About 4 weeks as of May.

Besides the sailing, what are you looking forward to in China?

Official Beijing Olympic sites Official site: www.en.beijing2008.cn Sailing: www.sailing2008.org

Seeing my friends, the opening and closing ceremony, and just seeing what an amazing job the Chinese are going to do

What are your plans September 1, 2008? Get ready for U.S. Women’s Match Racing Championships and eating a lot of ice cream.

08-08-08

US sites www.ussailing.org www.usoc.org www.nbcolympics.com/sailing www.roadtobeijing.org www2.ussailing.org/page4.aspx

ISAF www.sailing.org

SUMMER 2008

Andrew Campbell - USA Laser Standard How long have you been sailing a Laser? My first Laser Radial regatta was the 1997 Junior Olympic Regatta held at the Navy Yacht Club in South Bay San Diego. I had a bright yellow hull number 114341 and a multicolor sail that went from red to orange to yellow to white from leach down to the luff. To be honest it was totally awesome. The following summer was really the first summer I focused on Radials and in 1999 I went to my first Youth Champs in the full rig. So its been about 10 years.

What has been your training leading up Qingdao? I’ve been trying to take a few focused training camps interspersed with events and regatta training. By having three or four extended training blocks where I can get into a training and fitness routine I feel like I can make the gains speed-wise that I need going into the Games. Sailing in a lot of regattas has not been as big a priority, early in the training period but will become more important in my schedule in the last month leading into Qingdao.

What other boats have you been racing in this year? Did you consider this cross-training and/or what benefit did you derive from that? I try and race as much as possible outside of the Laser. It is a great relief and recharge from the singlehanded sailing, and any day on the water is a day that I get to improve myself as a sailor instead of only improving myself as a Laser sailor. In San Diego I am lucky enough to sail with my family on a J105 and the Etchells, and when I’m in DC I have been taking a lot of days sailing 420s teamracing against my alma mater, my little brother’s Georgetown team getting them ready for their upcoming College Nationals.

How many days have you spent at home this year? Since January 1st, 2008 I’ve spent about ten days at home in San Diego. Luckily I have a great number of friends and am very comfortable in Washington, DC, but I’m still not to the 30-day mark counting the days in the United States. Extended trips in Australia and in Europe as well as the cost of going between those places and the US keep the days in the US lower than perhaps I

www.Laser.org

might like, but we make due and I’m having a lot of fun being on the circuit and hard at work.

Besides the sailing, what are you looking forward to in China? This might be the toughest question in this interview… I think sailing is such a big focus in for us when we go to the Games, but I’m very excited to go to Beijing after our regatta finishes up to enjoy some of the other sports with a few of my close friends and family who will be over there. The spectacle of the Olympic Games is something so rare that I’m looking forward to taking it all in. Luckily I’ve been in that situation a couple of times at the 05 University Games in Turkey and then the Pan Am Games last summer, so I have had a couple of practice runs at multisport Games, but everything I think will pale in comparison to the Olympics. I’m looking forward to taking part in something that means so much to so many people, not only those participating but the rest of the world watching. It is hard to put a finger on what I will most look forward to except soaking in the experience. It will likely be one of the most trying regattas of my life and yet the reward that the athlete gets from being able to take part is something unrivaled as well.

What are your plans September 1, 2008? The major commitment that I have on my schedule is a Log Canoe Sailing Regatta in St Michael’s, Maryland on my buddy’s boat with about 13 of my former teammates and classmates from college. The Log Canoes are these thirty five foot skiff-like things that are a blast to sail. We get a laugh about the fact that my schedule only has two events on that month one being the Olympic regatta and the other the Log Canoe races. Both are important to me for very different reasons. Any time that I can get back into the social venue of sailing it is an instant refresher on why the sport is as popular as it is, and why I love it as much as I do. After that my calendar is fairly clean. I’m ready to keep sailing. I’m not sure if Laser sailing is going to be the priority, but I’m really excited to continue to grow in the sport.

ILCA-NA Fleet Review Lake Eustis Laser Fleet Lake Eustis Sailing Club, Eustis, Florida www.lakeeustissailingclub.org District 13 Fleet Captain Sam Chapin

Sailing Venue Lake Eustis is a 3 x 5 mile sized mud and sand bottom lake, 8 to 15 feet deep without shoals, and located in central Florida 30 miles west of Orlando. Although the sailing club was established in 1953, it has just purchased property eleven years ago and built the club house seven years ago. The membership has enlarged a great deal in that period. There are two concrete launching ramps with a T-dock and two launching beaches and a small camping area. The Lasers usually use the launching beach. The wind is inland lake sailing. Plenty of shifts and surprises without a predictable sea breeze.

Racing Program & Activities LESC is the primary central Florida sailing facility with every other weekend club racing from September through May and 8 regattas during the winter. It is the only scow sailing club in Florida with 38 MC scows and 8 C scows. There are also fleets of Flying Scots and Wayfarers that race regularly. The Lake Eustis Youth Foundation operates with 12 Optimist prams, seven Club 420s and 5 Lasers. In the past 3 years the youth foundation has added three Lasers to obtain the five and an additional 15 Lasers privately owned have come on the scene. The Lake Eustis Laser Fleet was organized in 2006 in conjunction with the Youth foundation. The Laser fleet holds races on the regular race days, has its own course with 5 to 10 Lasers usually sailing 3 to 8 races in a two hour period. In the past year we have had 25 members racing in 122 races. We have guests from Clearwater, Orlando, Annapolis and the Netherlands racing with us. Our ages range from 10 to 80 with one father, son, granddaughter combination and another father and son combo. We are on the verge of a mother and two daughter combo. Occasionally the 10 year olds sail double and we generally operate with the 4.7 or full rigs for the youth. In addition to the weekend racing we sail Wednesday afternoon 3 to 5 PM during the winter and during Daylight saving time we shift to 6 to 8 PM . With the evening sailing we add pizza as the sun goes down, the lake turns purple, and that is a time to review rules, tactics and boat handling. We host one of the Treasure Coast Laser Regattas (A Saturday afternoon affair, come at noon and leave by 5 PM after 5 races.) The club also runs an multiclass regatta, the George Washington Birthday Regatta, in which Lasers participate. The other regattas are single class format for other boats.

SUMMER 2008

This year we had our first women’s race with 6 out of 10 possible able to show up. Three of these are grandmothers. The women all enjoyed it and we plan to repeat it next month, when three others return from vacation and we pick up a couple of good candidates from the “learn to sail” group. The city of Eustis is a waterfront place and in 2008 is celebrating it’s 125 th anniversary. For the celebration starting January 1 we planned a 25 hour sail for one Laser with changing skippers through the day and night. The city mayor is a big boat sailor. We had him checked out in a Laser and scheduled for one of the early shifts, but the coldest cold front in 3 years and high winds forecast for about sunset cancelled those plans as well as the fire works for the evening. We sent Grandmother Libby out to show off the boat before the front arrived. Enclosed is picture of Grandma sailing the special boat. The other boat is Laser sailor Benson showing off his trimaran. As part of the entertainment for the City celebration, we had a Laser free style contest and awarded trophies for the most tricks and one for the best executed tricks. Art museum director and a City Commissioner were the judges. Our youth won the trophies and none of the adults had enough nerve to join in. We did a family sail with a lot of hotdogs cooked and as many as we could get sailing double and some triple in the boats. That was a lot of fun and we will do it again this Summer. We will continue the weekend racing during the Summer but will move the races to the 6 to8 PM time when it is not so hot and the 4 PM thunderstorms have dissipated. Sailors from our fleet have traveled to local regattas in Titusville, Melbourne, St. Pete, Venice, and the Keys were they have become smarter and tougher.. We have a lending library of most of the books and DVDs on Laser sailing.

The Best thing about the Lake Eustis fleet.... Single best thing about our fleet probably is the ability to use the Youth Foundation boats for adults when the youth are not using them. That makes it easier to introduce others to Laser sailing.

Attracting new sailors to the fleet Sailors are hard to come by in central Florida. People, who have moved here from Illinois and Ohio, came for the fishing. The sailors went to the coast, so we have to find new sailors. The Youth foundation is teaching young as well as adults. They have one program to teach parent and child together in the 420s. We stand by to catch what we can out of the graduating students. We do that “First Friday “ street fair and talk to passers by about sailing. We have notes in news papers. The Youth foundation is trying to put together teams from three local High Schools. Three picture boards of youth foundation learn to sail folks in Optimist prams, club 420s and Lasers are on display in the local library with brochures describing the club and the youth program. Some times when the wind is up and we are showing new sailors stuff, we just blast around on reaches trying to get everyone to move to the back of the cockpit to enjoy the “motor boat thing”. Then if the wind is up enough to cancel the regular racing for the Scots, MCs and Wayfarers, a couple of people may get some 4.7s rigged and show off. We are continuing programs to get our sailors better, to have social events, and we have a few good local boats for sale.

Last Words Anyone coming by Eustis is invited to come and join us sailing (we have a boat for you), eating pizza or watching the sun go down.

www.Laser.org

Regatta Reports RYAN MINTH West beats the East!!! No, this is not a resurrected report from a decades old Bruce Cup Regatta, where districts added up in a team format. Simply put, Mission Bay Yacht Club did it again, hosting an outstanding Laser Midwinter West Regatta. If you were only able to attend one of our two Midwinter Championships this year, West was totally the way to go. No question, unless you live within sixty miles of Clearwater Beach, then it might become debatable. For those unfamiliar, MBYC is in San Diego, where seemingly every day is a “Chamber of Commerce” day. The sea breeze begins to gently roll in about noon and often builds to the low teens as it shifts right and then winds down in the late afternoon. The club takes full advantage of the lazy AM schedule and spreads out a delicious full breakfast menu, easily capable of stuffing the entire fleet. Best of all, it is a fairly quick sail out to the Pacific. “Never miss an opportunity to go ocean sailing” certainly applies here (James Liebl, circa 1999). Day one greeted the fleet of Lasers, Radials, and 4.7s with sunny skies and breeze building almost two hours ahead of schedule. By race time it was already at five knots, and the fleet was eager. After a general recall or two, the breeze had built to almost seven, and the fleet of sixty-six sailed up the beat with the X-flag flying. Luke Ramsay (CAN) took countryman Carlos Roberts (CAN) and Keith Davids (USA) out left and made out nicely on the beat. Ramsay clocked his first bullet while Davids edged Roberts to finish second and third respectively. Radials sailed the innerloop course and Chris Barnard led Mateo Vargas and their fleet of fifty. Of the six 4.7s, Beverly Elmer started of with a literal bang, followed by Burgess Malarkey in second. Race two saw much of the fleet competing for a spot near the pin end with many boats OCS at the gun. However the RC only caught a couple of the worst offenders and let the fleet go up the beat. This time the left did not look as good. A peloton of Canadians played the right side of the fleet, safely working the left-middle and claimed eight of the top ten spots at the windward mark. The fleet then abandoned the left and sailed well off to course right side on the skewed run, making it look like a reach. At the finish, Ramsay locked

2008 MWW ROCKS – BEATS MWE HANDS DOWN another bullet with Al Clark (CAN) back in second. Colin Smith bested the Radial fleet with Diego Reyes behind. The top two 4.7s repeated their form with Elmer ahead of Malarkey. Race three had the fleet crowded up at the boat end, apparently looking to get to the right side of the course for the beat. After two general recalls, an individual recalled start got off, but catching only one boat. The breeze stayed ahead of schedule, swung to 245 or 250, and had dropped down to about four knots on a heavily skewed outer loop track. So skewed was the track, in fact, that the Lasers completed five legs of reaching with only two gybes and a tack to interrupt their otherwise straight-line sailing. Ramsay pulled of the ‘perfect day’, posting a third consecutive win, this time with local youth sailor Ryan Hoeven (USA) second. The Radial/4.7 inner-loop course was more even, and Barnard regained his winning form while Reyes gained some consistency with another two posted. Malarkey bested the 4.7s while Domenic Bove rounded out the top pair with a second. Day Two was quite similar in that the breeze was coming on ahead of schedule and was almost at six for race time. It also had already clocked to 265 for Race Four. Clark got off at the favored pin end and tacked, quickly crossing the majority of the fleet. However, Davids got over to the right side faster and won the beat as the breeze built to eight. Roberts won the race flying down the runs and was followed by Clark, who posted another two. Ramsay held to a more traditional approach to the first race of a day at MBYC, favoring the left, but was able to run up to fifth. Barnard posted a third bullet in Radial with Smith in second. The 4.7s took up where they left off the day before with Bove following Malarkey through the finish line. Race Five got off with another X-flag start. Ramsey back in form with a wire-towire win. Local youth hotshot Caleb Paine (USA), lurking in the top five overall, found his way into second, moving him up the leader-board as every other contender for silver posted big double-digit scores and alphabets. Vargas topped Barnard in a hard fought battle in the Radial class. Bove was able to reverse the order, topping Malarkey in 4.7. Clouds rolled in for Race Six and brought in breeze, now sailing in low teens with most of the fleet comfortably sitting out. The line was set square with breeze at

