The Laser Sailor Spring 2007

SPRING 20076 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world

Laser Sailor.qxp 5/2/07 8:51 AM Page 1

yL

Treat yourself andfrom the leader in

Performance rigging...Our Mojo Performance Laser Rigging is a good example

of how our attention to detail results in a superior

product. The package includes all the new systems

prerigged, fully assembled and ready to rumble!

Other Go Fastitems in stock...

The MOJO Bag comes free with the “Colie Racing”

Performance package – NOT the Dobro guitar (that

stays with Dev down in the Toms River Delta).

S T I T C H E D W I T H

Colie Deluxe covers

Colie covers are

the originals –

the highest quality,

sharpest looking, best

fitting covers made for the

Laser® worldwide! All our

designs were born in Point

Pleasant, NJ with input

from sailors like you. Take a look at our

Sausage bag & Spar bag on our website.

Our covers fit right, are easy to use, last forever

(Top Gun™ & Tenara®) and make you and your boat

look sharp! Every Colie product is personalized

with your name or sail number!

Same Day Shipping

Absolute Top Quality


your boat to the best stuffLaser® Gear Accessories...

Sails... We keep a fresh inventory of both North & Hyde.

We keep a fresh inventory of Laser, Radial & 4.7

Euro-style numbers and telltails are supplied and installedat no extra charge.

Same Day Shipping/West Coast Upgrade Applies

We sweat the details so ourcustomers don’t have to…As a supplier and outfitter of small sailboats our attention to

detail is unprecedented. At Colie Sails Pro Shop we strive

daily to source out the very best stuff for your sailing and to

also determine that which is inferior.

If you are unsure of exactly what gear, clothing, parts or perform-

ance upgrades are right for you – PLEASE call and discuss your

needs with Dev, Steph or Matt. The favorite part of our business

is helping Laser sailors and their families!

Laser/Radial/4.7All Laser models are available fully

upgraded “Colie Style”.

Call or email us toGET YOUR MOJO WORKIN’

E S T A B L I S H E D 1 9 7 6

1649 Bay Avenue, Point Pleasant, New Jersey 08742

Same Day Shipping on nearly all of ourproducts including numbered sails andstenciled covers!

3rd Day West Coast Upgrade!We upgrade to 3rd Day Select all non-oversizeWest Coast UPS shipments on orders of $200 or moreat NO EXTRA CHARGE!

TM

New!sea Waist Lock

Hiking Pants

800.481.4349www.sailorsproshop.com



www.Laser.org

Official publicationof the InternationalLaser Class Association,North American Region2812 Canon StreetSan Diego, CA 92106 USAPhone: (619) 222-0252Fax: (619) [email protected]

EditorsSherri Campbell & Jerelyn BiehlILCA-NA

OfficersTracy UsherChairman22 Creekside LaneSan Mateo, CA 94401Phone: (650) [email protected]

Eric FaustVice Chairman821 East 53rd StreetAustin, TX 78751Phone: (512) [email protected]

Ben RichardsonTreasurer5 Beachmont AvenueGloucester, MA 01930Phone: (978) [email protected]

Lauralee SymesSecretary3576 SW Mt. Adams DrivePortland, OR 97239Phone: (503) [email protected]

Tommy WhartonAt Large118 Glouchester Ave.Oakville, ON L6J 3W4 CanadaPhone: [email protected]

Sherri CampbellExecutive Secretary2812 Canon StreetSan Diego, CA 92106Phone: (619) 222-0252Fax: (619) [email protected]

S P R I N G 2 0 0 7

District Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

President’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Membership Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

From the Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Laser Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-13

Technical Tips: Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

District Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-20

2006 Event Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Laser World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .center

2007 Fleet Listing & Regatta Schedules . . . . . . . .pull-out

43rd Orange Bowl Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Rule 42 Q&A with Bill O’Hara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22-23

Rule 42 - What are Those Judges Doing? . . . . . . . .24-25

Masters Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

2007 Vanguard NA Grand Prix Rules & Results . . 28-29

4.7; A Junior Sailors Beginning Step to Olympics . . . 30

Caribbean Midwinters 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Sailing Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Membership Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

5

Cover: 4.7 sailor ColleenHartman of Palm Beach,Florida shows great form at theMiami Orange Bowl Regatta.

Photo: Jacqueline Schmitz


SPRING 2007

District 1Andrew Childs, 5369 South Street #3,

Halifax, NS B3J 1A3

902-423-5919. [email protected]

District 2Denys Deschambeault, 5120 Du Havre,

Trois Rivieres, PQ G8Y 5Y9

819-372-0842

[email protected]

District 3Heinz Gebauer, 2205 Soth Millway- Unit 109

Mississauga, ON L5L 3T2


D3 website: www.d3laser.ca

District 4Tim Felbel, 10 Oakhurst Cres

Winnipeg, MD R2P 2L6

204-334-1953, [email protected]

District 5Mark Lammens

510 Cynthia St. Saskatoon, SK S7K 7K7


www.jdecm.com/laser

District 6Andy Hunt, 111-2260 W 8st Ave,

Vancouver BC, V6K 2A7

604-733-9663. Hotline: 206-525-5788.

[email protected]

www.cycseattle.org/slf

District 7Sally Sharp, 39 Caleb Dyer Lane

Enfield, NH 03748


D7 Newsletter

Chris Morin

[email protected]

207.775.5485

www.d7laserforum.org

District 8Lindsay Hewitt, 17 Ridge Road

Cold Spring, NY 11724. 631-692-4798

[email protected]

www.laserd8.tripod.com

16

21

12

20

19

18 11

13

1

FLORIDA

ALABAMA

MARYLAND

CALIFORNIA

COLORADO

CONNECTICUT

DELAWARE

ARKANSAS

GEORGIA

IDAHO

IOWA

KANSAS KENTUCKY

LOUISIANA

MAINE

MASSACHUSETTSMICHIGAN

MINNESOTA

MISSISSIPPI

MISSOURI

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NEW JERSEY

NORTHCAROLINA

NORTH DAKOTA

OHIO

OKLAHOMA

OREGON

PENNSYLVANIA

RHODE ISLAND

SOUTH CAROLINA

SOUTH DAKOTA

TENNESSEE

TEXAS

UTAH

VERMONT

VIRGINIA

WEST VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON

WISCONSIN

WYOMING

INDIANA

ILLINOIS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

6

5

22

NEVADA

24

23

25

15

4

3 2

7

810

NEW YORK

9

17

14PUERTO RICO AND

THE CARIBBEAN

29

ALBERTABRITISH COLUMBIA

NEW BRUNSWICKMANITOBA

NOVA SCOTIAONTARIO

QUEBEC

SASKATCHEWAN

7

HAWAII

26

District 9Chas Williamson, 9 Lagrand Court

Ithaca, NY 14850


District 10Eric Reitinger

[email protected]

New Jersey

District 11Jon Deutsch

411 N. Blvd. Apt. 2, Richmond, VA 23220


www.laserdistrict11.org

District 12Arland Whitesides, 14 W. Oxford St.

Wrightsville Beach, NC, 28480

[email protected]

www.d12.laserforum.org

District 13Meka Taulbee, 953 Cedarwood Dr.

Dunedin, FL 34968


www.laser.org/m/_general/d13.asp

District 14Cal Herman, 7038 Catina St

New Orleans, LA 70124, 504-282-1770

[email protected]

District 15Renee Ruais

512-266-7088

[email protected]

www.cerebus.winsite.com/Laser/districts/d15/

District 16Tim Fitzgerald, 2322 Bromfield Circle

Wichita, KS, 67226, 316-650-3636

[email protected]

District 17John E. Coolidge, Jr., 1113 Hanover St, Chat-

tanooga, TN 37405, 423-309-1926

[email protected]

District 18John Shockey

614-256-2254

[email protected]

District 19Sean Fidler

Michigan

[email protected]

District 20Dave Abbott, 2129 West Shore Dr.

Delafield, WI 53018


www.cerebus.winsite.com/district/d20/

District 21Mike Elson 2235 West 21st Street

Minneapolis, MN 55405

621-377-8903 [email protected]

www.cerebus.winsite.com/laser/district/d21

District 22Orrin Webber, 460 Orchard Ridge Rd

Kalispell, MT 59901


District 23Larry Arbuthnot

PO Box 132, Nederland, CO 80466

www.sailtherockies.com

District 24David Lapier


www.technicalwizardry.com/d24laser/d24

District 25Nils Andersson, 13460 Hwy 8 SPC #92 Lakeside,

CA 92040-5228


groups.yahoo.com/group/nalaserdistrict25

District 26Guy Fleming, 44-392 Olina St. #6

Kaneohe, HI 96744-2617


6


www.Laser.org 7


SPRING 2007

Reports President’s Notes

TRACY USHER

8

“The greatest raceboat ever.” Hopefully by noweveryone has seen the April Sailing World and theseries of articles about Laser sailing, including histo-ry, an interview with Robert Scheidt, a great storyabout the 1980 Kingston Worlds and an overview ofMasters sailing in North America. The fun facts baracross the top was cool too, I’m certainly going to domy part to see if we can get the famed Heavy-AirLaser Slalom running again in San Francisco! A bigThank You to Sailing World for giving us such greatpress!

Over the Winter months there was a fair amount ofdiscussion of the racing rules, in particular Rule 42,on various forums and email lists. We thought itmight be a good time to restart a series of articles onthe rules and in this issue we start with an articlefrom an on the water judge’s perspective by BobBowden and a Q&A with Bill O’Hara, a Laser sailorwho not only helped draft the current Rule 42 but hasalso been tasked by ISAF to help train on the waterjudges around the world. These articles are notintended to be a one way street and if you have ques-tions on either then we want to hear them! You cansend questions to the Class Office and we’ll try to getfollow up from the article’s author into the next TLS.

As Summer rapidly approaches the final round oftesting of a new composite spar for the Radial movesinto high gear. Recall that the goal of this program isto a) reduce the advantage of heavier sailors in bigbreeze, b) widen the competitive weight range, c)reduce the minimum competitive weight and d)increase the durability of the top mast section. Thecandidate prototypes are being distributed to testgroups through North America (and the world) toundergo a final round of “real life” testing throughthe early part of the Summer. In addition, some sparsshould be available for inspection at some of themajor events giving all of us an opportunity to seewhat they look like. So, even if you don’t sail, if youare near a major event this Summer take some time todrop by and see what the future of Radial sailinglooks like!

See you on the water!


www.Laser.org 9

District Members1 15

2 13

3 102

4 5

5 23

6 104

7 214

8 82

9 33

10 107

11 133

12 78

13 138

14 18

15 65

16 14

17 16

18 54

19 67

20 90

21 39

22 1

23 28

24 94

25 145

26 7

ILCA-NA MembershipAs of April 26, 2007

Regular 1176

Junior 274

Family, 1 205

Family, 2 60

Family, 3 4

International 2

Total 1721

Complimentary 111

Honorary 5

New 268

Renewals 1334

Yacht Club 3

Total 1721

Age Categories:

• 324 Juniors (not 18 in2007)• 992 Masters (35+)

Gender Categories:

• 1463 Male• 238 Female• 20 “undisclosed”

Boat Categories:

• 370 Radial• 12 4.7• 1292 Full Rig

4.7 Sailors!Are you going to the 2007 4.7 Worlds inSouth Africa next December/January?If you are and would like to be considered for a US

SAILING grant through ILCA-NA, please forward yourresume to the ILCA-NA office by September 1, 2007.


SPRING 200710

Take a Road

Trip

NED JONES

By far one of the greatest benefits ofLaser sailing is the ability to travel to a faraway place and race a Laser as if it wasyour own boat. Practically no other boatcan provide the satisfaction of sailing a bor-rowed or chartered hull and spars and feel-ing like it is your own equipment. Whetheryou take your boat with you, or fly in andcharter a boat, the experience of travelingto another venue is one you should experi-ence. Meeting new friends, learning newthings and bringing those adventures backhome is truly a wonderful part of the Laserexperience.

The first thing to do is pick an event totravel to. If you are new to traveling, pick-ing a regatta that other sailors from yourfleet are headed to is a great way to learnhow to travel efficiently and share somecosts. If you have already trekked theglobe, there always is a regatta that youhave not been to and may be worth attend-ing. Often there are very fun events to sailin that are only a short road trip away.Driving to the regatta on Saturday morning,or the night before may be the call depend-ing on your schedule. Call ahead and findout if you can stay with a local sailor, or ifthere are accommodations that meet yourneeds. Conversely, if you have the chanceto host visiting sailors in your house, offerup your hospitality and the good Karmawill be returned to you when you need aplace to stay. Visiting and sharing time withfellow sailors on land is just as valuable asyour time on the water. How do you getyour boat there? Car topping on roof racksis the simplest way. I suggest a commer-cially made rack system such as Thule orYakima, but there are other options. Homemade racks can be made very easily, but besure to engineer them to withstand theforces that will be imparted on them. Manycarpeted wood 2X4 rack systems have suc-cessfully plied the interstates of NorthAmerica. Trailering is the next option. Thiscan be a great cost saver if your trailer cancarry multiple boats. Almost any decentroad trailer can be converted to a multi boatcarrier with a simple rack system such as aSeitech rack. If it carries three boats, threesailors share the costs. If you are traveling along distance, say over 300 miles, it can

around the whole case just in case of cata-strophic latch failures. When I explain toTSA that the gear inside is “sailing equip-ment”, you can only imagine the looks Iget. Another option that many use is simplyusing the blade bag. Adding protectors suchas cardboard sheaths, molded covers, andthe like to the tips of blades is important.Arriving at the yacht club only to discoverthe tip of your dagger board has broken offis not a fun way to start the event. Finally,put the blade bag in a heavy plastic wrap orbag like snow skis use. This will keep oddsand ends from coming out and hopefullygive the baggage handlers some sense thatthe contents are special. You can even putthe whole blade bag in a shipping box andcheck it as baggage. I normally carry someadditional supplies with such as a multi-tool, small spare parts, tape, extra lines, etc.I base what extra gear I carry on how muchextra weight it will add and what may beavailable at the regatta. I can typically flywith just two pieces of luggage; the bladecase and another bag with sailing gear andmy clothes. I always try to remember tobring a large trash bag so I can pack wetsailing gear in with my clothes right aftersailing for the trip to the airport. If youhave never traveled away to a regatta out-side your regular area, I highly recommendit. The adventure of sailing in a new placeand meeting new people will not onlyimprove your sailing, it will improve youroutlook as well. If you are an ardent travel-er, you know this already.

