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SUMMER
SUMMER 2013
2013
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
Sherri Campbell & Jerelyn Biehl
ILCA-NA
Officers
Andy Roy
Chairman
15 Claudette Court
Peterborough, ON K9J 7Y7 Canada
705-750-0189
aroy@bell.blackberry.net
Meka Taulbee
Vice Chairman
Dunedin, FL USA
727-631-7005
meka@sailfit.com
Eric Reitinger
Treasurer
7908 Normandy Drive
Mt Laurel, NJ 08054
609-206-2973
er4599@gmail.com
Lauralee Symes
Secretary
6901 SE Oaks Park Way, Slip 27
Portland, OR 97202
503-274-2818
llsymes@comcast.net
Al Clark
Member at Large
337 E 6th
North Vancouver, BC V7L1P7
604-988-4799
al.clark@shaw.ca
Sherri Campbell
Executive Secretary
2812 Canon Street
San Diego, CA 92106 USA
phone: 619-222-0252
fax: 619-222-0528
sherri@odmsail.com
www.Laser.org
SUMMER 2013
District Contacts ....................................................................................................6
President’s Report ..................................................................................................8
New Insights for Hydration in Sailing..............................................................10
Laser Survey...........................................................................................................12
Random Thoughts by a Laser sailor..................................................................14
Shoreside at the Canadian Masters....................................................................16
Gulf Coast Masters................................................................................................18
Laser World......................................................................................................center
Radial ACCs...........................................................................................................19
District 19 Championships..................................................................................20
Calif Masters photos.............................................................................................22
2013 Event Schedule.............................................................................................23
District Reports......................................................................................................24
Membership Applications....................................................................................31
Why Join the Laser Class?...................................................................................32
Working with Regatta Network..........................................................................33
®
SUMMER 2013
6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world
Cover: Photographer John Payne
gives us another great shot - US
sailor Erik Weis grinds upwind off
Ft. Lauderdale at the 2013 Lauderdale Olympic Classes Regatta.
5
District 1
District 9
District 18
District 2
District 10
District 19
Danielle Dube, 8 Sunnydale Dr
Glen Haven, NS B3Z 2T8
902-823-2802, danielle_dube947@hotmail.com
Philippe Dormoy, 385 Place Desmarest,
Ile Bizard, Quebec, H9C 2G8
514-620-8124
Philippe_dormoy@steris.com
District 3
Nigel Heath
416-417-0193
D3 website: www.d3laser.com
District 4
Brigitte Smutney, Sail Manitoba; 409-145
Pacific
Ave. Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2Z6 204-925-5647
sailing@sportmanitoba.ca
www.sailmanitoba.com
District 5
Mark Lammens
510 Cynthia St. Saskatoon, SK S7K 7K7
306-975-0833, sasksail@shaw.ca
www.sasksail.com
District 6
Andy Hunt, 111-2260 W 8th Ave
Vancouver BC V6K 2A7
604-733-9663, hotline: 206-525-5788
athunt@vcn.bc.ca
www.district6x.ca
District 7
Derek Snow
28 Starlit Road
Tiverton RI 02878
401-625-5973
Laserd7@gmail.com
District 8
Ted Cremer, 7 MapleStreet
Blue Point, NY 11715
631-363-8830, tcremer@optonline.net
www.laserd8.tripod.com
6
Chas Williamson, 9 Lagrand Court
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-272-0630 cw26@cornell.edu
Eric Reitinger
7908 Normandy Dr
Mt. Laurel NJ 08054
Er4599@gmail.com
http://d10.laserforum.org
District 11
Jon Deutsch
3422 Blithewood Dr, Richmond VA 23225
804-305-1244, jon@laserdistrict11.org
http://www.laserdistrict11.org
District 12
Rob Bowden
Rbowden707@gmail.com
www.d12laserforum.org
District 13
Antolin Rivera, PO Box 26674
Tampa, FL 33623
813-837-3013, shipajoyo@yahoo.com
www.laser.org/m/_general/d13.asp
District 14
Cal Herman, 7038 Catina St
New Orleans, LA 70124 504-282-1770
Callender.herman@wachoviasec.com
District 15
Forest Atkins
157833@gmail.com
214-686-7035
https://groups.google.com/
forum/?fromgroups#!forum/txLaser/
District 16
Tim Fitzgerald, 2322 Bromfield Circle
Wichita KS 67226, 316-650-3636
TIMFITZ875@gmail.com
John Shockey
216-386-1920
johnrshockey@gmail.com
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
262-506-8879, dolan@mcw.edu
http://d20.laserforum.org/
District 21
Erik Ahlquist
D21.sec@gmail.com
D21.laserforum.org
District 22
Kurt Hoehne, 524 N 67th St
Seattle, WA 98103
206-335-8776, kurthoehne@gmail.com
District 23
Geoff Hurwitch
Geoffh437@yahoo.com
District 24
Nick Burke
nburke@skysail.com
http://skysail.com/sailing/d24/
District 25
Jorge Suarez, 7 Covina Ave
Long Beach, CA 90803
562-260-8116. jorgesuarez0@yahoo.com
Groups.yahoo.com/group/nalaserdistrict25
District 26
Guy Fleming, 44-392 Olina St. #6
Kaneohe, HI 96744-2617
808-955-4405, guynsyd2hawaii.rr.com
District 17
John E. Coolidge, Jr., 1113 Hanover St
Chattanooga, TN 37405 423-309-1926
jc@chattprint.com
SUMMER 2013
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Photo by Matias Capizzano
President’s Notes
ANDY ROY
Hopefully by now most NA Laser
sailors
have been getting out on the water
and participating in 2013 spring and
summer regattas and/or club racing.
The Atlantic Coast Championships and
US Nationals are already in the books,
and the next big event on the schedule
is the North American Championship
in Kingston, Ontario. With the Laser
Standard Men’s World Championship
and Masters Worlds now set for the
same Kingston CORK venue in 2015
I’m sure this year’s NA’s will attract
even more interest and participation.
I’d like to thank NA class executive
committee member, Eric Reitinger,
for taking on the task of creating,
sending out and following up on a
questionnaire/survey to all NA Laser
District Secretaries. The purpose
was to find out what the NA class
association can do to help the Districts
create more activity in their respective
Laser areas. Eric did a great job in
communicating with the 16 (out of
26) Secretaries who responded. Eric
outlines the survey results and trends
in this issue.
8
Now on to the topic of much
discussion amongst Laser sailors in
recent months. In brief summary,
this past March a lawsuit was filed
in US District Court by Bruce Kirby
and Bruce Kirby, Inc., primarily
against Laser Performance, and the
complaint also names the ILCA and
ISAF. In mid-June Laser Performance
responded to the complaint and filed
a counterclaim. ILCA President,
Tracy Usher, has more to say on the
topic in the current Laser World issue,
and I’ll add just a few words. I have
heard a number of people ask why the
ILCA has not been communicating
more with sailors on this topic,
but hopefully the reason for this is
fairly straightforward. When named
in legal action the recommended
course of action is of course to
follow legal advice and not make
public statements. This naturally
presents a conundrum for the ILCA,
as one of its fundamental roles is to
communicate with its membership.
What I would like to reiterate from
what Tracy states is that from the
outset ILCA’s objectives have been to:
keep class business and major events
moving forward; work closely with
ISAF on the issue; remain neutral;
and, throughout, it has consistently
encouraged the parties to resolve their
commercial and contractual dispute
through open discussion or mediation.
As Tracy also adds the ILCA remains
optimistic that a solution will soon
be found. I don’t believe the dispute
has significantly impacted Laser
sailors in any meaningful way, with
the important thing being that Laser
regattas are being successfully planned
and held around the world.
Have a fun summer of Laser sailing
and racing!
SUMMER 2013
www.Laser.org
9
New Insights for Hydration in Sailing
Evan Lewis MSc. CSCS
Hydration is a popular topic within the
sailing community as there is a direct link
between hydration and mental and physical
performance. Many individuals have their
own preferences, practices and philosophies
around hydration. The following article is
an excerpt from the research article I wrote
after performing two studies examining the
hydration requirements of Laser Sailors in cold
and hot conditions (4-12°C, and 17-24°C, wind
12-18kts). The full article was published in the
Journal of the International Society of Sports
Nutrition and is available for download at:
http://www.jissn.com/content/10/1/11.
Changes in hydration status of elite Olympic
class sailors in different climates and the
effects of different fluid replacement beverages
Evan J. H. Lewis, Sarah J. Fraser, Scott G.
Thomas, Greg D. Wells
INTRODUCTION
Until recently, much of the hydration
information sailors use was based on
generalized nutrition or sport science
guidelines or specific findings from studies
in runner or cyclists because the study of
hydration requirements of Olympic class
sailors is lacking when compared to other
endurance sports such as cycling and running.
While population size and sport specific
challenges may be an influencing factors for
scientist, the physiologic demands of Olympic
class sailing, coupled with the strategic/tactical
requirements make hydration a logical variable
for success that has not been adequately
studied.
Previous examination of the
physiologic response to sailing in moderate
winds has determined energy requirements
are largely met by aerobic metabolism.
Higher skilled Laser sailors sail at 45 to
68% of maximal aerobic power during 30 or
more minutes of upwind sailing in moderate
conditions (14-22 km.h-1) 4,5. Sweating rates at
similar intensities measured in America’s Cup
sailors can results in mean water losses of 1340
mL.h-1 6. As there are many differences between
America’s Cup and Olympic class sailing 6,7
it is important to determine the changes in
hydration status and subsequent hydration
requirements of Olympic class sailors.
Sweat rate and water loss are
affected by environmental conditions 8 but it
is unclear how sweat losses are compensated
for by sailors in cold conditions. Furthermore,
increased sweat losses in warm and hot
conditions are not appropriately compensated
for by increased fluid intake in elite football
players 9,10 amateur Laser sailors 2 and
10
America’s Cup sailors 6. As such, the purpose
of the Cold Condition Study (CCS) was to
examine if Olympic class sailors could selfregulate fluid requirements in cold conditions
by providing them ad libitum access to
different fluid replacement beverages during
training and examining how this affected
hydration status. The purpose of the Warm
Condition Study (WCS) was to test the
effect of fixed fluid intake of different fluid
replacement beverages on hydration status
during training in warm conditions. Examining
relative fluid intakes may be a novel way of
developing hydration recommendations for
sailors.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Two studies were performed to examine the
changes in hydration status of elite Olympic
class sailors during training. The first was a
cold condition study (CCS) that examined ad
libitum fluid consumption of three different
fluid replacement drinks on hydration status and
blood electrolyte concentration before and after
training in cold (4.2 – 11.3°C) temperatures.
