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®
WINTER 2014
6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world
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FALL 2013
www.Laser.org
3
Official publication
of the International
Laser Class Association
North American Region
US Postal Service:
Please return undeliverables to:
ILCA-NA
2812 Canon Street
San Diego, CA 92106 USA
Canada Post:
Publications Mail Agreement #40612608
Please return undeliverables to:
Bleuchip International
PO Box 25542
London, ON N6C 6BC
Editors
WINTER 2014
District Contacts .....................................................................................................6
President’s Report ..................................................................................................8
Jumpstart Your Laser Sailing ..........................................................................10
Light Air Jibes .......................................................................................................13
Coaches Corner: up/down drills ........................................................................18
2014 Event Schedule..............................................................................................21
Hiking Strap Adjustment Systems.....................................................................22
Sherri Campbell & Jerelyn Biehl
ILCA-NA
Laser World insert .........................................................................................center
Officers
Regatta Reports
Andy Roy
Chairman
15 Claudette Court
Peterborough, ON K9J 7Y7 Canada
705-750-0189
[email protected]
District 11 Champs..................................................................................12
Meka Taulbee
Vice Chairman
Dunedin, FL USA
727-631-7005
meka@sailfit.com
ACC 4.7 Championships........................................................................27
North American Masters.......................................................................24
Women’s Radial Worlds.........................................................................26
ABYC Olympic Classes Regatta..........................................................32
Grand Prix Standings...........................................................................................28
Eric Reitinger
Treasurer
7908 Normandy Drive
Mt Laurel, NJ 08054
609-206-2973
[email protected]
District Reports......................................................................................................33
Lauralee Symes
Secretary
6901 SE Oaks Park Way, Slip 27
Portland, OR 97202
503-274-2818
[email protected]
Membership Applications....................................................................................41
Cardiovascular Fitness.........................................................................................38
Why Join the Laser Class?...................................................................................40
®
WINTER 2014
6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world
Cover: Nathan Fields, ocean practice day off Ft. Lauderdale. Photo
by John Fields.
Al Clark
Member at Large
337 E 6th
North Vancouver, BC V7L1P7
604-988-4799
[email protected]
Sherri Campbell
Executive Secretary
2812 Canon Street
San Diego, CA 92106 USA
phone: 619-222-0252
fax: 619-222-0528
[email protected]
www.Laser.org
5
District 1
Danielle Dube, 8 Sunnydale Dr
Glen Haven, NS B3Z 2T8
902-823-2802, [email protected]
District 2
Philippe Dormoy, 385 Place Desmarest,
Ile Bizard, Quebec, H9C 2G8
514-620-8124
[email protected]
District 3
Nigel Heath
416-417-0193; [email protected]
D3 website: www.d3laser.com
District 4
Brigitte Smutney, Sail Manitoba; 409-145
Pacific
Ave. Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2Z6 204-925-5647
[email protected]
www.sailmanitoba.com
District 5
Mark Lammens
510 Cynthia St. Saskatoon, SK S7K 7K7
www.sasksail.com
District 6
Andy Hunt, 111-2260 W 8th Ave
Vancouver BC V6K 2A7
604-733-9663, hotline: 206-525-5788
[email protected]
www.district6x.ca
District 7
Derek Snow
28 Starlit Road
Tiverton RI 02878
401-625-5973
[email protected]
District 8
Ted Cremer, 7 MapleStreet
Blue Point, NY 11715
www.laserd8.tripod.com
6
District 9
Chas Williamson, 9 Lagrand Court
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-272-0630 [email protected]
District 10
Eric Reitinger
7908 Normandy Dr
Mt. Laurel NJ 08054
[email protected]
http://d10.laserforum.org
District 11
Jon Deutsch
3422 Blithewood Dr, Richmond VA 23225
http://www.laserdistrict11.org
District 12
Glenn Walker
6255 Turtle Hall Dr, Wilmington, NC 28409
910-612-5618 [email protected]
www.d12laserforum.org
District 13
Antolin Rivera, PO Box 26674
Tampa, FL 33623
www.laser.org/m/_general/d13.asp
District 14
Cal Herman, 7038 Catina St
New Orleans, LA 70124 504-282-1770
District 15
Forest Atkins
[email protected]
214-686-7035
https://groups.google.com/
forum/?fromgroups#!forum/txLaser/
District 16
Tim Fitzgerald, 2322 Bromfield Circle
Wichita KS 67226, 316-650-3636
[email protected]
District 17
John E. Coolidge, Jr., 1113 Hanover St
Chattanooga, TN 37405 423-309-1926
[email protected]
District 18
John Shockey
216-386-1920
[email protected]
District 19
Ken Swetka
27022 Koerber St., St Claire Shores, MI 48081
248-635-5363
www.d19laser.org
District 20
Steve Dolan
21140 Chancery Ct. Brookfield, WI 53045
http://d20.laserforum.org/
District 21
Erik Ahlquist
[email protected]
D21.laserforum.org
District 22
Kurt Hoehne, 524 N 67th St
Seattle, WA 98103
District 23
Geoff Hurwitch
[email protected]
District 24
Nick Burke
[email protected]
http://skysail.com/sailing/d24/
District 25
Jorge Suarez, 7 Covina Ave
Long Beach, CA 90803
562-260-8116. [email protected]
Groups.yahoo.com/group/nalaserdistrict25
District 26
Guy Fleming, 44-392 Olina St. #6
Kaneohe, HI 96744-2617
WINTER 2014
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Photo by Matias Capizzano
President’s Notes
ANDY ROY
Happy New Year to all North American
Laser sailors.
As of this writing the Laser Standard and
Masters Worlds Championships both just
wrapped up to close out the 2013 Laser
schedule. Oman looked to be an intriguing
sailing site, and by all reports the Omani
hosts put on two superb events. What
an incredible story unfolded in the Laser
Standard Men’s Worlds, with Brazil’s
Robert Scheidt, aged 40, winning the final
race and cementing his 9th Laser Worlds
title. How good is that!? It sounded like
the venue was a challenging place to sail,
with generally lighter breezes and shifts
that were difficult to read and predict.
Reports indicated that normally it paid to
commit to one side of the upwind leg, and
with so many of the top sailors all going
the same speed (i.e., fast!) getting off the
line in good shape was absolutely critical.
The top NA sailor at the Worlds was
Canada’s Lee Parkhill, finishing a very
strong 19th overall. Lee is also our
2013 North American Champion. Top
American at the Worlds was Charlie
Buckingham also with a great result
finishing in 23rd overall.
In the Masters Worlds, North American
sailors distinguished themselves very
well. A big congrats goes out to Peter
Seidenberg, who in a way is “too old”
for his age group (he’s 76 and sailed in
the GGM radial fleet). Peter bested his
old nemesis from the UK, Keith Wilkins,
and ended up winning by an impressive
margin to take his 8th World Masters title.
Canada’s Al Clark hung on the last day
for a one-point victory in the Standard
Masters division. One of the interesting
stories from the event was Australia’s
Vanessa Dudley beating out the guys to
take the Radial Grand Masters division
without having to sail the last race.
Second on the podium behind Vanessa,
and winner of the final two races, was
Bruce Martinson from the U.S.
The Masters NA’s was held in October
in Newport, RI, and which was superbly
8
hosted by the New York Yacht Club.
The turnout was fantastic with 98 boats
starting on one line in the standard rig
fleet, and 37 competitors battling it out
in the radials. Congrats to Marc Jacobi
for taking the standard rig title and to
well known British Laser sailor, Steve
Cockerill, who came across the pond to
win the Radials. Steve commented that he
thinks our Masters age handicap system,
which isn’t used outside North American,
works really well to level the playing
field. I think most sailors in the standard
rigs enjoyed the challenge of starting and
racing in the big fleet, and its something
that we don’t see as much as we did in
the “old days” of Laser sailing due to the
normal split fleet format.
I came across an interesting year end
report on U.S. high school sailing by Tim
Hogan, President of the Interscholastic
Sailing Association (ISSA). Tim
remarked about the strong growth in
high school sailing, which of course is
ultimately good for the Laser Class. There
are about 2790 high school sailors on
373 teams across the U.S., and in the last
3 months of the season ISSA held over
130 regattas, providing opportunities for
thousands of young sailors to get on the
water. ISSA is seeing many first time
schools and students participating all the
time. This past fall 250 singled handed
sailors competed in 7 different district
championships with 38 of the top sailors
advancing to the singled handed national
championships (called Cressy) which
was held in Newport, Rhode Island in
November. In his report Tim thanked
Laser Performance for providing 38 new
Lasers for the Cressy regatta, saying that
without their support the level of the
sailing would not be the same.
Worlds (Standard Men’s and Masters) on
the horizon, I think 2014 will be another
very good of Laser regatta participation
in North America. I’d like to thank the
companies that advertised in The Laser
Sailor in 2013, and remind members to
support these advertisers whenever they
can.
The Laser World Council held its annual
meeting in Oman between the two World
Championships, and a summary report
from that meeting will be coming up in the
next Laser World issue.
The winter events are next up on the
schedule, with plenty of great regattas in
warm weather locales for youth, open and
masters sailors. I hope you can make it out
one – I’m going to try.
To provide a brief year end report on
the NA Laser Class, our finances are in
decent shape, although we continue to
seek sponsors of the Class that would
help contribute to the 2014 picture. North
American class membership is up an
impressive 29% over 2012. This is great
news, and I think a result of increased
participation in local district events that in
turn tends to encourage sailors to attend
larger regattas. With the 2015 Kingston
WINTER 2014
www.Laser.org
9
Jumpstart Your Laser Sailing, and Your Life, With … Lentils!
Jean-Pierre Kiekens
Yep. You read well. Lentils! Lentils to
jumpstart your Laser sailing, and your life!
After years of wishful thinking about reaching
a more suitable weight for Laser sailing, I
discovered a diet where lentils played a key
role. And I shed those extra pounds. More
importantly, I discovered how nutrition is so
critical for a healthy life, and how I could from
now on optimize it, to remain fit and sail the
Laser for many years to come.
Let me tell you briefly about my story. In
2007 I decided to purchase a Laser. This was
not my first one. I started sailing in the 70s
back in my native country of Belgium, and
turned to Laser sailing while at university in
the early 80s. At the time, I was about 185 lbs
and was considered a heavy air sailor. This
is typically considered around the upper limit
for competitive full rig Laser sailing. Yet, this
is not at all incompatible with racing at the
highest level. Tom Slingsby, Robert Scheidt
and others have successfully sailed the Laser
around that weight.
With a professional career bringing me to
Africa, Central America and other places, and
my focus elsewhere, I gave up sailing for about
20 years and resumed in 2003 on a 25-footer,
and then a Laser 28, mostly for family sailing
here in the Province of Quebec. And then my
interest in racing came back. Yet I was not
impressed by the level of physical effort, nor
the racing opportunities available with the
Laser 28, and decided to get a full rig Laser. I
did well at local races, but when it came
national or international events, I was really
struggling.
And looking back, even though my technique
was pretty far from optimal, it was really the
weight issue that kept me from progressing.
When I started back, I was 240 lbs. My
excuse: a sympathetic pregnancy! I am the
proud father of two wonderful children, both
avid sailors now! My real excuse: none. I was
simply ignorant of the adverse health effects of
being overweight and ran at typical sedentary
lifestyle with no particular attention to the food
I was eating.
Anyway, my experience with Laser sailing at
240 lbs was as follows. Great upwind on flat
waters with 20 knots or higher. But apart from
that, not a great weight to sail the Laser. When
it is choppy, the weight advantage upwind
disappears in 20+ knots. From my experience,
weight is also affecting negatively how much
you can point upwind, which is particularly
damaging at starts. And of course, downwind
is always at a disadvantage. Imagine 50 lbs of
10
water in your boat going downwind … It does
not help at all!
Around 2010, I brought my weight back to
approximately 210 lbs, and did it the hard
way. I ate less, and exercised more. I kept
that weight for a while, but then I was up again
to approx. 220 lbs. Now as I am 6’ 2”, I may
not look overweight when at 220 lbs., even
though my body mass index clearly indicates
I am overweight. Typical comments from
fellow sailors: “you should sail a Finn.” Yet
Finn sailing is not very much of an option for
me as so few people sail it in North America,
especially at the masters level. And the budget
is also much higher than for Laser sailing.
I could not keep the 210 lbs weight, mostly
by lack of being regular enough at the gym,
and not paying particular attention to my
nutrition. My Laser sailing did not improve
and, even though I learned most skills to get
the boat moving though coaching in Cabarete,
Puerto Vallarta and here in Quebec, I was kind
of hitting a wall. Not able to improve my
performances, mostly because of speed both up
and downwind.
I knew I needed to get this weight down, but
never got seriously into it, in partly because I
knew it had been so hard for me to lose those
30 lbs and I had not succeeded in keeping my
weight at 210 lb. Hence how on earth could
I reach a much lower weight? That was my
thinking until I read by chance Tim Ferris’
book “The 4 Hour Body.”
Essentially, through a simple and fun diet,
without any supplements, and including cheat
days, he claims that one can lose 20 lbs in 30
days, eating as much as you want, and without
even counting calories. I was intrigued! Tim
Ferris argues that the diet is very effective, and
fits with the Pareto principle, i.e. 20% of efforts
for 80% of results (does someone know how
to apply this to hiking?). I was actually more
than intrigued. As a newly trained Human
Potential Coach, I decided to go for a “30 day
experiment” -- which is an effective means to
test lifestyle changes to figure out if they are
right for you.
So I went for this 4HB diet, which is based on
the concept of slow carbs. It is a very simple
diet, and for the details, just get the 4 Hour
Body book or do some search over the web. I
decided to set myself a goal of reaching 195
lbs, which was a targeted weight loss of 22
lbs. Still a bit on the heavy side for Laser
sailing, yet it was a real stretch goal for me,
as I had not been under 200 lbs for the past
30 years. I emptied my fridge, got what it
took to nourish myself with this new diet, and
lentils, as a legume delivering both slow carbs
and proteins, became a central ingredient in
my meals, along with spinach, kale, beans,
tomatoes, avocados, etc.
I went for it, and I lost the pounds amazingly
fast. I did this in September, and could already
see a difference after two weeks of diet, during
which I had lost about 10 lbs. I had painfully
sailed the Canadian Masters in Beaconsfield,
QC at 217 lbs but was already much smoother
and faster at 207 lbs while at the New England
masters in Newport, RI. Yes, the Laser is
very sensitive to weight and 10 lbs make a big
difference. Even if it is not obvious at all to
have 2 days of regattas in medium to strong
winds while in the middle of a pretty radical
diet… After 6 weeks, I reached a plateau at
200 lbs, yet continued with the diet, even if I
reintroduced progressively some carbs, finally
reached the goal of 195 lbs after 10 weeks. To
be noted that, apart from the sailing, I did not
exercise much during the diet. A few runs and
visits to the gym, that’s all.
During this diet, I started reading about
nutrition, and was amazed at what I read.
Essentially, the scientific evidence is now very
strong that nutrition is the number one factor
affecting our health. In other words, bad
nutrition is the number one killer in Western
societies. Our general food environment is
toxic - I know the word is strong, but it is a
reality -, as mostly unhealthy, processed foods,
are available in most grocery stores. Indeed,
the standard American diet is neither conducive
of health nor of successful aging, i.e. living
a long and healthy life, with minimal health
problems.
Today, the scientific evidence shows that
healthy nutrition is critical to successful aging,
along with other key factors such as regular
exercise, absence of smoking, limited alcohol
consumption and stress control. Several
authoritative experts argue that some 80% of
chronic diseases can be prevented through
these lifestyle choices. Yes 80%! This is huge.
Life expectancy, and in particular, expectancy
of quality life, is substantially increased by
abiding to these simple lifestyle habits.
And we are in control of our lifestyle choices.
WINTER 2014
We can, through our lifestyle choices, avoid
80% of chronic diseases. We can dramatically
reduce our probability to face cancer, diabetes,
arteriosclerosis, strokes, heart attacks, etc.
And as my own human potential coach and
mentor, Jack Canfield, maintains in his book
“The Success Principles,” if you want to
live the life of your dreams, you better take
responsibility at 100% for your life.
What I discovered in my own journey towards
healthy nutrition is that it is not a very hard
shift to make. It is actually a pleasant shift,
even though it requires deprogramming
ourselves from our previous habits and doing
new things like learning how to cook healthy.
What I was also amazed at is this growing
number of athletes, including those doing
triathlons and ultra-marathons, such as
Scott Jurek and Rich Roll, having opted for
plant-based diets as the optimal way to feed
themselves for such extraordinary efforts.
The books by Scott Jurek and Rich Roll are
both worth reading. Yes you can be a high
performance athlete and feed yourself only
with plants!
have embarked on this journey, as I am now
much better at feeding my kids, who are 9 and
15. For example, breakfasts mostly consist
now of kale, berries, flax and chia smoothies.
I was also amazed by documentary movies
such as “Forks over Knives,” and “Fat, Sick
and Nearly Dead, “ as well as books by
leading nutritionists or medical doctors such
as “Disease Proof: The Remarkable Truth
about What Makes Us Well” by David Katz,
M.D. and “Whole: Rethinking the Science of
Nutrition” by T. Colin Campbell, PhD.
Today, there is no definitive answer or
complete consensus as to what constitutes
the best nutrition, but applying the
recommendations of books such as those by
David Katz or T. Colin Campbell will bring
you a long way both for athletic performance
and successful aging. If you need to shed some
pounds, I can assure you that it is not hard at all
for any determined people - and Laser sailors
are determined people! The benefits for your
sailing and your health will be amazing. And
with this, you will be able to sail competitively
for many years to come.
Now I knew the weight loss program I had
embarked on was going to be more than an
experiment. I t was going to be a life changing
event. I did shed the pounds, but I also realized
how important it was to optimize my nutrition
over the long run. My life will never be the
same now that I much better understand what
is right and what is not right for me from a
nutritional viewpoint. I also am so grateful to
interlocking parts
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11
District 11 Championship
Jon Deutsch
It was consistency that paid off for Mike Russom
(GWYC) and Jessica Bennett(DCYC) in winning the
Standard and Radial District 11 Championships at Severn
Sailing Association. The light winds and often lumpy
seas challenged the competitors and made it anyone’s
race. 34 Standard rigs and 9 Radials completed 6 races
out in the Chesapeake Bay.
Saturday’s weather started out with cool temperatures,
and overcast skies with a 12-14 knot breeze. After
numerous recalls and restarts by the standard fleet – the
first race was finally started having been started under
black flag. The Radial fleet started their first race with 6
of the 9 boats OCS in what would become the drop race
for many. By the 2nd upwind leg the wind was under 10
knots the left over seas were tough to get through.
In the 2nd race the wind dropped a little more and so did the
waves. By now all starts were under black flag. Mike Russom
would go on to put up a 4-1-2 to lead day 1
followed by Eric Reitinger (BBYC) just behind him
with 2-2-5. Margaret Podlich (SSA) stayed out of
trouble and led the Radial fleet with 1-4-7.
regatta sponsors APS, Fawcett Boat Supplies, BoatUS and Sandy
Westphal.
Photo above by JR Futcher
Following racing the sailors enjoyed a crab feast
– what else would they have at the ‘Crab Claw’
regatta?
Sunday’s racing saw smoother waters and slightly
less wind. Jon Deutsch (FBYC), Bill Lawson(SSA)
and Brady White (SSA) each took wins in the 3
races for the day in what would lead to a shuffling
of the leader board for the Standard fleet. Black
flags further shuffled the fleet and keeping others
off the podium.
In the Radial fleet Kim Couranz (SSA), Phillip
Schofield (AYC) and Jessica Bennett all won races.
Jesscia’s final race win along with her 2-4 in the
earlier races cemented her as the Radial Champion.
Jessica got the triple win as not only the overall
champion, but the top female and the top junior.