work well to have one team drive tothe event, and then fly home. Theother team will fly in and then drivesthe boats home after the regatta. Thisis one of my favorite schemes, as Ilove a road trip, but one way is

enough. If you have picked a regatta that issimply too far to drive to, do not fret. Manyregattas, especially larger well attendedevents, will be held at a venue that is serv-iced by Laser dealer that offers charterboats. A phone call or email, sent wellenough in advance, is all it takes to reservea hull and spars that will be sitting on adolly at the regatta site waiting for you.Most often these boats are less than twoyears old and in great shape. Typical char-ter fees range from $100-$125 per daydepending on the particular area. This mayseem like a big sum to go Laser racing, butthe value of arriving at the host venue fromthe airport with a new boat waiting therefor you can not be underestimated. I thinkthis represents one of the greatest strengthsof the Laser Class. You may have caught onthat this charter is for the hull and the sparsand a dolly only. What about the rest of myLaser gear you ask. You must bring it, isthe answer. Traveling with your blades,sail, lines and tiller is no big deal. There areseveral ways to approach this. I use hardcase designed for a bow and arrow. I getfunny looks at the airport, but it works welland holds the gear securely. These can bepurchased through hunting outlets and othersporting goods stores. I place the blades ina soft blade bag and then inside the case.The folded sail, battens, lines, and tillerwith extension all fit inside. This is a niceway to go for the blades are kept safe fromdamage. Pelican Products makes a case thatfits the blades as well and it is very toughand durable. Now, when you head to theairport with these cases, leave extra timefor inspection. At least 50% of the time theTSA will need to open and inspect the con-tents. TSA approved locks are a good wayto go and I place a good webbing sail tie

From the Builder

Laser 2007

New England Circuit

June 14-17 Laser/Radial/4.7 NA Champs Hyannis YC, MAJune 30-July 1 D7 Grand Prix -Saltmarsh New Bedford, MAJuly 27-29 District 7 Radial Grand Prix Hyannis YC, MAAugust 3-5 Buzzards Bay Regatta New Bedford, MAAugust 10-12 Laser/Radial US Champs Mallets Bay BC, VTSeptember 8-9 New England Masters Newport, RISeptember 14-16 Laser/Radial Olympic Trials Q Cedar Point YC, Westport, CTOctober 3-14 Laser/Radial Olympic Trials Newport, RI

See District 7 Website for more information: http://d7.laser-forum.org/


www.Laser.org 11


SPRING 200712

Name: Brady Savage

Occupation: Junior at Grosse PointeNorth

City: Michigan

Age: 17

I sail a full and radial Laser

I’ve been sailing since I was 4 and sailing a Laserfor 5 years

In the last year, I’ve sailed my Laser 100 or morenumber of days and raced in 15 or so regattas.

The last regatta I sailed in was LaserMidwinters East and this happened:we sailed until darkon the first day.

My hero is my dad because he introduced me to thejoys of sailing.

My favorite part of racing a Laser is reaching inheavy air, and having fun with my friends.

At the end of a long day of sailing, I like to eat a big meal.

What other Laser sailor has helped you the mostwith your Laser sailing? Mike Rehe, my coach forthe past 3 years.

I’d like to see more Laser sailors on Lake St.Clair.

Name: Sara Burke

Occupation: High School

Student

City/state/province:

Clearwater/Florida

Age: 18

I sail a radial

I’ve been sailing since I was 10 and sailing

a Laser for 2 (1/2) years

In the last year, I’ve sailed my Laser a lot

and raced in 14 regattas.

The last regatta I sailed in was

Midwinters East and It was really windy the last

day but it was fun!

My hero is My Granddad because he has

been taking me sailing since I was a little girl

and is always proud of my no matter how good

or bad I do.

My favorite part of racing a Laser is really

windy reaches.

At the end of a long day of sailing, I like to

take a super long shower or sit in the hot tub.

What other Laser sailor has helped you the

most with your Laser sailing? My coach, Kurt

Taulbee, he always gives us good advice and

encourages us to do our best.

If I had an unlimited bank account, I’d

buy a big boat and travel the world.

Laser Profiles

Name: Graeme Lockett

Occupation: Student

City/province: Mississauga,Ontario

Age: 19

I sail a full Laser

I’ve been sailing since I was 7 and sailing a Laser for 7 years

In the last year, I’ve sailed my Laser 80 number of days and raced in 8 regattas.

The last regatta I sailed in was midwinters eastand there was a nice variety of conditions, I wasdisappointed with my downwinds and port tack reaches


www.Laser.org 13

Laser ProfilesName: Fred Strammer

Occupation: Student

City: Nokomis, FL

Age: 18

I sail a Full Laser

I’ve been sailing since I was 9 and sailing a Laserfor approximately 4 years

In the last year, I’ve sailed my Laser approx 150days and raced in 11 regattas.

The last regatta I sailed in was Laser Midwinters Eastand: I had a great time duking it out with Paul Goodisonin Race 2.

My hero is my dad because he’s hardworking,motivated and relentless.My favorite part of racing a Laser is learning to sailsmarter and faster

At the end of a long day of sailing, I like to eat,hydrate, stretch, chill and sleep.

What other Laser sailor has helped you the mostwith your Laser sailing? Ian Lineberger; but there havebeen other former and non-laser sailors that have alsosubstantially raised my sailing level and performance.

If I had an unlimited bank account, I’d sail keelboatsand dinghys all over the world and campaign for theOlympics.

I’d like to see more Laser sailors training inClearwater/Sarasota, FL

Name: Grady Timmins

Occupation: StudentCity: Naples, Fl

Age: 16

I sail a radial(full, radial,4.7) Laser

I’ve been sailing since I was 10 and sailinga Laser for 1 (1/2) years

In the last year, I’ve sailed my Laser 75number of days and raced in 12 regattas.

The last regatta I sailed in wasValentines’ Day in St. Petersburgand this happened: it was very hot and we saton Tampa Bay for a couple hours until a frontmoved through and brought good wind for rac-ing.My hero is Brett Davis because he is a greatcoach and encourages me to sail better.

My favorite part of racing a Laser is surfingthe waves going downwind.

At the end of a long day of sailing, I like torelax with my friends.

What other Laser sailors have helped youthe most with your Laser sailing? Colin Page,Chris Taylor, Justin Doane, Kristopher Wood,Caroline Dixon, TWICE

If I had an unlimited bank account, I’dbuy B. Davis a better coach boat and get all newgear and equipment.I’d like to see more Laser sailors ….behind me

s

My hero is Joey Hill because of his leadership over the previous years

My favorite part of racing a Laser is reaching in heavy windAt the end of a long day of sailing, I like to eat and relax

What other Laser sailor has helped you the most with your Laser sailing? Lee Parkhill, ChrisDold, Evan Lewis, Conner Higgins, Grapes

If I had an unlimited bank account, I’d sail full time

I’d like to see more Laser sailors at more regattas


SPRING 200714

Technical TipsMARK LAMMENSSSCA SAILING TEAM COACH

Starting Some sailors get their reputations as top

international sailors because they are goodstarters. They win (or lose) big regattasbecause of the quality of their starts.

Here are a few strategies for your start(some of these may be used in the samestart):

Timed run (the old style Vander-bilt Start): get the boat up to full speed andhit the line at time “0”

Luff on the line: try to holdyour spot and your ‘runway’ to leeward fora timed run

Port approach: late port tackapproach into the start line and steal/find ahole with speed.

Lurking in the shadows:Windward side of the committee boat, laterun when/if the boats leave the area of theRC boat, easier to get onto port earlier

Coffin corner: start at the pin (itis a great start, or a very bad start)

Absolute start values These are exactmeasurements. They are important to yourstart and define your first beat.

Distance to the line (0, fi, 1, 2 boatlengths)

Favoured end of the line (side closer tothe windward mark)

Preferred side of the course Transit (3 points in a line)Time in start sequenceTime to “top speed”When everyone is pushing the line

hard, it is important to know preciselywhere you are in the timing sequence. Thatis why you should consider mounting yourstopwatch where you can easily see it at alltimes. Also it is important to knowhow long it is going to take to get theboat up to top speed, a radial takes awhile to get going in light air.

Relative start values are relativeto the other boats, the relative valuesto your start.

‘Bow back’ (you are bow back tothe W/L boat)

‘Bow even’ (you are bow even to theW/L boat)

‘Bow ahead’ (you are bow ahead to theW/L boat)

Narrow lane (there is a little space tothe L boat)

Wide lane (there is more space to the Lboat

Vanilla, (you are plain and are lessnoticeable/do not stick out)

Are you ‘bow back’, ‘bow even’ or‘bow ahead’ to the boats you are beside? Isthis at 10 seconds to the start, 5 seconds tothe start? What is your distance to leewardand windward of your group of boats? Youcould have a bow back start, but if youhave some space to leeward, you may beable to hold your lane. You could be bowout (poked) whichtranslates into a widelane. However if youare too bow out onyour group, and theabsolute value of yourstart is such that youare over, you willmost likely be OCS,(especially if you are bow out). That is whysometimes a bow even start is at the veryleast equal. You could be 1 of a few boatsthat is OCS, or you could be hidden and“lost in the forest”.

Starting in a high quality fleet is a testof your ability to maintain your lane againstthe boats you are near, and your ability toget up to full speed ASAP, relative to otherboats. It is harder to get a very good start inan international fleet, if all of the boats youare near are good. If the boats you are neardo things very well and they are fast, it iseasy to be a bow back, a little slow, and alittle low. Before you know it you havesquirted out the back. You can see this withstarts in the Gold fleet vs. starts in the Sil-ver fleet. Having a bad start does not meanyou will lose the race but it most certainly

will be more difficult to be in the topbunch. No one in the Laser or Radial fleetis that fast that they can have a bad startand win the race.!!

“Vanilla” If you are pushing the line,trying to get a good start, you need to bevery “plain”. You need to blend with thefleet. Look at the Star fleet!! Everyone iswhite. Almost everyone in the laser fleethas a blue boat. Some of the OCS’s went tothe ‘different boat’: the red boat near blue

boats; the boat with different coloured orpatterned sail numbers; the boat withoutcountry codes in a bunch of country codes;the boat with country codes in a groupwithout; the boat that set up early; or theboat that is “bow out” very shortly after thestart.

What to practice? I find it very inter-esting when people practice starting, theywant to win the drill, stroke their ego, andtend to be OCS. On top of this they do notrestart. When you are practicing with quali-ty people, pretend it is a real race and try tobe bow even at time “O” with top speedand a lane. If the lane is small try to holdyour spot as long as possible, this is the keyto becoming an international sailor. Try to

stay in a tight difficult lane. The clearingtack and ducking transoms means you aresailing away from the top boats in the race.The race strategy is adjusted to hold on aslong as you can until the situation gets bet-ter.

When you are working on speed, withquality people, try to have a tight “Rabbitstart”, be close to the boats to windwardand leeward and see if you can hold yourspot. Do not practice pinching people off ordriving over them because that seldom hap-pens off of the start line especially in aGrade 1 event. You just want to go as fastas possible without losing much height. Ifit’s a good training group you can realignand do it again and again. These are thereps sailors should do.

With the training, change the variablesbecause holding yourlane and starting is easi-er when it is flat water.Add larger waves,stronger winds, light airand shifts, this drillbecomes very challeng-ing. During the Miami

Olympic Classes Regatta 2007, it was veryinteresting to see what happened when theseas where bigger then the wind, and it gotwavy and/or light. The fleet spread out veryquickly off the start line. ….and then it isdirty air and 2nd choice on the wind shifts.Good luck.

Mark Lammens was the national teamcoach for Barcelona and Atlanta andpresently coaching the national team inthe radial.


www.Laser.org 15

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

THE LASER TRAILERLIKE NO OTHER


www.sailmanitoba.com/regattas/regattas.htm.

See you on the water!

District 5

Mark Lammens

Saskatoon, SaskatchewanDistrict 5 Ranking Events ***, best 3 to count, 1

min per province,

Scoring reflective of fleet size, 1st in 18 boat fleet

=18 pts

North American Grand Prix Points from District

Championships

Events may change, please contact host club

May 19 Regina SC, Wascana Short Course

May 20-21 *** Regina SC, Icebreaker Annual

Regatta D-5 Ranking event

May 26-27 *** Calgary YC, Icebreaker

D-5 Ranking event

June 2-3 *** Wabamun SC Open,

D-5 Ranking event

June 9-10 Blackstrap, Mountain Madness Regatta,

SK Laser Ranking Event #1

June 23-24 Wabamun SC, Western Canadian

Masters,

June 30-2 Saskatoon SC, Annual Regatta,

July 13-15 CYA, SAIL WEST

Western Canadian’s, Radial/laser

16/18 and Open Championships

Falcon YC, Sail West, MB

July 28-29 Battleford’s SC,

***DISTRICT 5 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Laser/Radial, Sask Laser Provincials

D-5 Ranking event


Aug. 3-7 Western Canada Summer Games, AB

Aug. 9-14 CYA Canadian Youths, Hamilton, Ont.

Sept.1-3 PASC Annual Regatta,

Sept 1-3 *** Edmonton YC, AlbertChampionships,

D-5 Ranking event

Sept 8-9 *** Saskatoon SC Sask Short Course

Championship

Provincial Championships for Laser Masters and

Youth D-5 Ranking event


District 6Andy HuntVancouver, British ColombiaAfter a two month break, regattas in District 6 have

started up again.

Since the Turkey Bowl Regatta in Seattle in late

November, there have been three regattas in District

6, one in Seattle, one in Vancouver and one in Victo-

ria. The first regatta of 2007 was called the Frigid

Digit Regatta.

This regatta is one of the oldest Laser

regattas in the Pacific Northwest.

The Frigid Digit Regatta was hosted

by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seat-

tle and sailed on Puget Sound. There

were six races on each day of the

regatta.

The first day, Saturday, February 10,

saw the sailors race in a 10 knot

North-Easterly. The fleet was tightly

bunched at the mark roundings and if

SPRING 200716

District ReportsDistrict 2Denys DeschambeaultTrois Rivieres, QuebecAfter the extremely long off season the blue water is

back. There are lots of eager sailors ready to get

their bottoms wet. Over the winter we had a meet-

ing with different sailing clubs to solve the problem

we had with seniors (over 18) sailors attending jun-

ior events. Good news—it was agreed to let every-

body race together and have separate results. On the

other end the clubs reserve the right to limit entries

for certain regattas to juniors only

(ex. Fruitbowl) or any other event run by over-

worked sailors and parents. A big thank you to

Louis Beauregard 188117 for creating a new web

site. He bought the domain name and gave it to the

district. You can visit at www.laserd2.org

Here is a partial list of the racing schedule.