The second study in warm conditions (WCS)
examined the effect of fixed volume (11.5
mL.kg.-1.h-1) fluid consumption of three different
fluid replacement drinks on hydration status and
blood electrolyte concentration before and after
in warm temperatures (17.0 - 23.3°C).
EXPERIMENTAL DRINKS
CCS and WCS had three different drink
conditions, Crystal Light (C), Gatorade (G)
and a customized test drink (IN). All drinks
were flavoured similarly in attempts to blind
the participants. The composition of the C
and G conditions were consistent between
both studies; however the custom test drink
condition was different between the CCS (IN)
and WCS (INW) to reflect the hypothesized
fluid replacement and electrolyte requirements
of the participants determined during sweat rate
testing.
RESULTS / DISCUSSION
The present studies measured changes in
hydration status of elite Olympic class sailors
in cold and warm conditions. CCS revealed
participants consumed insufficient fluids
to prevent a decrease in body mass during
training, regardless of drink condition, causing
a reduction in blood electrolyte concentration.
WCS showed that consuming 11.5 mL.kg-1.h-1 of
fluid from any condition prevented a decrease
in body mass, lowered USG in all conditions
and blood sodium concentration and sodium
balance were maintained with the custom drink
condition only.
HYDRATION
The average pre-training urine concentration
value (USG) for all groups in both studies was
1.019, which is very close to the 1.020 threshold
that has been associated with dehydration 11.
As participants were encouraged to consume
fluids freely prior to training, this finding
suggests individual pre-hydration practices are
inadequate. Since training began at 11:00 am
daily, there was adequate time for athletes to
consume fluids prior to arriving at the sailing
centre. Furthermore, the variability between
participants in pre-training USG measurements,
especially in the WCS, favours inadequate fluid
consumption as opposed to a higher rate of urine
protein metabolites due to high muscle mass.
In the WCS, participants’ fluid intake was
standardized to 11.5 mL.kg-1.h-1 to reflect
previous recommendations on relative fluid
intake 13 and enable the comparison of hydration
status and sodium balance between subjects and
drinks. The decision to standardize participants’
fluid intake was also based partially on the
variability of fluid intake observed during the
CCS and from inadequate fluid intake reported
in previous studies 2,9. A leading cause of
insufficient fluid intake for athletes training
and competing in cold temperatures is reduced
thirst, which is restored in warm conditions 14.
Examination of elite football players training
in cool (5°C) temperatures revealed athletes
consumed far less fluid than was lost from
sweating 10. Furthermore, runners have been
found to underestimate their sweat rates in cool
conditions, despite accurate estimations of their
fluid consumption 15. These and our findings
suggest athlete’s perception of sweat rates in
cool climates is impaired, which reinforces the
need for specific hydration guidelines. The fluid
requirements of participants in WCS (19.5°C
[17.0 - 23.3]), were anticipated to reflect the
average laboratory sweat rate of 1470 mL.h-1
measured at 21.8°C. The fluid intake rate of 11.5
mL.kg-1.h-1 was selected to deliver approximately
65% of the average laboratory sweat rate and a
volume less than one litre (906.2 – 971.8 mL.h1
), with a carbohydrate content between 6-9%.
This range of carbohydrate consumption in
fluid replacement drinks has been identified
as an optimal range for absorption and gastric
emptying 8. Furthermore, consuming volumes
greater than 1000 mL.h-1 during exercise has
caused gastro-intestinal discomfort in highly
trained individuals 16. None of the participants
in the study commented on any bloating or
gastro-intestinal issues during or after training.
Surprisingly, participants’ average on-water
sweat rate was only 611.8 ± 47.2 mL.h-1. This
SUMMER 2013
was 41.5% lower than the pre-study laboratory
sweat rate of 1470 mL.h-1. As a result,
participants mean fluid intake was 933.33 ±
5.13 mL.h-1 or 153.0% fluid replacement. Since
on-water temperatures were similar to that
of the laboratory sweat rate testing, it appears
the cooling effect of splashing waves and brief
pauses in activity between training drills did
not elicit the same physiologic sweat response
during sailing as seen during cycle exercise. This
suggests laboratory based sweat rate testing over
estimates sweat rates observed on-water in this
study. Therefore, the on water environmental
conditions experienced by Olympic class
sailors may have a direct modulating influence
on sweat rate and fluid requirements. Based on
our observations, a lower fluid replacement rate
would be more appropriate for the conditions
experienced in this study. Extrapolating from
the data presented, a fluid intake rate of 7.4
mL.kg-1.h-1 would achieve the desired hydration
state.
USG AND ELECTROLYTES
The greater fluid consumption compared to
fluid loss during WCS may account for some of
our results. Analysis of USG showed a change
over time with lower values after training
in all groups. This was coupled with a main
effect for time for body weight, whereby all
groups increased body mass during training as
direct result of fluid intake. This was a clear
difference from CCS during which there was no
difference in USG and a decrease in body mass
post-training. In CCS it was not surprising to
see no difference between groups for measures
of hydration status; however, given the 3 and
4 fold higher concentrations of sodium and
potassium between the c and G drink conditions
in WCS, we anticipated a difference between
groups post-training. While it is clear that all
groups retained fluid during training, an effect
of the positive fluid balance, the higher sodium
concentration in the INW condition did not have
a compounding effect on fluid retention as could
have been anticipated as observed in previous
findings 17.
BLOOD GLUCOSE CARBOHYDRATES
INTAKE
Examination of the energy demands of Laser
sailing by Castagna and Brisswalter 4 revealed
aerobic metabolism is the main energy source
used by elite sailors to fulfill muscle energy
demands. As such, blood glucose levels in CCS
were trending towards a decrease over time,
despite the supply of carbohydrates in the G and
IN groups; although, the average carbohydrate
intake in these groups was only 61 g and 42 g
respectively. Interestingly, the blood glucose
concentration of the C group was stable through
the 2.5 h training session despite consuming
no exogenous carbohydrates. In comparison,
trained cyclists working at 74% VO2max in
laboratory conditions experienced a significant
www.Laser.org
decrease in blood glucose after 90 minutes of
cycling 21. Examination of energy metabolism
during 60 minutes of cycling at 70% VO2max at
0°C revealed almost 60% of energy expenditure
was from carbohydrate metabolism 22. This
level was maintained regardless of infused
non-esterified fatty acids, suggesting that
carbohydrates are a preferred source of energy
in cold conditions as fatty acid metabolism
has been found to increase based on substrate
availability in temperature environments 23.
While the intensity of Laser sailing in conditions
similar to CCS reached approximately 65%
VO2max 4, this difference in intensity may have
been enough to prevent deleterious changes in
blood glucose in the C condition.
In WCS, blood glucose levels were surprisingly
unchanged between the drink conditions.
Although a change over time was observed,
indicating that blood glucose was higher after
training, this was largely driven by the G and
INW groups. The carbohydrate content in the
G drink was 66 g.L-1, which is approximately
in-line with the current American College of
Sports Medicine recommendations 24. These
guidelines were based on the understanding that
carbohydrates ingested during exercise could
only be used at a maximum rate of 1 g.min-1 25.
However, advances in carbohydrate metabolism
research have determined up to 1.75 g.min-1 can
be oxidized when using multiple transportable
carbohydrates, such as glucose and fructose 26.
As such, the carbohydrate content in the INW
drink was comprised of glucose and fructose
delivered in a 2:1 ratio at 1.3 – 1.5 g.min-1
based on a concentration of 90 g.L-1. Previous
work has determined this ratio of carbohydrate
delivered in solution and ingestion at 1.5
g.min-1 can improve exogenous carbohydrate
metabolism during exercise by 13% 27 to 48%
28
compared to consuming an isocaloric glucose
only solution. While carbohydrate oxidation
was not measured in this study, consuming a
drink with high carbohydrate concentration
using multiple transporters has a potentially
powerful effect for sailing athletes, as World
Cup regattas last 5 -7 days with up to three hours
of competitions per day. Therefore, reducing
endogenous carbohydrate oxidation could
potentially preserve stored muscle glycogen
energy for later in the competition, which has
previously been found to have a performance
enhancing effect 29.
CONCLUSION
Participants in the ad libitum design CCS were
unable to maintain hydration status in any
condition due to inadequate fluid consumption.
This may have resulted from a reduced desire
to drink and/or poor estimation of individual
hydration requirements in cold temperatures.
When 11.5 mL.kg-1.h-1 of fluid was consumed in
the WCS, all drinks improved urinary markers
of hydration and prevented a loss of body
mass. The C and G conditions were unable to
maintain blood electrolyte concentrations while
the customized drink condition was effective in
maintaining blood sodium concentrations but
not potassium. This was the first study to test
relative fluid intake based on laboratory sweat
rate on the hydration requirements of Olympic
class sailors in warm conditions. Therefore, it is
important to note that laboratory sweat testing
results did not directly correspond with onwater sweat rate. This finding may guide further
research of the hydration requirements of sailors
in different environmental conditions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the athletes and
coaches for their participation in this study and
the Canadian Yachting Association and CORK
for the use of their facilities. Additionally, we
would like to thank the Canadian Sport Centre
Ontario for the use of their equipment and
resources. Evan Lewis was supported by an
Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion Research
Program in Applied Sport Science Grant and a
Mitacs Accelerate Award.
Evan is a PhD candidate at the University of
Toronto, Department of Nutritional Sciences and
is a founder of the L2M Performance Group Inc.
Please send questions and comments to evan@
l2mperformance.com For more information and
training tips follow @L2MPerformance or visit
www.l2mperformance.com
11
And the Survey Says....
ERIC REITINGER
Over the last few months
the ex com put together a survey to
the District Secretaries asking them
various questions. Sixteen out of
the twenty six responded.
After reviewing the
responses, the trend was the same
for many. The Ex-Com is here
for the district secretaries. There
is a set of guidelines that offer a
valuable wealth of information
including financial support, access
to the online membership database,
access to the email list of all
those class members, and overall
responsibilities. The notes of our
meetings are available for viewing
online the following month after
we approve the minutes and will
now be sent out to the district
secretaries. We are also looking
for some new folks to become
district secretaries. A few of
our volunteers have requested a
replacement so email the ex-com
if you are interested. As a district
secretary myself, it’s a fun way
to give back to the class and keep
your district informed of regattas,
news and other things going on.