Aaron Helmly finished 2nd while Kim Couranz
took 3rd.
With Mike Russom’s win – District 10 sailors have
won 3 out of the last 4 District 11 Championships.
(Seriously D11 sailors – we need to do something
about that!). Brady White followed in 2nd and Jon
Deutsch(FBYC) won a tie breaker for 3rd. Karen
Long (SSA) was top female and Matthew Menzi
top junior in the Standard fleet.
On behalf of District 11 we’d like to thank all
of the competitors for coming and making this a
great event. And we’d like to thank Steven Cofer
and all of the folks a SSA for everything they did
for the regatta. And finally, thanks again to the
12
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WINTER 2014
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www.Laser.org
13
Roll With It! The Art of the Light Wind Roll Jibe
Judith Krimski
Contributor: Jon Emmett
Several years ago during our annual summer vacation to Sebago Lake, Maine I was out sailing on a light wind day practicing roll jibes.
My practice focused on getting the biggest roll possible, burying the windward rail, enjoying the whoosh of the sail as it came across the
boat, and finally the hard very satisfying flatten. As I sailed down the lake doing successive jibes, rolling harder and harder, I spied an
elderly couple paddling a canoe in my direction, looks of concern on their faces. Getting close enough the woman called out, “Are you
alright Honey?” What I pictured as a beautiful athletic dance with my laser, less knowledgeable characters saw as the violent action of
someone who was either crazy or totally out of control. Happily for them, after a patiently explaining the maneuver the couple paddled
away probably relieved they didn’t have to save me.
It’s true. Roll jibing the laser is definitely a radical maneuver but also one of the most fun to perform. Put in a good roll to initiate the
jibe and flatten—you’ll look like a rock star (or crazy to some!).
Laser Boat handling Truths
1. Because the laser’s rudder is small it shouldn’t be relied on to turn the boat, especially as the wind picks up.
Excessive rudder usage also slows you down so when sailing in light winds focus on locking down the rudder.
Upwind: Hold the tiller on the deck next to your back hip.
Downwind: Lock the tiller down on you thigh or under your arm.
2. Focus on using sail trim and weight placement to maneuver the laser.
Light Wind Jibe
Similar to a light wind tack you will want to use the curve of the boat and sail trim to turn the boat and sail at max speed into and out of
the jibe. Rudder action should be minimal. As you read about the steps in a light wind jibe you might also want to review Jon Emmett’s
video on tacks and jibes: tinyurl.com/le9m5gd. I’ve looked at a number of instruction videos and Jon’s are—hands down—the best. To
be extra helpful I have also put the time stamp that coincides with each of the video captures.
Performing the roll jibe:
1. Set-up [1:25] Start out sailing on a run. Your sail is out 90 degrees. You are nudged up against the front of the cockpit.
Centerboard is up approximately six inches and your back leg is wrapped around the hiking strap. Hold your tiller in a
microphone grip in front of your body.
1. Sitting forward in boat.
2. Sail trimmed 90 degrees.
3. Holding tiller in microphone grip.
2.
Pre-trim [1:26]: The pre-trim allows you to turn
through a smaller radius AND facilitate that all-important
pump of the sail at the end of the jibe. Trim by using a rapid
hand-to-hand motion until your sail is trimmed to 45 degrees.
2
3
1
1:25
1. Anchor back leg around hiking strap.
2. Use quick hand-to-hand trim motion.
3. Trim sail to 45 degrees.
3
2
1
14
1:26
WINTER 2014
3.
4.
Initiating the roll [1:27]: Holding the cockpit grab rail or
centerboard with your front hand throw your upper body
backwards to initiate the roll. A good roll will put your
windward rail in the water. NOTE: There should be very
little tiller action. Instead you’re using the curve of the boat
to change direction. Notice how Jon barely moves his tiller
(doesn’t go past the cockpit) – it’s more part of a natural
tiller action that comes with initiating the roll.
1. Front hand holds cockpit grab rail or centerboard.
2. Tiller movement is small.
3. Lean back to roll boat to windward.
4. Main sheet slackens as sail falls to windward.
Cross the boat [1:28]: A good roll will send the sail across
the boat. As it starts to cross reach up to grab the leeward
rail with your tiller hand while simultaneously pushing
off the cockpit with your back foot. You should have the
feeling of stepping up to the leeward rail. Remember to
duck AND rotate your body forward in preparation for
flattening. As you rotate it’s important to hook your new
front foot under the hiking strap so you can flatten against
it.
1
2
1
3
1:27
2
5. Flatten [1:29]: Your goal is to exit the jibe with speed so the
boat effectively “squirts” out, much like a bar of soap squeezed
between two hands. Prior to flattening allow the sail to fill on the
new side, THEN flatten. You should feel some resistance. If you
don’t you have flattened too early.
1. A good roll propels sail to new leeward side.
2. Tiller hand grabs new windward rail. Tiller should be straight.
3. Cross boat. Duck under sail and rotate torso towards bow.
1. Sit and give a hard flatten when sail at 45 degrees.
2. Do not switch hands until boat is flat and on new tack.
3
1:28
6.
4
1
2
Finish: Once the boat is set on its new course you can switch
hands and ease the sail to go back to a run.
1:29
1. Switch hands, ease sail and bear off.
Common questions/problems:
Q: What height should the centerboard be set at?
A: It depends. I put my centerboard down all the way before
jibing. That way I have a bigger surface to flatten against – hence
more speed out of the jibe. In the video Jon has his centerboard
up about 6 inches through the maneuver and never moves it.
Experimentation is key but remember; less centerboard may mean
less drag but it also makes the boat less stable, especially as the
wind increases.
1
1:35
Q: Why does the mainsheet catch on the transom?
A: A loose mainsheet will sag and catch the transom as the sail
crosses the boat. Be sure to trim in prior to the jibe (45 degrees
is good) so the mainsheet doesn’t catch. If that fails another technique that works is to grab the mainsheet below the boom block. A
quick tug as you cross the boat will clear the sheet.
Continued on page 16
www.Laser.org
15
Q. I’m turning too much.
A. You are most likely relying too much on your tiller to turn the boat. Focus instead on using the roll to slightly turn the boat but
more importantly get that sail to “fall” across to the new side.
Q: I’m having trouble crossing.
A. Make sure your back leg is properly positioned so you can spring off of the side of the cockpit to the new side. Initiate the cross
when you see the leeward rail come up to eye level. And remember a strong core and leg muscles are a laser sailor’s best friend.
Q: I’m falling out of the boat when I try to flatten.
A. Falling out of the boat is slow. As you rotate to flatten make sure to anchor yourself in the boat by hooking your front foot under
the hiking strap.
Q. My boom is hitting the water.
A. Splashes are so messy! Avoid them by making sure to trim in enough and watching the sail carefully as it crosses. Flatten slightly
so the sail stays clear of the water. Most of the time just sitting down on the rail is enough to keep the boom out of the water. But if
it does hit, don’t fret too much. It’s more important to let the sail fill on the new side THEN get a good flatten.
Q. The boat capsizes before I can flatten.
A. Cheers for a good roll! There are a couple of things that may be causing you to capsize:
1. Crossing too late. Note at 1:28 in Jon’s video he is already on the new windward side and the sail has just started to cross.
2. Pulling the boat over on top of you as you cross. Rather than reaching and pulling yourself up, engage your legs and core to
step up to the new side.
Review
1. Sit forward close to the centerboard.
2. Quick trim to approximately 45 degrees.
3. Roll the boat hard so the windward rail is in the water.
4. Minimize tiller movement. It’s SLOW.
5. Cross and flatten in one fluid motion.
6. Switch hands and ease the sail after flattening.
YES! Light wind roll jibes are fun so get out there and practice, practice, practice. And if you encounter some concerned citizens out
on the water don’t fret! Share the fun and maybe you’ll have some new friends to go lasering with.
Thanks to Jon Emmett, author of “Be Your Own Sail Coach” and “Be Your Own Tactics Coach,” for allowing me to share his
instructional video. His most recent accomplishment was coaching Chinese sailor Lijia Xu to an Olympic gold medal in 2012. Be sure
to visit Jon’s website at www.jonemmettsailing.co.uk
About me: I started my sailing career in the 80’s as a competitive windsurfer and Fanatic team rider. After a few years hiatus to raise my son I
went back to big boat sailing but found yelling skippers too much to bare. In 2007 I took up the laser and quickly developed a passion for the boat.
Currently I enjoy life as a sailing writer/coach and Master Laser sailor competing all around the East Coast. Want to read more lasering posts?
You’ll find lots of great tips as well as racing strategy and tactics at www.centeroreffort01.blogspot.com. Enjoy!
Sail Consecutive Weekend Masters Events in
Southern California this February 2014.
February 15-16, SCYA Masters Mid-Winters, Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, Long Beach, CA.
www.abyc.org/fleetracing/event.cfm?id=671&fleet_id=15
February 22-23, California Laser Masters Championship Regatta, Mission Bay Yacht Club,
San Diego, CA. www.mbyc.org/index.php/laser-mbyc-fleets-63/1489-2014-california-laser-masters-regatta-feb-22-23-nor
The events are scored separately. You can enter one or both. For those Masters sailing in both there
will be an “Iron Tiller” award for the best combined score.
Special Clinic on Friday, February 21st at Mission Bay Yacht Club.
16
WINTER 2014
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17
Coaches Corner
We’ve asked a few of our top North American coaches to
share some of their favorite drills with us. If you have a drill to
share, send it to the ILCA-NA office for publication.
Up/Down drill
No marks are required. Start off in a group or solo going upwind (you can use a rabbit start) and when the coach
blows a single whistle everyone tacks. If two whistles are blown you tack and immediately prepare to round an
imaginary mark a couple boat lengths in front of you by easing the control lines, particularly the vang. Practice
the transition to the bear away and go downwind. If one whistle is blown while running you jibe. If two whistles
are blown you jibe and then prepare to round an imaginary mark two lengths away by putting the control lines
on and sheeting in rapidly. Many boat lengths are gained and lost in the top/bottom mark rounding and since
this game is often decided by inches at the finish it’s imperative to master these maneuvers for success in Laser
racing. One thing to experiment with is the order of the control line (cunningham, outhaul, and vang) release
process.
Brett Davis
Downwind Drill – tumbling mark
The challenge with long downwind sessions (starting upwind and sailing downwind for 3 hours to a different
destination) is that you can loose the ability to round the windward mark together and race to a moderate length
leeward mark.
The format I prefer is to use a large round “West Marine” mark (4’ x 6’).
There is no ground tackle attached, so the mrk is free to slowly blow
or tumble straight downwind.
I’ll assemble the fleet for a rabbit start, and shortly before the rabbit
crosses I’ll release the mark to leeward of the fleet. Then power
quickly around the fleet to act as their weather mark. It doesn’t need
to be a long distance at all, just enough for a fair beat where the fleet
rounds together.
By the time the fleet is rounding you, the mark haas tumbled
downwind a decent way, and will continue to mace as the fleet chases
it. Eventually the fleet catches, rounds, and stops. Coach gathers the
mark for a short break, then repeats the process.
The result yields plenty of square and competitive downwind
legs, and gives the coach perfect positioning to observe and shoot
video.
Luther Carpenter
18
WINTER 2014
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19
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WINTER 2014
2014 Schedule
Regatta
World Championship
ISAF Grade 1
Laser
SR: Santander, ESP
Sept 8-Sept 21
JR: Douernenez, FRA
Aug 16-23
Radial
Laser 4.7
Masters
Karatsu, JPN
Aug 8-15
Hyeres, FRA
Oct 3-12
Women’s: Douernenez, FRA
Aug 21-23
Mens: Gdynia, POL
July 19-25
Youth:Gdynia, POL
July 26-Aug 3
CGRA
Cascade Locks, OR
July 11-13
NA Championship
40 GP pts. ISAF Grade 1
Alamitos Bay YC
June 12-15
www.abyc.org
Alamitos Bay YC
June 12-15
www.abyc.org
Alamitos Bay YC
June 12-15
www.abyc.org
Canadian
Championships
Royal Vancouver YC
Vancouver, BC
July 25-27
Royal Vancouver YC
Vancouver, BC
July 25-27
Royal Vancouver YC
Vancouver, BC
July 25-27
US Championships
St Francis YC
San Francisco, CA
July 31-Aug 3
St Francis YC
San Francisco, CA
July 31-Aug 3
St Francis YC
San Francisco, CA
July 31-Aug 3
Rochester YC
Rochester, NY
Sept 11-14
CORK
Kingston, ON
www.cork.org
August 16-20
Kingston, ON
www.cork.org
August 16-20
Kingston, ON
www.cork.org
August 11-14
na
Midwinters East
Clearwater, FL
www.clwyc.org
Feb 20-23
Clearwater, FL
www.clwyc.org
Feb 20-23
Clearwater, FL
www.clwyc.org
Feb 20-22
Sarasota SS
Sarasota, FL
Feb 14-16
Midwinters West
Richmond YC
Richmond, CA
March 28-30
Richmond YC
Richmond, CA
March 28-30
Richmond YC
Richmond, CA
March 28-30
na
Rolex Miami OCR
Miami, FL (men only)
www.ussailing.org
January 25-Feb 1
Miami, FL (women only)
www.ussailing.org
January 25-Feb 1
na
na
Atlantic Coast
Championships
Sail Maine
Portland, ME
Aug 30-31
Sail Maine
Portland, ME
Aug 30-31
TBD
25 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 2
Sail Maine
Portland, ME
Aug 30-31
Pacific Coast
Championships
Santa Barbara YC
Santa Barbara, CA
June 27-29
Santa Barbara YC
Santa Barbara, CA
June 27-29
Santa Barbara YC
Santa Barbara, CA
June 27-29
Gulf Coast
Championships
Ft Walton YC
Ft Walton Beach, FL
June 21-22
Ft Walton YC
Ft Walton Beach, FL
June 21-22
Ft Walton YC
Ft Walton Beach, FL
June 21-22
Ft. Walton YC
Ft. Walton Beach, FL
May 17-18
No Coast
Championships
Dillon Yacht Club
Dillon, CO
Aug 2-3
Dillon Yacht Club
Dillon, CO
Aug 2-3
Dillon Yacht Club
Dillon, CO
Aug 2-3
na
Great Lakes
Championships
Vermillion, BC
Vermillion, OH
July 19-20
Vermillion, BC
Vermillion, OH
July 19-20
Vermillion, BC
Vermillion, OH
July 19-20
Thunder Bay YC
Thunder Bay, ON
July 12-13
30 GP pts. ISAF Grade 2
30 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 2
ISAF Grade 1
25 GP Pts
25 GP Pts
25 GP Pts
www.Laser.org
TBD
Jericho Sailing Centre
Vancouver, BC
July 18-20
21
How to Set Up Your Hiking Strap To Increase Efficiency
CLAY JOHNSON
One of the great things about the Laser hiking strap set up is that it can be adjusted while sailing. In fact, if your hiking strap
adjustment system is set up well, you can make changes in just a second.
A lot of sailors don’t understand why you need a perfectly tuned hiking strap. In light air it’s easy because you can just sail with a
tight strap the whole time. But when the breeze comes up and you are hiking hard, having your strap set at just the right length will
increase your efficiency while hiking. In breeze, a strap that is set too tightly will limit how far out of the boat you can get and which
part of your body you’re using to hike. For example, when your strap is to tight, you tend to hike more off of your calves than your
quads. Conversely, if your strap is too loose, you are not connected at all to the boat, and your hiking becomes inefficient. A common
mistake that sailors make in breezy conditions is to loosen their hiking strap so much that their feet are actually higher than their head.
This is inefficient and uneffective. That is, with a loose strap, you spend energy trying to “hold yourself in” instead of locking in and
hiking hard. You want your strap to be at just the right length so that there is an even workload spread out across your lower body, you
can get far enough out to maximize your leverage, and your movements are translated best into the boat. i.e. when you torque, your
boat reacts.
Laser sailors come in all different shapes and sizes, so there’s no one proper length for everyone; setting your hiking strap line is hard
to quantify, but it is something that you need to be able to tweak based on the conditions, breeze strength, and point of sail you are on
(looser for upwind and tighter for the downwinds). You need to know your own body and your own hiking tendencies and style.
There are two “proper” ways to hike in a Laser (No, droop hiking is not a “proper” way to hike!). Both are effective and can be
applied successfully in different conditions.
First, there is the straight leg approach. This is where your legs are very straight
and locked in. When done correctly, your fingers should not be able to fit
between the back of your knees and the deck. Most likely, your upper body will
be angled slightly up, but you’ll be able to really lock in, flex your quad muscles,
and put pressure on the side of the rail to keep the boat flat. This method allows
you to push down -- or “press”— on the side of the boat. I prefer this straighter
leg method when the water is flatter
Paul Goodison, 2008 Olympic Gold medalist, demonstrates a straight-leg
technique. Notice how his legs are very straight and his upper body is angled
upright.
The second method has more of a slight bend in your legs and then a lower upper
body. Your upper body should be as close to parallel to the water for maximum
leverage. This method focuses less on pressure on the rail and more on getting your weight out. I prefer this method in choppy
conditions because I think you can be more forgiving with the pressure on the rail of the boat. The boat feels more loaded up and
active.
Paul Goodison is focusing more on weight out than on straight legs in this photo.
Now that I’ve gone over the general hiking styles, let’s review the most common hiking
strap adjustment systems. It’s important to remember that there’s no “right” way to do
it, but I will give you my opinions on each of the most common systems.
The Shimmy
The first, and most
common, hiking strap
adjustment system is what I call “The Shimmy.”
The strap in the picture is tight right now. To loosen, grab the bowline
and shimmy it towards the back of the cockpit.
The shimmy has been around for ages and was the first adjustment system
that I learned. The shimmy allows the strap to go from loose to tight
by using two hands to “shimmy” the line and take out slack. When the
bowline is closest to the strap, it is tight, and when it is moved to the back
22
WINTER 2014
of the cockpit, the strap loosens. The benefit of the shimmy is
that there is little auto-adjusting while sailing; the strap hardly
ever loosens by itself which gives confidence that the strap
will stay in the right spot the whole time. The downside to
the shimmy is that it is time consuming to adjust and requires
two hands. It’s not easy to adjust when it’s blowing 25 at the
windward mark!
The Goody
Popularized by Olympic Gold medalist, Paul Goodison from
GBR, I call this hiking strap “The Goody.”
Simply designed, notice on the “Goody” how the tail passes
through the bowline and the eyestrap for added friction.
The goody was first introduced to me when I was using a hiking strap that was very long. The strap came very far back in the cockpit,
not leaving enough room for small, precise adjustments to the hiking strap with another system. The Goody is a friction-based
adjustment system that works best when there is constant
pressure on the strap: it’s not that great for medium, in-and-out
conditions, but it does work well if you have a long hiking strap
and little room for an adjustment system. To loosen, pull the
part of the line at the top of the picture. To tighten, just grab the
tail and pull tight.
The Mitchell Kiss
I need to give credit where credit is due, and I got this hiking
strap adjustment system from Yale freshman and standout youth
sailor, Mitchell Kiss. I’m not sure if Mitchell invented it, but
that’s who’s boat I first saw it on.
Pull the diagonal line to loosen this strap. Pull the tail to tighten it.
What I really like about this system is how easy it is to tighten. For me, the adjustment I need to make most often and fastest is to
tighten my strap at the windward mark. With this system, I just grab the handle on the tail and pull it. The handle is on the starboard
side so it’s easy at the windward mark. There’s a lot of friction involved so the strap never really loosens by itself. If I want to loosen
it, I just pull at the diagonal line and it loosens. What I also do is put a stopper knot in the tale so that when I loosen it, the strap goes
out to my max-ease and no further.
As you can see, there is more than one way to hike and more than one way to adjust your hiking strap. I utilize both hiking techniques
and switch between the two based on the conditions. All three hiking strap adjustment systems work, and you’ll likely see each
method represented at a big Laser regatta. Personally, I really like this last method and think it’s currently the best one out there. The
ability to quickly tighten it, and the confidence I have in it to stay in place is what makes it the best.
With that, figure out the best system for you, set your hiking strap up efficiently, and hike hard!
SEA Waist Lock Hiking Pants
give you lower back
support when you
need it most!
www.sailequipment.com.au
www.Laser.org
23
2013 Master North American Championships Goes Down To The Wire
DAN NERI
A 100 boat fleet makes for easy math.
Z-flag penalty? 20 pts. OCS? 100
pts. Spend a minute on the headed
tack? 10 pts. Bang the wrong corner?
50 pts. At the 2013 Laser Master North
Americans most of us who think “big
fleet” means 50 boats spent the first day
relearning these expensive lessons. In
fact, at the Friday night dinner you could
count on one hand the sailors who had yet
to card their throwout. Peter Shope, with
an improbable score of 4,3,2 was the only
one to manage all top 10 finishes. Not