PCYC Montreal Lac St Louis 28/06 to 01/07

514-695-2441 www.pcyc.qc.ca

EVO Aylmer 19/07 to 22/07 819-682-6304

http://cvgr.qc.ca/evo/

Fruitbowl Hudson hyc 26/07 to 29/07

www.hudsonyachtclub.com-juniors only

Quebec Games Regionals: check with your regions

as dates varies

Quebec games Sept Iles cotes nord 8/8 to 11/08

qualified only

Regattes a Christian First saturday of August la

Magog check with me for infos.

Howson cup 16 and under lac Brome more to come

later

Tentative date for D2 champs CVL lac 2 montagnes

1/9 to 3/9 more infos to come

Please make sure you contact the club before driv-

ing to these regattas.

There has been a training camp for the Quebec team

in New Jersey apart from the cold every thing went

well. We are planing a training camp for all young

and old on the 26/27 May please register before

attending at the web site or contact Louis Beaure-

gard at [email protected]

I wish every body a windy season with lots of suc-

cess.

District 4Tim Felbel,Winnipeg, ManitobaHaving just got back from the Gimli Yacht Club I

can attest to the fact that spring has finally arrived.

Although there wasn’t enough open water to go for

the first sail of the season, the first glimpse of a

snow-free shoreline was quite exciting.

This season is going to be action packed as there are

many great events scheduled. I am currently work-

ing on setting up an online

race schedule and e-mail

list however until it is up

and running you can find

the regatta schedule at

a sailor made any mistakes during during the races,

that sailor had a hard time making up for his/her

mistake. The second day, February 11, saw the

winds increase slightly to 10 - 12 knots with puffs in

the 15 - 18 range. The sailors had to watch out for

the shifts on the course and be aware of the puffs,

both upwind and downwind. There was a tight bat-

tle for the overall lead between Dalton Bergan and

Mike Karas. Each sailor won three consecutive

races. Dalton emerged the winner with 23 points

while Mike was second with 24 points. The top ten

Lasers were: Dalton Bergan, CYC, 23.00; Mike

Karas, CYC, 24.00; Brendan Fahey, NKSC, 44.00;

Andy Mack, CYC, 56.00; Anthony Boscolo, CYC,

65.00; Bill Symes, WSC, 94.00; Jacek Suski, JSCA,

108.00; Michael Schalka, SYC, 110.00; Lindsey

Bergan, SYC, 126.00; Michael Johnson, CYC,

130.00. There were no Radial sailors but there was

one 4.7 sailor, Alexis Aird, who was awarded a

prize. Bill and Jacek were the only non-Seattle area

sailors and Anthony Boscolo made a return to Laser

sailing after a long absence. Thanks to Jay Renehan

and other volunteers for running the regatta.

The second regatta in February was hosted by the

Royal Victoria Yacht Club on February 24 and 25,

2007. This regatta is called the Frozen Assets

Regatta. Ten Lasers and six Laser Radials regis-

tered for the event.

There were no Laser 4.7s or Laser 2s. In fact, Laser

2s no longer show up at District 6 events. There

was lots of wind on February 23, so much so that

one of the registered sailors, Andy Hunt, decided it

was better to be on the committee boat rather than

risk breaking a set of donated spars and a donated

hull. Winds were estimated to be between 20 and

25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. Surprisingly,

there was very little damage to boats and sailors but

there were lots of wipe-outs. The race course was

held in Cadboro Bay, very close to the Royal Victo-

ria Yacht Club. Three races were held on the Satur-

day, all a variety of windward-leeward courses. The

sailors would have liked to have a reaching mark

but the decision was made to not set such a mark.

Winds were lighter on Sunday and there was a vari-

ety of courses, some windward-leewards and some

triangles. There was five races on Sunday. Eight

races meant that there was one throwout race.

Greg Miller, the local Laser sailor, won every race.

If he was not first at the windward mark, he was

first at the leeward mark, sailing extremely well on

the downwind portion of the course. Greg finished

with 7 points.

Jacek Suski, from JSCA, was second with 19 points.

Philip Round, sailing a brand new boat, was third

with 29 points. Bob Britten, back in Lasers for this

regatta. was fourth with 37 points. Greg, Philip and

Bob are all members of the Royal Victoria Yacht

Club. The top four sailors were the only Laser

sailors who sailed every race. Karl Jensen was first

in the Laser Radials. Robert Berry was second and

Charlie Simpson was third.

The results posted on the RVICYC website are

incomplete and, unfortuneately, I don’t have a copy

of the results with me as I type this report.

The weekend following the Frozen Assets Regatta,

March 3 and 4, 2007, saw sailors race in the March

Madness Regatta. This regatta was hosted by the

Royal Vancouver Yacht Club. For the second year

in a row, the entry fee was very low, $5.00 per per-

son. There was no dinner but sailors received cer-

tificates from BC Sailing stating where they finished

in either an open division or a youth division.


www.Laser.org 17

Winds were very light south-easterlies.

There were lots of shifts and lots of holes. There

were three races on Saturday and two races on Sun-

day for a total of five races and one throwout race.

Some of the sailors decided to head right on the first

race on Sunday to get out of the tide but that did not

pay off as those sailors who went to the shore were

a lot further ahead at the windward mark. There

were twelve boats registered in the Laser Class and

nine boats in the Radial Class. Luke Ramsay, Abe

Torchinsky and Kevin Grierson, all from the Royal

Vancouver Yacht Club, battled it out for the overall

lead in the regatta. Luke came out on top with 8

points while both Abe and Kevin finished with 10

points each. Top non-RVYC sailor was Jacek Suski

in fifth place and fourth in the open division with 20

points.

Speaking of Jacek, he is the leading contender to

win the iron-man prize for competing in three out of

the four regattas of the District 6 Frostbite Series.

There is one more regatta to go in the District 6

Frostbite Series and, more than likely, Jacek will

compete in that regatta which is the Flights of

Spring Regatta.

Two sailors forom the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club

have received honors lately. Al Clark, the head

coach of the RVYC high performance team, won the

recent Florida Masters Regatta. Congratulations Al!

Luke Ramsay was named the 2006 BC Male Junior

Athelete of the Year. Way to go Luke!

District 6 will be host to two Master Regattas in the

summer of 2007. The first Masters Regatta is called

the BC Laser Master Championships and will be

held at Nicola Lake on July 7 and 8, 2007. Contact

Trevor Owen at:

[email protected] for more information. The sec-

ond Masters Regatta is the

2007 Canadian Laser Master Championships. This

regatta will be hosted by the Jericho Laser Fleet and

the Jericho Sailing Centre on September 1 -3, 2007.

There might be a sponsor for the CLMC. Details

are being worked out and more information can be

obtained by contacting Andy Hunt at:

[email protected] or [email protected] or phone

him at: 604-733-9663.

Finally, 2007 is the 20th. anniversary of WAVES.

This is the biggest regatta on English Bay and is

hosted by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on June

29 - July 1, 2007. An NOR is posted on the RVYC

website

(www.royalvan.com/waves) and for more informa-

tion, please contact James McDonald, the sailing

director at RVYC at: [email protected] or

phone him at: 604-224-1344.

Please visit the District 6 website:

www.cycseattle.org/slf for information on the racing

schedule including NORs and results.

District 7

Sally Sharp

Enfield, New Hampshire

Just shoveling out of another nor’easter here in New

England. A few frostbite fleets are in full swing

(Newport, Cedar Point etc.) while others are just

getting started (e.g. Essex CT and a new fleet in

Stonington CT). And still more can be found on the

updated fleet list on the D7 website (http://d7.laser-

forum.org), and on nalaser.org.

And an action-packed summer lies ahead, with

ample opportunity to pit yourself against the best

sailors in the country! Highlights include the North

American Champs in Hyannis MA in mid-June, and

the US Nationals in Malletts Bay (Lake Champlain

VT) August 10-12. Then in mid-September Cedar

Point YC will host the Last-Chance Olympic Trials

Qualifier, which will also attract the top US sailors.

Finally, Newport RI will be the site of the 2008 U.S.

Olympic Team Trials in early October. And in

between is a full slate of regattas all around the

region - a preliminary schedule follows below. The

District 7 Grand Prix regattas are as follows: the

standard rig GP will be held in conjunction with the

Saltmarsh Trophy / Champ. of Buzzard’s Bay regat-

ta in New Bedford, MA (June 24-25), and the D7

Radial GP will be at BBR in New Bedford.

Again this year there will be a three-regatta D7

Radial championship series (at Newport, Hyannis &

BBR - sail two to qualify). The new Laser (full rig)

championship series will be similar: 3 regattas,

score your best two: venues are RIISA (June 9-10),

Saltmarsh Trophy (June 30-July 1) and the Lobster

Bowl Classic in Maine (July 21-22). And we may

still set up a separate “D7 Northern Series” - sail 2

of 3 regattas in ME/NH/VT. Please consult the D7

web schedule in May for more information – all the

D7 series will be highlighted there as soon as possi-

ble.

In closing – it’s the end of an era up here on

Mascoma Lake in Enfield NH. Our Shaker Village

Sailing Club was notified in January that we have to

‘vacate the premises’ - this historic 8-acre waterfront

property has fallen into developers’ hands, and our

SVSC boathouse site will be the first to be devel-

oped. We’re actively looking to relocate, but with

all the uncertainty (and the horrible spring? weather)

we’ve decided to cancel the Mascoma Spring Regat-

ta. Sure hope to see you all in September though!

District 10

Eric ReitingerSkip has stepped down as District Secretary and I

will be taking the position over from him. I thank

Skip for the job he has done.

Well another winter has come and almost gone.

While many of us have their boats in storage, a few

have made the trek down to Florida. Just after cele-

brating Christmas, many youngsters went right on

the road to make it down the Orange Bowl. Kyle

Rogachenko won the Lasers, Nicholas Pro was 17th

in the 4.7, Suzy Reynolds was 18 in the 4.7, and

Mike Reynolds was 31st in the Radials. The Miami

OCR attracted a few District 10 sailors. Kyle

Rogachenko was the top finisher in 39th, Clay John-

son 42nd, and Matt Goetting in 74th. Conditions

seemed great after watching Gary Jobson’s daily

reports online and should attract many more sailors

next year. Midwinter’s East had Clay Johnson as the

top D10 finisher in 7th for Lasers, Kyle Rog-

gachenko in 12th, Randy Hartranft in 36th, Ian

Sutherland in 38th, Jerry Tullo in 33rd and Matt

Goetting in 3rd in the Silver fleet. The Masters had

some action with Mike Hecky, Newt Wattis, and

John Maclausland heading down south for the Mid-

week Madness. Maclausland won the regatta, Hecky

in 7th, and Wattis in 30th.

The schedule is slowly growing this year but as

of 3-18-07 here’s what is planned:

4-15, 22, 29 Riverton Yacht Club – Ice Breaker

5-5 Marsh Creek Yacht Club – 26th Annual Philly

Championship

5-19 Cooper River Yacht Club – Spring Laser

Regatta

5-19 Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club – Spring

Laser Regatta

6-2 Surf City Yacht Club – 36th Annual Orange

Coffee Pot Regatta

6-10 Brant Beach Yacht Club – Annual Regatta

10-6 Marsh Creek Yacht Club – Fall Laser Regatta

There are many big regattas on the east coast this

year all leading up to the Olympic Trials in Newport

so there will be plenty of sailing opportunities for

everyone.

See ya out on the course.

District 11Jon DeutschRichmond, VAWe’ve had a busy frostbiting season will 5 fleets

sailing regularly. The fleets at Severn Sailing Asso-

ciation and Potomac River Sailing Association have

had racing nearly every weekend and season stand-

ings are posted to their websites. Havre de Grace,

Rock Hall, Fishing Bay and I think event the Hamp-

ton laser sailors got out for some frostbiting during

the season. Check out the picture of the PRSA folks

sailing in the snow.

Mark your calendars, the 2007 District 11 Cham-

pionship will be held at Severn Sailing Association

May 5-6. Come for two days of racing, dinner and

refreshments on Saturday evening, and the District

11 Annual Meeting Saturday after dinner. Event

website: http://www.laserdistrict11.org/champi-

onship

This year the 2007 District Series has been

expanded to 6 events. Any sailor who attends 3 or

more events is qualified in the series. Events: Capi-

tal City Regatta (PRSA) 3/17-18, Crystal Bowl

Regatta (WRSC) 5/26, Summer One Design Regatta

(RHYC) 6/16-17, FBYC Annual Regatta 8/11-12,

Deep Creek Laser Invitational 8/18-19, and Cab

Claw Regatta (SSA) 9/22-23. See the district web-

site for complete details.

T hat’s about all for now. See you this spring and

keep an eye on the district website for all of our

upcoming events and news! www.laserdistrict11.org

District 12

Arland Whiteside

Wrightsville Beach, NCGet your boat and body ready..we have lots of sail-

ing coming up.

Here is our full schedule for the D12 champi-

onship series. In addition we have the US Laser

Masters Nationals in our region at Wrightsville

Beach, NC, May 18-20. Come a day early and prac-

tice…how’s that for 4 days of racing in the Atlantic?