Plus you get to schedule the district
championship every year and
interact with all the sailors in your
district.
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www.Laser.org
13
Random thoughts by a Laser sailor
BY ARI BARSHI
I was asked to write an article for the
The Laser Sailor, and after a month
of procrastinating, I realized that I am not
a journalist nor a writer.
So I am suggesting a new segment for
The Laser Sailor publication called,
Random thoughts by a Laser sailor. Each
issue different sailor, different thoughts.
Thank you for the honor of being the guy
who started it all. My procrastination,
mixed with laziness lead me to be very
creative in my high-school days, always
telling the teachers,
of course I understood what the task is,
but we need innovation here.
Ah.. the task. Write a few words about
the ISAF event that was held in your
Laser Training Center in Cabarete
March 2013. I need to keep it short, due
to all these random thoughts earlier.
ISAF has a Training and Development
program. They joined forces with
the Spanish Olympic coaches, and
doctors to share the latest innovations
in coaching techniques and sailing
with sailors from Spanish speaking
countries, otherwise referred to Regional
Santander 14 Emerging Nations
Program. You can get a feel of the good
work they do on www.facebook.com/
ISAFDevelopment . The Spanish experts
came as part of their effort to host the
ISAF games in Santander in 2014. If you
are into politics, this last portion will
make a lot of sense to you.
The
sessions
covered
lost of
tactics
sessions,
new rules
classes,
and in
depth
meteorology. I was very impressed by
those who were able to obtain so much
information in a week. I always thought
that when a cloud approaches the race
course sail towards it, as it means more
pressure. Now I know that it is not
always the case, and even if it is, one has
to realize what the header meant, as some
clouds offer headers on both sides of the
course. We went over so many different
cloud formations, that I decided to stick
to that 148 year old tactic rule, which
is: always stay between the fleet and the
next mark.
Lots of time was dedicated to avoiding
injuries. To summarize these 5 hours,
I will just say it is very important to
warm up the body before going sailing,
and stretch on the water between races
and drills, and extremely important to
stretch after derigging the boat. If all of
us sailors will do just that, it seems that
many doctors would loose their jobs.
I train, I work as hard as I can to get a
sweat upwind. My training sessions are
down from 1.5 hours to 35 minutes, and
my quads hurt a lot the next day. I think
that finally after 13 years on a Laser, I
am starting to understand what hiking is.
When you wish upon a Star, watch out
Robert.
I am attaching a photo of this brilliant,
easy to make, kill your quads here and
now, belt that was introduces the public
in the ISAF event in Cabarete. It seems
that it was used for years by soccer
teams such as FC Barcelona. Much more
efficient than wall sits, and helps enhance
sailing performance.
In the pictures, playing games is a great
way to increase physical fitness, out
of the gym and while having fun. In
top photo, here we are playing tag in
teams. Photo bottom left; the quads belt
in action. It grips just under the knees.
Photo bottom, lots of stretching.
At the end of the on the water coaching
I was told that for a Master sailor I sail
very well. But, in 5 days of sailing, the
coaches never saw me sweat sailing
upwind. In other
words, the coaches
felt that I am not
putting enough
physical effort when
racing upwind.
Frankly, I always
thought that upwind
is where I should
conserve energy
to pass as many
boats as I can later
on the downwind
leg. So now when
14
SUMMER 2013
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15
Shoreside at the Canadian Masters
BY DAVID HARTMAN
The 2013 Canadian Masters were sailed
June 14 -16 at historic Beaconsfield YC
near Montreal. The clubhouse dates from
1810 and recently received a renovation
compliments of the community. How
many of us have ever seen a leaded
stainless steel roof? It is a beautiful old
stone house sited on a rise overlooking
the docks and Lake St-Louis. I met the
club manager shortly after arriving and
with the help of a local sailor, Lisa Pelling,
they found a boat for me to crash on for
the regatta. Rob Koci from Toronto & me,
along with Sharon & Tim Woodford, from
Liverpool, Nova Scotia, dined at a pub in
the neighboring village of Pointe Claire
Thursday night. Tim recently got back
into Laser sailing and decided to make
the 14 hour journey to compete in his first
major regatta
Friday started as a nice sunny day with
light air and the 40 competitors met and
renewed friendships before heading out for
the races. It was not a very exciting day
on the race course. Two races completed
and one abandonment. When we finally
made it back to shore, the keg was soon
emptied. We were able to rehash the day
and update friends on our experiences
as we enjoyed a nice barbecue dinner. It
was early to bed as Saturday was to be a
breezy day with a plan for four races. And
that it was! But we made it back to shore
and the keg. Then came the meal we
were waiting for – big ribeyes or boiled
lobster with suitable trimmings. Our sore
bodies reminded us of the day’s racing as
we exchanged our experiences of the day.
Another topic that received wide spread
16
attention was the ongoing battle between
Bruce Kirby and Laser Performance and
how that has sucked the class into the
legal proceedings. Not exactly how we
prefer to see our dues spent.
Sunday was predicted to be light followed
by rain. It was. We packed up boats in
the rain. Actually
this was done in
two sessions. After
a first shortened
race, the wind had
died and many were
headed for the dock
as the RC flew a
postponement flag.
About an hour later,
after many had
reached the dock and
some had pulled out,
we received word
that there would be
another race. So
those of us who had nowhere to go, and
little
common
sense
sailed
back out
to the
course
and
enjoyed
a race
in liquid
sunshine.
Then
we got
to pack
up the
boats in the rain. But there was more beer
and funny hot dogs and salads before the
awards were handed out.
I decided to make the trip from Florida
after hearing how neat the area was and
Andy Roy telling me he could get me a
boat to sail. Turns out Andy got bribed
into a business trip, but Joe Van Rossem
graciously agreed to bring me a boat. Joe
gave me his new boat and sailed his old
boat. That’s the kind of guy he is. He’s
the kind of guy that makes Laser sailing
special. Thanks, Joe. It was a lot of fun
despite some trying conditions. The
club members and staff were extremely
accommodating. The Race Management
group from a neighboring club set good
courses in challenging winds. Glad I
made the trip.
Results and photos are at http://www.byc.
qc.ca/eng/
Photos by Erik Simon & Christiane
Chausse
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17
Gulf Coast Masters Won by Ken Swetka
BY RUSSELL BROWN
It was a dark and stormy night along
the mysterious Florida Northwest
Gulf Coast…no, not really. It was
a clear, sunny day with fair winds,
characteristic of the beautiful Spring
weather along the shores of Florida’s
best kept secret. Fort Walton Yacht
Club was the host to the 2013 Laser
Master’s Gulf Coast Championships
held May 18 & 19 on one of the
best sailing venues in the country,
Choctawhatchee Bay.
Sailors from as far away as M&M
(Michigan and Maryland, of course!)
traveled to Florida’s Panhandle to vie
for a chance
to win the
coveted
trophy
AND a new
class-legal
Laser sail.
Ken Swetka
from St
Clair
Shores,
Michigan
did just
that in
extremely
impressive
style beating out 17 other hopefuls.
Ken won half of the six races and his
throw out was one of his three second
places. That’s hard to beat! Louisiana’s
Hank Saurage and Texas’ Ryan Minth
followed Ken in 2nd and 3rd overall.
The first Great Grand Master was local
Floridian David Sly, who also won the
random drawing (another class-legal
Laser sail - luuucky!!). First Grand
Master was another local Russell
Brown; first Master was Ken Swetka
(duh!); and first Apprentice Master
was Brett Morris from Maryland.
Both days of sailing were ideal with
fairly consistent southerly breezes
with just enough variation to keep it
interesting. The locals kept expecting
18
the winds to follow
the sun to the west
(righties) but it
seemed the lefties
were favored most
of the weekend
(oh well, time
to get out of our
rut!). However
it didn’t seem to
matter which side
of the course Ken
sailed, he was just
downright fast. He
must have been
rushing to get back
to shore to be first
go out to the fine folks at FWYC for
running excellent races
and boiling up a mess of
crawfish and shrimp on
Saturday night …ummm
good! Fudrucker’s, a
famous local restaurant on
Okaloosa Island hosted
the Friday night check-in
get together in their usual
laid back style. Hope to
see you all next year, same
time, same station!
in line for
regatta
organizer
Britt
Drake’s
famous
Caribbean
concoction
called
“Yellow
Birds”
(some
say there
was rum
involved).
Many
heartfelt
thanks
SUMMER 2013
Radial ACC
BY ERIC REITINGER
Jersey Strong was the theme of
Laser ACCs this year. Even after
Sandy, recovery is still in progress.
However Long Beach Island hosted
a major Laser event at Surf City the
previous week (District 10 full rig
championships) and then this regatta.
A total of 117 boats in all three fleets
made the trip from all over the east
coast and Canada.
Andy Widmeier, a radial sailor from
Brant Beach, offers up his perspective
on the racing:
to the full rigs having three general
recalls before our race. On the fourth
race I was penalized with a black flag.
The second day was much more
interesting. After a two hour delay
while waiting for the sea breeze to
settle in, we finally got a couple races
off. Once again there were many
recalls and the current played a major
role in the starts.
The first race of the day I started and
the pin, knowing that the left would
pay because the sea breeze was still
filling in. I won the pin and got into a
clear lane, fighting off Jeff Glosenger
on the left side. I rounded the weather
mark in first and kept my position
throughout the race.
By the second race the conditions had
changed. The wind had picked up
from under ten knots to about 11-13.
This made the course extremely short
because it was not lightened from the
light air course that was already set up.
I ended up in 6th place that race and
that was the last race for the radials.
Overall, I finished 5th with Roger
Dorr, Graham Kilvert, Jeff Glosenger,
and Liam McCarthy ahead of me.
Congrats to everyone who came out
and sailed in this event.
There were 48 radials sailing out of
Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club. Only 6
races were sailed in the two day event
with 7 races scheduled.
The first day of the event, Saturday
had some extremely difficult
conditions. The wind was fluctuating
and shifting all the time. The course
was relatively short with the full rigs
sailing the outer course and radials
sailing inner course.
The wind was pretty unpredictable.
It seemed like there would be one
large oscillation that would set the
favored side for the race. The current
was also a large issue, pushing many
boats over the line at each start both
days which caused many OCS’s and
black flags. My results for the first
day were 11-11-5-BFD. The first two
races really were catch up races for
me because I missed the big shifts and
was still trying to figure out the venue
with an unusual westward wind on
Long Beach Island. By the third race I
was much more comfortable with the
venue and got a fifth.