surprising then, the dinner conversation
kept returning to the Oracle Team USA
comeback from an 8:1 deficit in the
Americas Cup. Anything is possible
with 7 races to go, right? Marc Jacobi
sat listening to the hopeful talk. His
scores for the day were: 1, 100, 12.
“How many throwouts do we get?” he
asked. “One? Well that’s enough. I
can still win it.” You can’t win if you
don’t think you can win.
Narragansett Bay is oriented North/South
and offers unobstructed racing in the
predominant summertime SSW breeze.
In the westerlies that dominated the first
and 3rd days the race course had to be laid
out in the short direction which is a tighter
fit for 100 boats. Friday was sailed north
of the Newport Bridge, with the weather
mark close to the Jamestown shore. At
the top of the cone there were lefties on
the Port layline, coming across Zeke’s
Creek, the lowest part of the island. On
the Starboard layline there were sustained
right puffs rolling down the 4 miles of
open water between Jamestown and Gould
Island. The middle was a no man’s
land. The three races of the first day
were won by Jacobi, Star World Champ
John MacCausland
and Master World
Champ Scott
Ferguson. But
it was Shope who
had the speed and
awareness to find
his way into the first
group in every race.
Peter Vessella, the
eventual 3rd place
finisher had this to say after Friday’s
racing; “My ‘wow’ moment came on the
24
second beat of the first race seeing Shope
come from 100 yards behind to pass me.
Right then I felt he could win the regatta.
Shope had the upwind speed to overcome
tactical miscues, whereas Jacobi almost
always seemed to be in the right place…
and he is not slow by any means.”
For Jacobi, Saturday was moving day,
but it was not as easy as he made it look.
After an on-shore postponement in glassoff conditions, the Race Committee again
dragged the fleet 2 miles, north of the
bridge to race in a moderate southerly and
nicely formed waves under thick cloud
cover.
Jacobi had a wire to wire win
in the first race of the day. The next race
was won by Lynne Shore on her way to
an impressive 11th place overall regatta
finish. (Note to fellow competitors;
when your friends observe that you were
soundly whipped by a girl, respond with,
“I prefer to say that I was beaten by an
Olympic Gold Medalist”.) Jacobi sailed
a mortal first beat and found himself midfleet. Using great wave technique on the
leeward legs he passed boats in bunches
to salvage a 9th. That’s when the drama
started.
Halfway through race # 6, while leading
by 10 lengths, Jacobi’s gooseneck pin
sheared off. Let’s call that very bad luck.
(Anyone who checked their gooseneck
pin for wear before the event, please raise
your hand. Nobody? That’s what I
thought. ) Somehow he managed to
get around the rest of the course with
the boom jammed against the mast and
locked in place by the Cunningham lines,
holding off a fast closing Ray Davies and
Peter Shope to win the race!
By now it
was late in the afternoon, with the breeze
and the daylight fading. In the waning
light and overcast skies, prescription
sunglasses gave way to squinting. The
committee set up for Race 7 placing
the weather mark far to the left of the
previous races, against the backdrop of
a hazy shoreline and far enough away to
render its location a mystery for most of
the aging fleet. Meanwhile, Jacobi was
scrambling to jury rig a gooseneck using
bits of line, bird feathers, seaweed and
ultimately a wad of duct tape donated by
Peter Shope’s support boat. The dying
breeze was good luck for someone with a
broken gooseneck and Jacobi managed to
pull off a 5th place finish with his crippled
rig. Shope sailed his throwout race- an
11th- and the stage was set for a final day
showdown.
Sunday morning opened with a strong
westerly and clear skys. Succumbing to
pressure from some of the tired fleet elders
who shall remain nameless, the RC set up
shop in the very tight confines between
Rose and Goat Islands, just outside of
Newport Harbor. To further restrict the
race area, a 20 story, 1000’ long cruise
ship was anchored just south of the port
tack corner of the course. The regatta
leaders might not have been too affected
by these close quarters, but back in the
cheap seats the runs were rendered a
cauldron of diagonal wakes on top of
current and wind induced waves bouncing
off the dirt, rock and steel barriers close
at hand on 3 sides of the race course. If
it were not for the
approximately 5,000
years of collective
sea-time represented
by the fleet, there
might have been
some sea sickness
out there.
Going into the last
three races, Shope
and Jacobi, both Masters, were separated
WINTER 2014
by 2 points. Shope won the first race of
the day to pull ahead by 6 points. After
Race 9 they were back within one point
of each other and the lead passed back
and forth in race 10 until Jacobi made
the final pass on the last half of the last
leeward leg to win the regatta.
Fifty
points behind the two leaders, Andy
Roy, Andrew Pimental and Vessella, all
Grand Masters were bunched within 10
points of each other going into the last
day. These three would finish in a near
tie, with Vessella claiming the GM title by
one point. Brian Fisher had what looked
like a comfortable lead over Ray Davies
for the Apprentice category, but a tough
day for Fisher spent mostly in the shadow
of the cruise ship reversed their positions.
Dave Frazier used his youth, fitness and
local knowledge to best the Great Grand
Masters.
The Radial fleet also saw a down-tothe-wire finish between Master Stephen
Cockerill and Great Grand Master/Local
Legend Peter Seidenberg. Cockerill is
www.Laser.org
famously known as
the “Boat Whisperer”
while Seidenberg
has spent so many
thousands of hours
in his Laser that
he no longer needs
to whisper. The
communication
between Peter and
his boat is by now
completely telepathic.
Peter has technically
moved “beyond
category” after
(allegedly) celebrating
his 75th birthday. If
he shows even a hint
of slowing down, we
should consider adding another bonus
point to the scoring, which would have
given him the win over Cockerill in this
one. But since he is not, in fact, slowing
down we should instead demand to see his
birth certificate.
Photos by Stu Strueli
25
2013 Laser Radial Women’s World
Championships
Rizhao, China
CLAIRE DENNIS
The 2013 Laser Radial Women’s
World Championship was held September
28th- October 7th in Rizhao, China. Rizhao
is located on the Yellow Sea in southeast
Shandong province about 110miles
southwest of Qingdao. Travel to Rizhao
was complicated by a typhoon but I was
lucky to get out of SFO just as the flight
cancellations into Hong Kong were lifted.
The regatta was based out of the
Liangyou Grand View Hotel adjacent to
the boat park that was built as a National
Water Sports training base for China. Our
event was officially opened by the most
spectacular opening ceremony I have
seen at a regatta. Local groups attired in
elaborate costumes performed a variety
of dances ranging from a choreographed
dance to the city’s song to a group of
children performing a martial-arts themed
dance. The grand finale was smoke
fireworks that painted brightly colored
clouds in the sky over the crowd.
The sailing venue was
unobstructed with the coastline being
the only land impact. We saw breeze
from just about every direction during
the week. There were two predominant
breeze directions: sea breeze and about
180 degrees opposite. The breeze was
generally in the light to moderate range
with the exception of a race or two with a
bit stronger winds. Swell was persistent,
often with chop as well.
The regatta followed the typical
Laser worlds format - two races per day
with three days of qualifying racing
followed by a lay day, and then three
days of finals series racing. The courses
were either inner or outer trapezoid as is
standard for Laser championships. With
77 boats, we sailed the qualifying races
with split fleets and then gold/silver for the
finals.
The race committee did a great
job getting off quality races in what were
26
at times challenging conditions. All
12 races were completed despite a few
on-shore postponements due to lack of
wind. At one point the smog/fog was so
thick that seeing the weather mark was
difficult. In a couple of other races there
were swarms of large flies that would
cling on to your hat.
This was my first visit to China
so it was interesting to experience
the Chinese culture in a city that
was not geared to Western travelers.
Communication was difficult at times as
few locals spoke English or European
languages but overall we were able to
Radial Worlds Final Results
North American sailors
Gold
3rd: Paige Railey - USA
7th: Isabelle Bertold - CAN
27th: Brenda Bowskill - CAN
Silver
2nd: Claire Merry - CAN
11th: Claire Dennis - USA
17th: Ingrid Merry - CAN
37th: Christina Persson - USA
get our points across. Local University
students who
volunteered as
liaisons and
translators
during the
regatta were
helpful. Outside
of sailing,
other activities
included playing
ping pong in
the hotel and
taking autorickshaws to the
local shopping
center and market! Paying for rides to the
shopping center was often entertaining
with the language barrier but after the
currency conversion
usually only cost about
$1-2!
The food in
Rizhao was much
different than I had
expected and was
certainly not your typical Americaninfused Chinese food! We ate the majority
of our meals at the hotel restaurant that
made a huge effort to provide westernstyle fare for the sailors. Highlights
included dragon fruit and the ability to
make your own hot-pot every evening.
There were some entertaining translations
on the buffet signs and all of the eggs were
duck eggs instead of chicken eggs.
Our North American contingent
included 3 American and 4 Canadian girls.
Croatia’s Tina Mihelic won the regatta
with top North American finishers being
Paige Railey and Isabella Bertold coming
3rd and 7th respectively. As I get back into
international Radial sailing in earnest,
this was a great event with challenging
conditions. I was able to focus on areas of
my sailing needing the most improvement
and came away from the event knowing
that my time in China had been very
productive and an all-around great
experience!
Photo above: Claire Dennis and Paige
Railey on the tow out to the course in
Rizhao
WINTER 2014
Atlantic Coast Championships 2013
MARGARET MACCORMACK
4.7 #147861
The 2013 ACC’s for me was only my
2nd big laser event since moving out of
the Opti class last fall. The venue was
Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club, New
Jersey. I was not able to get any practice
at the venue in prior to the regatta due
to my school schedule. I was lucky
however, that I had sailed this venue twice
competing in the Barclay Cup Team Race
as an Opti sailor (it’s the oldest cup in
New Jersey).
There were 177 sailors competing in all
three fleets with 12 competitors in the 4.7
class. The first day the wind was light and
shifty with some chop. Good starts were
going to be key if you hoped to do well.
The first race I had a good start and played
the shifts and rounded the mark in first. I
was able to hold onto my lead and win the
first race. The second
4.7 Division
race I once again had
Sail
Skipper
a good start but wasn’t as lucky with the
shifts and finished 5th overall. The third
and final race for day one I won the start
and read the wind well. This was a very
close race all the way around the course;
Elizabeth Hansen and I were back and
forth battling for first. I was finally able to
pull ahead and win the last race of the day.
I felt good about my performance on the
first day and was hoping we would have
good breeze on day two.
Day two of the event found the wind to
be very light from the west. The race
committee sent us out to the course where
we were under postponement for a long
time hoping for a sea breeze to fill in.
This gave us some down time on the water
and the ability to get to know each other
a little bit. After what seemed like a two
hour wait a light wind finally started to fill
in. The race committee was able to set a
course and we were able to get three races
the day in light
Results - ACCs for
and unpredictable
Yacht Club
1
3
4
5
5
[13/OCS]
2
1
1
3
2
1
4
2
[8]
6
15
2
1
5
1
[13/OCS]
6
4
17T
3
199967 Charlotte leClue
Larchmont
Yacht Club
St. Petersburg
Yacht Club
Toms River
Yacht Club
Stamford YC
[9]
2
6
5
3
1
199772 megan dyer
ihyc
3
4
3
7
2
[9]
200169 Scott Meggitt
Surf City Yacht
Club
Raritan Yacht
Club
St Petersburg
Yacht Club
IHYC
8
6
5
[10]
5
2
17T
19
26
4
5
6
4
7
[11]
6
4
8
29
7
7
8
7
3
7
[10]
32
8
10
3
9
[11]
9
7
11
12
4
11
5
38 9
43 10
9
10
9
[12]
11
45 11
10
8
8
10
[12]
47 12
177998 Elizabeth Hansen
187760 Emily Wright
147861 Margaret MacCormack
194575 Coleen Ross
186591 Grant Boicheff
182772 Thomas Kiesel
4344
Louisa Chafee
190289 Hunter Skinner
172945 Shannon Kearney
Saunderstown [12]
yacht club
Rochester Yacht 6
Club
Toms River YC
11
2
6 Total Pos
12 1
photo above: The author, Margaret MacCormack in her 4.7. Photo by John Fields
conditions once again. The first race I
won the start but was not aware that I was
over and I got an OCS for that race. The
second and third races were tough, with
all of us so close in the races. There was
no room for mistakes at all in these races
as my fellow competitors were good. I
finished the day out with a sixth and fourth
place finishes. Charlotte LeClue and I
finished with a total of 17 points but I won
the point tie for third place. Emily Wright,
finished second with a score of 15 points
and Elizabeth Hansen, won the event with
a score of 12 points.
I would like to thank all of the volunteers
from Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club
for running a great event. The race
committee, judges and all of the support
boats on the water. I also would like to
thank Clay Johnson and Colie Sails for
doing a great job on the awards.
Combine the Hydrophobic
Thermo Skin Fleece with the
Neoprene Ultrawarm to
be AMAZINGLY WARM!
www.Laser.org
27
Grand Prix 2013
Laser 4.7
# events
1
MacCormack
Total
points
Margaret
4
103
2
Wright
Emily
3
89
3
Leclue
Charlotte
3
87
4
Hansen
Elizabeth
2
57
5
Skinner
Hunter
2
43
6
Meggitt
Scott
2
43
7
McCann
Macey
1
40
8
Hughes
Parker
1
39
9
Carter
Bailey
1
38
10
Lietz
Jessica
1
35
11
Peters
Alannah
1
34
12
Kearney
Shannon
2
32
13
Levine
Lawson
1
31
14
Burns
Andy
1
30
15
Ploch
Megan
1
30
16
Ferrarotto
Noah
1
29
17
Luczynski
Henryk
1
27
18
Taylor
Willow
1
26
19
Wilson
Gage
1
20
20
Nordstrom
Louise
1
19
21
Neuman
Christian
1
19
22
Ross
Coleen
1
19
23
Naughton
Abby
1
18
24
Boichieff
Grant
1
18
25
Wilson
Tanner
1
17
26
Kiesel
Thomas
1
17
27
Freeley
Katie
1
16
28
Chafee
Louisa
1
16
29
O'Connor
Brenda
1
16
30
Murray
Patrick
1
15
31
Bornarth
Kathryn
1
15
Radial
# events
Dennis
Claire
3
70
65
Marshall
He
15
Hughes
Haddon
3
67
66
Chicoine
A
16
Baab
Lindsey
4
66
67
Neal
Pe
17
Shanahan
Patrick
4
65
68
Paine
O
18
Broussard
Clay
3
61
69
Hawkins
Hu
19
Butcher
Lenox Dare
3
61
70
Blair
20
Merry
Claire
2
60
71
McGlynn
M. P
Ke
21
Ruitenberg
Luke
3
59
72
Rhode
Da
22
Pulsford
James
3
59
73
Kendrick
Da
23
Prieto
Gary
2
59
74
Boucher
L
24
Merry
Ingrid
3
58
75
Cameron-Steinke
Dun
25
Hackstaff
Addison
2
58
76
Swikart
Con
26
Lyon
Drake
3
57
77
Dobbins
Ph
27
Butcher
Thomson
4
56
78
Lewin-LaFrance
Ho
28
Weis
Christopher
3
55
79
Hughes
Par
29
Weaver
Hanne
3
53
80
Cullen
Ja
Ger
30
Dana
William
4
53
81
Eastman
31
Mccann
Marshall
3
52
82
Didham
Pa
32
Glosenger
Jeffrey
2
51
83
Bennett
Jes
33
Staff
Simone
2
49
84
Woodford
T
34
Widmeier
Andrew
3
47
85
Abisambra
Ca
35
Larsen
Kyle
4
47
86
Douglas
Sa
36
Kilvert
Graham
2
45
87
Henly
37
Toland
Jack
3
44
88
Koppernaes
38
Marshall
William
2
44
89
Sole
Sop
39
Rasmussen
Scott
3
43
90
Abelson
Reb
40
Reineke
Erika
1
40
91
Coranz
Kim
41
Karim
Fillah
4
40
92
Lockyer
He
42
Marshall
Jack
2
40
93
Schofield
Ph
43
Faubel
Carsten
2
39
94
Widmeier
Ma
Aa
Drum
44
Guerriero
Max
2
38
95
Sears
45
Richardson
Bronwyn
2
36
96
Brink
Da
46
Housey
Boyd
2
35
97
Lalonde
Ro
Cla
47
Cloutier
Phenix
2
35
98
Wessels
48
Myerscough
Reece
3
34
99
Norwood
Rae-
49
Cefali
William
4
34
100
Podlich
Mar
Ku
Total
points
50
Pereira
John
2
34
101
Jensen
Drake
51
Gordon
Richard
2
33
102
Rhodenizer
Jona
52
Neville
Christine
2
33
103
Rienzi
Da
53
Ramsay
Luke
1
30
104
Powell
Mitc
54
Steward
D'Amy
2
29
105
Gugliemini
Ol
55
Henneberry
Meghan
2
29
106
Bayless
Con
56
Vargas
Mateo
1
29
107
Andreasen
Br
57
Johnson
Wills
2
29
108
Landry
J
Da
1
Lamphere
Malcolm
4
121
2
Weitz
Cooper
5
112
3
McCarthy
Liam
5
107
4
Bowskill
Brenda
4
107
5
McCann
Ford
5
107
6
Harney
Graham
4
96
7
Bushnell
Lola
4
83
8
Stafford
Violet
4
82
9
Baird
Nic
4
81
10
Macrae
Hugh
4
77
11
Puopolo
Andrew
4
76
12
Willard
Lawson
3
74
13
Fritz
Alexander
4
71
28
14
58
Dorr
Roger
2
28
109
Anthes
59
Dunn
Nathan
1
27
110
Cole
60
Beatty
Sandy
1
27
111
Haldeman
Do
61
List
Charlotte
3
26
112
O'Brien
Mic
62
Webster
Skip
2
26
113
Stevens
Rob
63
Peters
Corinne
2
26
114
Pasquin
Phil
64
Jones
William
1
26
115
DeBoiseblanc
Pie
WINTER 2014
Ke
enry
Alec
Grand Prix 2013
1
25
116
Esbensen
Gretchen
1
13
167
Hobbs
Greiner
1
5
1
25
117
Duler
John-Bernard
1
13
168
Baird
Ty
1
4
eter
2
25
118
Murdoch
Ross
1
13
169
MacCormack
Bridget
1
4
Olin
1
24
119
Sullivan
Lauren
1
13
170
Vasilkovs
Liz
1
4
ugh
2
23
120
Wyllie
David
1
12
171
Goldberg
Joshua
1
4
Parks
1
23
121
Streater
Paul
1
12
172
McKinney
Molly
1
4
elly
2
23
122
Seicshnaydre
Jacob
1
12
173
Myrden
Ricard
1
4
ana
2
23
123
Lorenz
Drew
1
11
174
Ronco
Giovanni
1
4
aniel
2
23
124
MacGillivray
Miranda
1
11
175
Frost
Christina
1
4
Leo
2
22
125
Hiew
Jacob
1
11
176
Reguero
Andrew
1
3
3
ncan
1
22
126
McCaffrey
Chris
1
11
177
Tan
Michael
1
nnor
2
22
127
Persson
Christina
1
10
178
Paggi
Alexander
1
3
hilip
1
21
128
Blair
Mott
1
10
179
Rizika
Ben
1
3
olly
1
21
129
McKnight
Jesse
1
10
180
Dittmore
Parker
1
3
rker
1
21
130
Hahl
Donald
1
10
181
Kirby
Brandon
1
3
ake
2
20
131
Hodson
Rob
1
10
182
Jackson
Casey
1
2
rard
2
20
132
Bussin
Isaac
1
10
183
Spevak
Walt
1
2
aul
2
20
133
Collinson
Jared
1
10
184
Kiger
F Gray
1
2
ssica
1
20
134
Dawson
Eliza
2
10
185
Dochoda
Josh
1
2
Tim
1
20
135
Hopkins
Steve
1
9
186
Scheiblauer
Caden
1
2
arlos
1
20
136
Dana
Francesca
1
9
187
Broussard
Carly
1
2
arah
1
20
137
Jenkins
Michael
1
9
188
Streater
Sarah
1
2
aron
1
19
138
Hanna
Alexander
1
9
189
Kremic
Stefan
1
2
mmond
1
19
139
Gower
Jack
1
9
190
Magno
Kyle
1
1
phia
1
19
140
Purcell
Keith
1
9
191
Legault
Riley
1
1
becca
2
18
141
Kendrick
Christine
1
9
192
Strumph
Sumner
1
1
mberly
1
18
142
Munger
Michael
1
8
193
Williams
Emma
1
1
enry
1
18
143
Martin
Tony
1
8
194
Adams
Sky
1
1
hillip
1
17
144
McJones
Jessica
1
8
195
O'Connor
Sean
1
1
addie
1
17
145
Stevens
Gordon
1
8
196
Baum
Braedon
1
1
197
Leuck
Dave
1
1
aire
1
17
146
Crabb
Sean
1
8
avid
1
17
147
Hench
John
1
8
obert
1
17
148
Borjiet
Boyd
1
8
urt
1
17
149
Drejes
Emma
1
8
-Anne
2
17
150
Leuck
Steven
2
8
rgaret
1
16
151
Collins
Kevin
1
7
e Irvin
1
16
152
Guerriero
Reese
1
7
athan
1
16
153
Bache
Emiliano
1
7
ante
1
16
154
Burns
Andy
1
7
chell
1
16
155
Hopps
Ryan
1
7
livia
1
15
156
Slook
Brittney
1
7
nnor
1
15
157
Pottharst
Jonathan
1
6
ryce
1
15
158
Robertson
Cole
1
6
Jill
1
15
159
Fox
Haley
1
6
avid
1
14
160
Smith
Steven
1
6
elly
1
14
161
Christopher
Jim
1
6
orian
1
14
162
Reineke
Sophia
1
5
chael
1
14
163
Rizika
Gabrielle
1
5
berto
1
14
164
Phelps
Dirk
1
5
lippe
2
14
165
Brady
Nicholas
1
5
erce
1
13
166
Lynn
Carter
1
5
www.Laser.org
Full Rig
#
events
Total
points
1
Long
Stephen
5
116
2
Davis
Robert
4
109
3
Wright
David
3
98
4
Long
Matthew
5
95
5
Beatty
Sandy
5
91
91
6
Muller
Luke
4
7
Didham
Richard
5
89
8
Bowers
Erik
4
88
9
Ramshaw
Tom
3
86
10
Vranizan
Frederick
3
83
11
Wood
Bryant
5
80
12
Clunies
Gregory
3
80
13
Wells
Fraser
4
78
14
Johnson
Clay
3
75
15
Ryder
Matthew
3
73
16
Barnard
Chris
3
73
29
Grand P
Full Rig - continued
64
Dickson
Glen
2
26
112
Raney
Burke
17
McLaughlin
Evert
3
72
65
Wells
David
1
25
113
18
Shope
Peter
4
70
66
Valente
Nick
1
24
114
Karas
67
Woodworth
Matt
1
23
115
Andreasen
19
Parkhill
Lee
2
68
20
Reitinger
Eric
5
62
68
Fanning
Avery
1
23
116
Parshall
59
69
Leuck
Dave
1
23
117
Vienneau
Purdy
21
Martinez
Gregory
2
22
Falk
Dan
4
59
70
Martin
Kyle
1
22
118
23
Buckingham
Charlie
3
55
71
Lyons
Drake
1
22
119
Watt
Giffin
Gerry
1
21
120
Heausler
24
Usher
Tracy
3
51
72
25
Zaleski
Marek
3
50
73
Hansen
Lars
1
21
121
Fields
26
Heinzemann
Alexander
2
48
74
O'Brien
Michael
1
20
122
Morris
27
Deutsch
Jon
4
48
75
Omara
Edward
1
20
123
Strilky
28
Didomizio
Adam
4
46
76
Hassinger
Stanley
1
20
124
Hassinger
29
Ikeda
Ian
3
46
77
Gallagher
Terence
2
20
125
Hecky
78
Glover
Rolfe
1
20
126
Cremer
30
Vessella
Peter
3
45
31
Kiss
Mitchell
2
45
79
Mahaffey
Ryan
1
20
127
Dohan
32
Machum
Henry
4
45
80
Guerriero
Max
2
20
128
Hughes
33
Russom
Mike
3
44
81
Seward
Max
1
20
129
Bishop
34
Plutenko
Roman
2
43
82
Russom
Dennis
1
20
130
Chicoine
43
83
Wagner
R. Polk
1
20
131
Doherty
84
Jacob
Mac
1
19
132
Shepard
35
Yamamoto
Harumitsu
3
36
Castelli
Eilio
3
43
37
Symes
Bill
3
40
85
Fisher
Brian
1
19
133
Kirby
Phelan
Peter
1
19
134
Toole
38
Fritz
Dominic
2
40
86
39
Lyons
Matthew
2
39
87
Usher
Charles
1
19
135
Bell
40
Gallagher
Conor
2
38
88
Balk
Thomas
1
19
136
Kerrest
41
Bove
Dominic
2
38
89
MacCausland
John
1
19
137
Boudreau
42
Faubel
Carsten
2
37
90
Schmidt
Mike
2
19
138
Morgan
43
Norton
Justin
2
27
91
Davis
Packy
2
19
139
Chapin
37
92
Cottrell
Brian
1
19
140
Botto
44
Bignell
Jack
3
45
46
Swetka
Ken
2
37
93
Brink
David
1
18
141
Savage
Vlasic
Adrian
3
37
94
McGraw
Dan
1
18
142
Trinder
47
Gallant
Max
2
35
95
Koppernaes
Christian
1
18
143
Stang
48
Crane
Robert
1
34
96
Chung
Keenan
1
18
144
Winberg
49
Weis
Erik
2
33
97
Hewitt
Lindsay
1
17
145
Alexander
50
Raab
Chris
2
33
98
Walker
Glenn
1
17
146
Karcher
51
Luttmer
Bernard
2
33
99
Neri
Daniel
1
17
147
Morris
Leonard
Ian
1
17
148
Sullivan
Gauvreau
Nick
1
17
149
Lawson
52
Schmitz
Ryan
2
32
100
53
Savage
Leigh
2
32
101
54
Mazin
Rodion
3
31
102
Toole
Oliver
1
17
150
Sweet
Butcher
Thomson
1
17
151
Shingledecker
55
Davy
Konrad
3
31
103
56
Barry
Daniel
2
29
104
Robbins
Jeffrey
1
17
152
Fluehr
57
Martin
Billy
2
28
105
Brick
Had
1
17
153
Hansen
58
Bradley
Michael
2
28
106
Shockey
Kevin
1
17
154
Hiebert
59
Palmeter
Alexander
1
28
107
Bottles
Derek
2
17
155
Jackson
60
Burke
Alexander
2
28
108
Hull
J.P.
1
17
156
Chaisson
61
Shanahan
Brendan
2
28
109
Shockey
John
1
16
157
Farrell
62
Dold
Chris
1
27
110
David
Joe
1
16
158
Hahl
63
Bourdow
Stephen
1
26
111
Magno
Dave
1
16
159
Wachholz
30
WINTER 2014
C
A
C
Prix 2013
Brian
1
16
160