250, but it was anybody’s guess which way to go with the track looking even. Paine won the beat from the right and was closely pursued by Hoeven from the left. Adapting quickly to the wind dropping off sharply to about three, Hoeven also took advantage of a shift to 260 during the run and slipped by Paine for the bullet, dropping Paine to second. Ramsay stumbled to a droppable fourteenth. On the inner-loop in Radial, Reyes found his first bullet this race as Vargas held up with a second. Elmer regained her winning form crossing the line ahead of Malarkey. Day Three and Race Seven again had breeze coming on earlier than normal for MBYC. With the breeze settling in at five or six, the first effort general recalled in a left shift that left the pin favored with much of the fleet piled there. Another general recall brought the fleet back as they crammed in at the boat in a big right shift to 285. Three times a charm and with the wind finding a median of 255, the fleet was off with X-flag flying again. Ramsay came out of the right initially, catching the first lefty pressure and jumped to a nice lead only 1/3 up the beat and carried it to the mark. Clark hitched up and out left hard and sent himself to third, making gains late up the beat. In between the two, someone out of the crazy hard right rolled in rounding second! The top three guys launched out, well ahead of the fleet. Ramsay eventually stretched his lead to a forty-plus boat-length lead, winning his fifth race (of seven completed) and wrapped up the regatta with a race to spare. Vargas and Smith were one-two in the hotly contested Radial fleet while Bove led Malarkey in an equally close 4.7 fleet. The final Race Eight had the breeze up to about twelve as the fleet again got off under X-flag. Sean Kelley (USA) won the beat coming to the top mark after masterfully working the left side. Again, illustrating the even, and uncharacteristic to SoCal conditions, Ramsey came screaming in from the extreme right, slightly overstood, to round second. Davids stayed close behind, found an opportunity, and scored his first and only bullet for the regatta with Ramsay second. Ben Lezin and Oliver Toole let the Radial fleet know that they also had race leading form and finished one-two. Elmer led Bove to the line in 4.7. In the end, Luke Ramsey won the Laser division, scoring a remarkable total of twelve over eight races while dropping that fourteenth. This was less than a third the

SUMMER 2008

cumulative total of second place finisher Caleb Paine, who put together a solid regatta score-line counting only top ten finishes. (Top) Master Al Clark was three more points back in third overall. Scott Barnard sailed his drop in Race Eight as runner up finisher Mateo Vargas attacked aggressively but unsuccessfully and also posted his drop as well. Barnard wins in Radial four points up on Vargas with Diego Reyes three more back for third overall. For the 4.7 fleet, Burgess Malarkey’s score-card of ones and twos bests all others totaling twelve and two points ahead of second place finisher Domenic Bove. Beverly Elmer, despite winning half of the races, could not overcome a string of fourths and was one more point back, finishing third. The overall fleet was well behaved as yellow flags for RRS 42 infringements were few and far between, but one incurred by the Jury themselves was particularly notable. Watch one Juror pumping here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfkxPrmVdek See you next year at MWW 2009!

“It’s the Rules that make sailing a game… It’s the People that make the game fun!” -Dave Perry, Author of “The Racing Rules of Sailing”

Gulf Coast Champs Cleve Hancock Takes Top Honors MICHELLE DAVIS The 2008 Gulf Coast Championships were held April 19-20 in Ft Myers, Florida. There were 13 full rigs, 32 radials and 7 4.7’s launching off the beach near the Edison Sailing Center, and racing was held out on the river. Technically, according to Ryan Minth, “the event this year should properly be named the “Tributary of Gulf Coast Champs.” The conditions were very light and shifty on both days. Ryan described it as “Fun, like frostbiting in warm weather”. I described it as nutty. The wind seemed to be pretty random in direction and velocity on Saturday, and a sailor’s fortunes could change very quickly. Sunday made a little more sense (to me at least), with the gusts going right, and some of them approaching the mid-teens. My personal accomplishment for the weekend was managing to get a bullet and a dead last at the same regatta, something I have never done before. The race committee did a very good job of getting races off for all three fleets in the difficult winds, with the full rigs finishing 8 races and the radials and 4.7’s each getting 6 in. Cleve Hancock and Ryan Minth showed excellent light air speed and took first and second, respectively, in the stan-

www.Laser.org

dard fleet. Ryan’s downwind speed was especially noteworthy; every time I turned around there he was, going by me (and nearly everyone else) in the light air. There also was a decent turnout of Masters mixed in with the young folks. Ryan Minth was the top Master, with Mike Reynolds in second (3rd overall) and Ernesto Rodriquez was the third-place Master, 4th overall. I enjoyed my mid-fleet battle with my nemesis, Dave Hartman. He got me this time! Luke Lawrence won the radial fleet with an 11-point lead over Edgar Diminich in second, blowing away my theory that full rig-size people can’t do well in radials in light air. (You can do just fine if you’re good!) Consistency helped Luke, too; he

Standard (13) Cleve Hancock Ryan Minth Mike Reynolds

was one of the few people to not have a double-digit score for a race. Ian Heausler, Chris Stockz, Michael Zonnenberg, Patrick Arrington and Chris Taylor rounded out the top of this competitive fleet, with a threepoint spread between all five. Marissa Lihan was the top woman. Cameron Hall dominated the 4.7 fleet with 5 bullets and a 3rd as his throw out. Curtis Woodworth was second with Dominique Wright in third. Steve Olive and the Edison Sailing Center gang put on a great spread of food all weekend when we were off the water. A good time was had by all in spite of the tricky conditions!

Radial (32) Luke Lawrence Edgar Diminich Ian Heausler

4.7 (7) Cameron Hall Curtis Woodworth Dominique Wright Full results are posted at http://www.edisonsailingcenter.org/

Competing in the Takapuna Youth Radial Worlds JOHN WALLACE I was stoked to be named to the US Sailing team going to New Zealand for the Youth Radial Worlds in March! We had a great team and the chance to be coached by Brett Davis. We spent all day getting to California and took a flight out of San Francisco directly to Auckland, New Zealand which took all night arriving on Friday morning at 5:30 A.M. When we got to our hotel in Takapuna we ran into Coach Davis in the lobby who was leaving for a day trip to Rotorua. Adjusting to time change was easy after a short nap in the morning. Then we took the ferry from Devenport near Takapuna across the harbour, picked up our rental car in Auckland and peeled out to Pija, the nearest surf spot. I surfed all afternoon in choppy head-high surf. The beach was awesome with huge rocks and cliffs. The next morning we went over to the Takapuna Boating Club and picked up our charter boats. Brett had us be ready for an afternoon practice by 1:00 which was a close call after finding out I forgot to bring my mainsheet and mainblock, nothing that my Dad’s credit card and a visit to the charter’s container wouldn’t fix! We sailed out and practiced in the 10 – 12 knot conditions in the Hauraki Gulf. We got measured in the morning and practiced again in the afternoon on Easter Sunday. B. Davis ran some practice races with others joining in including Brad Funk who was there for the Men’s Radial Worlds. The conditions were extremely shifty coming off the land. That night there was an opening ceremony on the beach across from the island volcano Rangitoto with all the youth teams from the around the world including a Haka war chant by the Maoris and they served us a buffet dinner with our first taste of Kiwi Lamb. Monday was the first day of racing. It was cool to see all the other sailors from around the world. Typical of world events they try to complete two races each day of the six day regatta. One of the weirdest things about sailing an international regatta is not

knowing who you are starting around. During the first race the wind was about 10 knots and I was doing well until it got light and choppy on the downwind. I was disappointed that I finished 24th. In the second race the full moon tide current was strong and pushed almost half the fleet over the line to be black flagged including teammate Bo McClatchy and me. It was frustrating but getting a black flag and having first start allowed us to get in extremely early. I wasn’t really worried about the first day results because we would have a chance for two drops later on. Conditions were more to my liking the second day with more wind and waves. I started the day with a 5th in the first race which gave me the confidence that I could turn the regatta around. Good windy conditions held out for the next three days of the regatta and the Race Committee got in two races per day. After that race every one of my next seven finishes were top ten. Before the last day I was in twelfth place. The final day was a tough one for me with the wind getting lighter. I hoped to finish well enough to move up to the top ten but my last finish of 19 dropped me to 14th overall for the regatta. I was happy with my result. There was a big awards banquet on the final night at the rugby stadium. The next day we drove south to Ragland, the most famous surf town in New Zealand. I was a cool place with great scenery. I surfed for a couple of days and then made the long flight back to the USA. Adjusting to the time change was not nearly as easy as the trip over. I couldn’t sleep for three nights afterward, but, it gave me time to do my makeup work for school. In all it was an awesome experience to compete in an International World level regatta. I hope to get the chance to do it again. photos by Will Carver

SUMMER 2008

The Way I did it: The District 18 Experience JOHN SHOCKEY There are a few perks to being a District Secretary for the Laser Class; whether its meeting dozens of new faces or “selfishly” (but not so much) being able to run District events at our home sailing venues, the entire experience as Secretary is quite enjoyable! When I set the date for the event I had accomplish a number of things. Firstly, I had to find an appropriate time of season with bearable water conditions. The shores of Lake Erie freeze up in the winter, which means for water temperatures to have enough time to adequately warm up we’d be looking at late May at the earliest. Secondly, I had to find an appropriate weekend to run a two-day event that would assure enough free time to be made for the maximum number of attendees. Memorial Weekend fit perfect into my plan, as Monday is a holiday which means no work, thus eliminating the poor excuse of “work got in the way!” Marketing the District Grand Prix was by far the most important aspect in drawing big numbers. The Notice of Race is very important, and can’t be sent out soon enough. To get the NOR out so early meant I had to begin organizing the regatta even earlier, I think I started in December? It was important to fill the NOR with as much detail as possible and more importantly, enough reasons to make the event stand out from other events. I knew there was a good potential to bring in many college sailors that I grew up racing against, so i wanted to make the event as affordable as possible; $25 entry fee. I think the hardest decision I had to make early on in the project was to decide whether the regatta would have T-shirts or not. I decided because of the low entry fee, I would have to sell the shirts for the cost of production, which turned out to be the right decision. Deciding on what to do for dinner was a bit of a concern, but the Disbrow family’s (Tarten Ten Sailors) Oh Boy restaurant and it’s famous burgers was able to supply the entire burger and dressings for $1.25 a piece. The final appealing piece to the NOR was the promise hand crafted trophies I helped build with a family friend, John Riddle and Riddle Boat Works Inc. This was a great way to save money, and the only cost was the engraved plates. I do recommend that if anyone tries this, hold off on the expensive purchase of having plates made. In the top junior and top female trophies I printed the text onto photo paper to save money, and in the end they looked better than the expensive engraving; see for yourself! Getting the word out to the Laser community is very important. I sent out many e-mail reminders to those signed up on my list serve, along with other sailing mass e-mails to Midwest sailing associations (I-lya, DRYA, ext.) It was approaching 10 days to the big weekend, and I learned of another tool we as secretaries can use, The Laser Class Online Membership Database. Thanks to Executive Secretary Sherri Campbell, I was now able to contact past and present Laser members of the Midwest. Accessing the database, I sent out two key e-mails. The first e-mail sent was to all current members in my district. I sent out an e-mail reminding them that they were paid up in their dues, and there was “no reason you can’t come out and grab some grand prix points.” The second e-mail was to all the people who weren’t currently paid, but had been active in the class before. I sent an e-mail out to many recognizable names that had either not paid that year, or had spent some time away from the class, including one of my current coaches at ODU, David Tunnicliff. This e-mail let them know of the regatta, and encouraged them that they can at least come out and sail even if they weren’t planning on re-joining the class! The data base was very easy to learn, and the instruction manual tells of the many useful ways to use it. The use of this database should be used whenever we are hosting regattas because it is so easy to get the word out to another subgroup of Laser sailors! When it was all said and done with, the regatta was a remarkable success! I was able to bring in 39 total Laser Sailors to my home club, which was hopefully the first of many big Laser Regattas to come! The winds came and went, but by the end of it we were able to get 6 races total allocating a throw out(which saved me from OCS!). I sold out of T-shirts, and gave a few to those who helped with the event. The Oh’boy burgers were a huge hit! A big boat regatta and Shrimp Broil was also being run at the club, which provided nice to some as they generously shared their Keg as we were in before 4pm on Saturday. Special thanks to INTENSITY SAILS for supplying some fun giveaways afterwords. After the festivities I treated my PRO to the Shrimp broil, and my twin brother Kevin was able to entertain about 20 more sailors back at our place for a “cookout” type party seeing how Laser Sailors tend to eat twice the amount a normal person would! Having so much positive feedback is the most rewarding about an event like this. I think anyone who plans on running a Laser event should keep in mind there are a lot of Laser sailors in your area, and its simply a matter of getting the word out! Sail on _/)

www.Laser.org

Masters Sailing BILL SYMES

Looking Back The 2008 season has barely begun, so why do I have this feeling it’s already over? Must be the aftershock of getting a taste of summer in February (at Masters Worlds in Terrigal), then having to return to a long, cold winter back home in Oregon. Our tans have faded, but LauraLee and I are still basking in the afterglow of our bon voyage to the Land of Oz. We had the good fortune to spend the week before the regatta as guests of Mark and Carolyn Bethwaite in their shiny new condo on a point in the middle of Sydney Harbour. Wow. We spent our evenings sipping gin and tonics on the deck, surrounded by an endless convoy of Lasers, 29ers, Skiffs, Farr 40s, Volvo 70s and every other kind of sailboat known to man. Sydney is definitely paradise for sailors, home to more sailboats and sailing clubs per square meter than any place I’ve ever seen. And after a week of training with Mark and his mates at the delightful Double Bay Sailing Club, I think I’ve finally learned the secret that makes the Aussies so fast. It is, I regret to report, this: They sail more. And they sail harder. But that’s a subject for another day. The big take-home lesson from this Master Worlds–and every other Master Worlds we’ve been to–is that Masters Laser sailing is a gateway to very special world of welcoming people and amazing places. We just can’t believe how lucky we are to be a part of it.