As I was saying, everyone on
the starting line was being very
aggressive. Radials started sequence
with black flags the last two races due
www.Laser.org
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19
District 19 Championships
BY KEN SWETKA
This last weekend, June 22nd and
23rd, Harbor Springs was home to the
2013 District 19 Laser Championship
Regatta. This event was hosted by
Irish Boat Shop and the Little Traverse
Sailors. Top Laser sailors from across
the state competed for the district 19
title on Little Traverse Bay. Two days
of racing were scored with 3 races on
Saturday, 3 races on Sunday and one
throw-out. We had a total of 16 boats
on the water, a few less than we hoped
for, but the talent was high which
made for some tight racing around the
marks.
In the end, sailing with the Irish Fleet,
it was Harbor Springs own Polk
Wagner who finished in 1st place and
took home top honors. Polk had a
low score total of 11 points after the
one throw-out was allowed. Another
summer resident and Irish Fleet
competitor, Mac Jacob, finished in 2nd
place with a total of 17 points. 2nd, 3rd
and 4th positions were all within one
point of each other. With 18 points it
was District 19 Manager, Ken Swetka,
taking 3rd place and nudging 4th place
finisher with 19 points, Aras Karaitis
from Kalamazoo off the podium.
The winds were light on Saturday and
light to medium on Sunday, but even
without heavy winds the competitors
enjoyed the venue and were treated to
a barbeque and awards ceremony at
Irish Boat Shop. Other sponsors we
would like to thank and who helped
make the event happen were Little
Traverse
Sailors,
Petoskey
Brewing,
the BobIn and
Shaggy’s
Skis.
Full results
are attached
along with
a few photos. For more information
or additional photos,
please contact Tom
Trautman at the
numbers below.
Photo above: left to right: Ken Swetka (3rd), Mac
Jacob (2nd) Polk Wagner (1st)
For more information
on Laser District 19,
click here: http://
www.d19laser.
org/ (check out the
link on this page
for photos taken by
Gretchen Dorian).
Laser Racing will
continue in Harbor
Springs with the IBS/
LTS Summer Racing
Series starting this
Thursday evening.
The racing schedule
includes a Thursday
series and a Saturday
series with 14 events over the summer
and a possibility of up to 42 races
for the competitors. We will also be
offering a Sunfish class for anyone
interested in getting out and racing on
a Sunfish. Again, for more information
on this please contact myself or
visit Irish’s website at: http://www.
irishboatshop.com/laser_racing
The event was so successful and
the venue so perfect, that it was
decided that next year’s District 19
Championship will be held in Harbor
Springs again.
Smooth Sailing,
Tom Trautman
Irish Boat Shop, Inc.
20
SUMMER 2013
www.Laser.org
21
California Laser Masters/Pacific Coast Championships
22
SUMMER 2013
2013 Schedule
Regatta
Laser
Radial
Laser 4.7
Masters
Balantonfured, HUN
July 6-13
Al Musannah, Oman
Nov 28-Dec 7
Women’s: Rizhao, China
World Championship
ISAF Grade 1
SR: Al Musannah, Oman
Nov 14-Nov 23
JR: Balantonfured, HUN
July 14-21
Sept 28-Oct 7
Mens: Dun Laoghaire, IRL
Aug 30-Sept 6
Youth: Al Musannah, Oman,
Dec 27-Jan 3
New York YC
Newport, RI
Oct 18-20
CORK
July 24-28
www.cork.org
CORK
July 24-28
www.cork.org
CORK
July 24-28
www.cork.org
Other
North American
Championships
Standard Youth
August 112-15
www.cork.org
na
na
na
Canadian
Championships
St. Margaret’s Bay SC
August 112-15
St. Margaret’s Bay, NS
July 19-21
St. Margaret’s Bay SC
August 112-15
St. Margaret’s Bay, NS
July 19-21
St. Margaret’s Bay SC
August 112-15
St. Margaret’s Bay, NS
July 19-21
St. Margaret’s Bay SC
August 112-15
St. Margaret’s Bay, NS
July 14-16
Santa Cruz YC
Santa Cruz, CA
June 26-30
Santa Cruz YC
Santa Cruz, CA
June 26-30
Santa Cruz YC
Santa Cruz, CA
June 26-30
Cabrillo Beach YC
San Pedro CA
June 19-21
Kingston, ON
www.cork.org
August 17-21
Kingston, ON
www.cork.org
August 17-21
Kingston, ON
www.cork.org
August 17-21
na
Clearwater, FL
www.clwyc.org
Feb 21-24
Clearwater, FL
www.clwyc.org
Feb 21-24
Clearwater, FL
www.clwyc.org
Feb 21-24
Port Charlotte
Beach Park, FL
Feb 2-4
California YC
Marina del Rey, CA
March 22-24
California YC
Marina del Rey, CA
March 22-24
California YC
Marina del Rey, CA
March 22-24
na
Miami, FL (men only)
www.ussailing.org
January 27-Feb 2
Miami, FL (women only)
www.ussailing.org
January 27-Feb 2
na
na
Little Egg Harbor YC
Beach Haven, NJ
June 8-9
Little Egg Harbor YC
Beach Haven, NJ
June 8-9
Little Egg Harbor YC
Beach Haven, NJ
June 8-9
Barrington YC
Barrington, RI
Sept 14-15
Colombia Gorge RA
July 12-14
www.cgra.org
Colombia Gorge RA
July 12-14
www.cgra.org
Colombia Gorge RA
July 12-14
www.cgra.org
Tahoe YC
Tahoe City, CA
June 15-16
Gulfport YC
Gulfport, MS
March 16-17
Gulfport YC
Gulfport, MS
March 16-17
Gulfport YC
Gulfport, MS
March 16-17
Ft. Walton YC
Ft. Walton Beach, FL
May 18-19
Park City Sailing
Park City, UT
Sept 21-22
Park City Sailing
Park City, UT
Sept 21-22
Park City Sailing
Park City, UT
Sept 21-22
na
MuskegonYC
Muskegon, MI
Sept 7-8
MuskegonYC
Muskegon, MI
Sept 7-8
MuskegonYC
Muskegon, MI
Sept 7-8
MuskegonYC
Muskegon, MI
Sept 7-8
NA Championship
40 GP pts. ISAF Grade 1
30 GP pts. ISAF Grade 2
US Championships
30 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 2
CORK
30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 1
Midwinters East
30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 1
Midwinters West
30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 1
Rolex Miami OCR
ISAF Grade 1
Atlantic Coast
Championships
25 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 2
Pacific Coast
Championships
25 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 2
Gulf Coast
Championships
25 GP Pts
No Coast
Championships
25 GP Pts
Great Lakes
Championships
25 GP Pts
www.Laser.org
23
District Reports
District 3
Ontario, Canada
Nigel Heath
Nigel_heath@manulife.com
The biggest news in District 3 is that the 2015 Laser
World Championships will be held in Kingston, with
the Senior World Championships followed by the
Masters World Championships. Congratulations
to all those involved with bringing these major
events to Kingston. The Senior Worlds will be
June 29-July 8, followed by the Master Worlds
on July 10-18. It will be great to have the World
Championships in our own back yard, so get your
game face on and start preparing now. Along that
line of thinking, the Ontario Masters Team will be
back in action conducting regatta preparation/training
in conjunction with Ontario Sailing. If you are over
35 and interested in joining the group, let me know.
If you are a keel boat sailor, leave your boat at the
dock for a couple of years, jump back into a laser (or
Radial) and join us at the Worlds. I can guarantee
you will make new friends and your fitness level will
improve.…ha! See you on the water.
District 7
Tiverton, RI
Derek Stow
laserd7@gmail.com
The 2013 regatta season in District 7 started off with
the Peter Milnes Regatta hosted by Fleet 413 and
Sail Newport on April 28. The 36 sailors who entered
enjoyed weather that was somewhat warmer and
winds that were not quite as extreme as last year.
The top five were…
1. Andy Pimental
2. Anthony Kotoun
3. Dan Neri
4. Scott Milnes
5. Steve Kirkpatrick
Cedar Point YC in Westport CT hosted their Spring
Regatta on May 11, and this was also the Area
B Semifinals for the US Sailing Singlehanded
Championships.
In the 25 boat full rig fleet the top three were..
1. Andrew Scrivan
2. Marc Jacobi
3. Mike Matan
And in the 10 boat Radial fleet the top three were
1. Gordon Richie
2. Sarah Hatsell
3. Giovanni Ronco
Also on May 11, Quannapowitt YC in Wakefield
MA hosted their May Madness Regatta. It was
aptly named this year with blustery 25-30 knot
gusts and many inverted Lasers littering the course.
Phill King, Stu Nickerson and Nat Cook mastered
the tricky conditions to take the top three places.
Bill Brangiforte took one look at the conditions
and decided to sail with a Radial rig, taking first
place in that fleet. But perhaps the most impressive
performance was by 15-year-old Stephen Young who
showed the old geezers that it is possible to capsize
a Laser 14 times, right it in howling winds, and still
24
have the energy to fight for a place in the front row at
the next start.
The 2013 District 7 Championship for full rigs was
held as part of the multi-class two day Wickford
Regatta on May 18-19. The wind gods smiled on
us with a solid 12-18 knots out of the south on both
days. The race management was superb, with the
only glitch being when a commercial fishing boat
decided to hook up our windward mark and tow it
away during the first beat of one race. Ian Ikeda put
on a dominant performance, winning 5 out of the
7 races to win our District Championship for the
second year in a row.
The top 7 were..
1. Ian Ikeda
2. Brian Fisher
3. Carsten Faubel
4. Dan Neri
5. Seth Cooley
6. Britt Hughes
7. Lawrence McGrath
Massapoag Yacht Club in Sharon MA had a wild,
wet and windy day for their annual Laser Regatta on
June 1.
The top 5 were:
1. John Eckart
2. Eric Siegel
3. Alejandro Matoso
4. Chris Hufstader
5. Eric Aker
And on the same weekend Lake Mascoma in New
Hampshire hosted their regatta with thunder and
lightning threatening all day. They managed to
complete six races before a monster squall come over
the hill and put an end to the racing.