Rutledge
Michael
1
11
208
Dixon
Lou
1
6
Nick
1
16
161
Pineo
Justin
1
11
209
Drasnin
Peter
1
6
Michael
1
16
162
Pereira
Adrian
1
11
210
Bosch
Thomas
1
6
Patrick
1
16
163
Rizika
Jake
1
11
211
Wallace
John
1
6
David
1
16
164
Barry
James
1
11
212
Drotning
Henry
1
6
Christian
1
16
165
Schoene
David
1
11
213
Sunstrum
James
1
6
John
2
16
166
Palmieri
Chris
1
11
214
Callahan
Jeremiah
1
6
David
1
16
167
Hoehne
Kurt
1
11
215
Myers
Chris
1
6
William
1
15
168
Evans
Jeffrey
1
11
216
Knape
Charlie
1
6
Nathan
2
15
169
Leuck
Steven
1
11
217
Hartman
David
1
6
Brett
1
15
170
Gulyas
Evan
1
11
218
Wiersma
Kevin
1
6
Rick
1
15
171
Seckler
Frank
1
11
219
Gebhardt
John
1
6
5
Peyton
1
15
172
Wisch
Alex
1
11
220
Pendergast
Thomas
1
Michael
2
15
173
Foley
Paul
2
10
221
Clemett
Nathaniel
1
5
Ted
1
15
174
Pegel
Susie
1
10
222
Fisher
Gregory
1
5
John
1
15
175
Stanley
James
1
10
223
Hendricks
Steven
1
5
Britt
1
15
176
Hopkins
Ken
1
10
224
Birmingham
Daniel
1
5
Mike
1
15
177
Raduziner
Rick
1
10
225
Lounsbury
Ethan
1
5
5
Alec
1
14
178
Parramore
michael
1
10
226
Key
Windy
1
Matthew
1
14
179
Blanco
Robert
1
10
227
Stow
Derek
1
5
Alexander
3
14
180
Wilkinson
Ben
1
9
228
Voehl
Courtney
1
4
Brandon
1
14
181
Harvey
Bob
1
9
229
Wood
Rick
1
4
Patrick
1
14
182
Brooks
Ward
1
9
230
Frissell
Peter
1
4
Simon
1
14
183
Lindsay
Charles
1
9
231
Ratigan
Kevin
1
4
Jacques
2
14
184
Kohli
Sanjai
1
9
232
Nichols
David
1
4
Jeffrey
1
14
185
Jamieson
Nathan
1
9
233
Wattis
Newton
1
4
Ted
1
14
186
Leverich
Ken
1
8
234
Smith
Nick
1
3
Dave
1
14
187
Kennedy
Colin
1
8
235
Hawley
Francis
1
3
Joao
1
14
188
Leiz
Arthur
1
8
236
Tolan
Troy
1
3
Brady
1
13
189
Karaitis
Aras
1
8
237
Tomlinson
Paul
1
3
David
1
13
190
Feo
Ed
1
8
238
Knab
James
1
3
Christopher
1
13
191
Lara
Tristan
1
8
239
Firth
Brian
1
2
2
Jay
1
13
192
Peet
George
1
8
240
Davidson
Dick
1
Aaron
1
13
193
Weaver
Hanne
1
8
241
Thompson
Jack
1
2
Phil
1
13
194
Breder
David
1
8
242
Porter
Roberto
1
2
Wheeler
1
13
195
Turner
Matthew
1
8
243
Warren
Stephen
1
2
Victor
2
13
196
Moran
James
1
8
244
Johnson
Eric
1
2
Bill
1
13
197
Elliott
Ian
1
8
245
Schofield
Matthew
1
2
Robby
1
12
198
Davis
Michelle
1
8
246
Key
Robert
1
2
Luke
1
12
199
Pullen
Nick
1
7
247
Russell
Benjamin
1
2
Macklin
1
12
200
Pro
Nicolaus
1
7
248
Scheiblauer
Craig
1
2
Bruce
1
12
201
Evans
Michael
1
7
249
McBriarty
Patrick
1
2
David
1
12
202
Szymanski
Stephen
1
7
250
Robbins
Eric
1
1
Gregory
3
12
203
DelBello
Daniel
1
7
251
Glass
Adam
1
1
Zachary
1
12
204
Sherar
Matthew
1
7
252
Griswold
Ken
1
1
Patrick
1
12
205
Rees
Michael
1
7
253
Schmidt
Steven
1
1
Donald
1
12
206
Sorenson
Adam
1
7
254
Ross
Mark
1
1
Patrick
1
11
207
Axelson
Jim
1
7
www.Laser.org
31
2013 Olympic Classes Regatta – One for the History Books
District 25, Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, Long
Beach CA
For the first time in a very, very
long time, the ABYC 2013 Olympic Classes
Regatta was not held in the spring! In order to
coincide with other Olympic classes events on
the West Coast, this year’s OCR was moved
to September 14th and 15th. 22 sailors in Finns,
Lasers and Radials made up a relatively small
fleet compared to other OCR’s. But just like
OCR’s of yore, this fleet included its share of
fast, high caliber sailors which included a Finn
Gold Cup Champion, College Sailor of the
Year, US Sailing Development Team members,
and a US Sailing National Champion! The
Race Committee, members of our Multihull
Fleet, included its own Olympic Medalists,
National, and North American champions too!
Everyone was ready to go sailing!
Saturday morning rolled in, and so
did the fog!!! The locals knew that the fog
would burn off by noon, as it did all week
long. But by 10:30AM, you could not see the
harbor from the second deck. Nevertheless, the
PRO gave the call to go sailing! It was simple
enough to follow the rocks to starboard and
the channel buoys to port, but once the fleet
reached the channel entrance, visibility reduced
to four or five boat lengths! That’s Laser boat
lengths! So, the AP flew on Patience (ABYC’s
RC boat) holding everyone at the entrance.
After 20 minutes and reduced visibility, the AP
over H flew on Patience. Everyone back to the
dock! More signals (and adventures) ashore!
Like Sabots during lunch break,
the docks were filled with tied off Lasers and
Finns. The sailors took advantage to catch up
on the college football scores or relax on the
couches on the second deck. The RC took
periodic reconnaissance trips up the channel
to check on conditions. By 11:30, you could
not see across the channel or the water off
the beach. Luckily, the fog was lifting in the
basin, which was very fortunate because we
were able to see two derelict Lasers floating
away in basin five; the sailors took their eyes
off the big screen and asked “who’s Lasers
are those?” With sail numbers identified as
194180 (Barnard) and 192874 (Wilson), they
ran down the gangway thinking: “ I am sure
no one see’s me! Really, nobody is looking!”
Well, everyone did! At first, the Finn class
was suspected of a practical joke, but they
are gentlemen and would never think untying
painters. Decorum prevailed and Messrs.
Barnard and Wilson admitted that they need to
go back to Knot School!
Time goes by….It is now 12:45, still
foggy and no let-up in sight! But the sailor’s
enthusiasm for the sport did not wane as the
America’s Cup was scheduled to start at 1:15
on the big screen! Did we really want to try
sailing in the Bay now? The Cup race starts,
not a bad crowd to watch with! Oracle won
the first race, more football! By 2:00, our PRO
made an announcement: At 2:30, a decision
will be made to either race or call it a day. The
day was called and the Burger Bash started
early!
Now Sunday, more fog! AP flag
flew ashore. After a half an hour or so, the
PRO presented our options, sail in the bay, sail
off Seal Beach, or call it day. We decided to
give it a try and go sailing off the Seal Beach
Pier. The fleet sailed in five or so knots of
breeze, but the skies kept clearing; now we
can actually see the oil islands! The course
was set and the RC signaled a WL course, the
sailors lined up, and racing started! The breeze
building to 12 knots by the end of the first race!
Unfortunately, the building breeze brought in
more fog! The oil island disappeared, then the
weather mark, then the course! (I figured as
long as I could see Patience I was safe!) Now
the W flag is up! We are going to race in the
fog!
The Finns started and disappeared
into the fog! “How do you race in the fog” I
asked myself. Do you bang a corner? Go up
the middle? Or stay with the fleet and sail off
the end of the world together? I picked the
middle, barely seeing port Lasers on the right
side of the course. A ghostly figure appeared
to my left, it was the gate RC boat checking on
the fleet! “I must be in the middle” I thought.
The boats to my right tacked on to Starboard
a good fifty yards away, and I follow suit. No
sight of the weather mark or the weather RC
boat! Just as I thought the next thing I would
see was the Casino on Catalina, I saw the
mark! I was on the layline and everyone else
over stood! I guess that is the way to sail in
fog! Fortunately (or unfortunately), the PRO
decided not to send the Radials on this race.
By the start of the third race, the fog began
to lift and the wind increased to 18 knots or
so, out of the southwest! We could see the
weather mark as well as Palos Verdes! This is
what we have been waiting all weekend for:
good breeze, the sun, and a square course! All
sailors made it back safely and quickly in the
strong breeze!
With only three races completed (two for the
radials), a series was established; perpetual
trophies and medals were ready to be awarded!
Lasers:
1. Chris Barnard – NHYC (3)
2. Vann Wilson – ABYC (7)
3. Richard Didam – SDYC (8)
Radials:
1. Cole Baker – MBYC (5)
2. Paul Didham – SDYC (6)
3. Jesse McKnight – SDYC( 6)
Many thanks to ABYC’s Race Committee for
keeping us informed on land and racing when
we could. A very special thanks to the ABYC’s
Multihull Fleet who were ready to go at any
moment all weekend long and for keeping track
of all the sailors in the fog! Finally, a hardy
handshake to John Williams as the regatta
chairman, executive, and MC, who melded all
the elements at hand to make the 2013 OCR
Regatta “one for the history books”!
3/4 Airprene
Hiking Pants
the soft breathable
perforated neoprene
allows water to
penetrate and cool
the body.
32
WINTER 2014
District 3
Nigel Heath
Ontario, CAN
The boats are now packed away for the winter and all is quiet at the
sailing club. Unfortunately the cold weather through the end of October
and November did not permit much end-of-season sailing at the
Water Rats Sailing Club. I only got into the boat once since the North
American Masters Championships in Newport…..too bad!
At the time of writing, we are experiencing an early arrival of winter,
with snow and temperatures that are better suited to mid-January than
late fall. I say bring it on! I hope we have a “real” winter this year and
no more of this “tropical Toronto” crap. (Has Nigel lost his mind, you
might be thinking.) Nope, he has found a new winter sport. At the end
of last winter we discovered kite-skiing on the ice at the Water Rats…
what a blast!! So this year we can’t wait for winter to arrive to get
back out on the hard water. Hopefully the outer harbor will freeze over
solid and become a kite-skiing (or boarding) paradise, unlike in recent
warmer years.
The beauty of the sport is that virtually any ice surface conditions
will work, so long as the ice is thick enough of course. You are not
restricted to clear ice conditions as is required for ice-boating. In
fact, its better if there is some hard packed snow covering the ice
as its easier for your edges to bite into. Sharp skis are a must and I
recommend getting them sharpened to about 87 degrees for better
bite. Straight old skis work better than newer shaped skis, unless there
is deep powder. Small foil kites (4m is fine for beginners) can be
picked up for about $150 and after a few hours of training on flying
the kite, you will be ready for the adrenaline rush. Its a lot easier than
kiteboarding on the water, and safer because the kite is considerably
smaller and easier to depower.
There no point sitting inside through the winter watching Youtube
videos while guys are sailing in warmer climates…..get out there and
embrace winter. We should not feel cursed by a cold winter, we should
feel fortunate that we have cold enough weather conditions that enable
winter sports that sailors in the south can only dream about. Kite-skiing
is a great way of getting out there and playing in the wind, and I can
guarantee you will go a lot faster than reaching in your laser….and you
remember how much fun that was!!
Okay back to District 3 matters. For anyone planning on hosting a
regatta, we are taking regatta requests for next summer, so get your
dates lined up and contact Paul Muldoon or myself. Just a reminder
that our Gold Cup regattas incur a $3/boat fee to the class. Visit
d3laser.com for more local laser sailing info and the regatta schedule.
Hope to see you out on the ice this winter.
District 5
Mark Lammens
Saskatoon, CAN
Congratulations to Nic Hamel for winning the Bronze Medal at the
Canada Games. Laser sailor Joe Gerlinsky won the Silver in the
Paralympic 2.4.
2013 District 5 Dick Degner Series final result sfrom the 6 regattas:
Overall Open: 1st Nic Hemal, 41 pts., 2nd Dave Cormack, 29 pts.,
3rd Ian Elliot, 38 pts., 4th Ilia Rudnitskiy, 37 pts. Overall Radial 1st
Stephen Reichenfeld, 24 pts. 2nd Lesley Reichenfeld, 20 pts. 3rd
Garrett Taylor 15 pts. 4th Connor Weicht, 15 pts. Overall top Masters:
1st LP Gagnon, 48 pts., 2nd Phil Paxton 39pts., 3rd Mike Hooper, 37
pts. 4th Lewis Oteruelo 36 pts.
District 6
Andy Hunt
Vancouver, CAN
The 2013 racing and regatta season for District 6 is now over.
Since the last report, there was a regatta a month for the months of
September, October and November. The Royal Victoria Yacht Club
was the host club for the September regatta. This regatta is called the
Spring Dinghy Championships and is part of the BC Sailing Circuit.
It was rainy and very light winds this time and the race committee
only managed to get off two races over the two days of the regatta,
The dates were September 28 and 29. Most of the sailors came from
either Vancouver or Victoria with a few from Comox. Unlike most of
the BC Sailing Circuit regattas, the Fall Dinghy Championships had
more Laser Full Rigs (27) than Laser Radials (20). There were no
Laser 4.7s. The Top five standard sailors were: Ian Elliott (RVICYC),
Aiden Koster (RVICYC), Phil Paxton (CYC), Richard Myerscough
(RVICYC) and Alexander Sheppard (RVANYC), The top five Radial
sailors were: Graham Harney (RVANYC), Alexander Fritz (RVANYC),
Aiden Collins (COMOX), Miranda MacGillvray (RVANYC) and John
Owen (RVICYC). Light winds were also in attendance at the Pumpkin
Bowl regatta. This regatta was the last regatta of the BC Sailing
Circuit. The West Vancouver Yacht Club was the host club of the
Pumpkin Bowl. There were 4 races over the two days (October 19 and
20). The Laser Radials outnumbered the standard rigs 47 to 21. There
were also 5 Laser 4.7s, It seems as though the sailing organizations
on the North Shore (WVYC, EHYC, HSC etc) are more interested in
the Laser 4.7 than organizations across English Bay (JSCA, RVANYC
and KYC). I am not sure why this is happening at the present time.
The top five Radial sailors were: Reece Myerscough (RVICYC),
Alexander Fritz (RVANYC), Miranda MacGillvray (RVANYC), Hanne
www.Laser.org
Weaver (RVANYC) and Graham Harney (RVANYC). The top five
standard Laser sailors were: Max Gallant (RVICYC), Dominic Fritz
(RVANYC), Adrian Vlasic (RVANYC), Ian Elliott (RVICYC) and
Chris Wilson (RVANYC). The five Laser 4.7 sailors were (from first
to fifth were: Brian Rojkov (WVYC), Musa Fortin (RPSA), Matthew
Stranagahan (GSC), Gabriel Santiago (WVYC) and Dale Stanagahan
(GSC). In contrast to the previous two regattas, the Bluenose Regatta,
hosted by the Kitsilano Yacht Club on November 2 and 3, had a low
turnout of Lasers (7) and Laser Radials (9) but higher winds. Winds
on November 2 were between 14 and 18 knots while they decreased
to 8 - 10 knots on November 3. The race committee ran 4 races each
day. The top three Standard Laser sailors were Al Clark (RVANYC),
Adrian Vlasic (RVANYC) and Peter Woytkowiak (JSCA). THe top
three Radial sailors were: Graham Harney (RVANYC), Boyd Barjet
and Jake Ciullen (RVANYC). The BC Sailing Circuit is made up of
eight regattas which starts with the Kitten Cup in April and ends, as
mentioned, with the Pumpkin Bowl in October. Sailors are scored
using a best 6 of 8 format and uses the high point scoring system. All
of the regattas had Laser Radials while
seven of the regattas had both Laser Radials and Laser full rigs. Only
three of the regattas
( Springtime Regatta, Sockeye Cup and Pumpkin Bowl) had all three
classes. Speaking of the Sockeye Cup, it is no longer part of the BC
Circuit. The Squamish Yacht Club will have an event (BC Sailing
Championships) in it’s place in 2014. Full results of the 2013 BC
Sailing Circuit can be found on the BC Sailing’s website (www.
bcsailing.bc.ca). The top five standard sailors were: Ian Elliott,
RVICYC, Open); Max Gallant, RVICYC, Youth; Adrian Vlasic,
RVANYC, Open; Matthew Turner, RVICYC, Youth and Nick Smith,
RVICYC, Youth. Top five Laser Radial sailors were: Graham Harney,
RVANYC, Youth; Alexander Fritz, RVANYC, Youth; Fillah Karim,
RVANYC, Open; Miranda MacGellvray, RVANYC, Youth and Reece
Myerscough, RVICYC, Youth. The top three Laser 4.7 sailors were:
Thish Rajapakshe, COSA, Youth; Joshua Smithman, RPSA, Youth and
Brian Rojkov, WVYC, Youth.
Plans are underway to organize the 3014 District 6 schedule. The big
idea is that there is a possibility of having five regattas in a row in the
summer starting with WAVES (RVANYC) in late June and ending with
the open Laser, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 Canadian Championships
(RVANYC) in late July. Just for fun, sailors can also head down to San
Francisco for the Laser and Laser Radial US Championships on the
first weekend of August.
I hope to have information for the District 6 website (www.
district6x,ca) by the end of the year.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.
District 7
Derek Stow
Tiverton, RI
Another season of successful Laser regattas in district 7 is behind us,
with many sailors now enjoying a winter of Laser frostbite racing
at several fleets around New England. In 2013 there were 32 Laser
regattas in the district including a couple of huge events with around
140 Lasers and Radials at each. Thanks to all the dedicated regatta
organizers and race committees for all their work in making this
happen for us, and to all the dedicated Laser sailors who support our
Class.
The Atlantic Coast Laser Masters Championship was sailed at
Barrington on September 14 and 15. The 40 competitors enjoyed light
breezes of 5-10 knots from the NW on Saturday and S on Sunday. The
overall winners were
1. Joe van Rossem
2. Dan Neri
3. Peter Seidenberg
Congratulations also to the age group division winners, Brian Fisher
- Apprentice Master, Lynne Shore - Master, Dan Neri - Grand Master
and Joe van Rossem - Great Grandmaster.
On the same weekend, the fourth event in the Maine Championship
Series, the Loon Cup, was held at Lake Cobbossecontee in Manchester,
ME on 15 September. Fourteen Laser sailors enjoyed air temps in
the 70s and a refreshingly puffy 6-16 knot south-westerly wind. Five
different sailors recorded bullets in the eight total races sailed. In the
end it was Stu Nickerson who raced with greatest consistency, boat
speed, strategic smarts and patience to win the day head of second
place Tom Jamieson, with Gary Orkney in third. A few cold ones,
some BBQ and laughs over awards wrapped the day into a completely
successful event package.
The Hippo Cup held in Thomaston, Maine on 5 October was the final
regatta in the five regatta Maine State Championship series. Sally
Sharp of Enfield, New Hampshire needed to win the event and place
a competitor between herself and Colin Gowland of Belfast, Maine to
become the Maine State Champion. With consistent finishes of 2, 1, 4
in the light and shifty conditions, Sally topped the fleet of 17 boats to
secure the Hippo, edging out Hank Thornburn in second by two points
and Colin Gowland by 3 points. Sally’s win also allowed her to break
the tie with Colin Gowland for first in the overall series and take home
the 2013 Maine Championship Trophy. Gary Orkney of Stonington,
CT finished 3rd overall in the series, Hank Thorburn 4th and Syd
Sewall 5th.
Great Bay YC hosted the New Hampshire Seacoast Regatta on October
6. The winners were…
1. Peter Seidenberg
District Reports
2. Peter Follansbee
3. Stu Nickerson
4. Colin Gowland
5. Hank Thorburn
Quannapowitt YC in Wakefield MA hosted their always popular Last
Blast Regatta on October 12, attracting 20 sailors who enjoyed 8
races and the usual warm welcome and hospitality from QYC. Peter
Seidenberg was on form once again, scoring four bullets. The top 5
were…
1. Peter Seidenberg
2. Colin Gowland
3. Philip Kersten
4. Bill Rothwell
5. Stu Nickerson
The highlight of the fall Laser sailing season in New England (at
least for those of us over 35) was the North American Laser Masters
hosted by the New York Yacht Club at their Harbour Court clubhouse
in Newport. 98 Lasers and 36 Radials. 10 races over 3 days in winds
ranging from 4-20+ knots. Superb hospitality on shore from NYYC.
What more could you ask for?
The racing in the full rig fleet turned into an epic battle between Peter
Shope and Marc Jacobi with the outcome in doubt right up to the
last run of the final race. Congratulations to Marc Jacobi for a welldeserved win with Peter Shope in second and Peter Vessella in third.
Marc’s win was even more impressive as his gooseneck broke in the
middle of the third race on Saturday, but he managed to hold on to
win that race, and score a 5th in the fourth race on Saturday with his
gooseneck held together by a piece of spectra line and some electrical
tape. Other D7 sailors worthy of mention are David Frazier who was
first Great Grandmaster, and Lynne Shore who was first Woman and
11th overall. Racing at the top of the Radial fleet was led by two
former Masters World Champions. Steve Cockerill from the UK was
first with our own Peter Seidenberg in second (and first GGM) and
Lindsay Hewitt in third.
The Fat Boys Regatta in Bristol RI on 26 October turned into a war of
attrition in winds from the SW reaching 25mph+ with sudden shifts
up to 25 degrees. 7 boats left the dock. 5 boats made it to the first
start. 4 boats remained for 3 races with only 3 completing the third. 3
boats remained for the the 4th and final race with only 2 completing
it. Everyone went swimming at least once. For once, the winner was
neither Fat nor a Boy. Congratulations to Christina Persson who won,
Scott Vogel who took second, and to Curt Mahlstedt who edged out
Jake Paris for third simply by surviving the third race! The bar was
opened early and I hear the beer tasted “extra good.”
Cedar Point YC in Westport CT held their fall regatta on 3 November
in northerly winds and cool temperatures in the 40s. Congratulations
to 2012 Olympian Rob Crane on winning the Standard Rig fleet with
5 straight bullets with Marc Jacobi in 2nd and Andrew Scrivan in 3rd.
Also congratulations to Amnon Gitelson first GGM and Ian Palmer
first Junior. Jean Fillion won in the 10 boat Radial fleet with Giovanni
Ronco in 2nd and Fred Abels in 3rd.
As we look ahead to planning the 2013 season, you can mark these
dates on your calendar now…
April 27 - Peter Milnes Regatta, Sail Newport
June 7,8 - Wickford Regatta
July 12,13 - Newport Regatta
July 25,26,27 - Hyannis Regatta
August 1,2,3 - Buzzards Bay Regatta hosted by Beverly YC
Please feel free to contact me about any district matters at laserd7@
gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
District 10
Eric Reitinger
New Jersey
As the summer ends, the fall sailing season starts. Many clubs start
their fall series and keep sailors on the water. Toms River, with the help
of Clay Johnson was able to get a great turnout for the fall series in its
second year back. With at most 21 radials for a turnout for a day, the
juniors were excited to keep sailing in the fall. Clay also ran clinics