Looking Forward By the time you read this, many of the major Laser titles for 2008 will have already been decided. But you may still have time to pack up the boat, gear, cooler, and various dependents and head west to catch all or part of the summer’s big Laser trifecta: North Americans in San Francisco, July 24-27; Pacific Coast Champs in Monterey, August 1-3; and US Nationals in Long Beach, August 8-10 (whew; brings to mind sitting on a hiking bench for a month while someone throws buckets of salt water over your head). Or you could skip all that and proceed straight to the BIG ONE: Laser Masters North Americans in Cascade Locks, Oregon, August 15-17. If you haven’t sailed in the Gorge yet, you owe it to yourself to experience this magnificent venue before you die. As a special bonus for early birds, we’ll be holding the infamous annual Gorge Blowout–an 18-mile, whiteknuckle downwinder from Cascade Locks to Hood River–on August 13, the Thursday before Masters NAs. Sign up now at www.cgra.org. And don’t forget the Ibuprofen! As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions about Laser Masters sailing, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the other Masters Committee members (Peter Seidenberg and David Hartman on the east coast, Al Clark in Canada). You can reach us through the ILCA-NA website (Contacts>Masters Ex-Com), or dial me direct at wjsymes@comcast.net. I look forward to seeing you on the water!

THE LASER TRAILER

LIKE NO OTHER

Canfield, OH • Toll Free: 1-800-282-5042 www.trailex.com

SUMMER 2008

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2008 Laser Performance NA Grand Prix Results Standings through June 15, 2008

RADIAL Pos.

Last Name

First Name

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 17 18 18 20 20 22 22 24 24

Vargas Railey Lihan Billing Adams Heausler Barnard Lezin Lihan deLisser Wallace Shea Wright Mace Bougie-Bastien Taylor Stubbs Alley Hartman Haegar Richardson Coudert Smith Toole Wright Alfonso Blouin Lawrence Doane Spector Stocke Soto Bertrand Laube Zonnenberg Arrington Crain Dugdale Scott Holtzworth Renehan Voss Spevak Boome McClatchy Paine Christopher Herbst Sullivan Swikart Bove Dennis Kiss Kelchner Larsen McNab Sowers

Mateo Paige Sarah Emily Sky Ian Chris Ben Marissa Arielle John Maggie Caroline Sally

Last Name Cabassa Jensen Kaschak Bone Merry Poler Hall Leon Weitzman Archibald Jordan Spencer Usher McKinney Scanlon Vranizan Baab Curry Lepert Han Lawrence Vittery Galdi Fritz Smutny Booker Morris Carolus Porter Bastet Shevitz Wettergren

# of Events Total

3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 Genevieve1 Chris 2 Emily 1 Philip 1 Colleen 1 Anne 1 Heather 1 Lexi 1 Colin 1 Oliver 1 Dominique1 David 2 Sam 1 Luke 1 Justin 1 Ben 1 Chris 2 Julian 1 Alex 1 Kevin 1 Michael 1 Patrick 1 Philip 1 Nick 1 Jon 1 Ian 2 John 1 Nick 1 Walt 1 Chris 1 Bo 1 Olin 1 Jim 1 Roger 1 Ryan 1 Jack 1 Domenic 1 Claire 1 Mitchell 1 Zack 1 Josh 1 Alan 1 Kyle 1

71 70 65 55 52 46 45 44 44 40 38 37 36 32 31 31 30 29 29 28 28 27 27 26 26 25 25 25 24 24 24 23 22 21 21 20 20 20 20 19 19 19 18 17 17 17 16 15 15 15 14 14 14 13 13 13 13

4.7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Last Name Hall Featherston Rubin Strammer Swikart Patterson McKinney Hernandez Woodworth Hall Pierce Willett Frost Gray Warner Wallace Akers Rivera Reuss Koppernaes Wood

First # of Name Events Blake 1 Drake 1 Nick 1 Jamie 1 Claire 1 Ariel 1 Corey 1 Colin 1 Cindy 1 Matthew 1 Carsten 1 Mackie 1 Christy 1 Molly 1 Alex 1 Erika 1 Kaitlyn 1 Jasper 1 Chloe 1 Lloyd 1 Eric 1 Alanna 1 Vincent 1 Sebastian 1 Tanja 1 Michael 1 Matthew 1 Patrick 1 Davis 1 Nicole 1 Carly 1 Viktor 1

First Name Cameron

Abby Nate Teal Jack Al Molly Laura Curtis Mary Chalmers

Mallory Christi Allie Danielle Caroline Conner Carmen Wendy Finn Ryan

# of Events 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Total 12 12 12 11 11 11 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 7 7 7 6 6 6 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 1

Total 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

SUMMER 2008

2008 Laser Performance NA Grand Prix Results STANDARD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 9 9 11 11 13 14 14 16 16 16 19 19 19 22 22 24 24 24

Last Name Hancock Grierson Kelly Shockey Heinzemann Hoeven Plutenko Ramsay Lewis Paine Bourdow Clark Buckingham Davids Hernandez Davis Roberts Shockey Bowers Minth Porter Clunies Reynolds Horowitz Montemayor Rodriguez Fox Grossman Brikis Faust Hartman Oetgen Tee Davis Kern Usher Willard Brown Hart Ouellette Sevinc Peckover Pierce Summers Vessella Wong Coolidge Fink Gray Martinson Scott Swetka Weston Bell Bugiak Rudolph Usher Yamamoto Anderson Garber Hillmyer Lammens

www.Laser.org

First Name Cleve Kevin Sean Kevin

# of Events 3 2 2 2 Alexander 2 Ryan 2 Roman 2 Luke 1 Evan 1 Caleb 1 Stephen 1 Alan 1 Charlie 1 Keith 1 David 1 Robert 1 Carlos 1 John 2 Erik 1 Ryan 1 Vincent 1 Greg 1 Mike 1 Zeke 1 Ricardo 1 Ernesto 1 Andrew 1 Perry 1 Paul 1 Eric 1 David 1 Eric 1 Barry 1 Michelle 1 Doug 1 Tracy 1 Martin 1 Don 1 Doug 1 Travis 1 Mehmet 1 Doug 1 Chalmers 1 Cameron 1 Peter 1 Andrew 1 John 1 Tommy 1 Allie 1 Bruce 1 Ben 1 Ken 1 Jonathan 1 Simon 1 Mark 1 Gavin 1 Charles 1 Harumitsu1 Niklas 1 Josh 1 Dave 1 Mark 1

Total 43 42 39 38 36 35 30 30 29 29 28 28 27 26 26 25 25 25 24 24 24 23 23 22 22 22 21 21 20 20 20 20 20 19 19 19 19 18 18 18 18 17 17 17 17 17 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 15 15 15 15 15 14 14 14 14

Last Name LaPier Martin Burke Gilbert Graef Porter Schroth Sherwood Hughes McLaughlin Roehrl Rutledge Lazzaro Morgan Plaxton Schalka Gamble Jesberg Abel Dahlman Grogono McLaughlin Norwood Schmitt Doyle Graef Howard Quinlan Ryan Crawford Cruickshank Cutting Whiteside Wolf Hungerpiller Lucas Moore Woodworth Goodvin Hutcheson Mitchell Mumma Smith Buller Deutsch Shattuck Toole Hatton Hopkins Feik Leuck Nowell Zimmerman Hassing Polgar Wenner

First # of Name Events David 1 Niall 1 Nick 1 Matthew 1 RJ 1 Clifford 1 Fred 1 Doug 1 JT 1 Evert 1 Byron 1 Mike 1 Michael 1 David 1 Bill 1 Michael 1 Peter 1 Peter 1 Geoff 1 Tony 1 David 1 Kyle 1 Carlisle 1 Simon 1 Terry 1 Rick 1 Will 1 Liam 1 Shawn 1 Ken 1 Keith 1 Ryan 1 Chip 1 Bob 1 John 1 Rick 1 Bruce 1 Matthew 1 Jim 1 Max 1 Bill 1 Butch 1 Colin 1 Charlie 1 Jon 1 Alden 1 Pat 1 Wade 1 Ken 1 Colin 1 Dave 1 Eddie 1 Alexander 1 Finn 1 Peter 1 Peter 1

Total 14 14 13 13 13 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1

US Master National Championships Ferguson, Matan, Moore & Hartman Rule the Waves ERIC ROBBINS

Scott Ferguson (seven race wins) and Andy Pimental from the Newport Fleet sailed to the top two spots in the Masters US Championship, held June 20-22 at New Bedford Yacht Club in South Dartmouth, MA. Canadian Andy Roy and Ari Barshi from the Dominican Republic followed in a sweep of the top four overall positions by the Masters age group after nine races in classic Buzzards Bay southwesterlies under sunny skies. Mike Matan from England topped the Apprentice Masters, and was also the first of the fiveboat contingent representing Cedar Point YC. Mike, fifth overall and marking the fourth country in the top five, was followed in the overall standings by Masters Tim Landt (straddling St. Pete YC and the Dominican Republic) and Newporter Mark Bear. The youngsters in the regatta, being the only competitors under 40, Brian Raney (CPYC) and Glen Dickson (Bay Head YC, NJ) also took trophies in the Apprentice division, standing eighth and ninth overall.

The largest group was the twenty Grandmasters. Ted Moore, a veteran of this championship hailing from New York YC, placed tenth overall and captured his division over Had Brick (Island Heights, NJ, and one of two “freshmen” in the age group) and Ken Brown (Royal Victoria YC), just edging the other freshman Dominican Jorge Abreu. Reigning world champ Peter Seidenberg (Newport) led the Great Grandmasters handily after two days of racing, but after crossing the finish line first in race eight, had to swallow a bad-boy penalty, followed quickly by a black flag, ruining his Sunday, and dropping him astern of that pesky Floridian David Hartman for the top prize. Awesome Joe van Rossem (Water Rats, Canada) took the bronze. Susie Pegel, sporting her three red bars emblematic of a former North American Champion, won the First Woman trophy. At age 82, Bob Saltmarsh earned a standing ovation for his relentless performance at his home club in his 18th year of Great Grandmaster competition.

Regatta Chairman Roy Tangen and Principal Race Officer Spider Fortier led their NBYC team to host a first-class regatta for the 58 Lasers entered. “You guys are our favorite class”, said Roy in his welcoming statement. He closed the awards by saying, “We still really like you guys, and want to do this again soon. This is what we are here for!”

photo below: tight maneuvering at the first windward mark rounding first race Sunday.