The top 5 were…
1. Dave Frazier
2. Nat Cook
3. Eric McCaffrey
4. Mike McCaffrey
5. Hank Thorburn
We have a very full regatta schedule for the rest
of the summer which you can find on the District
7 Website at www.laserdistrict7.com. Please note
especially the three Masters regattas planned for this
fall in District 7…
7-8 Sept - New England Masters - Sail Newport
14-15 Sep - Atlantic Coast Masters - Barrington
18-20 Oct - North American Masters - New York
YC, Newport
There is also a District 7 blog at http://laserd7.
wordpress.com and a Laser District 7 Facebook
group.
District 9
Upstate New York
Chas Williamson
Welcome to 2013, Sailors in D9! This season
we have had four regattas, all of which had a
good moderate breeze. Indeed on 22 June the
regatta at Chautauqua Lake was in a southwesterly of around 15 knots, gusting 20 knots
-- champagne sailing. Our four main regattas
have been Willowbank YC (Cazenovia),
Newport YC (Rochester), Saratoga Lake SC
and Chautauqua Lake YC. The Wine Keg
Regatta in Ithaca coincided with 35 knots of
breeze blowing down the Cayuga Lake with
53 degree temperatures; and with the level
of motorboat support we decided to postpone
the regatta to another time this summer. This
decision was warmly received by everyone.
WILLOWBANK YC - 1 June 2013
We had a moderate breeze from the SouthWest,
and as always at Caz, it was shifty and gusty.
Our fleet was down on last year, as the date
clashed with many events for sailors and their
kids for some reason, and we look forward to
seeing them turn out in force at the Willowbank
Deathroll regatta at season’s end. On the race
course, Philippe (Chippy) Williamson came
out sailing strong in Race 1, but after the
race was Dsq’d, leaving Chas Williamson to
take honours from Paul Martellock and Pedro
Bushnell. Dan Fien was fighting his mainsheet
at the windy start of the race, and although he
usually has a great turn of speed, he scored
DNF. But he came out fast in race 2 at the
committee boat end and led around the course
to beat a close Chippy at the finish, followed
again by his father Chas. The next two races
were won by Chippy who really turned on
the speed. In one race, he sailed downwind
powered by a gust and on a cushion of spray,
with a cheeky wave and a smile to his father,
as he rocketed past. The final race saw Pedro
come through for a deserved win, followed
by Chas, with Dan Fien getting Chippy on the
line. Chippy and Chas finished on equal points,
but Chippy won the tiebreaker, because he had
two first places! Dan Fien was third, one point
ahead of Pedro, followed by Paul Martellock,
Korina Brewer (who double-trailed with Dan),
and Mike Mueller. The final places were: 1.
Chippy Williamson; 2. Chas Williamson; 3.
Dan Fien; 4. Brendan Pedro Bushnell; 5.
Paul Martellock; 6. Korina Brewer; 7. Mike
Mueller.
SARATOGA LAKE SC - DERBY REGATTA
- 8 June 2013.
Dave Burtis from the host club sent a nice
report from the event, as follows: The annual
Saratoga Derby Laser regatta was held on
Saturday June 8. Eleven competitors showed
up, buoyed by the prospect of 10 mph winds,
unlike the Derby regattas of the last couple
years. As they sailed to the starting line, the
light wind began to fade and part of the first race
was in a near drifter – oh no, not another Derby
regatta of slow motion “racing”. But then the
winds steadily increased to near 10 mph and
not too shifty or gusty, making for some fine,
exciting racing. There were six races, with
one throwout. The excitement was enhanced
for many sailors who found themselves tightly
bunched and vying for a top position. In one
race, the top 6 boats did a tight formation noseto-tail parade around the leeward mark. Aaron
maintained a commanding lead in the 1st race
and had consistently excellent races, with his
throwout race being a 3rd place finish. After
3 races, 2nd through 4th places were very much
up for grabs, with only 3 points separating
Scott Meyer (finished 2nd), Allan Miller
(finished 3rd), and Mike Kitner (finished 4th).
Second and third place were determined by a
tiebreaker, and 4th was one point behind. James
Nicol sailed consistently well for 5th. Walter
Smith, who had been missing in action so far
this year and much of last year was 6th. David
Burtis, who was in the running for a top 5
SUMMER 2013
finish, submerged his chances by missing the
hiking strap while hiking out hard after a tack.
and finished 7th. Peter Hudson was 8th. Bill
Hamilton, who prefers practicing with a Flying
Dutchman, ended 9th. Kara, who was not given
any bonus points despite driving 3 hours from
Lake Oswego to join us, finished 10th. Final
Placings: 1. Aaron Holland. 2. Scott Meyer. 3.
Allan Miller. 4. Mike Kitner. 5. James Nicol.
6. Walter Smith. 7. David Burtis. 8. Peter
Hudson. 9. Kira Munger. 10. Bill Hamilton.
11. Pietr Czejkowski.
NEWPORT YC (Rochester, NY) - 15 June
2013
This year the regatta was held in light to
moderate winds with the usual large windshifts
in the beautiful Northerly breeze blowing down
Irondequoit Bay, coming from Lake Ontario.
It was mostly hiking conditions, and with a
lift on starboard near to the windward mark,
that helped sailors gain on their competitors
approaching the mark. The regatta started
with a bang for father-son team Joe and Luke
Miller. Joe came in from the left side with a
Big Lead, and kept this all the way for two
rounds until the final hitch to the finish line
where son Luke pipped him. Joe was in great
form! In the following race, Chas Williamson
took the leaad at the first mark to lead around
the whole race, followed by Kenny Fourspring
of NYC, followed by Chippy Williamson. In
the first five races, Chas scored (3,1,2,1,2) with
Luke scoring (1,5,1,2,1) so it came down to
the last race. During the race, Luke had the
lead until the last run, and was challenged off
the wind by Chippy and a tussle ensued close
to the lee mark. Chas overtook Kenny, and
rounded just behind the front two. Two large
windshifts on the final half-beat plopped Chas
ahead of Luke by half a boatlength, allowing
him to squeak out a final win and the regatta,
with Luke in second overall. Kenny took third
overall followed by Chippy. Both father-son
teams finished within the top 5 ! Final Placings
were: 1. Chas Williamson; 2. Luke Miller; 3.
Kenny Fourspring; 4. Chippy Williamson; 5.
Joe Miller; 6. Steve Leach; 7. John Boettcher;
8. Charles Maier.
The weather really was astoundingly good,
with glorious sunshine on a sparkly lake
surface. Chippy won the first two races with a
clear edge of speed, with Rick Turner in second
both races, followed by Rob Churchill who
went like a rocket on the beats. Rick won Race
3, over Chippy, but Race 4 was another battle
between them. At the end of the second beat,
Chippy touched Doug Bargar on starboard as
a big gust came in while he tried to bear away.
This pulled him back from first to 5th in the
race. Rick was in the lead, but this time was
overhauled on the run by Chas Williamson,
finally finding a tiny bit of form. In Race 5,
Chippy went out and won from Rick, and
this is how they ended up in the regatta, as
Chippy counted three wins to break the tie (all
races to count) with the incredibly fast and
superfit RickTurner! Chas managed two good
final races to put him back into third overall
followed by Rob Churchill, Doug Bargar, and
David Menzies. Upon getting ashore, Rick
Turner announced that a visit to Doctor I, was
imminent, soon to prescribe Ibuprofen. It was a
brilliant regatta for everyone, and many thanks
go out to the Turners, including Dick Turner,
with his friend from class of 1945 Cornell, and
David Menzies. We take the opportunity to
mention here the performance of Chautauqua
sailor Lauren Turner who helped the Cornell
Sailing team to an incredible third place in the
2013 ICSA Womens National Championships
(by far the best place ever gained by a Cornell
team), winning also All-American status for
a Cornell sailor for the first time since Mike
Ingham in 1986. When you go to Chautauqua
Lake YC, you feel the presence of the
remarkable Turner family, who give so much
to the sport.
Final placings ere: 1. Chippy Williamson;
2. Rick Turner; 3. Chas Williamson; 4. Rob
Churchill; 5. Doug Bargar; 6. Dave Menzies;
7. Kirk Kelly; 8. Pete Mueller; 9. Tom Berges.
CHAUTAUQUA LAKE YC - 22 June 2013
The wonderful Turner family and David
Menzies organised a fantastic wind and regatta,
which was won handily in the 15-20 knot
breeze by Chippy Williamson, followed by a
very fast Rick Turner, and Chas Williamson.
The Spring season was a busy one for District
10. Four regattas got the area sailors prepped
for the summer sailing. Our usual circuit of
events involves Marsh Creek, Shrewsbury,
Monmouth, Brant Beach and Surf City.
Lavallette is still recovering from Sandy so we
www.Laser.org
District 10
New Jersey
Eric Reitinger
will get them back on the circuit next year.
Here are the results from Saturday’s 32nd
annual Philadelphia Championship for Lasers
held at Marsh Creek State Park. It was a
beautiful and blustery Spring day on the lake
with the usual gusting and shifting winds
keeping all the racers at full attention on every
race. 16 enthusiast sailors participated. The
superb RC, Charlie Lindsay, Fred Glasier and
Susan Huffington, executed 7 races, allowing
1 throw out for scoring. Glen Dickson from
Bay Head YC took top honors followed
by Mike Hecky from Riverton YC and
Carsten Faubel from Corsica River YC. Top
Marsh Creek Club sailor was our very own
Commodore, David Cliffel. Thanks to David,
Colleen, Peter and Jerzy for organizing the
regatta.
1. Glen Dickson 2. Mike Hecky 3. Carsten
Faubel 4. Jim Knab 5. Dave Cliffel 6.
Peter Madonna 7. Steven Schmidt 8. Rick
Landell 9. Tony Iocono 10. Mike Mays 11.
Mohammed Harraz 12. Jerzy Sliwinski
13. Faye Flam 14. George Fallon 15. Fred
Schaefer 16. Bill Parsons. Congrats to all.
Thanks for making it such a great day.
Mike Mays, Laser Fleet Captain
Thanks to Glen Dickson for the next 2 reports:
Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club Laser Regatta
May 11, 2013
10 boats
Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club (SSYC) hosted
its annual spring Laser regatta from a clubhouse that
has been almost entirely rebuilt since Superstorm
Sandy hit last October and caused severe flooding
along the Shrewsbury River. The regatta’s forecast
also called for challenging weather, with heavy rain
and big breeze. While sailors rigged up in a light
drizzle, the sun peeked through after the skipper’s
meeting and the thunderstorms stayed away long
enough for five quality races to be completed in a
shifty, puffy SE breeze that ranged anywhere from
5 to 18 knots. Courses were a mix of windwardleewards and Olympics, with the weather mark set
close to the SSYC beach.