on Saturdays. The final day included Halloween elements, including
inflatable animals as marks, and costumes. It also included the
appearance by Canadian Olympic hopeful Isabella Bertold. Prizes were
given each race day as well as for the series with Zhik being the main
sponsor of the event. Thanks again to Clay Johnson for starting up the
series again. Keep the spring series in mind for next year.
I also know that Beachwood hosted a fall series as well
as Brant Beach and Metedeconk. This keeps showing that there people
who still want to sail after the summer is over. We need to see the
enthusiasm for spring series to get everyone prepped for the summer.
Marsh Creek hosted their annual fall regatta. Glen Dickson won the
event, giving him some great practice for the shifty conditions that
Newport provided for the North Americans.
The Philadelphia Cup ran again on the Delaware River. With the
Philadelphia skyline in the background on the Pennsylvania side or
33
the Battleship NJ and the Camden Waterfront on the NJ side and
the Ben Franklin Bridge towering over the fleet, it provided a great
backdrop for the event. With light winds and 16 boats, Eric Bennung
won handily over the fleet. The event was well sponsored, run out of
the Philadelphia Seaport Museum is a must attend event every year.
Next year we are shooting for the largest fleet so the winner can win
the largest fleet trophy.
District 11’s were held at Severn Sailing Association. Mike Russom
and his dad Dennis, Had Brick, Newt Wattis and Eric Reitinger made
the trip. The regatta was mostly light and very shifty but brought a
great turnout with an awesome crab dinner Saturday night. Mike had
a solid event and became the 3rd person in 5 years from the district
to win the event. Eric finished 5th, Had finished 14th, Newt 17th and
Dennis finished 16th.
New England Masters were held in Newport the same weekend.
Glen Dickson 19th Overall 4th Apprentice
Had Brick 20th Overall 5th Grand Master
The Masters kept their training for NAs going with the Hard Rock
Masters. D10 made their presence known. The conditions were very
light, offering a challenging 5 races for the day.
Had Brick 2nd Overall 1st Grand Master
Jim Knab 4th Overall 3rd Grand Master
Faye Flam 8th Overall 4th Master
Dave Magno 10th Overall 5th Grand Master
Dennis Rusom 11th Overall 6th Grand Master
Steve Schmidt 13th Overall 6th Master
Fred Scheafer 15th Overall 7th Grand Master
District 11
Jon Deutsch
Virginia
Here are some regatta updates from around District 11 this summer:
Severn Sailing Association Started the spring season with their
Sunshine Open Regatta. John MacCausland from Cooper River
Yacht Club in NJ came down to win the 30-boat Standard Fleet while
Janel Zarkowsky from SSYC won the 14-boat Radial Fleet. The
Standard fleet was the only fleet to get in one race in the light-air on
Saturday. Both fleets sailed 5 races in better wind on Saturday.
Corsica River Yacht couldn’t have asked for better weather for their
Spring Laser Regatta. The storms stayed away and there was puffy
8-12 with temperatures in the 70′s and partly sunny skies sailing just
off ship point a short sail from the club. 4 races were sailed with a
5th started but abandoned halfway in when a storm started to skirt
the area. Carsten Faubel (CRYC) was 1st followed by Jon Deutsch
(FBYC) and Nicholas Place (CRYC).
West River’s Dave Irey Regatta had a 13-boat Laser fleet out for 8
races over the two days. Local Roger Link (WRSC) took home first
place with 3 bullets on Sunday. Leo Boucher (WRSC/SSA) finished
2nd while Kelsey Averill finished 3rd.
West River Sailing Club held their Annual Junior Regatta on July 1
with 24 Radials in attendance for 4 races. Alexander Hanna (FBYC)
was the overall winner followed by Christian Filter (SSA) and Leo
Boucher (WRSC/SSA)
At the beginning of July Robert Suhay sailed his Laser out of Norfolk
all the way up the bay to Annapolis taking him 30-some hours of nonstop unassisted sailing for 130+ miles.
District 11 Championship is being scheduled for 2014. Details in the
next Laser Sailor.
And finally - get updates from around the VA, MD, DE, WVa and DC
areas by joining our email list by signing up at http://laserdistrict11.org.
P.S. I’ve been a District Secretary 7 years and my District covers
West Virginia. This year at our District Championship I finally met in
person a WVA Laser Sailor - welcome to the class Ian Smith!
District 12
Glenn Walker
S,N Carolina
the day followed by Jon Deutsch (FBYC) and Mike Toms (FBYC). In
the Radials it was Alexander Hanna (FBYC), Hannah Steadman
(FBYC) and Graeme Alderman (FBYC).
West River YC’s Annual Regatta was won by Leo Boucher (WRSC/
SSA). Roger Link (WRSC) was 2nd and Adam Glass (SSA) in 3rd.
Fishing Bay Yacht Club held a 42-boat Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters
Regatta. Bob Tan (SSA0 became a two-time winner taking home the
title in lighter air. Complete write-up and pictures was in the Laser
Laser Sailor
The Hampton Roads Laser Fleet had a very successful fall series of
racing out of the ODU Sailing Center on off weekends when the team
wasn’t racing or practicing. A number of newbies and regulars were
out for some great Sunday afternoon sailing.
D-12 had another great year of sailing.
Overall we had 63 competitors spread over 6 regattas for the Full rig
fleet.
We had 23 competitors spread over 4 regattas for the Radial rig fleet.
We had 9 competitors spread over 2 regattas for the 4.7 rig fleet.
Got a son or daughter aging out of the Opti? Well you are in luck, D-12
is embracing junior sailing for 4.7 and Radial Rigs, they can even race
in the ocean at Wrightsville Beach! So parents, who wouldn’t want to
soak up some sun at one of our great regattas in Charleston, Beaurfort,
Savannah, or Wrightsville Beach? Then take them camping at one of
our great fall regattas at Lake Norman and Lake Murray.
District 12 Regatta Report: Carolina Sailing Club-Lake Murray SC
Central Championship and Grand Prix
Columbia Sailing Club, situated on the shore of Lake Murray, South
Carolina, was pleased again to host the last leg of the District 12 2013
circuit. Nineteen sailors turned out to contest the event with very few
District 11 Championship - see elsewhere in this edition of The Laser
Sailor for the complete report.
20 Boats made their way to Rock Hall Yacht Club for their annual
Hard Rock Laser Masters Regatta. In summer like warm weather with
temperatures in the mid 80′s, beautiful blue sky’s and light winds that
ranged from 2 – 5 knots provided for easy sailing conditions. All five
races on the Windward – Leeward courses kept the fleet of 20 boats
finishing within 3 minutes or less of eachother. The light winds and
outgoing tide was a challenge on the first race. But during the race the
wind filled in from the South and remained steady throughout the rest
of the day. Racing in each of the front, middle and back pack was keen.
In 5 races and having not even gotten a single bullet, Susan Taylor was
consistent enough with 4 top 3 finishes to take the overall title and first
grand master. Had Brick was 2nd overall and Mike Schmidt 3rd and
1st master. 1st GGM was Jacquest Kerrest and first Apprentice was
David Mooney.
Tred Avon Yacht Club held a fall regatta in early November. Nicholas
Place (CRYC) took line honors in the 3-race series. he was followed
by Jacques Kerrest (PRSA) and Sandy Westphal (SSA).
Fishing Bay Yacht Club’s frostbite regatta was attended by a number
of FBYC regulars and a few of the Hampton Roads Laser fleet
sailors who made the trip. While it was supposed to have been a
‘frostbite regatta’, the 70-degree weather certainly didn’t make it feel
like frostbiting. And that warm weather lead to the light and fickle
winds. Jon Deutsch (FBYC) was the most deftly able to navigate the
puffs to win the day. Robert Suhay (Hampton Roads LF) was 2nd and
FBYC junior Luke Hayes finished 3rd.
For SSA’s Summer Series had a total of 14 Lasers and 6 radials out
during the 3 days of the series. Holger Hinsch took the series title in
the standards, followed by Steven Cofer and Bob Tan. In the radials it
was Christian Filter, Josh Paper & Phillip Schofield.
Our frostbiting season is well underway as you read this. PRSA runs
their frostbite season November 17-March 23 skipping a few holidays
in between. SSA has Sunday frostbiting on a similar schedule and the
Hampton Roads Laser Fleet as a winter 2013 series and another series
in early 2014. Look for recaps and reports in the spring edition of The
Laser Sailor.
FBYC held their 74th Annual Regatta in August on a weatherchallenged weekend. Saturday was the only day with adequate wind
for sailing and two races were run. Light-air maven Brad Squires won
Scheduling under way for 2014. Check out all of the events on the
district calendar located at http://laserdistrict11.org If you know of
any events or have one to add. Send it to [email protected]. The
weak links apparent in the registration list. Although local competitors
performed well in all three races and CSC sailor Stanley Hassinger
prevailed overall, local knowledge played almost no role in the victory.
Rather, light conditions separated sailors that embraced light air tactics
from those that simply tolerate them.
Saturday delivered three races with maximum velocity of five knots,
which placed a high premium on getting off the line with clear air and
then connecting the dots up and down the course. David Parshall, a
former outstanding Y Flyer sailor from CSC, tutored the fleet with a
first place in Race 1. Peyton Hassinger, yet another CSC member (and
rival brother of Stanley) picked his way around the course to take the
gun in Race 2. Charlie Usher, although from Savannah, a noted light
air expert, prevailed in Race three. The sailors had great camping
weather, with the clubhouse serving a superb dinner and beverages,
the ball game was on at the bar and the fireplace was nice and toasty;
everyone had a good time.
District 15
Forest Atkins
Texas
D15 culminated a strong year with great round of fall regattas starting
with Austin YC Centerboard regatta, D15 champs at Arlington YC and
finally good ol’ Wurstfest at Lake Canyon in November. Many thanks
to Jack Hattendorf and the Arlington Yacht Club for hosting a great
regatta. We had 13 full rigs and 7 radial rigs on the line. Saturday was
34
WINTER 2014
breezy 15+ winds. Sunday saw gusts of maybe 10 mph but mostly
very light and shifty.
We had 23 boats on the line at Wurstfest making the Laser fleet the
largest class in the regatta. Strong shifting winds made it a challenge
for everyone. Be sure to put this regatta on your schedule next year.
Nothing like racing Lasers in November with temperature topping in
the mid 70’s !
Congratulations to all the skippers who participated in the Laser
District 15. The final district standings are posted at http://laserd15.
org/wp/?p=121 . Doug Peckover won the circuit in full rig while
Lenox Butcher won in radial. There were 92 skippers participating this
year’s circuit which is the highest in 5 years.
This District Secretary hopes to further improve communication
across our vast district and help continue the trend of increase Laser
participation at all age levels. Thanks to all who have help bring this
together as well as making some great recommendations for further
development. If you have any suggestions on how to improve the
district racing circuit, contact your district secretary Forest Atkins at
[email protected] or cell 214 686 7035.
Keep the training up and see y’all in 2014. Happy Holidays
District 19
Ken Swetka
Michigan
13 Tom Kimball
14 Susan Peters
15 Jim Sunstrum
16 Jack Stiefel
17 Matt Heywood
18 Tim Nickels
19 Tim Ryan
20 Andrew Hopkins
21 Julia Hopkins
22 Jeffrey Smith
23 Roy Toth
24 Ehren Barr
25 Ryan Bennett
26 Sheri Hartlep
27 Dave Williams
That’s all for now from D19 (Michigan)! As always check www.
D19Laser.org for more reports and photos!
D20 Report
Steve Dolan
Illinois/Wisconson
[email protected]
Thursday Laser – 1st Place / Polk Wagner (56 points), 2nd Place /
Henry Pfeifer (69 points), 3rd Place / Mike Duff (123 points).
Saturday Laser – 1st Place / Mike Duff (68 points), 2nd Place / Polk
Wagner (82 points), 3rd Place / Matthew Menzi (101 points).
Late Fall saw a quick conclusion to the D20 regatta circuit. The annual
Border Challenge was sailed on the weekend of September 21-22 and
hosted by the LaCrosse Sailing Club. Local ace, Mark Kastel provided
the following regatta report:
The La Crosse Border Challenge lived up to its reputation of serving
up great competitive sailing and beautiful conditions. Sailors from
Wisconsin and Minnesota enjoyed a northwest wind with the Venturi
effect kicking in and delivering a great breeze in bright sunshine for
most of the day. Eight races were held and when the dust settled home
fleet sailors Mark Kastel and Kurt Schroeder took first and second
respectively. David Scbald from Madison rounded out the top three.
Two weeks later Lake Nagawicka Yacht Club hosted their annual
Oktoberfest regatta on the weekend of October 12-13. No regatta
report as this writing but rumor has it Mark Kastel walked away with
the pickle dish.
Fall Frostbiting immediately followed thereafter. Chicago Yacht Club
Belmont Station hosted their annual event and saw 22 boats registered
and 33 races completed by November 24. Rick Strilky 176078 took
top honors after all was said and done. Up in Cheeseland, a few of us
diehards sailed on Sundays amidst the Muskie Fisherman on Pewaukee
Lake through Thanksgiving weekend. An early season snowfall put an
end to the fun and made the season ending pack up challenging.
2013 is a wrap. Stay fit in the off season, hook up with your sailing
buddies to plan your next seasons campaigns and good luck to those
heading to the Sunshine State for the Orange Bowl, Midwinters and
Olympic Classes regattas. Look for the 2014 D20 Regatta schedule in
the spring TLS if not before.
We also awarded an overall winner in the Laser Fleet, his name will
be engraved on our perpetual IBS/LTS Laser Trophy that hangs in the
office at IBS. This year the winner is Polk Wagner with 138 combined
points. Congratulations Polk!
District 22
Kurt Hoehne
Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho
On the Sunfish side we only had competitors show up for the Thursday
Series, these were our top 3 finishers:
As the damp settles in to the west of the Cascades and the cold settles
in to the east, the Laser activities in the Pacific Northwest slow a bit
but never stop. And the outlook for 2014 gets brighter each day.
Michigan’s Fall regattas are history and by Thanksgiving the lakes in
Michigan had ice on them! This made for a shorter frostbite season
than we have been used to. Below are some regatta reports.
Irish Boat Shop / Little Travers Sailing Summer Racing Series by Tom
Trautman
Hello Laser/Sunfish Racers,
First off I want to thank everyone who participated in the 2013 IBS/
LTS Summer Racing Series. I also want to thank our race committee
and anyone who offered help or volunteered over the course of the
summer, primarily Kent Case and Dan Thompson.
We had a great season of racing with 27 registered Lasers and 4
Sunfish. We saw as many as 18 boats on the starting line which sure
made for some exciting competition. This year we ran a Thursday
Evening Series, a Saturday Afternoon Series and recognized top
finishers from each series. Due to some light air conditions, we were
only able to run 16 races over the course of the Thursday series and
20 races over the Saturday series. In the end, these were our top 3
finishers:
Thursday Sunfish – 1st Place / Robert Kipp (25 points), 2nd Place /
Matt & Jackson Breckenfeld (26 points), 3rd Place / Sarah LaBlance
(45 points).
Complete results are attached for your review. Next year we plan to do
away with the Saturday Afternoon Series and offer racing on Monday
and Thursday evenings. This is due to lower attendance on Saturdays
and conflicts with other racing schedules.
LTS is excited to offer a new sailing opportunity for the summer of
2014, the LTS Advanced Racing Team. The ART is a Laser racing
program designed to promote and grow the competitive level of junior
racing in the Harbor Springs area. The Team is open to youth sailors
age 13 to 20, who desire to become stronger sailors, more skilled
racers, and participate in more sailing competitions. This should be a
big boost to our already popular Laser Fleet here on Little Traverse
Bay. We also hope to be using Yacht Scoring next season which will
provide live timing and immediate results. Stay tuned for more on next
seasons schedule and programs.
No Sweat Regatta Sept 28 - by Steve Wiseman
This year the 39th Annual No Sweat Regatta had 27 boats! How can
you go wrong with great race management, temp in the mid-70s and
wind around 10?
Results:
PlCompetitor
1 Rick Lyons
2 Jim Meyer
3 Steve Wiseman
4Aras Karaitis
5 Doug Carlson
6 Mark Keesey
7 Carey Jones
8 Michael Moody
9 Greg Harrison
10 Jerry Best
11 Ken L. Hopkins
12 Jeff Hartlep
www.Laser.org
The youth-only Oktoberfest regatta at Sail Sand Point in Seattle drew
about 20 Lasers, with Jonathan Cannard and Talia Toland winning the
Standard and Radial classes respectively. Also in Seattle, Corinthian
Yacht Club’s annual PSSR regatta drew a modest fleet of 11 boats
which was won by Micheal O’Brien. The Willamette Sailing Club’s
Lasers turned out for their Fall frostbite series, which was won by John
Sturman. A week before Thanksgiving 16 boats came out for CYC’s
Turkey bowl. Despite dire predictions of winds gusting to 2 knots
turned out to provide two very long and fun days of racing.
A serious change to the Seattle Laser Fleet’s annual frostbite series is
changing its complexion. For the first time, frostbite events are altering
between sailing out of Sail Sand Point on Lake Washington and
Shilshole Bay Marina on Puget Sound. A full 26 boats came out for the
first event on the Lake! The Seattle Laser Fleet also has a new website,
www.seattlelaserfleet.org.
2014 is shaping up as a big year for Laser sailing in the Pacific
Northwest. Frigid Digit will be held February 8-9 in Seattle, and
it always draws a great fleet. The action on the Gorge promises
to be spectacular with the WIND Youth Clinic and Regatta, Laser
Performance Clinic, Blowout and Laser Master NAs all scheduled for
the first half of July. Then the scene moves north of the border where
for the Master PCCs and Canadian Championships.
District 24
Nick Burke
NorCal
Short Course Championship at Richmond YC
Short course racing is fun. Lots of starts. Lots of quick races.
Richmond YC hosted a short course championship on Oct 13 which
brought D24’s summer weeknight short course fleets together for the
first time. It wouldn’t have happened without PRO Del Olsen. Thanks
Del. This was a one day low-key event in the spirit of the weeknight
racing. It was held on the flat water of Potrero Reach. There were 5
races in 5-10 knots, 31 boats and some new faces.
1st place Vaughn Harrison, 2nd Christine Neville, 3rd Peter Shope, 4th
Jacob Hiew, 5th Emilio Castelli, 6th Mark Halman. Complete results at
richmondyc.org->On the Water->Racing->Events 2013->Oct 13.
In an unofficial high points competition between the summer
weeknight fleets, 1st place was Treasure Island Sailing Center, 2nd
Santa Cruz, 3rd Lake Washington, 4th Shoreline Lake, 5th Lake Tahoe.
Shoreline and Tahoe had really low representation, so maybe next year
they will do better.
2014 Midwinters West and prep-events
Mids West will be at Richmond YC March 28-30, racing on
Southampton Shoals. The two weekends before Mids West there will
be lead up activities. Laserpalooza III will be Saturday March 15. The
morning will be a hands-on rigging clinic hosted by Ryan Nelson of
Alameda West Marine Rigging. The afternoon will be a light-air clinic
(unless there is a late winter storm and it becomes a heavy-air/survival
sailing clinic). There will be a pot-luck dinner that evening. The next
day, Sunday March 16, you can scrimmage with RYC’s juniors at the
Sunday Series. The following weekend, March 22-23, San Francisco
YC will host a Lasers only regatta on Southampton Shoals.
Sundays at Richmond YC all “Winter”
Pretty much every Sunday all winter long there is Laser racing at
Richmond YC. The first Sunday of the month are the Small Boat
Midwinters, which include multiple dinghy and keelboat classes. Most
of the other Sundays are part of a series scrimmaging with RYC’s
advanced juniors. There is a new Sunday Organizer, Pete Trachy. Pete
campaigns a Moore 24 and a Vanguard 15, and is sailing a loaner Laser
from Ryan Nelson. Pete’s promotion has roughly doubled attendance to
20 boats at these scrimmages. This is “casual” racing so if you have yet
to try Laser racing it is a good place to do so. These Sundays are also
a great opportunity for less experienced sailors to work up to their fi
big Laser regatta, Mids West in March. Details here http://rycsunday.rst
myfleet.org
Santa Cruz Winter Series
Last winter there was racing and training at Santa Cruz YC. It sounds
like it could happen again, but someone is needed to facilitate that
this winter. Is there anyone that would step up and be a fleet captain
in Santa Cruz ? If you’d like to know what’s involved with being a
fleet captain, Roger Herbst, long-time Shoreline fleet captain, can offer
advice. District 24 needs a place to work on light lump technique so we
are more competitive when we head south to race against our friends in
District 25. Santa Cruz is currently our only venue with the possibility
of light lump. Light air on SF bay is almost always associated with fl
at
water, as with D24’s lakes and lagoons.
Encinal Small Boat Winter Series
Encinal YC also runs a winter series, on the 4th Sunday of the month.
Lasers have not traditionally participated in this series, but if two or
more boats show they will get their own start. I think the Finn fleet
attends this en masse. http://www.encinal.org
Svendsen’s Grand Prix
The final results for D24’s Summer Series are here, along with pictures
and reports:
http://svendsens-grand-prix.myfleet.org/
Fall Dinghy, St Francis YC
Oct 26-27, 17 radials had 6 races and 19 standardshad 5 races. Radials
sailed on the Cityfront. Standards sailed on the north course, starting
north-west of Alcatraz. Top sailors in the radial fleet were Will Dana,
Lindsey Baab, Lawson Willard, Will Cefali, Michael Levy. Top sailors