We have the NC Masters race in Oriental to add to


SPRING 2007

Regatta Laser Radial Laser 4.7 Masters

World Championship

ISAF Grade 1

ISAF WorldsCascais, Portugal

July 2-13

ISAF WorldsCascais, Portugal

July 2-13

HermanusRep. of S. Africa

Dec. 26,’07-Jan. 4,‘08

Rosas, Spain

Sept. 29-Oct. 6

NA Championship

40 GP pts. ISAF Grade 1

Hyannis YC, MA

June 14-17

Hyannis YC, MA

June 14-17

Hyannis YC, MA

June 14-17

Austin YCAustin, TXJune 1-3

North American

Women’s Radial Champs

ISAF Grade 1

naFt. Lauderdale, FL

www.lyc.org Feb. 1-4

na na

Canadian

Championships

Buffalo Canoe Club, ON

www.buffalocanoeclub.com

June 22-24

Buffalo Canoe Club, ON

www.buffalocanoeclub.com

June 22-24

Jerico Sailing Center

Vancouver, BC

Sept. 1-3

US Championships

30 GP Pts

Colchester, VTwww.mbbc-vt.org

Aug 10-12


Aug 10-12


Aug 10-12

Wrightsville Beach, SC

May 18-20

CORK

30 GP Pts. ISAF Grade 1

Kingston, ONwww.cork.org

August 18-22

Kingston, ONwww.cork.org

August 18-22

Midwinters East


Clearwater, FLwww.clwyc.org

Feb 22-25


Feb 22-25


Feb 22-25


Feb 17-18

Midwinters West

30 GP Pts., ISAF Grade 2

California YC, CA

March 23-25

California YC, CA

March 23-25

Rolex Miami OCR

ISAF Grade 1

Miami, FLwww.ussailing.org/olympics

Jan 22-27

Miami, FLwww.ussailing.org/olympics

Jan 22-27na na

Atlantic Coast

Championships


Jensen Beach, FLUSSCMCMay 26-27



Rock Hall, MD

Sept 29-30

Pacific Coast

Championships


Treasure IslandSan Francisco, CA

August 10-12


August 10-12


August 10-12

Lake Tahoewww.tahoeyc.com

Aug. 24-26

Gulf Coast

Championships

25 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 3

Southern Yacht ClubNew Orleans, LA

May 19-20

Southern Yacht ClubNew Orleans, LA

May 19-20D13, 14 or 15

No Coast

Championships

25 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 3

D21 D21 D16, 21, 22 or 23

Great Lakes

Championships


KingstonOntario, Canada

Sept. 28-30

KingstonOntario, Canada

Sept. 28-30

D19 or 20

2007 Schedule

18


www.Laser.org 19

District Reports - continued from page 17

the mix. Chip will link all of the NOR’s to the D12

site as we get them.

Schedule of the D12 series for 2007:

April 21-22 -LNYC-NC States-Grand Prix for Full

rigs only-qualifying race #1 for the Radial series and

#1 for overall series and #1 for 4.7 series

June2-3 SSC –Savannah D12-in addition is US Sail-

ing O’Day quarterfinals-qualifying race #2 for

Radial series and #2 for overall series and #2 for

4.7 series

July 28-29-CYC-SC Open-Grand Prix for Radials

only-qualifying race #3 for Radials series and not a

qualifying race for overall series nor 4.7 series

August 4-5-CYC-NC Open-qualifying race #4 for

Radial series and #3 for overall series and #3 for 4.7

series- the 4.7 course will be in the sound (Banks

Channel)

September 29-30 CSC-SC-Columbia D12-qualify-

ing race #5 for Radial series and #4 for overall

series and #4 for 4.7 series

October 21-22 BYSC -SC States-qualifying race #6

for Radial series and #5 for overall series and #5 for

4.7 series-this is also D12 annual meeting

You will notice that we are having separate grand

prix events for full/standard and for radial. This will

be our first try at offering these two separate grand

prix events. One is on a lake and one is at the coast.

We are mixing things up again.

Scoring masters for the series is now in accordance

with the masters handicap. This will be scored at the

end of the series and not at individual events.

We have also added 4.7’s to our series. Let’s encour-

age all of the juniors new to the boat and to the

fleet. Take time to help them.

Oriental Dinghy club will host the NC Masters,

June 23, 24. That is always a fun event with many

sailors from D11 crossing the border to race and

makes for great competition and great friendships.

During the summer there are so many open regat-

tas which are good experience for racing in different

venues, with different SI’s, marks, courses and

fleets. Please try and go to these races. You will

meet lots of Laser sailors and it’s a good practice to

get out of your own water.

Let’s try to get some of the junior women signed

up for the Leiter Cup this summer. It has always

been a wonderful training week for junior women in

Radials.

Thanks to all of the 2007 host clubs for the D12

event and to the event chairmen and race commit-

tees. Unless you’ve planned an event, you have no

idea how much work it takes:

Lake Norman Yacht Club, Savannah Sailing Center,

Carolina Yacht Club-SC, Carolina Yacht Club-NC,

Columbia Sailing Club and Beaufort Yacht and Sail-

ing Club .

District 13Meka TaulbeeDunedin, FloridaThe past three months have been just packed with

top notch Laser sailing in District 13. The Miami

OCR was in January and it had the biggest turnout

in history. Sailors cam all over the world to partici-

pate and the US sailors had their second qualifying

regatta to make the US Sailing Team. February host-

ed some great Masters Regatta’s on the east and

west coast. Also in February was the Mid-Winters

East which was the last of the US Sailing Team

qualifying regatta’s. I am proud to say that District

13 is the home to five out of the six US Sailing

Team Members. Congratulations to Anna Tunni-

cliffe, Paige Railey, Sara Lihan Brad Funk and Kurt

Taulbee. Must be in the water! It was great to have

so many people here training from all over the

world. WE had sailors like Paul Goodson, Michael

Blackburn, Matias Del Solar, all of the Canadian

Team and so many others sailing here. Things are

just starting to wind down and we are looking

toward seeing our sailors doing their best at the

Olympic trials in October!

District 15

Renee Ruis

TexasThe 2007 Laser District 15 Circuit is well under

way with strong participation. Our first event was

held at Seabrook Sailing Club in Kemah, TX.

Apparently everyone was very eager to start the

official Circuit as we started the day with 3 General

Recalls in the Full Rig Fleet. Thanks to the 15-20

mph winds, we still managed 2 races before lunch

and three more after. Sunday was a bit lighter;

maybe 12-15 and we had 3 more races. As this was

the first event of the year for many sailors, I think

everyone was a bit sore after sailing...but as they

complained, they were smiling J . Yes, it may take

another month or so for those Laser muscles to get

back into shape...but we’ve got a good start! After

8 races, the top 5 in the full rig fleet were Mark

Salih, Doug Peckover, Niall Martin, David Morgan

and James Freedman. In the radials, Junior Sailor

Rebekka Urbina held off a strong fleet of Junior and

Masters sailors to take first place! Not far behind in

2nd place was Lawrence Maher.

Our second Circuit event of the year was the 24th

Annual Easter Laser Regatta, hosted at Austin Yacht

Club on Easter weekend. The Easter Laser Regatta

has always been memorable and it surely lived up to

its reputation this year. Ordinarily, we start com-

plaining about ‘cold’ when it’s less than 60 degrees

here, so no one really thought we’d get in much rac-

ing after waking up to a balmy 38 degrees on Satur-

day morning. The high for the day, 42 had already

passed and we were expecting temperatures to drop

to near freezing. We did postpone until after lunch,

though I’m not sure why, it just got colder! Maybe

the objective was to let everyone build up some

nerve! You’d think that people would just go home

at that point (this is Texas afterall) but surprisingly,

they didn’t. In the end, 27 Full Rig and 8 Radial

Rigs ventured out onto the foggy lake. Racing was

challenging with visibility limited to less than 20

feet at times and of course, there was a brief sleet

shower to remind us how cold it was! We finished

up 2 races and headed in to warm up. Dinner was

held at a local restaurant up the street and we had

the rare pleasure of driving over there in a swarm of

Texas flurries!

Sunday morning wasn’t much warmer but I guess

we were all vested in the event by then and even

those who didn’t sail on Saturday suited up for a

couple of races. We tried for a third but the wind

wouldn’t cooperate.

In the full rig class, 17 year old Gavin Rudolph

placed first overall (placing 2nd in every race),

proving that consistency pays off and earning his

win over Scott Young (2nd) and Doug Peckover

(3rd). Gavin goes to the O’Days as the Area F Rep-

resentative. In the Radials, it was Patrick Ryan,

Philip Crain and John O’Riordan in the top 3 spots.

Our next District 15 Circuit event is Spring

Dinghyfest at Rush Creek Yacht Club in Heath (near

Dallas, TX) on May 19th and 20th.

District 16

Tim Fitzgerald

Wichita, KSAs I look forward to the new season of Laser sail-

ing, I am reminded how great the conclusion of the

previous one was. The 2006 District Champi-

onships were hosted by the Clinton Lake Sailing

Assoc. (now the Kansas SA) at the site of their new

sailing facility. I am told that by April they plan to

have a fence in place and begin dock work which

will make that a great venue for years to come. The

2006 districts weren’t only special because of the

future of the new host venue, but the exciting condi-

tions we finished in. For several, this was their first

time sailing in the rain, which was at a near com-

plete downpour by the finish of the final race. The

rain let up just long enough to get the boats put

away and the camaraderie among the D16 Laser

sailors was obvious as we did trophies and goodbyes

in soaked clothes as the rain began again. I think

this kind of group is what makes the Laser fleet spe-

cial, and I look forward to being a part of it again

this summer.

District 16 sailors have another great summer of

sailing to look forward to. Last year’s circuit saw

more than 30 competitors over 5 events. I am excit-

ed to tell you that numerous sailors have contacted

me to tell me they’ve just bought a new boat and are

excited to get involved. We have another great line-

up of regattas planned for this year and you can find

the schedule below. One big addition to the sched-

ule is the Lighthouse regatta at Oklahoma City Boat

Club. They always run great regattas, and I’m told

they are planning a great party for Saturday night. I

encourage everyone from our district and others

from District 15 to meet at OCBC for a great big

regatta. The best part is the proceeds go to a great

cause. So far there are still a few tentative dates on

the calendar as you will see below. Make sure to

check back on the website frequently to see when

the dates are available. It is my goal to get at least

one regatta in May so we don’t wait until June to

start the circuit. Remember, you can also sign up

for the District 16 list serve which will automatical-

ly send you an email when these new updates are

available! Tell your friends too! Just GOOGLE

search LASER D 16, and it will take them right

there!

2007 D16 Schedule to date

June 9 Hummfest @ COSA: Lake Hefner: Okla-

homa City **non points

June 16-17 Lighthouse Charity Regatta @ OCBC:

Lake Hefner: Oklahoma City

July 21-22 Whitecap @ Ninnescah: Cheney Lake:

Wichita, KS

Sept. 1,2 or 3 (prob sat-sun) C.O.R.N. @ Ninnesc-

ah: Cheney Lake: Wichita, KS

Dates still TBA:

Weatherby Lake Invitational: WLYC: Kansas City,


SPRING 200720

District Reports - continued from page 19

MO

D16 Circuit: Walnut Valley Sailing Club: El Dorado

Lake: El Dorado, KS

Jr. Laser Sailing events (CSSA sanctioned)

June 2 @ Oklahoma City Boat Club; Lake Hefner,

Oklahoma City, OK

June 30 @ Windycrest Sailing Club; Lake Key-

stone near Tulsa, OK

July 7 @ Ninnescah Sailing Association; Lake

Cheney, Wichita, KS

August 4 @ Weatherby Lake YC; Kansas City,

MO

August 11-12 CSSA Jr. Sailing Championships @

Walnut Valley Sailing Club; El Dorado Lake, KS

District 18

John ShockeyPer tradition, the Indianapolis Sailing Club launches

the season with its Spring Regatta, April 14-15.

Eagle Creek follows two weeks later with the Week-

end Warrior. They have upped the ante with a two-

day event on April 28-29. Leatherlips Yacht Club

hosts the District Grand Prix on Mother’s Day

Weekend, May 11-13. Jamie Jones is Certified Race

Officer, George Griswold on-the-water judge. On

Friday, May 11, District Champ Rick Rothenbuehler

offers a coaching session, and Diebold Sailing will

have a few 4.7 rigs available to try for free. In addi-

tion, at Leatherlips on Memorial Day weekend, the

club hosts its 2nd Annual 24-Hour Endurance

Race/Leukemia Cup. This time it’s a sanctioned

event, listed on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Soci-

ety’s website, meaning its winner will be entered in

the drawing for big prizes. Last year 3 Laser teams

were entered in the PHRF race and one of them

came in second! Another “team” of one person

sailed about 25 miles alone, never stopping over a

period of 22 hours. Come for the fun and challenge,

and see what you can do to raise money for this

charity. Finally, in June, we have two 1-day regat-

tas. The first is the Open Cattail Regatta on June 2

at Jolly Roger Sailing Club. If there are at least

three Lasers, they get their own start. The second

regatta is a Laser/Sunfish Regatta at Chippewa Sail-

ing Club on June 30. See the District 18 website for

more details on these locales. http://d18.laserfo-

rum.org

District 22

Orrin Webber

Kalispell, Montana

2007 District 22 Grand Prix

August 18 - 19, 2007

Host: North Flathead Yacht Club

City: Somers

State: Montana

Contact: Orrin Webber

Phone: (406) 755-1200

E-mail: [email protected]

Don’t miss it. Come early or stay late because

Glacier National Park is only 45 minutes away. I

can take you to the park to climb a peak. Our next

District 22 Championship Grand Prix Regatta will

be held August 18 - 19, 2007. The entry fee is only

$20 and includes camping, dinner, beer and sailing.

Call Orrin Webber at (406) 755-1200 of fax (406)

755-1543 or E-mail: [email protected].

District 23

Larry Arbuthnot

Nederland, ColoradoThe snow is melting here in the Rocky Mountain

West and the reservoirs are starting to fill up for

what will be another beautiful summer in District

23. We have a full slate of events and regattas on tap

this summer including the legendary and Laser

friendly Aspen Open, Dillon Open and the Colorado

Laser Championships held once again at the stun-

ning Grand Lake. For those in the Denver area

Cherry Creek will be hosting its Thursday night

dingy series every Thursday night throughout the

summer. We hear from our New Mexico sailors that

Heron Reservoir, which has been a victim of low

water levels, might once again be ready to host

Laser sailing once again this summer. Check out our

full schedule online.

Nothing beats the mountain and desert sailing of

District 23. Come join us this summer for a unique

sailing experience and visit us online anytime at

www.sailtherockies.com.

District 24David LapierNorCalThe sailing season on San Francisco Bay goes on all

year round. In the Winter, the breezes are often

light since the thermal conditions are missing.

Richmond Yacht Club holds a series for dinghys on

the first Sunday of every month. Hundreds of

sailors compete across three different race courses,

It’s a big event that draws lots of Lasers. We had

plenty of sunshine each month, but not much wind.

RESULTS: (1) Steve Bourdow, (2) David LaPier,

(3) Walt Spevak, (4) Mark Halman, (5) Claire Den-

nis, (6) Jean-Bernard Duler, (7) Eric Wilson, (8) Bill

Buckingham, (9) Mike Rutledge, (10) Mike Scott.

Honorable mention to the additional sailors that

competed in every race: Ron Witzel, Rebecca Beard,

Steve Hendricks, David Rassumsen, Derick Mini-

hane, Evylyn Hull, and Nico Colomb. (50 Entries).

Shoreline Lake had a good turn-out for its informal

series, with 10 boats competing each month.

Rodger Herbst did a great job keeping the events

going.