SUMMER 2008

US Masters Statistical Report Friday, June 20: 4 races on windward-leeward courses (5 legs) with windward finishes in 8-12 mph, 205° wind direction, veering to 225° during the course of the afternoon. Sunny and warm. Last race shortened to 3 legs. Saturday, June 21: 3 races, same course configuration, 8-15 mph, 205° wind direction, veering to 225° during the afternoon. Sunny and warm. First race: 3 legs Sunday, June 22: 2 races, same course configuration, 10-18 mph, 210° wind direction for first races, 190° for second race. Sunny and warm. Peter Seidenberg

US Masters Group Finishes Apprentice 1 2 3

Matan Raney Dickson

Master 1 2 3

Ferguson Pimental Roy

Grand Master 1 2 3

Moore Brick Brown

Great Grand Master 1 2 3

Hartman Seidenberg van Rossem

LASER MASTERS US NATIONALS Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58

Sail# 502 5126 7740 7994 5888 2399 9575 5520 5049 3134 9810 2727 7152 3988 3348 5881 1384 7436 584 8196 1836 9811 2910 776 757 1100 2061 3173 9531 1411 2045 7311 765 4547 9804 3706 7812 8648 5861 1860 8979 5592 8702 2999 3827 1918 9560 5244 3088 1911 3290 8612 7043 453 5511 9429 2042 3277

Age Groups:

www.Laser.org

Name Ferguson Pimental Roy Barshi Matan Landt Bear Raney Dickson Moore Grossman Brick Brown Abreu Wells Jacob Schmidt King Kavanaugh Yamoamoto Hartman Seidenberg May Orknay Pegel Frazier Rudinsky Williamson Kinder van Rossem Breder Bentley Zinn Robbins Hecky Millhiser Stow DeWolf, Jr. Denys Parolski Mills Gebhardt Link Kast Aker Fox Morgan Nowakowski Pozefsky Rickard Caffee Sharp Cocker Werden Saltmarsh Schmicker Merrill Hennessey

Age Grp M M M M A M M A A GM A GM GM GM M M M M M A GGM GGM M GM M GM GM M M GGM M GM A M M GM GM GGM GGM GM GM GGM GM M GM GM M GM GGM GGM GGM GM GM GM GGM GM A A

Final Points 26 41 43 49 74 83 84 98 101 103 115 117 121 124 133 136 145 148 156 179 180 192 198 200 201 208 217 221 225 226 232 232 234 237 249 263 266 282 286 314 333 334 339 363 363 364 364 366 368 370 405 420 428 433 449 480 496 496

Prize 1M 2M 3M 1A

2A 3A 1GM 2GM 3GM

1GGM 2GGM

3GGM

Apprentice (A); Master (M); Grand Master (GM); Great Grand Master (GGM)

District Reports District 1 Brian Mills Fredricton, New Brunswick It is Friday, June 13th. It is also 2 days before the report deadline for the Summer Issue of Laser Sailor magazine. Obviously, I am not able to pass along any 2008 regatta results just yet. Be patient, they will be coming soon. The next Canada Summer Games will be in Prince Edward Island in 2009. Lasers and Radials are amongst the competition boats. That means there will be a lot of sailors working to improve their racing skills and attending lots of regattas with the hopes of making their Provincial sailing team. For example, New Brunswick’s sailing coach, David Richards, has already held two on-the-water training sessions in June to help prepare racers for a number of qualifying regattas, which will determine their Canada Games team. As District Secretary, I have had an amazing number of emails inquiries requesting information or expressing an interest in Master Laser racing. No doubt this is a result of a promotional article I wrote for the last issue of Atlantic Boating News magazine, as well as the posters and schedules that were sent to almost all Yacht Clubs in Atlantic Canada. Being listed as a contact person for District1 also helped. It is my hope that all this will translate itself into greater participation in all regattas and a particular nice turnout out for the District Championship and first annual Atlantic Canada Masters Championship scheduled for Shediac Bay on July 26 and 27. For information on all D1 regattas go to the North American Laser Association website and look under District 1. Also, do not forget that the websites of the Provincial Sailing Associations are great sources of information on what is going on in all aspects of sailing. Speaking of websites, please do not forget to renew your Laser Class Association membership. It is your memberships that keeps the website running and the issues of Laser Sailor magazine coming to your door. Please feel free to contact me at 506 457 1580 or bnmills@nb.sympatico.ca and I will do my best to answer your questions or otherwise help you out. I look forward to meeting you at one or more of the summer regattas. District 2 Louis Beauregard Trois Rivieres, Canada District 2 held its second annual Spring training camp on May 24-25. The camp was well attended with Canadian National Team member

Anthony Boueilh whipping a mostly Master’s crowd into shape after a long winter. The camp also featured a talk by David Pelling, a top international judge and umpire with numerous international events, including the America’s Cup, under his belt. The D2 executive would like to thank Pointe-Claire Yacht Club for hosting the event, we look forward to another great camp in 2009.

the case in evening races) and so going hard right paid dividends, while others struggled with no wind in the middle of the bay, where you would normally expect there to be more wind. In the last race of the day Nigel Heath finally got his first win and just edged out Brad Biskaborn and Ken Walton overall. The winner of the Radial fleet was Ken Robertson. Congrats Ken. To view the full results: http://waterrats.ca/racing/SpringWarResults2008.xls Just a reminder that the Gold Cup series winners in the laser, radial and master fleets will take home a new laser or radial sail (your choice) courtesy of Morton Fogh and Fogh Marine. See www.d3.laserforum.org See you on the water (better than in the protest room) District 4 Kyle Ross

2008 marks a new beginning for D2 with what promises to be a hotly contested new Quebec Laser Circuit, including a proper District Championship to be held in Quebec City on the 6-7 of September (this is a great year to visit the old city as it celebrates its 400th anniversary!) We would like to extend a warm welcome to all Laser sailors to our local events. Quebec Laser Circuit 2008 events: 26 July - Laser Regatta Venture (Pointe-Claire) 1-3 August - Sail East (CVL) 9-10 August - Laser Regatta PCYC 1 (PointeClaire) 30-31 August - Ottawa Valley Laser Masters (Ottawa)* 6-7 Septembre – D2 Championships (Québec) 20-21 Septembre - Laser Regatta PCYC 2 (Pointe-Claire) Please consult our website for more information: www.laserd2.org or contact Louis Beauregard at laser@convivio.com or 514-887-9807. *This is a master’s only event that counts for our D2 ranking though it is technically a District 3 event. District 3 Nigel Heath Mississauga, Ontario

Winnipeg, MB The sailing season has finally begun for the sailors of District 4, after a very long winter break. Although many kept busy with other activities, there have been a few sailors who continued throughout the winter. We had athletes at the Cabarete Training Camp, the Midwinter’s East and at the Worlds in New Zealand. We also have Radial sailors named to the Canadian Youth Team and National Team. Others got an early start with the short course regatta in Regina over the May long weekend, but most are just getting on the water. The Manitoba Sailing Team has been training since the beginning of June, and our first regatta will be the Falcon Open on June 21st and 22nd. This will be the last in province training for some members as we travel to Vancouver and Victoria for Waves and Sail West. Then after spending the majority of July in Manitoba and North-western Ontario, the team will travel to the other side of the country for Youth Nationals in Halifax and CORK. The District 4 Laser Championships will be held at the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club on July 26th and 27th. District 5 Mark Lammens Saskatoon, SK

We recently held the Spring War regatta at the Water Rat Sailing Club in Toronto, with the usual gang of suspects in attendance. The winds were relatively light at 5-10 knots, which was just fine for some of the lighter sailors. We had steady winds on Saturday and the racers were all well behaved on the start line, with no general recalls until the 5th race. After completing five consecutive races, we called it a day, and had a tasty Greek dinner with all the fixings and libations. After the first day Ken Walton and Brad Biskaborn were tied in first place, with Nigel Heath close behind in third. Three more races were held on Sunday in a dying and shifty breeze. Some of the locals figured out that the only breeze was along the north shoreline (often

Laser/Radial Sailors scores after the first 3 events (Regina, Calgary and Wabamun) in the Dick Degner District 5 scoring, Top 3 Laser Ian Elliot, 52 pts Evan Mah 29 pts Ian Hern, 29 pts Top 3 Radial Kate Easton, 14 pts Dominique Grell, 14 pts

SUMMER 2008

Sydney Byrns, 11 pts Top 3 Masters Mark Lammens, 27 pts David Elliot, 25 pts Barry Tee, 23 pts Lewis Oteruelo won the Western Canadian Masters with 16 points, Second was Doug Bell with 18. Tie for 3rd with Mark Lammens and Ben Pickford with 24 points and a tie for 5th with Barry Tee and Pat Byrns with 26 points. Lammens and Tee won the tie-breakers. District 6 Andy Hunt Vancouver, BC There has been lots of racing since the last report in The Laser Sailor. There were three regattas in April, three regattas in May and one regatta in June. These regattas are in addition to the regular weekend and evening racing that occurs at the various clubs throughout District 6. The conditions in those regattas varied from extremely light winds (0 -3 knots at the Spring Dinghy Championships) to moderate winds (5 -15 knots at the Jericho Classic Regatta). Here is a brief summary of each regatta. The first regatta in April was the Spring Frostbite Regatta, hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle on April 5 and 6. The conditions at the regatta have not been reported. There were 13 Lasers and 1 Laser Radial. The top ten Lasers were: Dan Falk, CYC, 9.00; Todd Willsie, CYC, 25.00; Barry Curtin, guest of CYC, 37.00; Michael Cenname, CYC, 43.00; Mark Orme, CYC, 44.00; Rob Hodson, WSC, 46.00; Jay C Winberg, CYC, 49.00; James Johnston, CYC, 52.00; Miles McFall, CYC, 71.00; Gary Smith, guest of CYC, 83.00. The only Laser Radial to show up was Lauri Jean Devore, from the CYC of Seattle. The second regatta in April was the Flights of Spring Regatta. This regatta was hosted by the Jericho Laser Fleet at the Jericho Sailing Centre on April 19 and 20. As with the Spring Frostbite Regatta, there were 13 Lasers but this time there were no Laser Radials. Conditions were average for English Bay at that time of year. Top ten Lasers were: Jacek Suski, JSCA, 17.00; Rick Hewitt, JSCA, 19.00; Peter Woytkowiak, JSCA, 29.00; Sebastian Centmayer, LSC, 33.00; Doug Bell, Calgary YC, 35.00; Eberhard Heinzemann, RYanYC, 51.00; Darren Redies, SSC, 56.00; Roman Grzywna, JSCA, 57.00; Trevor Skutezky, JSCA, 66.00; Matthias Heinzemann, RVanYC, 81.00. The last regatta in April, the Kitten Cup, also had the most Lasers, Laser Radials and Laser 4.7s. The Kitten Cup is hosted by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and was on April 26 and 27. There were 23 Lasers, 27 Laser Radials and 6 Laser 4.7s. The Lasers and Laser Radials had 5 races with one throwout race. The Laser 4.7s had four races including a throwout race. Since the Kitten CUp is part of the BCSailing Circuit, there was an open division and a youth division. Top ten Lasers were: Luke Ramsay (open), RVanYC, 7.00; Andrew Wong (open), 9.00;

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Kevin Grierson (open), RVanYC, 11.00; Michael Schalka (youth), SYC, 19.00; Alexander Heinzemann (youth), RVanYC, 19.00; Ricardo Montemayor (youth), RVanYC, 22.00; Geoff Abel (open), RVicYC, 24.00; Ben Scott (youth), RVanYC, 27.00; Chris Tulip (youth), RVanYC, 28.00; Phillip Round (youth), RVicYC, 29.00. Top ten Radials were: Isabella Bertold (youth), RVanYC, 7.00; Diego Reyes (youth), RVanYC, 9.00; Alanna Vitteray (open), RVanYC, 10.00; Jon Scott (open), RVanYC, 14.00; Alberto Rengito (youth), RVanYC, 20.00; Jamie Bone (youth), RVanYC, 22.00; Sebastian Fritz (youth), RVanYC, 25.00; Reid Cannon (youth), RVicYC, 28.00; Aidan Koster (youth), RVicYC, 33.00; Maura Dewey (youth), RVicYC, 33.00. The six Laser 4.7 sailors were all juniors. Results: Maddie Erjavec, SYC, 3.00; Alex Shepard, RVanYC, 7.00; Tony Henderson, RVanYC, 7.00; Danielle Erjavec, SYC, 11.00; Mark McBride, RVanYC, 13.00; Alexander Kroitzsch, RVanYC, 21.00. On the weekend following the Kitten Cup, the Royal Victoria Yacht Club hosted the Spring Dinghy Championships which was an ISAF Grade 3 event. Unfortuneately, the first day of the regatta was plaqued with extremely light winds and the Race Committee had to delay the start of the racing by at least a couple of hours. The Laser Full Rigs (29) managed to complete on race while all the other fleets had their race abandoned. On the second day, May 4, there were three races. I have not published the results since there were some mistakes in the scoring of the Laser Fleet. On the bright side, there were 20 Radials and the results are: Diego Reyes, RVanYC, 10; Isabella Bertold, RVanYC, 11.00; Jamie Bone, RVanYC, 14.00; Aidan Koster, RVicYC, 15.00; Reid Cannon, RVicYC, 16.00; Jon Scott, RVanYC, 17.00; Natalie Montemayor, RVanYC, 24.00; Anne Round, RVicYC, 28.00; Thomas Roehrl, RVanYC, 29.00; Graeme Clendenan, RVanYC, 29.00. The traditional SOCKS regatta, hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle and the Seattle Yacht Club was changed this year and became one of Sailing Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NOOD regattas. This regatta was held in Seattle on May 16 to 18, 2008. Conditions have not been reported at the time of this article. There were 18 Lasers but no Radials or 4.7s. Top ten Lasers: Anthony Boscolo, SCY, 23.00; Lindsay Bergan, SYC, 29.00; David Watt, CYC, 33.00; Michael Schalka, SYC, 34.00; Elliot Drake, WSC, 41.00; Jay C Winbeg, CYC, 64.00; Dan Falk, CYC, 67.00; Michael Cenname, CYC, 68.00; Jim Barrett, CYC, 69.00; James Johnston, CYC, 79.00. On the same weekend, the Bellingham Yacht Club hosted itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Sea-to-Ski regatta. There was an extremely low turnout of 2 Lasers and (possibly) 4 Radials. For some reason, Michael Schalka, who was racing in Seattle, was also scored in the Radials in Bellingham. Results (according to the BYC website) for the Lasers: Joey Daifuku, 4.00; Ame Ahlen, 9.00. Radials: Michael Schalka, 5.00; Josh Larsen, 6.00; Burgess Malarkey, 11.00; Teddy Weaver, 16.00. The first regatta in June but the last regatta for this report was the Jericho Classic. This regatta was hosted by the Jericho Sailing Centre on June 7 and 8. Winds were moderate but from different directions on both days. There were westerly winds (but not your usual English Bay