Cooper River YC’s John MacCausland dominated the
small but talented fleet, winning all five races with
good speed and shrewd tactics. While MacCausland
trailed in a few races, he always seemed to find the
key shift upwind or big puff downwind to grab the
lead. Glen Dickson of Bay Head YC was the best of
the rest, edging Dave Magno of Lavallette YC by a
point after one discard. MacCausland was also the
top Master, while Robert Gruskos of the host club
25
was the first Radial and top Junior finisher. Many
thanks to Anita Waters and the rest of the SSYC
volunteers for organizing a fun event.---Glen Dickson
1. John MacCausland 1-1-1-1-(1) 4 pts
2. Glen Dickson 2-(3)-2-3-2
9 pts
3. Dave Magno 3-2-3-2-(5)
10 pts
Monmouth Boat Club Spring Laser Regatta
May 18, 2013
9 boats
While still in the midst of rebuilding its clubhouse
after it was wrecked by Sandy last fall, Monmouth
Boat Club rallied to host its annual Laser regatta on
May 18. The always-challenging Navesink River
cooperated by serving up a shifty southerly that
ranged from 5 to 8 knots all day, with a few shots of
10 to 12 knots from the southwest just to keep things
interesting.
MBC Laser fleet captain Dave Watts and his team
rattled off seven windward-leeward races in quick
order, narrowly beating a steady rainfall that set in by
mid-afternoon. Defending champion Chris Henkel
of MBC, Jim Knab of Cooper River YC and Glen
Dickson of Bay Head YC engaged in a back-andforth battle over the first four races, with some big
moves being made in the top third of the beat as
the fleet approached a weather mark set close to the
Navesink’s southern shore.
Dickson rallied to win two of the last three races and
take the regatta win, with Henkel holding off Knab
for second. Considering the often random conditions
on the water, it was appropriate that the prizes were
“Powerball” lottery tickets---which according to
Watts made the MBC event potentially the most
lucrative sailing regatta in history. While I’m not
sure if anyone hit it big in Powerball, all the sailors
enjoyed some post-race refreshments and stories.
Monmouth will be hosting its annual fall regatta on
September 21, by which time the club should be fully
repaired and once again running at full strength.--Glen Dickson
Results:
1. Glen Dickson
9 pts
2. Chris Henkel
12 pts
3. Jim Knab
15 pts
Here’s Clay’s report about the District 10 Champs/
Orange Coffee Pot regatta at Surf City.
The 2013 Orange Coffee Pot Regatta and Laser
District 10 Championship was held at Surf City Yacht
Club on June 1st and 2nd this year. Every year, this
regatta is a “must-attend” because of the superb race
committee work, friendly competition, and great
hospitality. This year provided an added bonus; this
event was a great warm up for the Laser Atlantic
Coast Championships to be sailed just down the road
at Little Egg Harbor YC so sailors were anxious to
get some time on the same water.
a light sea breeze filled in offering 3 races for the
full rigs and 2 for the radials and 4.7. Clay Johnson
successfully defended his ACC title.
Saturday proved to be the “light air” day with winds
starting out at about 12 knots and building to about
20 knots by the end of the day. The Race Committee
sailed 7 windward-leeward, twice-around races,
each taking a little less than half an hour. Getting a
good start and being able to sail on the favored tack
quickly afterwards was the most important thing on
Saturday. On the downwinds, the sailors who were
sailing fast were sailing very hot by-the-lee and
reaching angles to find the next puff, and then once
they found the puff, they used it to sail straight at the
mark.
Brant Beach hosted their annual spring regatta with
a decent turnout. This also doubled as a qualifier for
the US Sailing O’Day Championship. The wind was
out of the west/northwest offering very puffy and
shifty conditions. Five races were sailed frustrating
the sailors every race. Eric Reitinger won the event
with Mike Russom making a late charge in second.
Glen Dickson was a point behind him and Steve
Warren a point behind that. As you can see racing
was close. In the radial fleet of 7, Chris Schon
won by only a point over Scot Meggitt and Bridget
Maccormack finished third. Eric and Bridget will
represent Area C in the O’Day Finals.
On Sunday, the breeze piped up a bit more to a
steady 20 knots building to the mid-20s. Most of the
fleet made it out for the last four races of the event,
but as the day went on and the breeze increased, the
fleet size dwindled. There were some big puffs on
Sunday, and vang-sheeting was really important. The
Race Committee also tucked the windward mark in
right underneath the shore too, which added a few
more variable to the mix. The bottom of the course
was much steadier and had consistent breeze, while
the top of the course was pretty puffy and shifty. The
left side of the course, which was closer to shore
was much flatter than the right side that was in the
channel. So hiking hard and vang-sheeting at the
bottom of the course and playing the shifts well and
being on your toes at the shifty, top of the course
were very important.
All in all, Newt Wattis and all of the friendly
volunteers at Surf City Yacht Club made the 42nd
annual Jack Elfman Orange Coffee Pot and Laser
District 10 Championships another successful event.
Eleven efficient and windy races were sailed in just
two days, and everyone had a great time. They do it
every year, and I strongly encourage you to put this
regatta on your calendar for next year!
Jersey Strong was the theme of the ACCs this year
at Little Egg. And a great way to start the weekend
was having a Tropical Storm make its way through
the area on Friday. 44 of the 117 boats were from
District 10! After the storm passed and the puddles
receded, the weather turned out great for racing. The
courses were challenging due the shifty westerly
that dominated most of Saturday, and after the first
day only one person had all 4 single digit finishes.
Sunday offered a glassy start to racing but eventually
Here is the D10 schedule. Hopefully it’ll be in
your hands around the time of the calendar that’s
below. We did schedule the Radial and 4.7 District
Championships at Brant Beach August 17 and 18th.
Will be a great way to end programs in the area with
one final big regatta.
July 5th Jr. Commodore’s Regatta @ Surf City YC
July 11 Iron Man @ Shore Acres YC (Jr. Boys only)
July 12 Powder Puff @ Metedeconk River YC (Jr.
Girls only)
July 22-23 Junior Olympic Regatta @ Island Heights
YC
August 2 Summer Sailing Classic @ Ocean Gate YC
August 17-18 District 10 Championship for Radials
and 4.7s @ Brant Beach YC
August 24 Surf City Annual Regatta Jr. Edition.
September 7-8 Surf City Annual Regatta
September 21 Monmouth Fall Regatta
October 12 Marsh Creek Fall Regatta
District 15
Texas
Forest Atkins
Bonjour Y’all … Greetings from Montreal, which is
a bit cooler than the near triple digit temps at home
in Dallas Fort. Why Montreal ? …… more aerospace
career adventures ! Nothing like traveling to distant/
different lands, meeting new and interesting people/
sailors and racing Lasers against them ! Yep,
I’m making the best of my extended stay here in
Montreal while my employer has me working with
Bombardier.
A quick Google search through the D3 website
(really nice one btw) and D2 page indicated that
Beaconsfield YC would be hosting the Canadian
SEA Waist Lock Hiking Pants
give you lower back
support when you
need it most!
www.sailequipment.com.au
26
SUMMER 2013
Master Champs. ….. a 15 minute drive from the
Bombardier engineering building !
The D2 Sec. and BYC member Philippe Dormoy has
generously provided me with a charter of his great
practice boat.
In preparation I was also fortunate enough to take in
Rob Koci’s Laser training camp-seminar June 1-2.
The weather was both light to medium the first day
and honkin’ the second, so we were able to work on a
wide range of skills.
I really enjoyed Rob’s well – organized coaching.
It definitely helped with improving some of my
techniques ….well, OK bad habits. If you ever have
the chance to receive coaching from Rob, by all
means do so !
Anyhow all this to say that one does not have to
leave their Laser sailing at home when traveling.
There a lot of great folks in our many districts willing
to support.
As D-15 is a large distict, traveling is regular thing
for us in Texas . One who makes regular habit of
it is Doug Peckover who continues to lead the pack
thru our spring D-15 circuit, the latest being our CSC
Laser regatta at White Rock Lake followed closely
by Mark Babb. I understand Doug will be up for
the Canadian Masters as well. Next up in D15 is the
Seabrook YC event June20-21.
Travelling for Laser is event is fun….go do it !
District 19
Ken Swetka
Michigan
In Michigan the season is still young as of this
writing so only one regatta has happened. We are
excited to have our District Championship at yet
another new location! It is (was) June 22-23 in
Harbor Springs and co-hosted by Irish Boat Shop and
Little Traverse Yacht Club.
2013 GTYC Spring LASER Regatta
May 11, 2013
First Leg of the BABEL CUP
Submitted by: T. Babel
“A three round fight,,,with a knockout in the third”
The 2013 GTYC Laser Spring Regatta was a
memorable event. What started out as a nice
afternoon of Laser sailing quickly turned into a
quest of survival. Seventeen skippers were greeted
with cold air and water temperatures to West Grand
Traverse Bay. We had a strong representation from
our women’s and men’s High School Sailing Teams
from Traverse City. The standard rig and radial rigs
all started together in the scheduled five race/no
www.Laser.org
throw out series. RC/PRO JORDON OWEN called
for windward/leeward courses. This is the first leg of
the Babel Cup, which is added to the fall regatta for
the over all champion. Races one and two started
in perfect spring time Laser conditions, wind from
the southwest at 8-12 kts, flat water, shifty. JAMIE
STUURSMA (GTYC-Defending 2012 Babel Cup
Champion) started out where he left off by hitting
the first shift in race one and sailing a strong race for
the standard rig win. DIRK PHELPS (GTYC-TC
Central Sailing Team) came back from an OCS to
lead the radial fleet demonstrating his superior tactics
and boat handling skills. In race two, COLTON
GERBER (GTYC-TC Central Sailing Team) sailing
a full rig, came out “firing on all cylinders”, had
a great boat end start and led the fleet for the first
lap. Then the fight was on between GERBER and
TOM BABEL during the last run to the finish, with
BABEL being able to “keep GERBER hooked to the
outside” for the win, followed closely by GERBER
and STUURSMA.
THEN IT WAS TIME FOR RACE NUMBER
THREE.
I’m not sure if any of us (the racers, the crash boats,
the people watching from shore) new what was
about to hit West Bay. The wind built to the mid
to upper teens during the starting sequence with a
40 degree shift to the right, making the first beat a
fetch for TED LOCKWOOD (GTYC-Local Laser
Sailing Legend) who had won the boat end start.