The Saint Francis YC Spring Dinghy regatta marks

the change of the seasons. Tracy Usher writes,

after a delay we had three races on Saturday in mod-

erate breeze, maybe puffs to about 15 knots, on a

mild flood tide. The racing was really highlighted

more by mistakes made by competitors (sailing into

restricted areas, capsizing boat lengths from the fin-

ish line) than dominating racing by any one com-

petitor. Sunday saw a longer delay brought about by

the DST time change and we finally got out on the

water and started racing by 3:00 pm in a light 8-10

knots of wind. The first race took some 45 minutes

and set the first two positions (five races would

include a discard) so the Race Committee mercifully

shortened the second race after one lap and sent us

in. The highlight of the weekend was a spectacular

presentation by Paul Cayard on Saturday evening

chronicling his adventure with the Black Pearl. If

you saw that and didn’t think sailing was the great-

est sport known to man then you need to have your

DNA checked to see if you are human. RESULTS:

(1) Tracy Usher, (2) Peter Phelan, (3) Mehmet

Sevinc, (4) John Pearce, (5) Chris Boome (18

Boats). RADIALS: (1) Claire Dennis, (2) Katie

Maxim, (3) Ben Lezin.(8 Boats).

We are planning on holding our Summer Grand

Prix series again this year, sponsored by Svendsens

Marine. We will be racing on the mighty Pacific,

clear mountain lakes, and the Golden Gate; plus a

downwind distance race on the Sacremento River.

The Treasure Island Sailing Center is hosting the

Laser PCC’s this summer. Please plan on coming

out to sail. The TISC is just south of the Berkeley

Circle, so conditions are excellent for windy racing

San Francisco Bay style. Plus, Ralph Pombo and

the group at TISC are planning a fun event with

good fun onshore too. Please join us.

District 25Nils AnderssonSoCal

The only big event here over the winter season was

SCYA Midwinters with races in Lasers both at Mis-

sion Bay YC and Alamitos Bay YC. See

www.mbyc.org and www.abyc.org for complete

results.

Otherwise there has been a very active local sea-

son with fleets racing all over the place.

Family AffairPhoto: The Buckingham family at Midwinters

West: Charlie (3rd from left) with Uncles Bill

(far left from San Francisco), Charlie (2nd from

left from Hawaii) and Dad Jim, (far right). Out

of the 64 competitors, Charlie Jr. was 2nd; dad

Jim 15th, Charlie Sr., 32nd, and Bill, 43rd.


www.Laser.org 21

43rd.ORANGE BOWL

OPEN REGATTA

DAVE ELLIS

The 2006 Coconut Grove Sailing ClubOpen Orange Bowl Regatta took placeDecember 28-30, 2006, the same time asthe huge junior event at the clubs up theFlorida Biscayne Bay coast.

CGSC member Art Auwaexterand his 20-person race committee presentedfine racing for the 22 Lasers in the fleet. Itwas not easy to find a place to put a racecourse with over 600 boats in the JuniorOrange Bowl spread all over the water.Winds ranged from 8 to 18 over three days.

The Laser winner was 22 year-old Clay Johnson of Toms River, NJ. Somemay remember him as a winning OptimistDinghy sailor of a few years ago. He is avery tall and fit fellow, as are all Lasersailors vying for the Olympic slot for the2008 Games.

Johnson was one of the manywho were caught on left side of the coursewhen the wind went right in the first race.Unlike some others, he recognized the shiftearly and used his speed to get back tothird.

In age groupings, Laser Appren-tice Ernesto Rodriguez of Miami led, tak-ing second in fleet. Miami’s Augie Diazwas first Master, Dave Ellis of St. Peters-burg the Grand Master winner and DavidHartman of Vero Beach the Great GrandMaster champ.

If the variable points system forage groups had been applied for scoring,Hartman would have jumped from tenth to

fifth place and Ellis fromeighth to seventh.

Lake Lanier Sail-ing Club’s Warner Guedrydeserves credit for finishingall eight races, placing sec-ond in Great Grand Master,at age 71.

James Liebl wonthe first race of the event andwas sailing well. On theother two days he opted totry out the Radial rig, nowthat it is allowed to beexchanged during a regattafor Masters sailors. Friday’swinds did not live up toadvance billing, however,and he worked hard to finish above mid-fleet. He pushed a bit too hard in onestart, resulting in an OCS. The windiestraces on Saturday he finished 5-6, toshow that a well-sailed Radial can hangwith the big guns even in less thannuclear winds.


SPRING 200722

TLS and your ILCA-NA Officers asked Bill O’Hara,lead Rule 42 judge around the world, to submit to aQuestion & Answer to help dispel myths of Rule 42.

The questions are broken into five categories forRule 42 and a final category for general RRS questions.

General Rule 42 QuestionsWhen you are on the water judging rule 42, are there one

or two areas where you see the most infractions?BO’H: Most infringements occur at the start and on the

downwind legs. It is unusual when dealing with experiencedsailors to have problems on the upwind legs as they realizehow easy it is for judges to see any flaws in their technique.

ISAF has had a training program in place for judging rule42 for over a year now. How do you feel about the generallevel and consistency of judging at major events throughoutthe world now?

BO’H: The ISAF Rule 42 advisors role was intended toachieve a greater common understanding of Rule 42 betweensailors, coaches and judges. The workshops try and makeeveryone part of the solution.

The judges have been trying to develop better processesthat lead to consistent calls. My main message to judges is togive the sailors the benefit of the doubt but when there is nodoubt, protest the rule breach to protect the legal sailors.

Whether rule 42 is being applied more consistently is diffi-cult to assess.

You rarely get people thanking you for a yellow flagprotest and the sailors who have not been protested usuallykeep a low profile and don’t give you much feedback.

I constantly ask sailors and coaches for their opinion andat the multi-class Grade 1 events I attend this year, I will behanding out written questionnaires to the team leaders to tryand get feedback.

Professional Olympic sailors spend around 200 days on thewater each year practicing sailing techniques; it is unusual forvolunteer judges to spend more than 20 days a year observingone individual class.

The easy breaches anyone could judge. The difficultycomes when a sailor’s style combines a mixture of permittedand prohibited actions. In these very technical situations,knowledge of that boat and experience observing it in all windconditions and wave patterns, are essential to make consistentcalls.

Do judges apply different standards of judging dependingon the level of the event? For example, is there a differentstandard between the Men’s Laser World Championship andthe Women’s Radial World Championship? Or between theLaser World Championship and the Master’s World Champi-onship? If so, why? If not, how is a uniform application of rule42 achieved?

BO’H: Judges should apply the same standard at all events.I have never asked or been asked to apply a lesser standard. Itis a disservice to sailors to go easy in one event, as inevitablythey will come across a jury applying the rules correctly at afuture event and they will get protested for techniques theyassumed were permitted.

Urban legend has it that to be yellow flagged at a majorevent, both judges must observe a repeated action and must

both agree that it is an infraction. Arethere situations, for example at the startor, perhaps, at a mark rounding, where asingle action observed by one judge canearn a yellow flag?

BO’H: Sometimes urban legends aretrue. Judges divide rule 42 breaches into two categories, tactical andtechnical. Tactical breaches are clear breaches of the rule where a sailortries to get an immediate advantage such as; sculling, body pumping orrocking at the start; approaching a two length zone; approaching thefinish line; or crossing a starboard tack boat. In these situations onejudge can protest independent of his fellow judge.

With technical breaches (not clear breaches but involving a sailor’stechnique) we want both judges to agree before protesting.

Normally while scanning the fleet one judge will observe some-thing that causes him concern. The judge will ask his fellow judge toobserve the same boat and then try and verbalize what they are lookingat. If they can connect the sailor’s actions to the effect on the boat andthe action is prohibited, then they protest. The principle again is to givethe benefit of the doubt to the sailor but when certain, protest to protectthe legal sailors.

Some people think rule 42 is not very clear, effectively existing in alarge grey area between clearly illegal and maybe illegal. Because ofthis, sailors may have differing thresholds of what is “legal” and whatis “illegal” on the water, which can lead to some feeling that others are“cheating.” How can we go about clearing up the “grey area” so peoplecan better know what is allowed and/or not allowed? Or, how can welearn to exist with the grey area?

BO’H: I sail a Laser at my home club usually with one or twosailors who are on the international circuit. Their defense for breakingRRS 42 is that everyone else is doing it overseas and they have to prac-tice.

In my opinion the sailor always knows first if he is breaking therule, closely followed by his fellow competitors and finally the judges.The sailors are in the best position to police the rule because they knowexactly how much rolling and trimming can be put down to the condi-tions.

The best way forward for the sport would be for sailors to takeresponsibility for enforcing the rule.

The grey area between legal and illegal is very small and I am con-vinced that in most cases the sailors know when they are breaking therule. The problem they have is knowing when they will be protested forbreaking it.

Champions minimize risk. Sailing close to the limit of RRS 42 andletting judges decide the outcome of your event is high risk.

We all have to self police in the sport and sailors who deliberatelybreak the rules do themselves and our sport a disservice.

Can you explain the concept of “stroke of a paddle” to us? Doesthis principle apply if I am accelerating from a stop and I add a smallroll to help increase that acceleration?

BO’H: A ‘stroke of a paddle’ is not a defined term but is a phraseused to describe the difference between moving your body to trim aboat and moving your body to propel the boat. You are not allowed tomove your body to propel the boat but you are allowed to move yourbody to steer and trim the boat.

At the start if you are below close hauled and roll to leeward tohelp steer the boat to a close hauled course it is permitted even if itresults in a small increase in acceleration. The problem arises if you doit with such vigor that it goes beyond trim and has the effect like a‘stroke of a paddle’

Rule 42 Questions for OTW Judges


www.Laser.org 23

A young sailor will say something like “my coach says thejudges are a bunch of old men who have never sailed dinghiesand don’t understand kinetics and that this is the way I am sup-posed to sail the boat...” What advice do you have for someonelike this?

BO’H: Well we are definitely a bunch of old men and womanwith over 50% over the age of 60. As a volunteer group we don’tget to sail much because we use most of our free time judging. Atthe major events the average age is more like 50 and we get cho-sen for our class specific knowledge.

We also work hard at developing processes to make judgingkinetics more consistent by focusing on defining easily recog-nized techniques and tests to decide that a rule has been broken. .

My advice to a young sailor is to accept that some judgesmight have a limited knowledge of their class and to develop astyle that is comfortably inside the rule and doesn’t attract atten-tion.

It is also important to communicate with judges in a con-structive manner so that they can understand their class better.

If you had one thing in Rule 42 to change, what might it be?BO’H: I would not allow classes to opt for relaxing RRS 42

above certain wind speeds. I think it puts undue pressure on the race committee and jury

in implementation and makes a mockery of the sport when thewind drops during a leg and the sailor’s rock and pump their waydown the course.

Rule 42 at the starting lineHow hard is it for judges to see rule 42 violations on the start

line?BO’H: Tactical breaches where one judge can protest are easy

to see. What are the most common rule 42 mistakes you see people

committing on the start line?BO’H: Sculling, a single roll (with the effect of a stroke of a

paddle) rocking and body pumpingHere is a typical scenario at the start: With about 30 seconds

to go a boat is luffing head to wind (in, let’s say, 5-8 knots ofwind and smooth water), effectively stopped, on the start linewith a nice hole to leeward. Just before the start, the helmsmansculls down to a close hauled course, rolls the boat to leewardthen back to windward to quickly accelerate into that nice hole toleeward. Is this legal under rule 42? Does it depend on thestrength of the wind? The sea conditions?

BO’H: Sculling down towards a close hauled course is per-mitted as long as it is not offsetting previous sculling and thesailor stops sculling when he gets to a close-hauled course.

Rolling the boat once is permitted however, if the boatquickly accelerates, it is prohibited because it is having the effectlike a stroke of a paddle.

The same rules apply in all conditions but in strong windsand bigger seas it is harder to judge if the roll has propelled theboat.

Rule 42 UpwindWhat are the most common mistakes you see people commit-

ting while sailing upwind?BO’H: First, rocking in light air. Secondly, body pumping in

hiking breeze especially when crossing a starboard tack boat or inclose proximity to boats to leeward or windward. Finally, exces-sive torquing causing the leach of the sail to flick.

What are the judges looking for when watching sailors goingupwind?

BO’H: We scan the fleet and look for differences in the way aboat or a sailor moves. Most of the time the judges are looking

for body movement, rather than waves, causing the leech to flick.Rule 42 DownwindWhat are the most common mistakes you see people committing

while sailing downwind?BO’H: Two main things:Repeated trim and release of the sail not connected to wind shifts

gusts or waves.Rolling the boat repeatedly with no change in direction and not

linked to wave patterns. Sailors should only roll the boat to help them steer it, not repeat-

edly change direction so that they can roll. If they do that they get ina habit of continual rolling it eventually doesn’t match up with thewave pattern or the direction their steering and they get protested.

When the breeze is up some sailors find themselves on the edgeof control. Is it possible to get a penalty for rocking when in realityyou are really just trying to regain control of your boat? This canhappen, for example, when recovering from a near death roll when itcan take 4-5 oscillations of the boat to really get control back. Canjudges differentiate between this and intentional rocking?

BO’H: If a sailor loses control and the boat starts rolling he isnot breaking any rules and will normally not get protested. If it’s hap-pening repeatedly or at critical moments in the race the sailor will beunder close scrutiny.

A legal rolling boat becomes an illegal rocking boat if the sailoris inducing the rolling by body movement, repeated adjustment of thesails or centerboard or by steering.

Rule 42 at mark roundingsAre there common rule 42 violations at mark roundings?BO’H: Normally tactical breaches (short duration breaches in

order to gain an immediate advantage). Repeated tacks and gybesapproaching the mark particularly in light air. Sheet pumping & rock-ing to try and get or break an overlap.

General RRS questionsAre there any common RRS violations that judges observe on the

race course? What would there be?BO’H: We observe the whole range of rule breaches and its dis-

appointing when sailors don’t take action or protest. Do you think there is a “problem” with adherence to the RRS at

major international events? If maybe or yes, what do you see as apossible way to help reduce these violations?

BO’H: The 07 Rolex Miami OCR this year was an encouragingevent with many boats taking voluntary penalties however we haveall been involved at regattas where that is not the case.

I think the answer lies with the sailors because direct judging isimpractical in our sport and always results in sailors taking lessresponsibility for enforcing the rules.

Some professional sailors might think that’s a naïve view but forthem more than anybody the integrity of a sport they want to make aliving out off should be paramount.

Sailings only a game and to let someone break the rules, or tobreak the rules yourself at a game you are playing with your friendsseems pointless and would make any results achieved meaningless.