westerlies) on Saturday and easterlies on Sunday. There were 26 Lasers and and 9 Radials and 1 Laser 4.7 (the Radials and the 4.7 started together). Top ten Lasers were: Ricardo Montemayor, RVanYC, 15.00; Alexander Heinzemann, RVanYC, 23.00; Andrew Wong, RVanYC, 31.00; Ben Scott, RVanYC, 33.00; Jacek Suski, JSCA, 47.00; Peter Wall, LSC, 57.00; Sascha Smutney, JSCA, 59.00; Andriy Kanyuka, VSC, 60.00; Doug Honey, SSC, 61.00; Sebastian Centmayer, LSC, 64.00. Top ten Radials and 4.7: Isabella Bertold, RVanYC, 8.00; Alanna Vitteray, RVanYC, 10.00; Alberto Rengito, RVanYC, 25.00; Gina Chen, RVanYC, 27.00; Jon Scott, RVanYC, 27.00; Eric Servais, RVanYC, 28.00; Natalie Montemayor, RVanYC, 33.00; Deirdre Webster, JSCA, 41.00; Gabriel Frame, RVanYC, 51.00; Tony Henderson (Laser 4.7), RVanYC, 52.00. With the completion of the Flights of Spring Regatta, the 2007 - 2008 edition of the District 6 Frostbite Series is now complete. The series is made up of the following regattas: Bluenose Regatta (previous year), the Frigid Digit Regatta, the Frozen Assets Regatta, the March Madness Regatta and the Flights of Spring Regatta. Luke Ramsay, from the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, was the overall leader with 23 points but he only sailed in two of the five regattas. The top sailor who sailed in three or more regattas (the results are compiled using a best 3 of 5 format with a sailor having to sail in three or more regattas) was Peter Woytkowiak. Out of the 47 sailors who sailed in at least one regatta, only five of them did the minimum three regattas (Andy Hunt sailed in two regattas and did Race Committee duties in the other two but was not included in the five abov mentioned sailors). The five sailors are: Peter Woytkowiak (3), JSCA, 24.00; Jacek Suski (4), JSCA, 27.00; Matthias Heinzemann (3), RVanYC, 39.00; Eberhard Heinzemann (3), RVanYC, 39.00; Darren Redies (4), SSC, 42.00. Only the top three Radial sailors (out of a total of 33), sailed in two or more regattas (actually, no sailor competed in all three regattas which had a Radial component). The three sailors were: Diego Reyes, RVanYC, 4.00; Alanna Vitteray, RVanYC, 4.00; Jon Scott, RVanYC, 8.00. Evening and weekend racing is now in full swing at the various clubs throughout District 6. Results for these races can be found by going to the websites of the individual clubs. The three clubs that spring to mind are the Jericho Sailing Centre (www.jsca.bc.ca, look under racing), the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle (www.cycseattle.org, look under race schedule and information) and the Willamette Sailing Club (www.willamettesailingclub.com, look under racing and/or fleets). My apologies for those clubs whose name I have failed to mention. Please visit the District 6 website: www.cycseattle.org/slf for information on the racing schedule (and clubs) including NORs and results (I hope to get the results and NORs updated ASAP).

District 7 Sally Sharp Engield, NH

Our New England frostbite fleets had lots of great racing this winter, and their spring regattas were also well attended. Newport’s Fleet 413 had 88 sailors on the water during their threemonth winter series: in the end the winner was Steve Kirkpatrick with a 24-point lead over Mark Bear, with Scott Milnes another six points back in third place. At the Pete Milnes Regatta in Newport, racing was tight at the top - Ed Adams had the lead going into the last race but any of four sailors had a chance to win; Scott Milnes scored a bullet and grabbed the title by four points over Scott Ferguson, with Ed coming in third. Cedar Point had terrific participation in their series as well: over 70 folks sailed, and 32 qualified by sailing over 50% of the races. Andrew Scrivan won the series, and Marc Jacobi and Britt Hughes were close behind. It looks like the participation award went to Adam Szabo who has sailed in 519 consecutive frostbite races at CPYC since May 2004 - amazing!! Scrivan also won the 43-boat CPYC Spring Regatta, with wins in three of the four races, and a whopping 13-point lead over Stuart Grucke and Britt Hughes. And now the summer regatta season is upon us. The brand new District 7 “Super Series” got its start at Lake Sunapee in late May with 25 sailors coming from five states. Doug Merrill of the Malletts Bay VT fleet wrote the following report: “We were worried we would have pouring rain and no wind. Instead, we rigged up with no rain, got out late in the morning and had two races in light conditions (3-6 knots), getting shiftier as the day went on. We then waited on the water as the wind died and the rain came up for about an hour, before heading in to wait for wind. After 45 minutes on shore (the RC broke out the keg, to their credit), the wind came up and we got one more race in, this time with 5-8 shifty knots….. The club & lake are worth the trip on their own. Beautiful clubhouse, stone, brick, and post & beam built in 1908. Very welcoming RC, just a nice group of people. I’ll go back next year; I hope you can make it too!” To no one’s surprise the shifty conditions suited Peter Follansbee just fine, he got off to a great start winning the first two races; but an uncharacteristic 10th place in race 3 allowed Peter Seidenberg to steal the show, with six points total. Peter F was second, with Nicholas Burke from Marblehead and Jessica Claflin from RI all tied with Peter at 12 points. Dave Frazier won the Top Master award with a 5th place finish. Super Series event #2 was the Saltmarsh regatta at New Bedford last weekend, I haven’t seen the results yet. Then the next three are in Old Greenwich CT (6/28-29), Malletts Bay VT (8/1618) and Fat Boys in Bristol RI in October. You need to sail in three of the five regattas to qualify to win a brand new SAIL and other great prizes many thanks to Vanguard Sailing Center for sponsoring our two series this summer! Radial sailors can compete for a new Radial sail by going to at least two of these radial events: Newport, Hyannis & BBR. All the details are posted on the D7 website, http://d7.laserforum.org.

And finally, we hope to see a phenomenal turnout at the District 7 Laser Championship and Grand Prix, to be held July 19-20 in Barrington RI as part of the Barrington Yacht Club’s centennial celebrations. The coveted D7 Championship trophy will go to the winner of this ONE regatta! Then the following weekend the D7 Radial Grand Prix will be sailed at the Hyannis Regatta. Next issue we’ll have a full report on the 2008 US Masters Champs, coming up this weekend at the New Bedford YC. And many of the other regattas below – a busy summer ahead for sure! See you on the water. 2008 District 7 Schedule (lots more details, NORs etc. on D7 website) June 28-29 - Laser Solstice Regatta - Old Greenwich YC, CT. D7 Super Series #3 June 28-29 - New Bedford Junior Regatta Padanaram MA, New Bedford YC. Lasers, Radials, 4.7s. July 12-13 - 2008 Newport Regatta - Newport RI, Sail Newport. Lasers, Radials, 4.7s; D7 Radial Championship Series #1 July 19-20 - Barrington Yacht Club Centennial Regatta - Barrington RI. Lasers, Radials; DISTRICT 7 CHAMPIONSHIP Regatta & D7 GRAND PRIX (full rig). July 19-20 - Lipton Cup - Quincy MA, Squantum YC. Lasers, Radials. New England Women’s Radial Championships July 21-23 - Marblehead Junior Race Week Marblehead MA, Pleon YC. Lasers, Radials, 4.7s. July 25-27 - Hyannis Regatta - Hyannis MA, Hyannis YC. Lasers, Radials, 4.7s; DISTRICT 7 RADIAL GRAND PRIX, D7 Radial Championship Series #2 Aug 1-3 - Buzzards Bay Regatta - New Bedford Community Boating, MA. Lasers, Radials; D7 Radial Championship Series #3 Aug 2 - 6th Annual Come Boating! Small Boat Regatta - Belfast Harbor, Belfast ME. Lasers, Radials. Aug 9-10 - YRALIS Championship Regatta Greenwich CT, Indian Harbor YC. Aug 9 - Stone Horse Laser Regatta - Harwich Port MA, Stone Horse YC. Lasers, Radials. Aug 11-13 - 2008 Mass Bay Junior Olympic Festival - Rockport,MA - Sandy Bay YC. Aug 16-17 - Vermont Open - Malletts Bay VT, MBBC. D7 Super Series #4 (Sept 6-7 - 2008 Atlantic Coast Masters & Chesapeake Bay Masters – Deltaville VA) Sept 7 - Beverly YC Fall Frostbite Series begins (10 Sundays). Marion MA. Sept 13-14 - Seitech New England Masters Newport RI, Third Beach. Sept 14 - Ponce de Leon Laser & Radial Series (#1) - Marblehead MA, Eastern Yacht Club. (#2 on 9/21, #3 on 9/28) Sept 20 - Lake Mascoma Fall Regatta - Enfield NH. Sept 21 - NH Seacoast Open Laser Regatta Dover NH. Oct 11 - QYC Last Blast Laser Regatta Wakefield MA. Oct 25 - Fat Boys Regatta - Bristol RI, Bristol YC. D7 Super Series #5

Nov 15 - Cedar Point YC Fall Regatta - Westport CT. Lasers, Radials. District 9 Chas Williamson Ithaca, NY I write this on precisely the same date as last year, which probably makes me one day late. So far this season we have had three regattas, of the ultra-shifty variety - in two cases because of the Westerly direction, which is at right angles to the line of the upstate NY Finger Lakes. Wind strength has been heavy and light! Our three main regattas have been Willowbank, Ithaca and Saratoga Lake sailing-yacht clubs, followed by Newport next weekend. WILLOWBANK YC - 30 May 2008 Willowbank was a lovely start to our season, with the wonderful keen group, of Peter Bushnell, Ray Cudney and Dick Mitchell running the event with their Finn team as Race Committee. It was a mix of sunny rays and clouds, but the wind was blowing Westerly, at 5 20 knots or so, which means crazy conditions, especially with the windward mark just tucked under the leee of the West shore. DickieBird likes to call this “AutoTack” weather - basically sail in the same direction but just swap sides on the boat every now and then ! Chas Williamson won the first race, and surprised himself since he was not sure his body would work properly, after a tough Spring out of action. Ray Cudney was sailing brilliantly to gain a 1st and 2nd after the first two races, but met with some tougher races later on - however, his 1, 2, 5, 8, DNS, DNS actually placed him third! The gusty conditions made it so that consistency was difficult. However the top two sailors, Kirk Reynolds (1, 1, 2, 2, 6) and Chas Williamson (1, 1, 2, 2, 5), were battling it out, each gaining the precise same scoring races, but with the discard not breaking the tie like the olden days - it came down to who finished ahead in the last race. Kirk had been the winner of Race 5 by a boat length, and so became the overall winner at Willowbank this year! Well done Kirk! Fourth place also on tie-break behind Ray, was Dick Mitchell, followed by Carl Boller, who had amazing turns of speed - quite awesome actually! Just like last year, Richie just pipped his rival Allan Miller from Saratoga. Thanks so much to Peter Bushnell for a charming regatta, in a great ambience, and for the stylish awards too - Those glasses are jolly useful, ectually. Thanks again to Peter Gould for coming to the regatta as a team! The final places were: 1. Kirk Reynolds; 2. Chas Williamson; 3. Ray Cudney; 4. Dick Mitchell; 5. Carl Boller; 6. Peter Fleckenstein; 7. Scott Meyer; 8. Andrew Smith; 9. Richie Wait; 10. Allan Miller; 11. Peter Gould; 12. Peter Bushnell; 13. Mike Mueller; 14. Paul Martelock; 15. Matt Johnson; 16. Mike Johnson; ITHACA WINE KEG - 7 June 2008 Here is the report from Ithaca last year: “....this time it was really light and very shifty, but it was pleasantly warm and sunny”. Roughly same again for 2008, but I can safely say it was hotter and more shifty. Temperatures in the mid 90’s, sunshine, and windshifts due to the Westerly wind, which were sometimes 180 degrees, were