in the standard fleet were Peter Shope, Tracy Usher, Christine Neville,
Emilio Castelli, Nick Burke. Complete results at stfyc.com->On the
Water->Racing in 2013->October 26-27.
The wind forecasts for Fall Dinghy were way off. The common
expectation for Fall Dinghy is there will be a fair amount of time
postponed on shore due to light air, and it is a schmoozefest. One
recent year there was only one race. This time the first warning
signal on Saturday was about 2 hours late. Most people left the dock
relatively lightly dressed. The wind started picking up by the time we
got to the start line. On the north course, the wind ended up touching
black diamond level of difficulty (making an analogy with ski run
difficulty levels/green circle/blue square/black diamond). It was not the
anticipated green circle level of challenge. Being lightly dressed, most
people got cold.
On Sunday, the breeze was up from the get go and had been blowing
upper teens all night at Pt Blunt. The breeze got stronger as the day
progressed. On the north course, conditions were well into black
diamond conditions. A wind instrument on Alcatraz recorded puffs in
the low and mid 30s. The RC on the north course had a problem getting
one of the marks to hold, so the first warning was delayed 35 mins.
Everyone had dressed for warmth, but got cold anyway waiting.
On the north course, there were good waves to ride downwind all
the time. That’s a payoff for getting cold & hiking hard. On Sunday
the keelboats and big boats of the clockwise and counter-clockwise
Gt. Pumpkin pursuit race fleets converged near the standard start line
while we were in sequence. That really chopped up the water with two
sets of wake directions in addition to the wind waves. That made it
quite challenging. A Laser capsized and big boats had to take evasive
maneuvers. The sailor righting his boat was concerned about getting
hit, as it didn’t appear that all the big boats were keeping a good watch.
On the Cityfront course, a 29er pitch-poled and a sailor fell through the
main, punching a hole and forcing them to retire.
Laser sailor Kyle Larsen was driving a 420 and won that fleet. Santa
Cruz Laser sailor Evan Diola was crewing on a 5o5 and won a prize.
Laser sailor Drake Jensen was crewing on a 29er and also won a prize.
District 7’s Gain is District 24’s Loss
Sad to say that Christine Neville and Peter Shope have returned to D7.
They will be missed for their good company and excellent competition,
and always welcome in D24.
Totally Dinghy, Richmond YC
Altogether, a pretty classic Totally Dinghy with sunny skies, warm air
35
and moderate breeze and a great time on the deck back at RYC. There
were 11 standards and 4 radials. Peter Shope and Buff Wendt were
first two standard racers and Will Cefali was the top radial. Will sailed
really well and beat many standards. Mark Halman was 2nd radial
sailing only on Saturday. Complete results at richmondyc.org->On the
Water->Racing->Events 2013->Sept 14.
Laser sailors were at the top of some other one design fleets. The 13
boat Byte fleet was won by Dan Ouellet, ex-Laser sailor and current
Laser instructor for Oakland Parks & Rec. Dan may offer a “railmeat
to midfleet” Laser class next summer, for turning experienced crew
into newby Laser racers. If you have dedicated racing crew friends who
want to start working on a broader spectrum of racing skills, let them
know about this possible option.
The Thistle fleet was won by Mike Gillum, who was 3rd at the Kip
LaRieu Tahoe Laser Fleet championship. Jonathan Weston, seen in
the Laser fleet a few years ago, won the 7 boat Weta class. If you are
crewing for a mid-fleet skipper in another fleet, suggest they get a
Laser for some schooling.
The biggest fleets were the open boat classes on both courses, with
15 boats. Times in these fleets are corrected using Portsmouth ratings
system. It isn’t one design, but if you sail a wacky boat like a Moth
what other choice do you have ? And the reason the open classes are
being mentioned is because the Potrero Reach open fleet was won by
Laser sailor Packy Davis in a Snipe. The Southampton open class fleet
was won by 2014 Mids West PRO Del Olsen in/on an International
Canoe.
Redwood Regatta at Big Lagoon, Humboldt YC
Big Lagoon is adjacent to the Pacific Ocean north of Humboldt Bay.
There were 4 races Aug 31-Sep 1, Labor Day weekend. Racing is
around buoys. There are inner and outer courses. The slower boats sail
the inner courses. The slower boats start first. All fleets finish before
any warning signal for the next start, so many people sail back to the
beach and walk around between races as the start/finish line is close by.
This is a laid back event.
The top 4 sailors of 11 Lasers were Bruce Braly, Jim Christopher,
Buff Wendt and Mike Eichwald. Complete results here http://www.
humboldtyachtclub.org
Most races had the pressure die off and fill in again. I don’t think we
finished any race without that. The local knowledge seems to be go
north along the beach, which was port tack, early and for a while. That
didn’t seem to be so good this year as the leaders were often in the
middle of the course.
There is light air, and then there is ultra-light air. This is splitting hairs
about light air. How about defining ultra-light air as being the very
bottom low end ? Conditions when there are periods of time when
there is no wind at all. So when it fills in at 2 knots that feels strong.
And steady 5 knots feels like full hike territory. Ultra-light air is often
associated with big shifts. When the new light air fills in, it comes from
a completely different direction. Is sailing in ultra-light air a fair test
of sailing skill ? When sailors like Bruce Braly keep coming up tops in
such challenging conditions, that is more than just chance.
The last two years there has been a lot of ultra-light air at the
Whiskeytown Regatta, which will have its 50th anniversary in 2014.
There was some ultra-light air at this year’s Redwood Regatta, but
nothing like at Whiskeytown. The day before the Redwood Regatta,
the folk that went for the Friday afternoon sail had breeze in the upper
teens. It was flat water in the lagoon though. It is a small fetch in every
direction. Sunday afternoon after racing, a nice 12 knot breeze filled in
from the south-west and a bunch of Lasers went exploring north to the
far end of the lagoon.
The lagoon is fed by a river, and fresh. Some lagoons are brackish, or
have some salt in the water but less than the ocean. I didn’t notice any
salt in the water. Sometimes in the spring, the lagoon will break out
into the ocean at its northern end. Sometimes in major ocean storms the
ocean will break into the lagoon.
Humboldt Yacht club is the only group allowed to camp on the land
adjacent to the race course. The land was donated to the state by a
member of Humboldt YC that was from a family that had made their
wealth in lumber. Humboldt YC is allowed to open the car barrier once
a year for this regatta. The land is public access on foot. It would be a
huge effort to transports boats from highway 101 to the beach without
the car access granted Humboldt YC.
The camping is bare bones. There is no electricity and no water. There
are some porta-potties. There is a clearing on a small bluff above the
beach, and people camp in tents there. The club sets up tables and
chairs for the meals in this clearing. It is also possible to camp on the
beach. Most people on the beach had RVs. There were lots of families
camping. There were lots of kids running around the beach and playing
in the water and messing about in small boats.
If you’re not going to camp, there is a town Trinidad about 5 miles
south of Big Lagoon. Trinidad is full of bed and breakfasts. If this is
your plan, book early as it is Labor Day. Arcata is about 30 mins south
of Big Lagoon and has a variety of hotels and motels.
About an hour south of Big Lagoon is Humboldt Redwoods State Park
and the Avenue of the Giants. This is not to be missed if you attend
this regatta. Most of Highway 101 between San Francisco and Big
Lagoon is an excellent smooth roadbed. My trailer only bounced for
a relatively short distance around Healdsburg, and briefly a few times
elsewhere.
34th America’s Cup and Lasers
Everyone must have heard Larry Ellison say “Laser” 3-4 times during
the last press conference of the America’s Cup. If not, that video is
still available through the ACup iPad app under Media->Video. It
is probably still visible through http://www.americascup.com and
YouTube as well. But how many sharp-eyed people saw Laser sails
during the racing ? D24 Laser sailors were on the water for about
half the ACup races. There are glimpses of Laser sails in the video
coverage. Some of us were lucky to have close encounters with AC72s.
The presence of Laser sailors on the winning boat and all the others
could be a great marketing tool for the class. Sell it !
Vice Commodore’s Cup at Half Moon Bay YC
Half Moon Bay YC is one of the D24 clubs that has a small fleet of
Lasers for their club members to use. This is great for Laser fleet
growth. HMBYC hosted a regatta on Oct 5th. It was a good day of
racing in “green circle” conditions. It was sunny and warm. 10 Lasers,
2 of which were radials. Tracy Usher won all 4 races. Laird Henkel,
who normally sails a radial, was sailing very well in a standard rig
and kept the pressure on Tracy in at least 2 races. If Laird hadn’t been
many minutes late for the first race he would have been much further
up the standings. Roger Herbst again showed his strength in lighter
conditions. JB Duler didn’t bring a standard rig, and his 6th in the
last race is impressive because it got ultra light then and he was in a
radial. You might consider such extremely light air “black diamond”
conditions because it is very challenging to keep the boat moving.
There were about 30 seconds when we were fully hiked, but most of
the time we were sitting in. The last race was get forward out of the
cockpit terrain. The pressure was patchy all day. Between the first
and second races, the weather mark was moved from a north-eastern
direction to an eastern direction relative to the start line. For both those
races it seemed going left first on the beat paid, and as straight line as
possible to the leeward mark downwind. Pressure was king though.
For the last race, the wind direction turned around so it was from the
west. The last race had a very short first leg which was a reach. The
first mark could be fetched from anywhere on the start line, so it was a
bit like the first mark at the ACup World Series. The middle of the line
seemed to be the place to be as those boats got to the mark first.
It did get very light during the last race, reaching the ultra light
conditions you can find lake sailing. One difference with D24’s lakes,
although not the Great Lakes, was the appearance of flies. Flies are
not a problem at Whiskeytown or Big Lagoon. They are on Lake
Michigan. I figure forewarned is forearmed. I didn’t try killing them
as I figured that was futile. Roger cleared off his boat and that seemed
to help, as maybe they can smell that. Maybe a can of insect repellent
would also propel a Laser forward in very light air ?
Big Summer on the West Coast
In the Fall 2013 Laser Sailor, Andy Hunt District 6 Secretary, talks of
plans for a 2014 West Coast Circuit. There are a slew of events out
here next summer. Check the 2014 Regatta Grid at laser.org. There
are major events in every West Coast district: 25, 24, 22 and 6. These
include the North Americans, Masters North Americans, Canadian
Championship, US Championship, the Pacific Coast Championship,
and Masters Pacific Coast Championship. The first event is June 12-15
and the last July 31-Aug 3. Many of these are on adjacent weekends.
So start planning a major roadtrip for next summer.
GEAR UP!
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36
WINTER 2014
District 25
Jorge Suarez
SoCal
Laser Sailors living in Southern California really do not participate
in one sailing ritual that is done by the majority of North America:
the winterizing of your boat! Along with the mental and physical
sabbatical sailors endure through the winter months, many frozen
sailors take advantage of this time to catch up with family and friends,
football, Bridge, exams, and any other indoor activity that will prepare
their minds and bodies for the spring and summer sailing season. We
on the West Coast have the advantage of actually sailing through these
winter months and, even though some of us are actually putting on
spray tops and heavier weight hiking pants, we can still catch some
“rays” on a good day!
There are many reasons to take this time to get on the water, do your
tacking drills, and hike, hike, hike! 2014 is a very special year inn
D25 as we will be hosting the Laser North American Championship,
which will be held at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA,
from June 12th – 15th. This is an ISAF grade 1! In addition, the
US Single Handed Championship, the O’Day Trophy, will be held
in conjunction with the North Americans. In prior years, the O’Day
was a ladder event where sailors qualified through local regattas. This
year, it is my understanding that the event is open to all sailors meeting
US Sailing eligibility (over 18 years of age, member of US Sailing in
good standing), so please check the US Sailing website as well as the
NOR for the event, soon to be posted on www.abyc.org. A travelling
sailor to the West Coast can make quite a trip by attending two other
events before and after the NA’s: the Pacific Coast Championships at
Santa Barbara YC (www.sbyc.org) , June 27th-29th, and the Laser
US Championships at St. Francis Yacht Club (www.stfyc.com) , July
31st- August 3rd, (I guess it may still be a good idea to bring your
winter ware!)
Winter regattas leading up to these events include SCYA Mid-Winter
regatta February 15th-16th with open Lasers at Mission Bay YC, San
Diego, (www.mbyc.org) and Masters at Alamitos Bay YC, Laser
Masters California Championship at Mission Bay February 22nd-23rd,
and the EE Manning Regatta March 1st-2nd at Alamitos Bay YC.
So, no matter where you live, there is always something we can do
to prepare for more sailing, just remember to do it!!! Don’t forget to
check Steve Smith’s report on ABYC”s Turkey Day Regatta held just
last week (November 23-34) with over 51 Lasers and Radials sailed
classic Long Beach Fall conditions!
www.Laser.org
Your California Laser charter specialist
2014 Schedule of Events
• Midwinter’s West – Richmond
• Pacific Coast Championship – Santa Barbara
• CISA Clinic – Long Beach
• US Nationals – San Francisco
• Leiter Cup - US Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship – Mission Bay
• North American Championship – Long Beach
Laser hulls and spars new for 2014. Reserve your charter today. Orders are filling up!
WWW.VELA-LA.COM
(562) 243-8820
37
The Role of Cardiovascular Fitness in Laser Sailing
CHRIS HERRERA
For all the current and past laser sailors
reading this article, imagine how your
body felt when racing conditions included
strong winds and choppy waters. To add
to those conditions, regattas can last up
to nine or ten races including up to three
a day. To sail strong in these conditions
the body must have great cardiovascular
fitness and muscular endurance.
Cardiovascular fitness is the body’s
ability to get blood and oxygen to
the muscles. This ability to move the
oxygenated blood to the muscles is only
half of the challenge. The muscles must be
efficiently trained to maintain the ability
to relax and contract to pump blood and
muscle waste back into the system. When
both systems are trained to compliment
each other the body will have the ability to
handle heavy winds and long regattas.
How Much Cardio and What Type of
Cardio?
The most frequent question I receive from
sailors in all classes I train is, ““What type
of cardio?” and “How much cardio should
I do?”
The amount of cardio is specific to how
many days until the next regatta. If the
regatta were 2 or more months away your
going to completting cardio less often
and at a lesser intensity than if you were
2 weeks away from your race. You must
break down these cardio session two
ways:
1) Type of cardio
a. LSD: Long Slow Distance,
with a target heart rate range (example
would be a long road bike session)
b. HIT: High Intensity
Training, usually done by intervals with
with a MAX EFFORT interval done for
a short period of time with a longer rest
period (usually a 1:2 work to rest ratio)
c. Intervals: classic interval
training where you complete a certain
amount of time with a high HR goal
(usually between 20 seconds and 2 min
while usually resting between 20 seconds
and 40 seconds)
d. Recovery: These are
submaximal intensity sessions with a low
HR goal done for a mid range time frame
(usually between 15 and 20 minutes)
38
Cardio Tip!
** all of these types of cardio can be
completed by a variety of modes, such
as: biking, rowing, running and even
swimming. With Laser sailing being an
extremely intense quadricep activity I
would recommend going 75% of your
cardio on a road bike or spin bike. Laser
sailing can be very tough on your knees so
I would also recommend if you like to run
as your cardio start to taper it back and
switch to biking or rowing at least 4 weeks
prior to your ragatta.
2) How much cardio
a. Your cardio should be broken down into
phases based on how far you are from the
start of your ragatta. My advice would be
to a periodized and structured program
(both strength and cardiovascular) 12
weeks prior to the start of your race.
Each phase has its own charactristics (see
below):
i. Prep Phase: This phase is
focused on building a cardiovascular base.
This will be a combination of all types of
cardio (LSD, Interval, HIT, and recovery).
ii. Strength/Endurance Phase:
This phase increases both the amount of
cardio and intensity of each type. The LSD
will get longer as the HIT will become
more intense with longer and more
intervals.
iii. Strength Phase: This phase
will focus on maintaining the gains of the
previous two phases while increasing the
intensity of the HIT. This will allow the
body to peak for the event without over
training.
iv. Taper Phase: This phase
eases off the intensity while preping the
body to be in the best shape possible for
the event in 1 weeks time.
**See 12 week cardio training example
Now that you know the two most
important factors with cardio (type and
how much), the next big question to
answer is: “How do I figure out what heart
to train at for each type of training”. All
of the types of cardio training are based
on percentages of your heart rate max.
The most precise measure of this would
be to get a VO2max test to get exactly
what your maximum heart rate is. If this
is not possible the next best way is to use
the formula: (220-age). Then you multiply
this max heart rate by the percentage that
is prescribed in the type of cardio training.
For example a
30-year-old Laser
Sailor’s maximum
heart rate would
be approximately
190 beats per minute.
Example of 30-year-old sailor
60-30 Days until regatta: train between
60-70% of max HR: (220-30) x 65% =
123 bpm
29-0 Days until regatta: train between 7080% of max HR (220-30) x 75% = 142
bpm
Muscular endurance in combination
with Cardio training
Muscular endurance is defined as:
the ability of the muscle to sustain a
contraction or hold resistance for a given
period of time (usually over a minute).
This is commonly seen by a sailor’s ability
to maintain a proper hiking position in
heavy wind. This is directly connected
with sailors cardiovascular ability. When
both your muscular endurance and
cardiovascular systems improve together,
each system exponentially improves as
compared to trying to improve one at a
time.
Improving musuclar endurance is
accomplished by completing resistance
exercises over set amount of time or
high repetitions causing the muscle to
continually work for 45 seconds to1
minute. Exercises such as butterfly
pushups, wall sits, plank, and alternating
supermans are all exercises that place
the muscle being worked into a state of
sustained work for 45sec to 1 minute. An
additional way to work the entire body
with a mix of muscular endurance and
cardiovascular training is to complete
hiking intervals with core exercises. To
complete this exercise hike out as far
as possible on a hiking bench for 1 to
3 minutes (stay in this position as long
as the sailor is hiking properly) then
immediately complete a core exercise for
1 minute. Complete this pattern for 3 sets
then break for 2 minutes and repeat for the
desired amount of intervals.
Chris Herrera is a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), he is a leader
in the sports training and healthcare field as a Certified Strength and
Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Chris is a member of the US Olympic
Sailing Performance Enhancement Team (PET) as the Medical
Coordinator acting as head physical therapist and strength and
conditioning coach. Chris has been working with US Sailing for over
6 years and was a member of the 2012 US Sailing Team and United
States Olympic Committee (USOC) team that traveled to the 2012
London Olympics.
WINTER 2014
For the full 12 week cardio training program, go to www.nalaser.org to download.
You can also attend a clinic in Miami with Chris through www.jaguartherapy.com
located in Coconut Grove close to the sailing venue.
Chris can be reached for questions or information at: [email protected]
Name
Boat: Laser
MHR: 200
Work strictly within your target heart range
If your heart rate is too high, slow your pace down until your HR is back within the target range.
Week 1
Mode
Bike
Day 1
Day 2
Intervals
(75% speed) OFF
Target HR
176-186
OFF
15 x 20s
Sprint 40s
Recovery
Description Cycle
Target RPE 16-17
Calories Burned
Week 3
Mode
Bike
Day 1
Day 2
Intervals
(75% speed) OFF
Target HR
176-186
OFF
19 x 20s
Sprint 40s
Recovery
Description Cycle
Target RPE 16-17
Calories Burned
www.Laser.org
Prep Phase
Run
Day 3
LSD
155-165
Day 4
Run
Day 5
Bike
Day 6
OFF
OFF
Recovery
150-160
HIT
Max Effort
20mins
<14
8x12s Max
Sprint-60s
Recovery
20
Bike
Day 6
45minStretch after
<14
Prep Phase
Run
Day 3
Day 4
Run
Day 5
LSD
155-165
OFF
OFF
Recovery
150-160
HIT
Max Effort
20mins
<14
10x12s Max
Sprint-60s
Recovery
20
45minStretch after
<14
39
Why Join the Laser Class?
What are some of the benefits of a strong class
association?