..

Bill O’Hara is an International Umpire and an InternationalJudge. He is currently the ISAF Rule 42 Advisor and a mem-ber of the ISAF Rule 42 working party. He has attended 5 ofthe last 6 Olympics, two as a Finn sailor, one as a coach, oneas a team manager and one as a judge. More importantly hehas raced Lasers since 1977 and still competes in club races,regional events and masters championships.


SPRING 200724

BOB BOWDENSo, you’re a Laser sailor in a District Championship

event. You’ve read the Sailing Instructions and noticethere is a SI rule that states: “RRS Appendix P willapply.”

You sail to the starting line and you are a bit early.You line up with your fellow competitors and scull tohold position. Just about the time the gun goes off, acouple of judges in a power boat come up behind, blowa whistle, point a yellow flag directly at you and hailyour sail number! You start and finish the race only tofind out you are scored DSQ without a hearing for nottaking your penalty at the yellow flag. What’s going onhere and what could you have done better?

To start with, you’ve broken RRS 42.2(d) – scullingand Appendix P-2.1. RRS 42 covers Propulsion andlists the actions that are prohibited when racing. Appen-dix P details what penalties are taken when on the waterjudging is in effect. (Appendix P is not in effect unlessit is in the Sailing Instructions)

Laser regatta organizers in Area D-12 want enforce-ment of Rule 42 via on the water with on the waterjudges. There seems to be a feeling that ‘a few badapples’ are cheating by using kinetics and Appendix Penforcement of the Rule is the best way to control theproblem. I agree that is it extremely difficult for a com-petitor to protest under RRS 42. If kinetics are a prob-lem, Appendix P is the only reasonable way to controlthem. As a judge, I don’t like it. It means I have to beon the water from the start of the first race until mostboats have finished all races. And it requires 100% con-centration. I have to take care of protests or requests forredress that come up after the racing is over. This makesfor a very long day; it’s hard work, which we voluntari-ly do for our sport.

Let’s look at what is involved in providing on thewater judging and what the judges look for at differentpoints in a race.

There should be at least two judge boats with twojudges in each boat. They should be familiar with thequirks of Laser sailing as often there is so much bodymovement going on, it is difficult to analyze whetherthe sailor is sailing the boat well or illegally propellingit. If they see an infraction, except at the start, bothjudges must agree before blowing the whistle. If thereis any doubt, they must rule in favor of the sailor. Theyhave to be sure about their decision and be willing todiscuss what they saw with the competitor after therace. They generally will use a tape recorder to back uptheir observations. Now, let’s go sailing.

THE START AND UPWINDAt the start, the judge boats will be behind the line;

positioned so they can watch all boats and in radio com-munications with each other. After the start, one boatwill follow the boats on Port tack while the other fol-lows those on Starboard.

Sculling: Lasers will often scull to either get intoposition or maintain one. RRS 42.3(d) allows you toscull onto a close-hauled course when you are aboveclose-hauled and stationary or moving slowly. That’s

RRS 42 and Appendix P……What Are Those Judges Doing?

all. It does not allow you to back wind the sail and scull to holdposition, or to scull if you are below close-hauled. Becausesculling is a short duration action and there are a number ofboats on the starting line, only one judge need see the violationto flag the penalty.

Pumping: At the gun, we watch for the sailor who will rockthe boat and roll tack at the start, which causes the boat toaccelerate quickly. We know this as the “Laser Start”, but it isillegal.

Rocking. The most prevalent offense I see is body rockingor pumping where the competitor rocks his body and thereforethe sail. Are the body movements rocking the boat? Does themast move from side to side? Does the movement cause theleach to flick? If so, yellow flag! Or, is the competitor sailingwell by keeping the boat flat?

Ooching: In light air, we watch for the “Laser Tack” wherethe competitor places one foot on the bulkhead and pushes backhard as they tack. If done well, this produces a ‘scoot’ wherethe boat accelerates much like the “Laser Start”. This looks likehard work to me for a small return, and it is illegal.

Repeated tacks. We look for this more in light air. Is thecompetitor roll tacking more than all the others? Do the windconditions warrant the action? Is he/she coming out of the tacksfaster than they were when they started?

DOWNWINDDownwind, we will watch the fleet from both sides and/or

behind. We scan all boats looking for the one that is doing any-thing different. Usually, the mast is moving back and forthwhile the other boats’ masts are not. When we see one, we willmove closer to see:

Rocking: Is the sailor causing the boat to roll by rocking?Pumping: Is the sailor pumping by pulling in and releasing

the sheet? Ooching: In light air, is the sailor moving his/her body (or

part of it) forward and aft in rhythm?Repeated gybes with no apparent reason. Again, does the

boat gain distance as a result of these gybes? Pumping and Roll Tacking can happen on any leg of the

course. Pumping: We look for repeated pumping to be rhythmic trim and

release in light winds or more forceful in stronger winds andwaves. The judging team will ask themselves the followingquestions:

Are there surfing or planing conditions? If so, it’s perfectlylegal so long as there is only one pump per wave.

Is the boat pumping while surfing or planing? Could the trim and release be a response to conditions?Is the flicking leach caused by body movement?ROLL TACKING:When tacking, we look for those who delay righting their

boat after the tack is completed and sheet pump the sail. Theexception in Rule 42.3(b) only applies when the boat is chang-ing course and at no time permits sheet pumping. If a boat hasincreased her speed through a tack, we see a sudden and signifi-cant decrease in speed after the tack is complete. Here, thejudges must agree the boat came out of the tack faster than shewent into it.


www.Laser.org 25

TWO OTHER THINGS:If we have only two judge boats,

we generally will pay more attention tothe top 1/3 of the fleet than the rest ofthe competitors.

Usually, we serve in the same geo-graphic area. We see the same sailorsoften during the season. By doing this,we have our list of who sails fairly andwho sometimes does not. As a com-petitor, I don’t want to be on a judge’s“who to watch” list.

I hope this gives you a better ideaof what we judges look for whenapplying Appendix P on the water. Wedo not serve as policemen; only to helpensure fair sailing. We may throw ayellow flag in or two a race but rarelyover 4 or 5 in a regatta. Laser sailorsin area D-12 are doing a great job fol-lowing the rules. Again, it is hardwork for us but we’re glad to do it if ithelps to make racing fair. My adviceto all sailors is to be aware of Rule 42and avoid violating it. Also, readAppendix P. If you are ‘yellowflagged’, take your penalty turns andget back into the game. If you knowwhy you were flagged, shame on youand stop doing it! If not, go see thejudge that flagged you after the raceand ask him/her to explain what they

Bob Bowden is a certified US SailingSenior Judge. Bob has been sailing sincethe mid 1970’s and involved in race man-agement and judging for the past 20 years;primarily in the Southeast. He serves asjudge in 12-15 events per year and waschief judge for the 2005 Laser Nationals atWrightsville Beach, NC. He lives inCharleston, SC and is well known by thecompetitors in area D-12 where he hasserved as judge for many years.

saw and why they ‘flagged’ you. It’sour job to help ensure fair sailing andto educate those who break a rule andwe’re only too happy to do so.

Sail fair, sail fast and sail often!


SPRING 200726

Masters Sailing Al Clark on Masters Midwinters:

First day a 2-hour sail out to the course against a strong current. Noracing. Smart people didn’t go all the way out to the race course.

The forecast for the next day was cold and windy. They got it right.Perfect for a Canadian. I won the first race, then had a few problems withcapsizing upwind in the next race. I hit the finish line on a capsize. It wasreal difficult sailing near the top mark; we sailed inside, so the weathermark had either 25 kts or 5 kts.

Won the 3rd race after a few capsizes, then again had a spectacularcapsize at the weather mark in the last race. Caught up at the end to slipinto 5th. Enough to win.

Florida MastersChampionship 2007

BY PETER SEIDENBERG

The 24th Florida Masters champi-onship was attended by 36 competitorsfrom 8 states and 4 from Ontario. Indoing so, they paid tribute to the origi-nators of the event and founders of the“Royal Turkey Y.C.”, the late JackSwenson and John Mayer. Originallyrun out of Jack’s backyard, the FloridaMasters championship is now hostedby the Palm Beach Sailing Club. Thelocation of the club provides easyoptions of either sailing on the Atlanticor on the Intracoastal Waterway,depending on the weather. This time,the weather was perfect for sailing onthe ocean. It was sunny and warm bothdays with a 6–10 mph northerly onSaturday and an 8-12 mph northerly onSunday. Three races were sailed eachday, for a total of six, with five tocount.

The courses were wwd.-lwd.-wwd.-lwd. with downwind finishes at thestarboard side of the committee boat.The last race on Sunday was shortenedafter 1fi laps and finished at the wind-ward mark, closer to the way back tothe club.

Saturday’s racing was the mostchallenging. A fast-moving northerlycurrent kept pushing the fleet over theline and caused many individual andgeneral recalls. The presumablystronger current further out to sea,combined with a gradual veer of thewind to NE and increase in speed overthe course of the day, favored the rightside of the course, but not always. Sig-nificant gains could be made in themiddle of the course by utilizing themany wind oscillations.

On Sunday, the current was absent.Consequently, the right (ocean) sideturned out to be a disappointment inthe early part of the day until the wind,as expected, started to veer andincrease in strength. Early detection ofthis development was key.

The overall winner under the NorthAmerican age handicap system andrecipient of the “Dirty-Old-Man-of-the-Sea” trophy was Master JohnMacCausland with 21 points. Interest-ingly, John would have won even onstraight points, with the tie-breaker

going in his favor. John also became the 19th winner of the “GreenJacket” which, as is typical, was presented to the winner by Jack’swidow, Molly Swenson. The top three Apprentices were ErnestoRodriguez (a past Green Jacket winner), 2nd overall, James Liebl,4th overall, and Ted Morgan, 16th overall. The top three Masterswere John MacCausland, Rick Ericson (a past Green Jacket winner),3rd overall, and Tim Landt, 6th overall. The top three Grand Masterswere Alden Shattuck, 5th overall, David Frazier (a past Green Jacketwinner), 9th overall, and Gary Orkney, 14th overall. The top threeGreat Grand Masters were Peter Seidenberg (a past Green Jacketwinner), 7th overall, Joe Van Rossem, 8th overall, and David Hart-man, 15th overall. No one sailed Radial.

The regatta was expertly organized and run by Carl Schellbach,who has done this for close to 20 years now.

Check this out!!!**Bass Strait Laser DVD**

The story of Michael Blackburn’s incredible crossing of the Bass Strait between

Tasmania and Australia in a Laser$ 29.95 US or $34.95 CDN

Check our website at www.sailcoach.cafor the best marine stores carrying these

Books, CD’s, & DVD’sSailcoach Consultants North America Inc

170 Kehoe Street

Ottawa, ON, Canada K2B 6A5

Tel/Fax 613-820-7618

e-mail [email protected]


www.Laser.org 27

FABRICODYIII: 100% coated polyester with Softouch fleece backing. High-strength, abrasion and UV resistant. Gray.Tri-Flame: A soil, water and mildew resistant fabric of blended polyester/cotton for strength and UV resistance.Flame retardant to CPA1-84FR. Light gray.

DECK COVERDesigned for trailering. Has 8" skirt with shockcord hem that wraps around hull.

ODYIII ....................................................................$162.00

DECK COVER WITH SLEEVESTrailering cover with three compartments sewn to the padded deck cover for mast and boom.

ODYIII ....................................................................$268.00

ENVELOPE COVERDeck and hull cover joined by a zipper; foam-padded bottom. The ultimate boat protection for trailering.

ODYIII ....................................................................$248.00

HULL COVERDesigned for trailering. Has drain hole and 8" skirt with shockcord hem that wraps around deck.

ODYIII ....................................................................$177.00

MAST & BOOM BAGThree-compartment bag to hold mast and boom.

Top Gun ..................................................................$68.00

BLADE BAGFour-compartment padded bag to carry rudder, tiller and daggerboard with large exterior mesh pocket.

Padded Nylon ........................................................$72.00

1251 E. Wisconsin Ave., Pewaukee, WI 53072

Fax: 262-691-3008 • Email: [email protected]

Order by phone262-691-3320

or onlinewww.harkencanvas.com

Prices do not include shipping or sales tax

Custom Covers& Repairs

C A N V A S

Spring Special!

15% offJanuary 1 - March 31, 2007


SPRING 200728

2007 Vanguard NA Grand Prix Rules1. PreambleThe intent of the North American Grand Prix is to promote

participation in Laser Class events at the District, Regional and Continental

levels. Except where explicitly stated, the following rules applyequally to the 2007 Laser, Radial, and Laser 4.7 Grand Prix.

2. Eligibility a. Any member, in good standing, of the North American

Region of the International Laser Class Association (ILCA-NA) is eligi-

ble to participate in any and all official Grand Prix events. b. Competitors who join ILCA-NA before the start of the

first race of a Grand Prix event shall be considered to be members in

good standing for the purposes of receiving a regatta score forthat event (deemed eligible competitors).

3. Regatta Categories and 2007 GrandPrix Regattas

a. For Lasers and RadialsContinental Championship – Total Regatta Points: 40 Note:

Radial Women may score their best finish from either of thetwo events for which they are eligible.

2. Major Continental Regattas – Total Regatta Points: 30 i. The US Nationals ii. The Canadian Nationals iii. CORK iv. Midwinters East v. Midwinters West

3.. Regional Regattas – Total Regatta Points: 20i. The Atlantic Coast Championship ii. The Gulf Coast Championship iii. The Great Lakes Championship iv. The “No Coast” Championship v. The Pacific Coast Championship

4. District Regattas – Total Regatta Points: 15i. District Championships for all ILCA-NA Districts

b. For 4.7s1. Major Continental Regattas – Total Regatta Points: 30 i. The US Nationals ii. CORK iv. Midwinters East

2. Other 4.7 Regattas – Total Regatta Points: 25i. Buzzard’s Bay Regatta

ii. 2007 Orange Bowl

4. Regatta Requirements a. The 2007 Grand Prix is for regattas which are sailed

between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007. b. The regatta location, dates and contact information for

the NOR must be available from the ILCA-NA website at leastfour weeks before the event.

c. For the purposes of awarding Grand Prix points:i. A regatta consists of an event scheduled to be sailed over

consecutive days ii. There must be a minimum of three races completed iii. A minimum number of eligible competitors must be in

attendance:

1. Laser: 10 2. Radial: 7 3. 4.7: 5 iv. Events can only be re-sailed with permission of the

ILCA-NA Secretary. d. Regatta results must be received by the ILCA-NA

office within 30 days of completion of the event.