SUMMER 2008

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the norm almost every race. We missed Mike Hecky from New Jersey, with his son Kevin, this year - he is such a nice fellow to welcome on his travels up here. As it turned out, Chas seemed to get it together, with places of (1, 1, 1, 1, 2), coming second in the final race, by a boat length to Kirk Reynolds, who finished overall second, with a (1, 3, 3, 3, 4) score. Richie Wait seems to zoom in some of the races, with two seconds, but not all races were to plan, as he admits! His quote from 1995 IYC report, was “The conditions were light and shifty in Ithaca, and you know what that means!” Yes indeed. In Race 2, Dave Filiberto sailed beautifully to a 2nd, and he wore a big smile after that, finishing 5th overall. In Race 4, Kris Norberg, Instructor for our IYC Youth Program, followed Clare Fewtrell from Queen Mary Sailing Club near Heathrow airport, London, around the windward mark, but surged into the lead following a 180 degree shift, involving a capsize of Clare on the beat-run. Kris was pipped by Chas on the line, and he took 4th overall. Many thanks are due to the Race committee led by Wade Leftwich and Sarah Gould, and Joe Miller, and the group from the motor yacht “Tonic” beside my boat to be renamed “Gin”. We had a slap-up Pizza party and Awards ceremony with some beer onshore followed the racing. Well done to our 1st Junior Luke Miller. The final places were: 1. Chas Williamson; 2. Kirk Reynolds; 3. Richie Wait; 4. Kris Norberg; 5. Dave Filiberto; 6. Eric Magnuson; 7. Clare Fewtrell; 8. Graham Leonard; 9. Steven Leach; 10. Jim Scarpulla; 11. Luke Miller; 12. Peter Gould; SARATOGA DERBY REGATTA - SLSC - 14 June 2008.Peter Gould and I made the 3.5 hour journey from Ithaca, and he beat me there to Saratoga Lake by a few minutes. Saratoga Lake Sailing Club is a beautiful venue, and the clubhouse is incredibly atmospheric since it is actually someone’s private mansion also ! We missed Richie Wait, who had a problem with his gearbox. The weather was sunny but zephyr-less until about 2 pm, so it gave me time to see pictures of Allan Miller and Mike Kitner in the early 80’s on the club walls, showing both of them with more hair. We went out on the water and drifted amicably. It was decided by Allan quite rightly to race, even if it became a luck of the draw, just to get something in before last race at 4pm. As it happened, a moderate breeze from the South came in, and we fit in three refreshing races. Chas won three races, and was followed by Mike Kitner overall, who showed amazing speed spurts, and then by Al Miller, who was always consistent. Scott Meyer, new on our local scene took 4th overall, followed by James Nicol, of Scottish origin. His son was not there this time, and decided to go to Georgetown next Fall rather than Cornell, which is a big pity as I was looking forward to being his advisor. However, another sailing sibling his sister Sarah sailed enthusiastically to become the first woman, and I will convince her to come to Cornell now ! Tall Al Baker from Vermont had cracking good beats, and twice was first to the top mark, finishing 7th overall, just pipping Peter Gould. I say again - Thanks to Allan Miller and Barbara for putting on a great event, with your race committee team, giving us those lovely surroundings, food and friends. Absolutely magnifi-

cent ! I loved the soft furry prizes - embroidered red towels to match our sun drenched faces, as well as the silver ones for the Masters sailors to match their hair! 1. Chas Williamson; 2. Mike Kitner; 3. Allan Miller; 4. Scott Meyer; 5. James Nicol; 6. Ryan Palm; 7. Al Baker; 8. Peter Gould; 9. Jerry Zell; 10. David Burtis; 11. Bill Hamilton; 12. John Howe; 13. Greg Tkal; 14. Devon Howe. 15. Sarah Nicol; 16. Bram Palm; DISTRICT 9 REGATTAS 2008 (still to come) Sat 5 July Youngstown YC - Open Regatta Paul Hays 716-745-1279 12-13 July DISTRICT 9 Grand Prix CHAMPS (Centrals Regatta) SODUS BAY YCContact <tom.thurston@xerox.com> 24-26 July Empire State Games - Cornell Merrill Sailing Center (Regional Qualifiers Only) 1-3 Aug Rochester - Junior Olympics Youth John Faudree 339-309-9213 Sat 16 Aug Seneca YC Jim Gindling <Jim_Gindling@websterschools.org> 315-5216693 16-20 Aug C.O.R.K. Kingston Kingston, Ontario Sat 6 Sept Willowbank YC “Deathroll” Peter Bushnell 315-655-4671 District 10 Eric Reitinger New Jersey District 10 was fortunate to have a full month of sailing in May, with each weekend a different regatta all over NJ and some of PA. May 3rd was the Marsh Creek 27th Annual Philadelphia Laser Championship. Following a winter season where John MacCausland was crowned “King of the Masters” after sweeping the Florida Masters events, he came to Marsh Creek on Saturday May 3rd for the 27th Annual Philadelphia Sailing Championship for Lasers. The race committee conducted six long races for the 18 competitors consisting of 4 windward / Leeward and two modified Olympic courses in the 8 to 12kt Easterlies Second overall was Mike Hecky of Riverton YC. Joe Lepis came in from Point Pleasant New Jersey and sailed very consistently to take Third place overall. Tony Iacono was the Top Grand Master and 6th overall and and Mike Rabbetts was the top junior in 16th position. The day started with “coffee and” during rigging, free embroidered T shits with Laser and Marsh Creek Logos were given to all competitors, drinks and snacks were available on the committee boat and hot soup and light food shared the table with the trophies post race. Fair to say Good sailing conditions, Good RC work, Food and prizes made for a good day for all. The MCSC Fall regatta is scheduled for October 4, 2008 Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club had their annual Spring Regatta on May 10th. 18 boats were prepared to race in 0-8mph of breeze and very shifty conditions. Racing was close among all the contenders over the 4 races with junior Jack Swikart (SSYC) taking the win with Dave Magno (Lavalette YC) in 2nd and Eric Reitinger

(Brant Beach YC) a point behind that. Monmouth Boat club had their Laser regatta on May 17th. Here’s the report from Dave Watts, MBC’s fleet captain: On behalf of MBC Laser Fleet #9, I would like to thank everyone who came out to support us. We had a great regatta with a nice breeze and a dramatic finish that decided the regatta on the 7th and last race of the day by a single point. I hope everyone who came was pleased with the format and as tired as I was at the end of the day. We are really growing and appreciate the help and support that we have been getting from the NJ laser community over this past year. I would especially like to thank Phil Arnheiter from SSYC, who put the word out an brought 5 boats from SSYC to the regatta. Phil also stopped after one race to help out one of our own laser radial sailors who was having difficulty with her boat. He even jumped into the boat, flipped it over, and made the repair (while in the cold water). Phil didn’t miss a race and fought hard all the way to the last race. A true class act. Thank you Phil ! You may not have won the regatta, but you won the day. Congratulations to winner Theo Ingram who sailed a smart regatta and only finished worst than 2nd in 1 race. With 3 firsts and 3 seconds, he put together a winning regatta in this competitive fleet. Mike Hecky who finished 3rd was solid at the top of the fleet and was leading a number of races. Mike finished no worse than 6th place in any race and was usually in the top 3. The racing was tight and although Theo won 3 of the races, there were many sailors that were leading and the finishes were very close. The wind was a steady 10-15 as predicted, with gusts well into the high teens and low 20’s at times. There was no rest upwind for even the largest of animals on the course. Doreen Luisi has great video of the races that you can find on www.tworiversailing.com . You can have fun seeing the many wipeouts that happened Saturday. People were getting hit with our famous Navesink gusts and shifts even with the wind blowing 15, which makes for an exciting video. Weather you were in first or last, people went swimming. It was also fantastic to see the many young competitors on the course. Catherine in the radials, and Andrew, Ian, Ken, Scott, Paul, and Theo in the full rigs. This is a great group of sailors that we will be (and already are) hearing about for years to come. Many thanks to the whole Luisi family, Gary was the grill master extraordinaire, Brooke helped with the scoring, and of course Doreen did the video. Also thanks to Denis Farley and all of his RC and mark boats. Denis is a veteran PRO, who is entrusted with many of the area’s biggest regatta’s. Matt Smith and Crissy VanSiclen were instrumental in making this happen from an organizational standpoint. Trophies, food, SI’s, etc. Lavalette hosted their regatta on memorial day weekend. I don’t have the results, but I do know Master Had Brick took the win Surf City hosted the 37th Annual Orange Coffee Pot Regatta. Here’s the report I wrote: For the past 37 years, Surf City has hosted the

SUMMER 2008

Orange Coffee Pot (OCP) regatta, the longest running Laser regatta in the world. The trophy, an orange coffee pot, was donated by Jack Elfman. Jack was not only an outstanding Lightning sailor but also a strong proponent of this continuous Laser regatta. This year 19 boats arrived Saturday 31 May to race in tough 15-25 mph breeze conditions with the threat of thunderstorms later in the day. The first main question for many was what rig to use, radial or full rig since a radial rig could stay up with a full rig in this kind of breeze. There was an even distribution of the rigs among the fleet. As the skipper’s meeting started, Newt Wattis, the organizer of the regatta told us the story of the pot and welcomed its first winner back to the Laser for the first time in years, Olympic coach Skip Whyte. After the skippers meeting we made our way out on the course. It didn’t take long for us to get the first race off. We had everyone starting at the same time and the radials held their own. Every race was a 5 leg windward leeward. Races lasted no more than a half hour so the competition stayed closely bunched. The series really came down to who made the fewest mistakes, either tactically, capsizing or losing control of the boat. For many this was either the first or one of the first regattas of the season so shaking out the kinks had to be done quickly. The Race committee planned seven races but with thunderstorms on the horizon they decided to cut the series short after 4 races so after the announcement prior to race 4 we all knew where the top few stood and what needed to be done. After the last race we all sailed in to de-rig as quickly as possible and get everything packed up before the storm hit. When finished de-rigging, we made our way to the club for some great snacks and discussed what went on out on the course. Awards which were wind indicators were then handed out. Top 3: 1st Eric Reitinger (Brant Beach YC) 2nd Skip Whyte (WYC) 3rd Rich Warren (Surf City YC) First Master Had Brick (Island Heights YC) First Radial Newt Wattis (Surf City YC) First Juinor Mike Russom (Greater Wildwood YC) I was very honored to walk up and accept the Orange Coffee Pot. Seeing all those names of great Laser sailors over the years, it was a great feeling to know my name would be added. Also with the trophy named in honor of Jack Elfman, a fellow Lightning sailor, it was an added bonus. Thanks again to the regatta Chair Newt Wattis and Race Committee Team lead by Vince Core which did a terrific job. Please put the OCP on your calendar for next season. Brant Beach held its annual regatta on the 14th of June. 7 lasers (4

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full rigs and 3 radials) came to race and the weather did not disapoint. Over the 7 races, the breeze was a steady 10-17mph which gave some great hiking practice and fun downwind sailing. Eric Reitinger was first in the full rigs and Ashley Love (Mantoloking YC) won the radials. As for the rest of the schedule for the summer: Jr. Commodores Regatta July 3 @ SCYC (Juniors only Raidal and 4.7) ACC’s July 12-13 @ Brant Beach Yacht Club 60th Annual Regatta September 6-7 @ Surf City Yacht Club I also have an email list going; you can email me at er4599 at gmail.com to join. The summer may not looked packed with regattas but there are a lot of club races and regional interclubs going on (MAYRA and BBYRA for adults and juniors, LBIYRA for juniors only), and then back to big fall schedule. District 11 Jon Deutsch Richmond, VA http://www.laserdistrict11.org Our 2008 District Championship is coming up August 16-17 at Deep Creek Yacht Club. Deep Creek is located in Western Maryland up in the mountains which means it’ll be nice and cool in the middle of the summer. If you haven’t been to Deep Creek before, this is a great chance to check out a new sailing venue. We’re looking forward to a great event. For more information see http://www.laserdistrict11.org/championship or http://www.dcllaser.com

Karen Long (SSA), First Junior was Kyle Swenson. Fishing Bay Yacht Club started their season with the Stew Pot Regatta on April 26. The laser sailors were treated to weather in the 80’s and a nice sea breeze. 1. Jon Deutsch (FBYC), 2. Rob Whittemore (FBYC), 3. Jere Dennison (FBYC), 4. Steve Wirt (FBYC). SSA started their spring series on the first Sunday in May. The 14-boat fleet saw a variety of conditions for the two races. 1. Brendan McAndrews (SSA), 2. RK Creighton (SSA), 3. Tim Zimmermann. Rock Hall Yacht Club’s Opening Day Regatta got off to a challenging start with rainy-drizzle conditions in the morning which later cleared and built into about 12 knots of breeze. 1. Nicholas Place (RHYC), 2. Peter Gates (RHYC), 3. Roger Link (WRSC), 4. Jon Deutsch (FBYC). First female was Faye Flam. PRSA Held their Laser and Byte Spring Regatta in the same drizzle that plagued the RHYC regatta. Seven lasers competed: 1. Steve Yellend (PRSA), 2. Robert Bennett (PRSA), 3. Dan Miller, 4. Bob Bear (PRSA) Two weeks later PRSA held their annual 2-day Spring Regatta. The 7-boat fleet had great wind and a big cookout after sailing. 1. Khin Thein, 2. Jason Ipe, 3. and first female Jennifer Parrow (PRSA) At the end of May FBYC had their Leukemia Cup Regatta which ended up being a radial-only event in high winds for the lasers. 1. Jon Deutsch (FBYC), 2. Brad Squires (FBYC), 3. Len Guenther (FBYC). We’ve got a lot more events planned for the rest of the summer and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone out on the race course! Check out the District 11 Calendar at: http://www.laserdistrict11.org/events/

photo below: Winners of the 2008 Sunshine Open at Severn Sailing Association.