As the boats converged on the weather mark so did
30kts plus of wind. Because of the right shift, you
had to make a 180 degree turn to head back down
the reach to the leeward mark. First LOCKWOOD
tried the jibe, didn’t get it around, rounded up to
weather, ended up tacking which was the move we
all should have done. Then BABEL tried the jibe and
immediately “crashed and burned to weather”. As
I came up swimming and stood on my centerboard,
the fleet was a debris field getting pummeled by
a 30-40 kt blast. The whole scene was reminiscent
of FOREST GUMP, “THEN GOD SHOWED UP”,
when Lieutenant DAN was talking to GOD from
the crow’s nest, “COME ON, YOU CALL THIS A
STORM”! A couple of boats were able to hang on
for the “ride of their lives” back down to the leeward
mark. With a TKO declared on the fleet, at some
point PRO OWEN hoisted N over H, All races are
abandoned. Further signals ashore. One of the larger
challenges of the day was getting back to the GTYC
which was on the windward shore of a 30kt plus gale
out of the northwest. When it was all said and done,
all skippers and boats were accounted for. Then the
fleet warmed up inside the GTYC while enjoying
some hot dogs and refreshments from WARES
FROSTY TREAT. The fleet is looking forward to the
GTYC FALL REGATTA on September 28. Special
Thanks To: RC/PRO- Owen, Crash Boat- Bob Clark
& Ned Lockwood, Support- Commodore Sorbie,
Support- David Gerber/High School Sailing Coach,
Support- Crash Boat /David Phelps.
RESULTS SUMMARY:
Full Rig - 1) Babel 2) Stuursma 3) Colton Gerber
Radial Rig - 1) Phelps 2) Maddie Fink 3)Alex
Anderson
Top Woman – Maddie Fink
Top Master 45+ with new knee – George Peet
Full results
Tom Babel
Jamie Stuursma
Colton Gerber
Dirk Phelps
Ted Lockwood
Pete Kirby-Miller
George Peet
Mitchell Clark
Ryan Clulo
Ben Jamison
Maddie Fink
Alex Anderson
Katy Zimmerman
Maddie Zimmerman
Sara Gustafson
Tom Hazelton
Sydney McCombs
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History of the GTYC LASER SPRING & FALL
REGATTAS
Submitted by: T. Babel
People often ask me the history of the Spring and
Fall Laser Regattas. Sometime in the early 70’s ,
THE LOCKWOODS got a Laser and we called it
“Old Blue”. THE BABELS had Sunfish Sailboats
at that time. You may remember Enid Babel sailing
Sunfish 21293 in the Park Place Race. Then, NED
LOCKWOOD proclaimed that the Laser was the best
boat going,, so BILL BABEL got out of the Sunfish
class and bought a new Laser we named “Old Maple”
,,, and the challenge was on. We started sailing the
“Bunny Day Regatta” and the “Turkey Day Regatta”
at DICK BABEL’s cottage located on Long Lake..
Both events seemed to have cold conditions, but
somebody would always show up. NO RULES, you
sail-you win. Snow, ice,,, Ned with mittens,,,,. Bill
won one year by simply sailing his Finn from one
side of ElmWood Park to the other in a blizzard with
a frozen main sheet. Dick would support all these
events and host a summertime Laser Race on Long
27
Lake when the water was warmer… nice Dick Made
Trophies, picnic…fun stuff. At some point in the
late 90’s early 2000’s, more Laser Enthusiasts got
involved and the event became more organized, more
racers, people seeing the light,,, and it became one
of the biggest events on the GTYC yearly calendar.
Dick would always show up in the later years with
true support. I think that is why, because of Dick’s
support, that the fleet labeled it the Babel Cup. Now,
that we are all getting a little bit older and softer,, the
Bunny Day & Turkey Day Regattas have transformed
into the Spring/Fall Laser Regattas. We are seeing the
NEXT GENERATION hiking, laughing, and getting
out on the water, which is what Dick and Ned are all
about.
That’s all for now from D19 (Michigan)! As always
check www.D19Laser.org for more reports and
photos!
District 20
Wisconsin, Illinois
Steve Dolan
The 2013 District 20 season opened as it has for
decades now with the Vlad Kobal Memorial Dinghy
Regatta. A two day event sailed out of Chicago
Yacht Club-Belmont Station and named after a
stalwart of small boat sailing in Chicago. The event
was contested over the weekend of May 4-5 and
drew fifteen boats. Saturday saw 5-8 knots from
the Northwest and Sunday 10-12 from a similar
direction. Cool water temps, sunny skies and 1-2 foot
seas made the return to sailing on Lake Michigan a
gem after a long cold Midwestern winter. The Left
side seemed to pay on both days but those fastest on
the runs walked away from the rest of us no matter
which side they played on the beat. Matt Woodworth
took honors winning 5 of the 9 races. Roman
Plutenko was second and Rick Strilky third. Next up
was Pewaukee Yacht Club’s Ice Breaker. Below is
their new Laser Fleet Captain, Kent Jones’s report on
the event:
The Pewaukee Lake Laser season kicked off with
our Ice Breaker Regatta May 18th. Although we had
a light turnout, we had a great deal of fun trying to
figure out which way the wind was coming next! It
became a great test of focus and patience! With the
morning wind shifting back and forth between NE
and SE we finally set 2 weather marks which made it
much easier since we could take either the northeast
went to Sean Lennon and Willi Rozanski from the
Milwaukee Community Sailing Center and 7th to
David Perrigo of PYC
Three weeks later Milwaukee Yacht Club hosted its
annual Memorial Day Laser Regatta on Sunday June
2. Why then you ask? Because Dolan is always out
of town on Memorial Day and decided he wasn’t
going to miss it this year. A cold front and a bike
race closing Lincoln Memorial Drive limited turn out
to 7 boats. Sailed inside the Government Break wall
within Milwaukee Harbor, an 8-10 knot westerly
breeze made for some shifty conditions. The right
side always paid. Big thanks to local Laser Sailor
Terry McMahon for being PRO. Dave Poquette
won this one followed by Steve Dolan in second and
Sean Lennon in Third. Kent Jones won the Radial
Division with Willie Rosansky taking second.
Lots more racing to complete in the Land of D20
before you hear from me again in this forum
next October. Hope to see you all at District 20
Championship at Milwaukee Yacht Club September
14-15.
Stay fit and see you on the water.
District 22
Montana, Oregon
Kurt Hoehne
The District Championship was held in conjunction
with the Seattle NOOD regatta in May. Conditions
were decent if not great, and an amazing 12 races
were run over the two days. Michael O’Brien won
the District 22 Championship over Dan Falk in a
hard fought series. Third was David Brink and fourth
was Bill Symes of Portland. It was good practice
for O’Brien’s upcoming trip to Oman for the Master
Worlds.
An impressive 26 boats turned out for Royal Victoria
Yacht Club’s Spring Dinghy Championship at the
beginning of May. Geoff won in convincing fashion
ahead of Max Gallant and Ian Elliott.
As this is being written, Pacific Northwest Laser
sailors are gearing up for the thrashing they so enjoy
on the Gorge. This year Rulo Borojovich will be
holding two clinics in July (including a youth clinic).
The epic downwind Gorge Blowout will precede the
PCCs, which promises to attract a lot of talent from
the West Coast.
There’s a new Seattle Laser Fleet captain, Carlos
Abisambra. The energy in the fleet there is good,
with active racing both on Puget Sound and Lake
Washington, and area juniors becoming more active
in Lasers all the time.
District 24
NorCal
Nick Burke
one or the southeast one depending on the wind at
the start. After that of course you were on your own
to pick the shifts and the puffs properly! We did have
a good SE breeze finally settle in for the afternoon
to help us finish 7 races. Congratulations on some
great racing in tricky conditions! 1st place went to
David Poquette from South Shore Yacht Club and
2nd to Steve Dolan from Milwaukee Yacht Club. 3rd
went to Kent Jones and 4th place and Matt Weber
both from the Pewaukee Yacht Club! 5th and 6th
28
May 4-5 Elvstrom-Zellerbach Regatta at St
Francis YC
Saturday, max ebb was around 2pm and 3.1 knots.
All races were twice around marks to port, windward
offset and leeward gate. Saturday, the breeze at Anita
Rock started at steady 10 knots and built to steady
20s with gusts into the 30s. By the end of racing
the Bay was covered in whitecaps. Going right on
the beats for ebb, and going straight to the gate or
downwind finish on runs seemed the thing to do.
Boats submerged on the run…Sunday began with an
on-the-water postponement. The course was moved
several times as the air trying to get into the Bay
battled the air trying to get out. The courses were also
reset between each race. A 3rd race was started and
abandoned due to a roughly 180 degree wind shift
and then fade to nothing The steady breeze never
got over 5 knots. Current alone was not determining
strategy on beats. A number of times people in the
middle of the course did better than people on the
right in what you would expect is stronger ebb.
Downwind, sometimes staying right for current relief
worked, but other times people in the middle of the
course got good puffs and caught boats. The top 5 of
25 radials were Christine Neville, Lawson Willard,
William Dana, Kurt Wessels and Kyle Larsen. The
top 3 of 11 standards were Peter Shope, Charles
Buckingham and Tracy Usher. Scoring details can be
found here http://svendsens-grand-prix.myfleet.org/
schedule/
May 11 Monterey Fleet Champs at Monterey
Pacific YC
What a great day in Monterey ! This would have
been a perfect event for people who mostly sail
in the weeknight short course fleets. Partly for the
conditions and style of racing which were similar
to the weeknight format. And partly because there
is a lot of non-sailing stuff to do in Monterey which
might be a selling point to non-sailors when making
the case for a long day-trip or weekend. There were 6
once-around races each lasting 20+ minutes. The RC
work was good, getting off starts in quick succession.
The top 2 of 6 standards were Peter Shope and Tracy
Usher. The top 2 of 4 radials were JB Duler and
Emma Drejes. Scoring details can be found here
http://svendsens-grand-prix.myfleet.org/schedule/
May 25-26 Whiskeytown Regatta at Whiskeytown
Sailing Club
Whiskeytown is a fresh water lake in a national
recreation area. The lake’s elevation is 1209 feet.
The water temp was in the 60s and air temp the 80s.
Sailing in a rash guard only was good. The air was
generally light, with the strongest steady breeze
closer to 5 knots than 10 knots. Sometimes there was
no breeze. Sometimes there were long periods of
really, really light breeze, say 2-3 knots. There was
only one race with a steady “solid” breeze from one
direction. Last year, going right towards the shore
on beats towards the dam was a common move. This
exploits wind bend and paid consistently. This year,
the A fleet did not go to the shore most of the time.