5. Scoring a. Regatta Score i. The score for eligible competitors will be calculated

as Total Regatta Points – finish position + 1 (e.g. the regat-ta winner will receive a score equal to the Total RegattaPoints) down to a minimum of one point.

ii. The finish positions of ineligible competitors will notbe removed.

b. Grand Prix Rankings Score i. The Grand Prix ranking will be the sum of the top

five Regatta Scores for all eligible competitors. ii. For the purposes of awarding prizes only, ties will be

broken by removing points first from district events, if thetie remains then removing points from regional events, etc.If a tie remains, the competitor who finished ahead in thehighest graded, and most recent, mutually attended GrandPrix regatta shall be the winner, unless neither competitorfaced each other, in which case the tie shall be broken bythe ILCA-NA Executive Director by coin flip.

c. The current Grand Prix standings will be publishedmonthly on the ILCA-NA website at www.laser.org

6. Prizes Prizes will be supplied by the sponsor of the Grand

Prix program, Vanguard Sailboats: Competitors cannot winin more than one category. Categories and prizes to beannounced at a later date.

photo: Canadians Bernie Luttmer, Mike Kalin (last year’sGrand Prix winner) and Conner Higgins in Hyeres, France.Luther Carpenter photo.


www.Laser.org 29

2007 Vanguard NA Grand Prix ResultsStandings through March 31, 2007

for full results: www.laser.org

Last First # of

Events Total

1 Pearce John 2 462 Ramsay Luke 2 393 Torchinsky Abe 2 384 Buckingham Charlie 2 365 Luttmer Bernard 1 296 Campbell Andrew 1 277 Funk Brad 1 267 Garber Josh 1 269 Horowitz Zeke 2 2610 Smith Colin 1 2511 Grierson Kevin 2 2512 Johnson Clay 1 2413 Raab Chris 1 2313 Wright David 1 2315 Kalin Michael 1 2215 Paine Caleb 1 2217 Taulbee Kurt 1 2118 Wenner Peter 1 2019 Deermount Adam 1 1920 Rogachenko Kyle 1 1820 Toole Pat 1 1822 Higgins Conner 1 1723 Tullo Jerry 1 1724 Buckingham Jim 1 1624 Lewis Evan 1 16

LASER RADIAL

Last First # of

Events Total

1 Railey Paige 2 692 Tunnicliffe Anna 2 683 Bertold Isabella 3 604 Haeger Annie 3 605 Ross Lisa 2 606 Crain Philip 2 607 Maxim Katie 3 538 Rasa Keamia 2 499 Dennis Claire 3 4810 Lihan Sarah 2 4411 Billing Emily 2 3712 Griffin Genoa 2 3713 Dube Danielle 2 3614 Barnard Chris 1 2915 Hoeven Ryan 1 2816 Crowder Victoria 1 2516 Doane Justin 1 2516 Toole Oliver 1 2519 Montemayor Ricardo 1 2420 Dugdale Nick 1 2220 Smith Colin 1 2222 Alley Philip 1 2122 Cameron Rex 1 2124 Vargas Mateo 1 20


SPRING 200730

SCOTT LINDLEY

PALM BEACH SAILING CLUBSAILING DIRECTOR

The Laser 4.7 was introduced in2002 as an option for those sailors whowere coming out of the OptimistDingy who were too small for theLasers bigger rigs. Once the LaserRadial was chosen to replace theEurope Dinghy as the Olympic single-handed boat for Women, the 4.7 hasbecome the singlehanded youth train-ing boat and a pathway class for mostyouth sailors with Olympic aspirations.

In 2003 the British Royal YachtingAssociation adopted the 4.7 as part of theiryouth training program and as their path-way class to the Olympic Radial and Fullrig boats. In Europe, youth are assigned tothis class dependent on size and age. Therecommended weight for the 4.7 rig is 115– 143 pounds. The recommended size forthe radial rig is 143 to 163 pounds. The topend sizes tend to perform best in the fullrange of wind conditions. These recom-mended weight ranges are vastly differentthan those posted on American Web sites.Radial weight is 120 – 155, 4.7 is 80 to120. Since its introduction to Europe in2002, participation at 4.7 world champi-onships has grown in size to over 320 par-ticipants.

The 4.7 Rig is the perfect option forkids who may have started late in their Opticareers and for those who are weight chal-lenged at the age of 14 coming out of theOpti. For those kids who started later in lifeand don’t fit into an Opti, theycan gain their skills of tactics,boat handling and fitness in the4.7 and have a fun time doing it.Have you ever seen a youngsailor trying to learn to race in anOpti at 120+ pounds? You willrarely see a smile on their faces.Mastering technique and skill inall wind conditions, light toheavy, keeping your head out ofthe boat thus giving you a strate-gic advantage, allows sailors togrow into the rig at the propertime. Throwing kids into a Radialwhen not the proper size or matu-rity will only frustrate and pro-

Laser 4.7;

a Jr. Sailors Beginning Step to the Olympics

duce negative self-esteem. On the otherhand throwing a sailor who is beginning tointermediate and in the upper weight rangeinto a fleet of well experienced Radialsailors can be a just as negative experience.This is where the beauty of the EuropeanSystem of Weight and Age come in. Sailorscan be competitive and not be hindered bytheir size in the 4.7 until they or their coachfeel that they are ready to move up. Forthose who are older and will most likelynever reach the desired weight of the Radi-al or Full rig they can race against sailorsthere own age and size, no matter whatgender.

US Sailing programs need to take acloser look a the Laser 4.7 because theymay be missing out on a perfect opportuni-ty for increasing participation in their pro-grams by filling the gap for those sailorswho need more experience or who can’tcompete otherwise due to weight. I canspeak from experience that that Laser 4.7

changed the whole outlook of our program.In one year Palm Beach Sailing Club’s Jr.Laser Fleet went from 0 Laser’s to 10. Wehave kids starting to graduate to the Radialand are producing good results and sailingwith confidence.

Can sailors move to a double handedboat? Sure, but if you don’t have any HighSchool Sailing in your area or don’t want tospend the money for a 29er (a high per-formance double handed boat which is thestepping stone for the 49er, an Olympicdouble handed boat) or to hassle with acrew, the 4.7 is the only choice. One lastthing to remember is that Laser is also acollegiate boat as well, so the dual purposeof Olympic and college trainer make theLaser 4.7 the right choice for your programand youth sailors.

Photos by Jacqueline Schmitz


www.Laser.org 31

Regatta ReportsCaribbean

Midwinters 2007

BY PETER SEIDENBERG

There are probably not many places inthe world where you can walk barefoot ona sandy beach from your hotel to the boatpark and sail in warm air and warm waterwearing just a rash guard under the lifejacket, even in 20 knots of wind! And thatin January! Cabarete in the DominicanRepublic is one of those places. It is asmall, charming “Third World” town locat-ed on a good-sized bay on the north coastof Espaniola Island. The bay is surroundedby a reef with a gap in the middle creatingthe option of either sailing outside on theocean or inside the bay. The “Laser Train-ing Center Cabarete” is located on a cres-cent-shaped beach as part of a “WindsurferClub” created in 1988 by immigrants AriBarshi and his wife Marie-Jose, or MJ asshe is generally called. The facility hasgrown over the years to now include a storewith beach and water sport apparel, a shel-tered sailboard and Laser storage area, anoutdoor shower, change and locker area,and an open-air “Eze Bar” for food andrefreshments. Interspersed palm trees pro-vide enough of a windbreak to allow rig-ging without struggling. Known as a“windy place” by windsurfers and kiteboarders for years, Cabarete has recentlybeen “discovered”,thanks to Ari, by ambi-tious Laser and Radial sailors from NorthAmerica, South America and Europe, eagerto work on their heavy air and wave sailingskills. The breeze, seldom less than 15mph, develops usually in the early after-noon and hits you only yards from thebeach. There’s no rush to go sailing untilyou’ve had your lunch at the Eze Bar. Ari’sboat boys are always around to help youlaunch and retrieve your boat. It can’t getany better! More food and a large variety ofsmoothies and cocktails await you whenyou return from sailing. I favor “HoneyRider” for refreshment and “Caipirinha” forcelebration.

The 5th Caribbean Midwinterstook place January 12 -14, 2007, my sec-ond in succession. It attracted 30 sailorsfrom 9 countries, including 5 locals. $5,000prize money, put up by local real estatepartners, George Cotou and Tim Landt,enticed even Laser greats Gustavo Lima(POR), Bernard Luttmer (CAN), DiegoRomero (ARG), and Marc DeHaas (NED)

to compete. The attendance of local acesRaul Aguayo and Andre Martinie was agiven.

Friday’s racing started with a 2-hourpostponement on shore to allow the surf togo down a bit. A huge stationary depressionup north had developed overnight and gen-erated swells that paid no attention to thereef and pounded the beach. This low alsosent enormous clouds in from the NEwhich announced their arrival with frequentrain showers and sometimes squalls. Butwho cares if the temperatures are in theseventies! The “boiling” reef made the gapunrecognizable so that the decision wasmade to race inside the bay. Even inside thereef, 6 ft rollers were a common sight! Inthose conditions, boat-handling was key, asdemonstrated by the aforementioned topsailors. Two races were run that day in E15-20 on a fairly short wwd.-lwd. coursewith downwind finishes after 5 laps. Gusta-vo showed everybody how it’s done scoringtwo firsts. Raul, Marc and Diego followedin that order. The eventual runner-upBernard Luttmer had a break-down in thefirst race but showed with his second-placefinish in the second race that he intended tohave a say in the outcome of the regatta. Abeautiful and tasty opening dinner buffet,sponsored by Tim Landt, took place in thespacious and stylish “Tropicoco” restaurantthat evening.

Saturday’sracing againstarted outwith a 2-hourpostponementon shore towait for thesurf to ease abit. The lowup north hadactuallyintensifiedovernight!Four raceswere run onthe samecourse con-figuration as on Friday, but with only 4laps. The wind was E 20-25, up a bit fromthe previous day. Gustavo started out withan unexpected fourth place after having ledthe first four laps, only to round the lee-ward mark for a fifth lap instead of cross-ing the finish line. His next three bullets ofthe day never left any doubt about whowould be the champion in this regatta.Aside from Gustavo, it became evident thatgroups were forming and trading placeswithin, like Bernard Luttmer, DiegoRomero, Marc DeHaas and Raul Aguayo,like Ari Barshi, Mark Bear, Andre Martinie,

Ernesto Rodiguez and Matt Goetting, likeKeith Wilkins, Ken Brown and Peter Sei-denberg. The rest of the 17 sailors includedsome with break-downs, like Tim Landt,and others for whom the conditions werebeyond their ability.

Sunday saw no reprieve in thewind and wave conditions: it still blew E20-25, the reef was still “boiling”, and thesurf was still “up”. The only significant dif-ference was the brilliant sunshine whichmade the conditions look a lot less threat-ening, more “Caribbean”. After a one-hourpostponement, which was used by judgeEric Mehlbaum from the Netherlands tointerpret Rule 42 to the competitors, thefinal three races of the regatta were sailedon the same course inside the reef with 3laps each. Gustavo suffered his seconddefeat with a 3rd place in the last race butwon the 9-race series convincingly with 7firsts, one 3rd and one 4th. BernardLuttmer, Diego Romero, Marc DeHaas, andRaul Aguayo rounded out the top five. AriBarshi, in 6th place overall, was also firstof the 14 Masters who were re-scored, withage handicap points applied to their overallscore. Prize-giving on the beach was fol-lowed by a generous snack buffet at theEze Bar.

As is typical, the regatta wasagain preceded by a 4-day clinic, given this

time by Brett Davis with daily chalk talksand starting and boat handling drills on thewater. About half the fleet took part in theclinic, and I’m convinced that this and theregatta itself was worth the effort to attendthe 5th Caribbean Midwinters Regatta. Ican hardly wait for the 6th.

Take a look at the following web-site for complete results and incredibleaction pictures: www.caribwind.com.

PHOTO: BERNIE LUTTMER, CANADA


SPRING 200732

Sailing FitGetting Ready: part 2

MEKA TAULBEEACE CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER

As a follow up to my last article I haveasked about ten different sailors what theydo to prepare for a regatta. I asked juniorsto masters and novice to experienced.Needless to say I only got a few repliesback. I take this as a good sign that every-one is just too busy sailing instead of sittingin front of their computers. Interestinglyenough the responses I got were all fromtop level sailors on the current US andCanadian Sailing Teams.

Before I get into what they allsaid I want to thank each of them for takingthe time to help me out. These sailors aresome of the busiest I know so I reallyappreciate the thought and time they tookanswer these questions. I think it will giveall of you some great insight into what ittakes to put together a solid program.Thank you Andrew Campbell, Mike Leigh,Ian Lineberger, Kurt Taulbee and AnnaTunnicliffe.

I was hard to try to group theinformation because everyone is differentand had varied responses. I decided to justout line the questions and give you whateach person gave to me. As you read thesethink about what your own answers to thesequestions are.

Do you do anything specific to pre-

pare for a regatta?

Andrew- Plenty of details come intoplay for the preparation for a regatta. But, Ithink success is in the details. Getting hous-ing figured out more than the afternoon youarrive!, making sure that all the parts andpieces are in place and working orderbefore the first day of the regatta, and hav-ing spent a ton of time training in theweeks leading into the regatta, not just theafternoon ahead of time are three easy steps

Mike- Train on and off the waterKurt-I work on my fitness so I go into

a regatta feeling good in the boat. I work onmy boat handling and balance in the boat afor a few sessions before the regatta.

Anna- I practice a lot in myboat…either at the location, or at homedepending on the level of the regatta. I alsofuel my body up with energy to be preparedfor whatever conditions may bring.

How far in advance in advance do

you start preparing?

Andrew- Fitness: months ahead, Hous-ing/Flights: week(s) ahead, Proper food

intake: days ahead, polish/soap boat: theday ahead, proper breakfast/bars/hydration:hours ahead…

Mike-11 months-The first month ismostly land training to get my fitness up toa reasonable level before I start workinghard on the water.

Kurt-For a big event 3 months.Anna- It depends…for worlds, I stat

preparing right after the previous worlds,other regattas, I start preparing two daysbefore…just depends again on the level ofthe competition

How many hours do you spend in

your boat on average?

Andrew-2-4 hours a day 4-6 days aweek

Mike- Approx. 15hours/weekKurt- 4 hours a week until 3 weeks

prior to the regatta then 8 hours a weekAnna- Per week about 15When you practice do you have spe-

cific things you want to work on each

time?