The 2008 Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters Championship at Fishing Bay Yacht Club September 6-7 has been upgraded to the 2008 Laser Masters Atlantic Coast Championship. See the NOR at: http://www.laserdistrict11.org/cblmc We have had a busy spring with events throughout the district. Here’s a quick recap: Potomac River Sailing Association’s Spring Ice Breaker Regatta on April 5 drew 8 lasers in strong but dying winds. 1. Robert Bennett (PRSA), 2. Scott Snyder (PRSA), 3. David Teal (PRSA). In April Severn Sailing Association held their Annual Sunshine Open Regatta. Only one race was sailed Saturday before the wind let out. On Sunday the sailors were chased off the water by a strong storm. The finishing order was 1. Jon Deutsch (FBYC), 2. Roger Link (WRSC), 3. Chad Coberly, 4. Craig Leonard, 5. Kyle Swenson (FBYC). First Radial was Kim Couranz (SSA), First Woman was

District 12 Glenn Walker & Doug Sherwood Wrightsville Beach, NC We have two championship regattas under our belts, both with great wind, competition, and camaraderie. As promised the Radial fleet is getting their own start at each of our major regattas. Participation has been up in the Radial fleet along with a newly formed 4.7 fleet! Way to go juniors! New to the fleet, Eric Oetgen a former Finn sailor, has seen the light and now sails regu-

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SUMMER 2008

Next on our schedule is a return to Seabrook Sailing club for the Summer Solstice Regatta on the weekend of June 21st. This is our last event before the Texas summer kicks into high gear, with persistent high pressure and low winds. Local Wednesday night and weekend racing events are common in all Laser communities, so check with your local clubs and fleet contacts to find out when people are sailing near you! larly in D-12, in a LASER. So far he has proven to be the person to beat, racking up 1st place finishes in both championship regattas that were held in Beaufort, SC and Savannah, GA. Participation is up this year averaging 39 lasers per regatta! On tap for the summer we have several regattas worth venturing too. July 19th and 20th Charleston Yacht Club Open July 26th and 27th Carolina Yacht Club SC, D12 Radial Grand Prix August 1,2,3rd Carolina Yacht Club NC Youth Challenge and D12 Championship # 3 September 20th and 21st Lake Norman Yacht Club - Board Bash September 27th and 28 Columbia Sailing Club SC D12 Championship #4 October 11th and 12th Lake Lanier Sailing Club No Coasts Championship 25 GP points! October 25th and 26th Carolina Yacht Club SC, D12 Championship #5 Visit our website often to learn the latest scores and see the newest pics. www.D12.laserforum.org

District 17 John Coolidge Chattanooga, TN The fall sailing season in District 17 is some of the most wonderful sailing the year has to offer, with crisp breeze and warm water. There are several events in the fall of 2008. Bring your Laser and join us! Look for the new LaseRoo Fest in Middle Tennessee! Highland Yacht Club hosts their fall invitational on Woods Resevoir, September 13 & 14.. For more info, contact William Hofmeister hofs@comcast.net. See Bruce and Nolanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story

below. The annual Lotsa-Lasers Regatta in Nashville TN, will be September 27-28, at Harbor Island Yacht Club . Contact Bruce Richards, rich4302@comcast.net The No Coast Championship, hosted by Lake Lanier Sailing Club will be held October 13 and 14. This promises to be a legendary event. It will be held in conjunction with the Georgia State Laser Championship. It will be the biggest event our district has seen since Nashville hosted the 1993 US Nationals! Put it on the calendar now, if you have not already! Have no worries, there is plenty of water, friends and hospitality. Camping is available. Email Martine R Zurinskas mar_rawlings@yahoo.com or fleet captain Robert Burke for additional info. llsclaserfleet@gmail.com Atlanta Yacht Club will host the No More Turkey November 1-2. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pack your boat up on Sunday! The Frost Nip will be sailed the remaining Sundays in November. AYC has graciously offered to allow non-members to store the boats during the second season of the new series. So mark your calendar, November 9,16, 23 and 30. Email Michael Carlson, michael.carl-

District 15 Renee Ruais Texas We are well into our 2008 Circuit with 4 events so far. Our most recent event was the Austin Yacht Club Centerboard Regatta which we hosted in early June. Winds at this time of year tend to vary and lean towards the lighter side of the spectrum. Fortunately, Austin, and much of the rest of Texas has had a string of unusually windy weather for this time of year. Luckily, we have mostly been spared the type of severe storms that are battering the plains with tornadoes and flooding, and for this we are thankful. Winds for this event were in the 20kt range, with some larger gusts as the day wore on. Lake conditions felt more like Galveston Bay than Lake Travis with 2 foot swells and plenty of surfing on the reaches! We managed 5 races on Saturday and 3 more on Sunday. Doug Peckover won the event with a consistent performance and I think more stamina as he won 2 races on Sunday but only one on Saturday. Second and third places went to James Freedman and Fred Schroth, respectively.

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son@comcast.net for info. After all that wonderful sailing, rest for December, and on the first day of January 2009, let your resolution be to sail in every race of the 2009 FROSTBITE SERIES! Be it in Nashville, at Harbor Island Yacht Club, or be it in Atlanta, at Lake Lanier Sailing Club. Racing Begins on Sunday, January 4. Starts are at 1pm. Nashville, contact William Hofmeister hofs@comcast.net Atlanta, contact Robert Burke for additional info. llsclaserfleet@gmail.com Every one will want to head to Atlanta the first weekend in March for the 2009 Laser Southerns. This will be a great time to sail, as the Frostbite will have everyone’s edge sharpened. Exact date TBD. contact Robert Burke for additional info. llsclaserfleet@gmail.com …from Highland Yacht Club on Woods Reservoir at Arnold Air Force Base, Tullahoma, TN, Nolan Richards’ Spring Regatta Report… Filial foreword Dad and I last sailed in a Laser regatta more than ten (maybe twenty) years ago at AYC, sailing Manutaki—the boat he gave me when I finished college, and Special Delivery —the boat I gave Sherrie instead of an engagement ring (a ploy that its current newlywed owner Drew Griswold wisely avoided)...until he blew out Manutaki’s maststep in 20+ knots and came aboard Special Delivery as much-appreciated crew. So it was with equal measures of excitement and trepidation that I contemplated our return to the regatta circuit, he as an Olympian (over 75) and I as an out-of-shape master (45-54). By way of preparation I bought Dad the current Laser upgrades that make the boat safer and more manageable, especially in breeze, for his 77th birthday: a 15:1 purchase vang, a clew sleeve, deck-mounted outhaul and Cunningham controls…as his determination to sail my sister’s thirty year old graduation present, #46079, seemed irrepressible and I wanted to minimize the potential for calamity. Then there was the issue of place, where Woods Reservoir seemed the perfect choice; it’s small, clean, quiet and nearly equidistant from our home ports…and where HYC reminds me of the original site of MSSC—a pavilion that Dad and his co-workers built on the shore of Lake Wilson in 1960 in the pre-Porta Potty days (it would be correct to infer that we had an outhouse!)…a place that was all about racing and the camaraderie born of sharing the stories that followed under one roof over food and drink. Finally there was the issue of time, where there is no time like the present. I reassured Mum that I would keep an eye on him, so I panicked a minute before the start of the first race when I could not see him in the mass of Coronado 15’s and Lasers approaching the start on starboard, nor amongst those behind me on port. I peered under the boom, relieved and smiled. There he was, a boat length to leeward, looking for his hole; like father, like son. I had planned to follow him around the racecourse to make sure he was OK, so when he tacked into his hole, I followed at a respectful distance on his weather hip…watched him win the start at the pin, and was impressed that his boat speed was at least equal mine. I soon became the meat in an unten-

able Coronado 15 sandwich and tacked away, pretty sure that he would be OK. When I tacked back he was ten boat lengths ahead—of all of us! At that point I abandoned my plan; we were racing once again! Highland Yacht Club Spring Regatta

Willson have been to HYC but you might consider it because the water is good and you’ll really appreciate the amenities we already have at MSSC.

HYC proved hard to find. My directions ended up at a detour on the Arnold Engineering Air Force Base and I had not a clue how to get to Woods Reservoir. I knocked on the door of a country house and would you believe, the gentleman said “I’ll lead you there although I’m a little unsure myself!” Such kindness still prevails! Well, after about 12 miles around the south side of the lake and across a causeway, he showed me “Old Brick Church Road” on the north side and sure enough, I found HYC. There, I was glad to see Bruce who was one of the reasons I decided to dust off my Laser and try the waters at Woods Reservoir.

*Filial footnote I was not laughing. It was blowing 15+ knots and I was trying to tame a full rig upwind when a Coronado 15 headed back downwind after rounding the mark passed to windward of me; I survived the subsequent tea-bagging but the blast off its leech was too much. My boom end hit the water and I was climbing over the windward rail on my way to the centerboard, looking up to make sure Dad was OK in this monster gust as he had been in the lead of a tight four-boat approach to the weather mark.. He was OK all right, in the water, climbing back into his boat and off to the races again, way ahead of me…

The sailing water east of the dam is fine, especially with a westerly coming over it. The facilities are about the same as MSSC had at the old Donegan Slough site; an adequate launching ramp, an open pavilion, but they had “portaloos”. However, from this open pavilion and with portable BBQ’s, they were able to serve very satisfying meals; brunch, dinner and breakfast.

Bruce Richards Laser # 185555 SECONd CHILdHOOd (my 50th birthday present from Sherrie)

The regatta hosted open catamarans, cruisers (with a fleet of Catalina 22’s), open dinghies and the largest fleet, eight Lasers. Winds were 10 –20 all weekend with quite a bit of chop. I was concerned about how much I might recall about driving a Laser but with help from Bruce, I became appropriately rigged. Funnily enough, I won the first start and was in a nice position at the first mark! But that did not last long as the other Laser sailors’ downwind skills were far superior. The trend is to go downwind very much by the lee and let the boom far forward. Bruce says, “It’s fast”. Surviving three hard races on Saturday had its cost; aching groins and knees at day’s end due to age and “hiking/riding” the gunwales in and out to maintain optimum trim. Sunday, medication told me I could sail one race only against these younger folk. Well, fortunately there was only one race in which I had the fun of again being in the lead approaching the first mark. However, I missed my tiller on the tack for it and fell backwards out of the boat! Sheepishly and embarrassed, I righted her and crawled back in while two laughing skippers* flew by! Then there was that scary downwind leg where the Laser wants to go into a “death roll” so with a combination of lowering the board sometimes and talking to her sternly, we stayed upright. The Laser is an exciting boat and I had both fun and scares but the price of having sore knees for a week was pretty severe. John Coolidge of Privateer Yacht Club won with Bill Hofmeister, HIYC&HYC, second, Bruce Richards, Harbour Island Yacht Club, third, Mandy Hofmeister fourth. I think I was about fifth but participation and discovery were the goals, not placement. I think Gar Bouse, Brenda Anding and maybe

Nolan Richards, 28th May 2008

District 20 Dave Abbott & Mark Johnson Delafield, WI Summer is finally here in District 20 (we hope). We should have known we were in for different weather when the start of frostbiting at Belmont was postponed due to ice in the harbor. A great frostbiting season was enjoyed by all in spite of the late start! The Regatta season kicked off at the Nagawicka Icebreaker. We now have a perpetual trophy to mark the spring and fall events! Past winners are enscribed and Dave Paquette won it this year. It was a warm sunny weekend with very little wind. The Vlad Kobal Memorial was won by Roman Plutenko. Mother’s Day regatta at Lake Geneva was won by Patrick Doran. Patrick is a young man out of Lake Geneva who is starting to really hit his stride in the district Laser events. The Milwaukee Sailing School Benefit 1-day had a good day of racing over Memorial Day. Evening series sailing on Tuesday night in Milwaukee is one of the best attended racing programs in D20. Upcoming events: July 12-13 - SuperSail Regatta – Winnetka August 2-3 - Milwaukee’s “Grand Prix” – this is also the Great Lakes Champs! August 9-10 – Verve One-Design at CYC We also have a very full fall schedule. All events, NOR’s, ect. are posted on the NAlaser.org website! Also subscribe to our email listserver: laserd20@topica.com.

SUMMER 2008

Be there or be square!