A strong class association means lots of boats to race against, near
you and around the world!

A strong class association with lots of racing attracts the world’s
best sailors - giving you the best racing possible!

A strong class association means major events scheduled at the
best sailing locations and moving all over the North American
Region - there will always be a big event near you!

points when sailing in major events, ranking you against
your fellow competitors and making you eligible for end of
the season prizes, like new sails, carbon tillers, etc.
You get direct benefit by joining the Laser Class!
What does the class association do with your
membership dues?

The first $14.00 of your membership dues go to pay the
North American staff who work incredibly hard to: make
sure our North American events get scheduled every year
and that these events follow the high standards of the Laser
Class, to publish our quarterly newsletter, etc. Importantly,
that money also makes sure that if you ever have a question
you can simply pick up the phone, or send an email, and a
knowledgeable person will answer you right away.

Depending on exchange rates, the next $9.00 of your dues
goes to the International Class where they use the money
to pay their staff to make sure world level events get
scheduled, ensuring all the boats are the same by inspecting
the builders to make sure they are complying with the Laser
Construction Manual, keep track of rules changes proposed
by members, interfacing with ISAF on various levels,
including keeping both the Laser Standard and Laser Radial
as Olympic equipment, etc.
You receive the annual Laser Class Handbook with the
current class rules, interpretations of those rules, class
constitution, guidelines for events, useful information for
keeping your boat in good shape, contact information for
your district, etc.