Andrew- Specific things are in theworks every time. Having a focused under-standing of things that you want to improveis the key to getting anything out of prac-tice. If it’s as simple as having better wind-ward mark roundings, or better tacks, eachpractice must have a certain focus so thatthere are specific gains made in each ses-sion.

Mike- Yes, I always try to be focusingon one or two things when out training, orracing in a training event.

Kurt- Yes, very specific boat handlingor speed drills

Anna- Yes…I set out a practice andfocus on the little things for that day’s sail-ing

Do you like to train with a

partner/group/coach or would you rather

train alone?

Andrew- As much as possible trainwith at least one other person. Not to saythat it isn’t possible to get something out ofsailing by yourself. Sailing with a coach isthe biggest luxury in the sport. Take themaximum advantage of those situations bygetting marks, drills, and film preparedbefore the practice session.

Mike-Training with a group of 3-5quality sailors is ideal. Having a coachpresent is always an asset

Kurt- I like to train a small amountalone and then with a group with any num-ber of sailors for the majority of the prac-tice time. This works best for me, but notalways possible.

Anna- Most of the time when I’m athome I train with my fiancé Brad, butwhen I’m else where, I train with otherRadial sailors.

What do you do physically to prepare?

Andrew- Weeks before the eventstrength training can still be in full force. Itaper to only cycling in the week before theregatta.

Mike- I am in the gym 3 days a weeklifting weights, and then 1-2 days a week ofcardio.

Kurt- base aerobic fitness for severalmonths then leading up to a competition Ido plyometric work and hiking benchwork( on the Quadzilla of course) and highheart rate cardio then balance and flexibili-ty work.

Anna-I go to the gym 4-5 days a weekto lift weights and I run between 20-30miles a week

Do you work on your fitness goals

regularly or just before the regatta?

Andrew- I like to think that I work onthem regularly, as much as possible.

Mike- Ideally, I start working on myfitness about 10-11 months before themajor regatta of the year. It just dependson how much lead up time I have beforethat event.

Kurt- RegularlyAnna- regularlyHow about Nutrition? Do you work on

this regularly or just before the regatta?

Andrew- Maintaining weight is thecritical part of proper understanding ofLaser sailing. Finding a healthy weightthrough proper nutrition should be a priori-ty months ahead of a regatta that you arepeaking for. That way you need not gothrough a crash diet or quick weight gainjust before the regatta

Mike- I try to consume as much fruitand vegetables as I can. I find I get sickwhen I am not eating enough veggies.

Kurt- Generally, I eat pretty healthy allthe time but during a regatta I have specificfood and drinks that I use that are double,triple top secret!

Anna- All the time…you should have ahealthy lifestyle whether you’re competingor not

Do you do anything to Mentally

Prepare?

Andrew- Mental preparation is focusedin the details. The more details you’re sureyou’ve already taken care of, the more atease your mind will be. The more confidentyou are in every breeze condition, everysea-state, every current situation, everycross, duck, tack or jibe, the more at easeyour mental state will be.

Mike- I work with the Canadian Teampsychologist

Kurt- I think about and visualize thethings I need to improve on to get theresults I want. For example, my agility inthe boat and maintaining a great attitude forthe entire event.


33

Look at what these sailors have to say and compare your answers. They have allgiven you something to strive for if you are looking to improve your laser sailing. Tolearn more about what they are doing you can visit their websites.

Andrew- Member of the 2007 US Sailing Team www.campbellsailing.com

Mike- Member of the 2007 Canadian Sailing Team

http://www.sailing.org/bio.asp?ID=CANML1

Kurt –Member of the 2007 US Sailing Team, Apprentice Master www.sailfit.com

Anna- Member of the 2007 US Sailing Team www.annatunnicliffe.com

Ian- Past president of the International Laser Class for 5 years and North American

Laser class president for 10 years. Coach of Team4

Give these sailors some support they are all working hard to achieve theirgoals and dreams. They should be an inspiration to everyone.

Anna- Visualization…very importantfor when you can’t get on the water oneday, or you haven’t raced in a while.

Do you like to keep your training

program secret or do you share with

anyone who asks?

Andrew- Good sailors have some littlesecrets that they keep, but not many. Thereason good sailors are good is becausethey don’t sit around and talk about theirprograms, they are constantly in the cycleof those training programs.

Kurt- I share mostly everything. Idon’t have many secrets.

Anna- Share…if they can hang…thengood on them…hehe…if I give help tosomeone, it’ll come around back when Ineed help with something.

Ian Lineberger summed up what hedoes pretty well by giving an example ofhow he trained for one regatta in particular.He says:

When I was training for the Masters inIreland I sailed 9 major regattas in the 12months leading up to the event. I rememberpracticing a few months before where Iwasn’t able to get my legs tired after a 40minute beat. That was a breakthrough forme, as I don’t really hike so well all theway around the course! I then took 30 daysoff right before flying over to heal and getmy weight up to 190. No sailing, no run-ning, no hiking bench, just sat on my butt.I really needed the extra weight as the foodin Ireland was, well, hmm, that’s why thebeer taste so good I guess.

Nothing beats big regatta time, ifyou have to practice alone sail long beatsand runs while working on straight leggingupwind and S carving downwind. Get atraining partner, I sailed with Tim Landt thewhole year prior to the 2001 Master Worldsand it helped us both. I would be very care-ful not to overdo it. You can hurt yourback, especially on a hiking bench. Beenthere, done that, don’t like it! If you can’tsail to train then I prefer swimming andbiking to get in shape. But the reality isyou need the T.I.T.B. (time in the boat).

After training for that regatta whichwas the biggest master worlds ever (330boats) I finished second in the 94 boat mas-ters fleet.


Name_______________________________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________

City ___________________State / Prov. _____Zip / postal code ________

Phone ____________________ E-mail____________________________

Sail # ______________DOB (month/day/year) _____________Sex ______

Boat sailed ______Laser ______Radial ______Laser 4.7

Current 2007 Membership Fees

All amounts are in US dollars. Canadian checks must be in US dollars.Regular - $40 for one year or $75 for 2 yearsJunior - $35 (Member may not turn 18 in 2007),

or $65 for 2 years (Member may not turn 18 in ‘08)Family, 1 year - $40 for the primary members and $25 for each additional memberFamily, 2 years - $75 for the primary members and $45 for each additional memberPlease provide family members names, DOB, boat type and sail number on an additional sheet of paper.

International - $50 (any member not living in the US or Canada), one year onlyAmount enclosed __________________US$

SPRING 2007

Name_______________________________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________

City ___________________State / Prov. _____Zip / postal code ________

Phone ____________________ E-mail____________________________

Sail # ______________DOB (month/day/year) _____________Sex ______

Boat sailed ______Laser ______Radial ______Laser 4.7

Current 2007 Membership Fees

All amounts are in US dollars. Canadian checks must be in US dollars.Regular - $40 for one year or $75 for 2 yearsJunior - $35 (Member may not turn 18 in 2007),

or $65 for 2 years (Member may not turn 18 in ‘08)Family, 1 year - $40 for the primary members and $25 for each additional memberFamily, 2 years - $75 for the primary members and $45 for each additional memberPlease provide family members names, DOB, boat type and sail number on an additional sheet of paper.

International - $50 (any member not living in the US or Canada), one year onlyAmount enclosed __________________US$

Please make checks payable to ILCA of NA. Thank you for joining the Laser Class.

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: ____

34

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION ILCA of NA, 2812 Canon Street,

San Diego, California USA 92106

619-222-0252, Fax 619-222-0528

[email protected], www.laser.org

Want to pay by Credit Card?We accept Visa and MC:

Name on card:

_______________________________

CC #: Visa_____ MC ______

_______________________________

Exp. date:___________________

CC billing zip code: _____________

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION ILCA of NA, 2812 Canon Street,

San Diego, California USA 92106

619-222-0252, Fax 619-222-0528

[email protected], www.laser.org

Want to pay by Credit Card?We accept Visa and MC:

Name on card:

_______________________________

CC #: Visa_____ MC ______

_______________________________

Exp. date:___________________

CC billing zip code: _____________


www.Laser.org 35

BRENDAN CASEY INTRODUCESBRENDAN CASEY INTRODUCES

NEW SEA PRODUCTSHIKING PANTSHIKING PANTSIf a little extra support would make hiking more comfortable then these are the hikers to choose. The elasticized back has a wide covering band which can be pulled in and Velcro locked to give support. You can quickly adjust to suit the level of support you want and to customize the fit and feel around the waist and back.

Sea-HP005Neo Waist Lock ShortsSea-HP006Airprene ¾ Waist Lock PantsSea-HP007Winter full length pantswater repellent outer, metalite core,thermospan inner.S

ea-H

P006

Sea

-FW

003

FOOT WEARNew design has extended rubber outer to stop wear to side of boot

Sea-FW003Regatta Boot

HOODED PARKAHOODED PARKAWater repellent inside and out, generous cut and long length. Wear in the boat park, sailing out to the course orbetween races.

Sea-W004Neoprene Hooded Parka

ULTRA WARMNeoprene outer, metalite core,thermospan inner.

Sea-W003Ultra Warm TopThere is a sailing top to suit all weather conditions.

Sea

-W004

Sea

-W003

OTHER PRODUCTS AVAILABLEOTHER PRODUCTS AVAILABLE• Breathable spray jackets & pants • Lycra shorts & pants

• Boat covers • Clew Straps

VISIT WEBSITE FOR STOCKLISTwww.sailequipment.com.au

BRENDAN CASEY INTRODUCESBRENDAN CASEY INTRODUCES

NEW SEA PRODUCTSNEW SEA PRODUCTS

______Tune Up Your Mind! _____NEW! 2008 Edition Simulators!

Windows & Macintosh PPC & Intel! Download Discounts & Free Demos www.poseysail.com

SAILING TACTICS SIMULATOR: NEW! Create A Personal RaceArea – Either your local area or future regatta site! Designate wind and current. Or, choose from 18 pop-ular real-world racing areas! And more! Lots of tactical action in a 30-boat Laser fleet* or match racing. 1 or 2 players. World-class opponents. Precise boat performance. Sophisticated wind and current models require astutestrategy. Many course choices, including downwind finishes and gates. Racing advice e-book. Coach. 2005-2008 Rule, Tactics,and Strategy Tutorials.

Excellent pre-race tune-up!ADVANCED RACING SIMULATOR: NEW! Create A Personal RaceArea – Either local or future regatta site! Designate wind and current. Or, choose from 12 popular real-world racing areas! And more! Precise boatperformance and fine-tune controls of boat, sail and skipper position. Intense, realistic racing in a 20-boat Laser fleet* or match racing whereboatspeed, boat handling and tactics count! Coach, tutorials, e-book. *24 other boat classes included for your racing fun!

Windows 95 or better, including XP. Macintosh PPC and Intel.CD-$54.95+$5 ship. Download-$44.95 Multiple Purchase Discounts!

POSEY YACHT DESIGN ~ 860-345-2685

Demos, Downloads & Discounts at www.poseysail.com________________________________________

TO CLEAT OR NOT TO CLEAT?

Accessories improveperformance

Keeper automatically prevents unwanted cleating.Wear resistant stainless steel.

Tapered pad.

Backplate

Tested for thousands of cycles under harsh conditions.

The award winning Keeper (patent pending) has been designed to overcome the problem of lines being cleated accidentally, as well as holding lightly-loaded lines in the jaws of a cleat.

Full information on,www.clamcleat.com

Cage allowseasy cleating atextreme angles.

Mount on flat or curved surface.

Lead-in allows easy cleating.

Pull rope back and down to cleat Lift up to release


SPRING 200736

SPAR PARTNERS®

Spar Partners® carry your spars on theLaser® deck. They are the quickeston/off to get you on the water and onthe road fast. Made from durable foamrubber. Spars fasten on with shockcords. Your deck cover fits over yourspars.

PRICES

Kitty Hawk 1, Stainless Steel $755

Kitty Hawk 1, Galvanized $650

Spar Partners® (pair) $ 27

Spar Partners® (pair for cunn/ohaul upgrade) $ 28

Spar Partners® packed with a pair of supper shock cords add $6.00

NEW Spar Partners® (fits Thule or Yakima roof rack) $ 28

Two-Boat Adapter (you glue together) $160

KITTY HAWK

The Stainless Steel Kitty Hawk is truly beautiful. Always staying shiny -never rusts or oxidizes as all other materials do. At 98 lbs, it’s the lightestavailable by far and you will appreciate this when using your Kitty Hawk asa launching dolly. When you get to the regatta you save time and are thequickest from road to water by simply disattaching from your vehicle and startrigging. When the regatta is over you are the quickest from the water to road.Even quicker by placing your spars on Spar Partners® and securing them withsuper shock cords.

STANDARD FEATURESLightest Weight • Welded Construction • Fewer Parts • Fewer Fasteners

Pivot Bow Support • Molded Polymer at Boat Contact Points

Stainless Steel Axle • Galvanized Rims

(The TWO-BOAT ADAPTER lets you carry two Lasers®

on one trailer. There is room for seven spars (extra uppermast section) between the two boats.)

Now the new Spar Partners® are available that fit over the cam cleat system onthe forcedeck for the outstanding new cunningham / outhaul performance upgrade.And, we also have super shock cords available with Spar Partners®

From your local dealer or from the manufacturer

Nautical America604C4 Foxcroft Terrace • Statesville, NC 28677

(704) 878-6823

Spar Partners® is a registered trademark of Kenneth N. Hopkins.Laser® is a registered trademark of Vanguard Sailboats


www.Laser.org 37




2812 Canon Street, San Diego, CA 92106

We’re here to make

sure you have fun.

When it all comes together,

there’s nothing like it. But when

somethings. not right, it can be a

drag. For the past 15 years,

Tackle Shack has been the

South’s major supporter and

dealer for Laser Class Sailing.

We’re here to make sure you get

what you need, when you need it

- at the best price. New & Used

Lasers *Expert Service* Parts &

Accessories*Wetsuits, Dry suits

& Wet wear *PFD’s *Thule Car

Racks*Custom Trailers* Hard to

find items...everything for the

Laser Sailor. If we don’t have it

you don’t need it! We charter

Laser’s for all Florida events.

call us at 727-546-5080 or 1-800-

537-6099 or stop by the store at

7801 66th Street N., Pinellas

Park, FL 33781

Plus check out our web page

www.tshack.com

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

San Dimas, CAPermit No. 410


Documents

The Laser Sailor Spring 2007