District 21 Mike Elson Minneapolis, MN A much later than average ice-out delayed the start of our Laser sailing season. It was delayed to the point of putting some doubt on out first regatta of the season, the Heckl Invitational on White Bear Lake. Rising temperaires and strong winds opened the lake lees than a week before the event. Andy Heckl did not respond to the invitation but 9 others showed up for a day of 20 + mph, gusting to the 30s winds and a 38 degree water temperature. I can vouch for the water temperature as I spent considerable time in it until thoughts of personal well being overcame the mindless testosterone that got me out there in the first place. But the other true extremophiles persisted, demonstrating various forms of capsize and equipment failures. At day’s end, Bruce Martinson finished first with Kurt Holtze a close second. Peyton Hassinger, a newbie to the area, was third and the Reed brothers, John and Trask, were fourth and fifth. Our next major event was the Truncated D 21 Championships, truncated from at two day event to a one day event by scheduling conflicts. In spite of several very competitive sailors being NOODing in Chicago, 14 laser sailors participated in the Champs at Lake Calhoun. The water temperature was considerably warmer, in the upper 60s, and the winds were 5 to 15

mph, varying greatly in direction and velocity. John Dyer seemed to anticipate every shift and dominated the event, finishing far ahead in first place. Eric Hegstrom and Bruce Martinson had the same score but Eric beat Bruce more often, putting Eric in second place and Bruce in third. Mike Schmid finished a close fourth. Calhoun will be hosting the next major D 21 laser events: Aquatennial, July 26 and 27, Northstar Games, August 2, and the D21 GP event on September 20 and 21. Our weekly Laser racing schedule for June, July and August is Tuesday evenings at Wayzata, Wednesday evenings at Calhoun, Thursday evenings at White Bear Lake and Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings back at Calhoun.

District 24 David Lapier NorCal The sea breeze came back to San Francisco Bay with plenty of gusto as spring rolled into summer in Northern California. Sailing has been great, with record attendance at fleet races and regattas. Local fleets are growing. More sailors at all levels of experience are participating in weekday racing at Lake Tahoe, Treasure Island Sailing Center, Shoreline Lake, Richmond Yacht Club, and the Saint Francis Yacht Club. Youth Programs are active in Lasers at the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation, Jack London Aquatic Center, and the San Francisco Yacht Club. Elvstrom - Zellerbach Regatta

Big breeze ruled at our Grand Prix event on the City Front. It was especially tough late in the day with a strong ebb tide creating classic huge chop. After sailing on the City Front in ebb tide, I am reminded what a remarkably seaworthy boat the Laser is — pounding upwind, turning the corner, then dodging walls of standing waves while ripping back downhill – hopefully upright. Results: 1) Shawn Kelly, 2) Tracy Usher, 3) Mehmet Sevinc, 4) Peter Vessella, 5) Jonathan Weston (15 boats) Radials: 1) Nick Dugdale, 2) Ben Lezin, 3) Walt Spevak, 4) Chris Boome, 5) Jim Christopher (14 Boats). Richmond Dinghy Invitational Richmond added this new event to their great calendar. Racing was to the north of the club, tucked into Keller Cove with a range of conditions. Mark Halman won every race Saturday, and Jonathan Weston, who is returning to Laser sailing after a 30 year rest, won every race Sunday. Results: 1) Mark Halman, 2) Simon Bell, 3) Nick Burke, 4) Jonathan Weston, 5) Drake Jensen. 4.7’s: 1) Matt Deveny, 2) Sterling Dreyer, 3) Tom Parker. Monterey Peninsula YC Monterey Peninsula YC is the childhood home of Tracy Usher, so it is no surprise that it’s a great place to sail. As I drove home after a day of glorious sunshine, I thought that this is what it must be like to sail in heaven. The ocean in Monterey is exceptionally clean, with abundant sea life,

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including sea lions, sea otter and whales. In the full rigs, we had really close racing, with lots of lead changes. In the radials, it was great to see Takahashi-San win on the road away from his usual Shoreline haunts. The crowd (at least Tracy and I) cheered when Christy Usher also won a race. At so many clubs one sees beater boats that never move, not at MPYC. Garth Hobson has set up six older boats for members to use that are in reasonable shape with complete rigs that were all out sailing. Putting together complete, reliable rigs to for all to share is a great way to establish an active fleet at a small club. Results: 1) Tracy Usher, 2) Dave Palmgren, 3) David LaPier, 4) Jonathan Weston, 5) Garth Hobson, 6) Louis Algaze. Radials) 1) Tishinari Takahashi, 2) Christy User, 3) Kate Conway, 4) Ashley Hobson. Whiskeytown Regatta Whiskeytown Lake is in far Northern California, it’s a traditional event for Memorial Day weekend. Bruce Brailey has been sailing great this year, he was a top contender at the California Masters in San Diego, and continued his winning ways at Whiskeytown. Results: 1) Bruce Brailey, 2) Mike Eichwald, 3) Jim Christopher, 4) Richard Leland, 5) Drake Jensen, 6) Jim Clevenberg. Go For the Gold Regatta Scotts Flats Lake is a reservoir surrounded by pines northwest of Sacramento. The camping and climate are delightful; swimming is great, sailing shifty. On Saturday night there is a great party at the unique open air clubhouse. Results: 1) Dan Ouellet, 2) Richard Leland , 3) Tony Dahlman, 4) Drake Jensen, 5) Brian Schyberg, 6) Max Brodie.

District 25 Nils Andersson SoCal Summer sailing is in full swing and we can look back at an interesting spring with the Midwinter West, California Masters (see Ken Wild’s article), and the Cinco de Mayo regatta in Santa Barbara and many others. At the California Masters we had some problems with the wind Gods the first day. Only one race could be completed on Saturday. In that race Jim Christopher had a horizon job going that was up until the last mark with a 100 yards reach to the finish line, only to be run over by almost the whole fleet. On Sunday the circumstances looked about the same, so the RC decided to run the reminder of the regatta in the bay. It was a good decision as we could make up for the lost races on Saturday. Doug Hart grabbed the overall win for the fifth time and got his name on “The Old Silva Trophy” again. The Cinco de Mayo regatta is an annual event hosted by the Santa Barbara Sailing Club. The Laser class had 23 boats sailing and the Radials had 42 boats. The regatta was sailed in an unusual light wind. The Laser was won by Cameron Summers ABYC and the Radials were won by Oliver Toole SBYC. The RC work was excellent

and the club put on a nice Mexican style dinner after racing on Saturday. I’ll go back next year. At the Midwinter West Leif Gihbsson SCRA, who is celebrating his 80th. Birthday in June and I am celebrating my 70th. Birthday in May, were presented with a nice cane each by Ken Wild.

District 26 Guy Fleming Hawaii The Laser Districts were held May 10 off of Waikiki with incredibly shifty and strong winds. There were puffs over 30 knots and the fleet had to stay on their toes. Sometimes the way to survive upwind was to hook a foot under the toe rail to pull yourself back in to avoid capsizing to windward. The reaches were incredibly fun, it was exciting to see the puff coming and to slide back on to a plane for several minutes. The one race with a leeward leg was very challenging. You had to look over your shoulder every few seconds. Guy Fleming won the event with Lance Miller in 2nd. Thanks to the race committee of Tracy Woodrow and Ted Miller with Ailana Warren as safety boat.

“Laser 26 Districts May 10, 2008” Total with throw out Guy Fleming Lance Miller Fizz Foster Chris Hossellman Scott Melander Morgan Merrill Brock Wooldridge Dylan Ale Sean Dave Rinchin Harrison Ian Marshall Paddy Loughlin Ryan McDonald Jordan Kaneshige Jason Dovgan Seamus Murphy Laura Hughes Lindsey Andrade

9 19 22 22 23 36 48 50 56 58 60 66 73 80 82 84 88 130

SUMMER 2008

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Sailing Fit MEKA TAULBEE ACE CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER Sailing has really introduced me to so many different people from all walks of life. Along the way I ran into someone who had a pretty cool story to tell. This self description is what caught my eye “ A Buffett fan looking to turn all my dreams into reality. Several years ago I decided to sell everything and move to Costa Rica. Best decision of my life” After digging a little deeper I realized he had something to offer that I thought all of us could benefit from. Dr. Timothy Laskis is the author of “Finding your Costa Rica”, sought after motivational speaker, behavior expert, personal development coach and organizational consultant. He holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), Masters in Psychology from CSPP and Bachelors in Psychology from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Both his doctoral training and clinical internship are fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. Tim’s book, articles and/or personal story have been featured in a number of publications including Latitudes & Attitudes Magazine, The Fresno Bee, The Greenville News, A.M. Costa Rica and Valley Voice. What is it that makes some of us put the rest of our lives on hold to travel around the world to compete in a 14ft one man sail boat, knowing that only 1 of us will go to the Olympics every 4 years. I am not trying to include myself as one of the sailors, but if you didn’t already know, I quit a corporate job, left my apartment and the life I was living, to travel around with one of you.(Best thing I have ever done by the way) What makes some want to be the best sailor locally, nationally or at their club? Most importantly what’s holding them back from achieving that goal? I’ve often thought that the fear of the unknown or success/failure could really hold us back. Well when I met Dr.Tim I decided to ask an expert and see if I was just crazy or maybe I was onto something. I asked him if he thought the fear of success/failure could hold you back in competitive situations. I found his response to be pretty interesting especially in a race situation. He told me that if we have a fear of failure we focus on the failure. Consciously or unconsciously we look for reasons to

validate that fear and the fear builds. For instance, if you are afraid of not doing well in a race and you go out there and miss a wind shift you may say to yourself “see that’s exactly what I didn’t want to happen” . Now you are focusing on that instead of your goals for the race. As your focus is drawn to that missed shift you are loosing boats and one thing leads to another and you are at the back of the fleet. Now the fear builds for the next race and unless you can just shake it off it has a spiraling affect. Instead you need to focus on your goals and begin to validate those. So you missed a shift, your goal is to place better than you did in the last race. You keep thinking about that goal and you are more in tune with what’s going on in that race and you were able to pass some boats. Now the success builds and you start the next race out on a positive note. Goals! I bet some of you never even thought about your goals for any one particular race. That led me to my next question. I asked what his advice would be about setting goals to achieve better race results. He explained that you need to have two types of goals, short term and long term. Decide on your long term goal. Whether it be to go to the Olympics or win the summer series at the end of the summer at your club. Then break it down into smaller short term goals. Think about the steps to take to achieve to each short term and long term goal. Next WRITE IT DOWN and put it a place you will see it everyday. This will help make it more concrete. Our minds have so many things flying around in it that it would be easy to loose track of one your goals. He says to keep in mind that it’s ok if you don’t have all of the steps because your goals will grow and change along the way. With each goal that you set out to achieve you may learn something that will change one of the goals you set for down the road. He said one of the best things he thinks you can do is to find someone who is better than you or someone who has achieved one of your goals and ask them if you can pick their brain. Chances are they already have a blueprint or a plan they have followed and you can just copy some of the steps to help get you on your way. I really agree with that one. While laser sailing is pretty competitive on the water, off the water the sailors are one of the most helpful groups of people I have ever met. Dr.Tim reccomeds that as you work toward these goals reward yourself for your accomplishments and keep it fresh. This way you won’t loose momentum and

“your sail will always be full of wind”. He also told me that visualization was a good tool to use. There are a lot of top athletes in all different sports who do this to help improve their game. He says to visualize an upcoming race or one that you have already done. This will help train your brain in knowing the skill you are trying to acquire. One thing he told me really surprised me, but after he explained it made sense. He states that “winning is an uncomfortable situation for some people”. It can be threatening if you have never been there before and all of the sudden you have a whole fleet of boats following you. Some find it more comfortable to be back in the fleet where they usually are. They know what to expect. This is why you should visualize your race and where you want to be. Get used to the feeling in that situation. You can also visualize past races to see where you would have made changes thus training your brain for that to be a more natural pattern. Then when faced with that situation again you are comfortable with making the right moves to put you where you want to be. Finding your Costa Rica came about from Dr.Tim’s studies and his own experiences including his time living aboard on the east coast of Florida. I wanted to know what he wanted people to gain the most from what he has accomplished. The answer...”That they can make a change and to give them hope. It’s ok to go left when everyone else is going right” He hopes that he can help people realize they have the tools that allow them to do whatever they want and that they can “thrive not just survive” I really appreciate Dr. Tim taking the time to talk with me and hopefully you can use some of these tools to get the results your looking for on the race course. If you want to learn more about him you can go to www.findingyourcostarica.com. On a separate note. Two people who are turning a dream into reality are Anna(Tunnicliffe) Funk and Andrew Campbell. They will be in China representing the laser class in the 2008 Olympic games are both working very hard and deserve all the support we can give them. Visit www.annatunnicliffe.com and www.campbellsailing.com. As always, if you want to hear about a certain topic or have any questions about this experiment feel free to contact me. You can always find me at www.sailfit.com or email directly to meka@sailfit.com. I look forward to hearing from you

SUMMER 2008

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