A little over $7.00 goes to the quarterly assembling, printing
and mailing of The Laser Sailor to you for the year.

Around $5.00 goes to support and promotion, ranging from
direct support of the districts and regattas to the website.

You receive the International Class Association’s quarterly
publication “Laser World” which gives a roundup of
international events sailed around the world, as well as
information from the international office.


You receive the North American Association’s quarterly
publication “The Laser Sailor” which is loaded with
regatta reports, technique articles, fitness and nutrition tips,
sailor profiles, reports from each of the North American
Region’s 26 Districts and much, much more. In addition,
the magazine also contains advertising from Laser dealers
selling Laser specific gear and aimed entirely at Laser
sailors - if you are looking for something for your boat you
will see it advertised here!
Most of the remaining $5.00 goes to all the things it takes to
running an organization of 2400 members, from Executive
Secretary travel costs, to federal income taxes all the way to
mundane office expenses.
Your membership dues are used to keep the
Laser Standard, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7
as THE singlehanded dinghy to sail and race in North
America and throughout the world!

A strong class association means solid class rules making all boats
as identical as possible - you are competing against other sailors,
not their pocket books!

A strong class association means lots of people looking to buy
boats keeping the resale value of your boat high.

A strong class association keeps an eye towards the future and
works with the builders to make improvements where needed
while preserving as well as possible the competitiveness of older
boats.
To be strong, a class association needs the support of its sailors!
What are some of the direct benefits of
membership?

Why should you join the Laser Class?

To enable the Laser Class to remain a strong class
association and continue to make the Laser the pre-eminent
singlehanded dinghy of our time.
You will have access to the class website at www.laser.
org containing all the latest news as well as the up to date
calendar of events, complete with maps to show you how
to find the events. And you can also find archived copies
of The Laser Sailor as well as useful articles on how to sail
your boat faster.

To gain the benefits of membership outlined above.

To protect your investment in your boat, making sure that if
the time comes to sell then you can be certain that the high
demand driven by a strong class will enable you to get the
best price for your boat.

Your membership makes you eligible to sail in any of
the 50+ major Laser Class regattas scheduled every year
throughout the North American Region, including open,
masters’, youth and women’s events.
The International Laser Class Association, North American
Region is what it is today because of the support of its members.
Keep that tradition alive, join or renew your membership
TODAY!

Your membership makes you eligible for the
LaserPeformance/ILCA-NA Grand Prix where you earn

40
WINTER 2014
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Name_______________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________
City ___________________State / Prov. _____Zip / postal code ________
Phone ____________________ E-mail____________________________
Sail # ______________DOB (month/day/year) _____________Sex ______
Boat usually sailed
_____Laser
______Radial
_____Laser 4.7
Current Membership Fees
All amounts are in US dollars. (Canadian checks must be in US dollars.)
• Regular - $40 for one year or $75 for 2 years
• Junior - $35 (Member may not turn 18 during term of membership), or $65 for 2 years (Member may
not turn 18 during term of membership)
• Family, one year - $40 for the primary members and $25 for each additional member
• Family, two years - $75 for the primary members and $45 for each additional member
Please provide family members names, DOB, boat type and sail number on an additional sheet of
paper.
• International - $50 (any member not living in the US or Canada), one year only
Amount enclosed __________________US$
Please make checks payable to ILCA of NA or provide credit card information as shown below. Thank you for
joining the Laser Class.
Credit Card payment by Visa, Mastercard or AMEX (Sorry – no Discover)
Name on credit card: ________________________________________________________
Credit card number: ________________________________________________________
Exp. date: _________ Credit card billing zip/postal code _________ Security code____
NOTE: Occasionally we make our mailing list available to our advertisers. If you do not want your name
included on these lists, please check here: _________
RETURN THIS FORM TO: ILCA OF NA
2812 CANON STREET
SAN DIEGO, CA 92106
www.Laser.org
41
GRP Rudder
and Daggerboard
$475.00
$485.00
Br1 Dinghy
Traveler Blocks
$95.00
by Musto
Spray Top: $130.00
Trousers: $125.00
Black Diamond
Tiller By Acme
$210.00
Deck Covers and
Hull$234
Covers
.95
by APS
Class Legal
Racing Sail
By North
$565.00
Airprene Hikers
by SEA
$198.00
SeaHiker GripX3
Boot by Sperry $80.00
The World Leader in Outfitting Performance Sailors.
42
WINTER 2014
Speed Shop
Pro Outhaul Kit
Single $41.52
Excel Fusion
Rooster
Dinghy Sheet
Double $58.11
Pro Cunningham
Control Handle
$21.73
$29.90
$41.40
$78.20
Pro Mainsheets
Pro Cunningham
$50.01
Class Legal Pro Daggerboard
Downhaul Kit
$38.16
www.Laser.org
43
PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
2812 Canon Street, San Diego, CA 92106
San Dimas, CA
Permit No. 410
PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
San Dimas, CA
Permit No. 410

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