Bruce Braly said always sail towards the pressure no
matter what. Next year will be the 50th anniversary
of this regatta. Bruce has sailed 40 of those years.
The top 3 Laser standards were Jim Christopher,
Bruce Braly and Mike Eichwald. Scoring details can
be found here http://svendsens-grand-prix.myfleet.
org/schedule/June 2 Laserpalooza II at Alameda
West Marine
Ryan Nelson, a Laser and 5o5 fleet stalwart, hosted
Laserpalooza for a second year. Ryan is Alameda
shop manager for West Marine Rigging. He had
stations set up for a variety of projects like riveting
and gel coat, and West Marine riggers were available
to help with projects.James Morgan of Svendsen’s
was also present with their trailer full of class parts,
along with Synthia Petroka of Beats Mowing the
Lawn for sail repair. Vendors making contributions
to the raffle included Harken, New England Ropes,
Ronstan, Svendsen’s, Team McLube, West Coast
Sailing, West Marine and Zhik.
June 15-16 Masters PCC at Tahoe YC
Lake Tahoe is at an altitude of 6220+ feet. The
weather was excellent, with clear skies and daytime
highs in the 70s F. The venue is visually spectacular.
It has a large parking lot with paved ramp, and a
SUMMER 2013
big gravel area with beach launching. 30 sailors
participated, all using standard rigs. Most sailors
were from district 24. A group came from district
23 (Park City, UT) and Al Clark came from district
6 (Vancouver, BC). Regatta chair Rick Raduziner
is also the Tahoe Laser fleet captain. First warnings
were scheduled late both days given typical wind
patterns in June. Saturday the breeze filled lighter
and shiftier than the locals felt was what could be
reasonably be expected. The fleet went out anyway.
But by later in the afternoon, a good Tahoe City
summer afternoon breeze had set up. Sunday the
breeze filled stronger and more southerly, with
some good puffs. The wind was stronger on average
Sunday, but there were still holes. There were
large shifts that caught people by surprise. A chop
developed that had a relatively short wavelength.
These waves sometimes provided good rides
downwind. The first starts of the first day were
general recalls. The PRO did not hoist the I flag or
the black flag. When asked afterwards, Del Olsen
said the fleet was not to blame. The boat end of the
line was heavily favored, so naturally everyone piled
up there. Emilio Castelli was leading after the first
day. By the end of the second day, Al Cook was 1
point ahead of Emilio who ended up in 2nd place. The
top 5 of 30 sailing were Al Clark, Emilio Castelli,
Tracy Usher, Peter Shope and Nick Pullen. Scoring
details can be found here http://skysail.com/sailing/
d24/2013-masters
Photos by LydiaKluge.com
2013 U.S. SAILING Singlehanded Championship
August 13-15, 2013 at the Manasquan River Yacht
District 25
SoCal
Jorge Suarez
The 2013 US SAILING Area J (Southern California,
Southern Nevada, Utah and Arizona) Qualifier
Regatta was held in conjunction with the 2013
Alamitos Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) Memorial Day
Holiday Regatta in Long Beach CA May 25-26.
The Area J Qualifier is a ladder event to select
representatives (man & woman) to compete in the
Club in Brielle NJ. The Area J Qualifier was
contested in Laser Radials for women and Lasers for
men. Twenty-three Lasers turned out to compete for
the Memorial Day Regatta, sixteen of which were
eligible to qualify for the Area J Qualifier. Out of
New Location
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www.Laser.org
29
seventeen Laser Radials racing, four where helmed by ladies eligible to compete in the
Area J Qualifier. Wind conditions over the two days of racing ranged from Force Two
up to Force Four for the last two races on Saturday. The eager racers in both fleets
had at least one General and Individual Recall during the seven races. In the Laser
Fleet, Olympic hopeful, Charlie Buckingham from Newport Harbor YC demonstrated
mastery of all conditions with a clean sweep of firsts and earning the opportunity to
compete in the Singlehanded Championship this summer. ABYC’s Kevin Taugher
finished the series in second, followed by; Stephen Long from Santa Barbara/Cabrillo
Beach YC’s, Chris Raab from ABYC and Jay Golison from ABYC.
In the Laser Radial Fleet there was a three way battle for first between Lawson
Willard from St. Francis/San Francisco YC’s, Cooper Weitz from California YC and
Lindsey Babb also from St. Francis/San Francisco YC’s with a mere five point spread
separating them overall. They eventually finished in that order with Simone Staff
from California YC and Cole Baker from Mission Bay YC rounding out the top five.
Though Lindsey was the first female in the Memorial Day Regatta, she was not eligible
for the Area J Qualifier as she does not reside in Area J. Therefore Simone Staff wins
the right to represent Area J in the 2013 Singlehanded Championship One racer of note
in the Laser Radial fleet was William Sutton VI from Richmond YC. Sailing a Radial
generously loaned by Chris Raab, twelve year old William, nicknamed Berky as he
hails from Berkeley CA, completed all seven races despite his diminutive 92 pound
frame. His father, William, told me Berky had become impatient sailing Opti’s, hence
this foray into Radial racing at ABYC. In recognition of Berky’s spirit and pluck, he
was given the honor of accepting the US SAILING Area J Zucker Perpetual Trophy
for the absent Charlie Buckingham. We suspect we will see a lot more of Berky in the
future. A big thank you goes out to Regatta Chairman Steve George and the ABYC
Cal 20 fleet for putting on a successful regatta. We also thank our ABYC Laser Fleet
Co-Captain Jorge Suarez, who set aside the chance to race his Laser for Principal Race
Officer (PRO) duties, which from all indications, he performed very well. No doubt
this prepares Jorge well for his next PRO duties when the ABYC Laser Fleet hosts the
ABYC 4th of July Holiday Regatta July 6-7. Photos by Rich Roberts.
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SUMMER 2013
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
WindCheck Magazine October 2012 55
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
31
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!

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.

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!
To be strong, a class association needs the support of its sailors!
What are some of the direct benefits of
membership?


You will have access to the class website at www.laser.
org containing all the latest news as well as the up to date
calendar of events, complete with maps to show you how
to find the events. And you can also find archived copies
of The Laser Sailor as well as useful articles on how to sail
your boat faster.

Your membership makes you eligible to sail in any of
the 50+ major Laser Class regattas scheduled every year
throughout the North American Region, including open,
masters’, youth and women’s events.

Your membership makes you eligible for the
LaserPeformance/ILCA-NA Grand Prix where you earn
32
Why should you join the Laser Class?

To enable the Laser Class to remain a strong class
association and continue to make the Laser the pre-eminent
singlehanded dinghy of our time.

To gain the benefits of membership outlined above.

To protect your investment in your boat, making sure that if
the time comes to sell then you can be certain that the high
demand driven by a strong class will enable you to get the
best price for your boat.
The International Laser Class Association, North American
Region is what it is today because of the support of its members.
Keep that tradition alive, join or renew your membership
TODAY!
SUMMER 2013
Working with ...
In 2006, ILCA-NA partnered with Regatta Network to provide online membership database services and expanded to include regatta
reporting and the overall Grand Prix scoring. Since then, over 75%
of our 2000 members have joined or renewed their memberships
through the on-line system. A huge advantage of RN’s regatta registration/scoring modules are that they are tied in to the membership
database, making it a snap to verify class membership at regatta registration. RN also provides a quick and easy on-line registration
solution for fleets that may not have the resources to set up their own system. However, as with any new system, there are some quirks.
Here are some of the more frequent questions we’ve seen over the years:
Membership
Regatta Registration
I’m a member trying to renew, but the database search
doesn’t find me? What’s up?
The search is stupid. No, really! First of all, try just using
your last name or city (leave the other two boxes blank).
If you’ve got a name suffix (like “Jr” or “III”,) try putting
your last name plus the suffix in quotation marks (“White
Jr”). The search is not case sensitive, so don’t worry about
that. Be consistent. If you go by a nickname, either
remember to use your legal name for all registrations or just
your nickname. It has to match year-to-year to pick up the
prior year.
When I try to register for an event, it says I need a valid
ILCA-NA membership – but I renewed already!
The program is very sensitive to how your name is in the
membership database – it has to be a perfect match. “Dan
Williams” does not equal “Daniel Williams.”
Do I have to be a US Sailing or Canadian Sailing
Assn. Member? Why are you asking for my USSA or
CANSail membership number?
You don’t have to be a US Sailing or CSA member –
just leave the box blank if you aren’t. If you are a USSA
or CANSail member, then Regatta Network can autopopulate the data fields by pulling your info from their
databases.
I’ve already renewed on-line, but I forgot to add a
family member. Can I add one on-line?
Unfortunately, no. You can email the information to:
Sherri@odmsail.com and send a check or use a credit
card (see page 31 of this issue) for $25 for each additional
member.
I renewed my membership, but something happened
before I could pay. Now it says I’m current and won’t
let me pay?
Don’t worry – you show up as “unpaid” in the
administrator’s Membership Inbox. Within a week or so,
you’ll get an e-mail with a direct link for payment. Just
follow the link to pay on-line or send us a check.
Event Set-Up
We want to run an event using Regatta Network. How do
we get started?
There are two ways to go about it. If you have a bank
account already set up for your fleet or club, go to www.
regattanetwork.com, click on “LOG IN” and then the
“SIGN UP” button. Fill out the form on-line and submit it
to Regatta Network. You’ll be contacted within a couple of
days with your account log-in info.
OK, we’re set up – how much does it cost and when do
we get paid?
Regatta Network charges 7% of registration fees and
4.5% of other fees. They send out a reconciliation on the
1st and 15th of the month along with a check for the net
amount. For any Grand Prix Regatta, if you use the Regatta
Network membership verification during registration and
the Regatta Network scoring program, ILCA-NA will
reimburse you for the 7% fee. Just send your final Regatta
Network report to sherri@odmsail.com
How do we make sure that everyone registering is an
ILCA-NA Member?
In the Event Information screen, make sure to check
the “Ask for Class Association Member Number” box is
checked and choose the ILCA-NA in the “Verify Against”
drop-down list.
I need to change my address. Can I do that on-line?
Sorry, but the only time you can edit your membership
record is when you renew. If you need to change anything
mid-year (address, email, etc.), just send an email to:
sherri@odmsail.com and we’ll take care of it.
www.Laser.org
33
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