News
Jon Emmett's 4.7/Radial Youth Boot Camp February 8th/9th
There is no rest for the wicked and quality winter training is absolutely essential for Youth Sailor progression. This year Medway Yacht Club will host Olympic Gold medal winning Coach Jon Emmett (www.jonemmettsailing.co.uk) for 2 days of intensive coaching and video feedback.
Saturday evening there will be a combined talk: Coach Yourself to Win – Jon talks about how to make the best of every minute of every day you have training without a coach and will field questions from the floor to help sailors work out how to have the very best possible 2020 season
Golden Lily – the sailing career of an Olympic Champion, Lijia Xu (Lily) talks about her career to date from leaving her family to train with the Chinese National Team to being crowned World Sailor of the Year in 2012. She will also explain what she is up to now. 16:30 for 17:00 start – ALL WELCOME
Click HERE to book.
Meet our new 4.7 Rep Gary Finkelstein
My sailing bio is very boring. I love sailing but as a child I never really had the opportunity. The only sailing I did was in my best friend’s father’s boat ... an OD11. But loved the splash of the waves and the force of the wind ... I used to have to imagine other boats racing against me.
Today my sailing is limited to managing, transporting and sponsoring my son Max Steele (see Max Steele Sailing on facebook or 216648MaxSteele on Instagram); who had an extremely successful career in the RS Tera and now loves the Laser. However I am also increasingly chartering yachts when I get the opportunity... my favourite being around the Island of Barbados, although I hope to go further afield as my wife and daughter’s passion grow
Laser 4.7 Qualification - European Championships
The following sets out the results for the Eurlica 2020 qualification series in the UK. The results from Hayling Island have been disregarded as only 1 race was completed at that event.
Congratulations to all those who have qualified.
Volunteers required for SailingFast Laser 4.7 Open at Datchet
In order to make this event a reality after the change of dates we require volunteers both on and off the water.
Please sign up of the relevant slots where you are able to help us.
Many thanks
Grafham Laser Youth Training Cancelled
The Laser Youth Training event being held on the 11th/12th January 2020 has been cancelled due to insufficient entries.
New Website for 2020
The UKLA are pleased to welcome in a new decade with a new website refresh. This new website should automatically update content in a new, mobile friendly and modern design.
Please do let us know if you have any comments at: office@laser.org.uk
Join the UKLA Team
Just some of the people who help run the UKLA- organising events, writing reports, producing the newsletter, t shirts etc etc. We’d love you to join us!
The UKLA is looking for helpers in the following areas:
Safety/Rib Officer
Media Lead
Gybe Editor
Commercial lead (sponsorship)
Newsletter Co-ordinator
Grand Prix Co- ordinator
Grand Prix Rep for Wessex Region
Grand Prix Rep for South Coast Region (incl South West)
Please do contact us if you think you could help!
Laser Nationals 2019 - 2020
Take a look at photos from the Nationals at Largs back in the summer.
At the same time the UKLA would like to invite all our members to take part in the Laser Performance UK Laser Open and National Championships 2020.
The dates are set as Sat 25th July-Friday 31st July at Mounts Bay Sailing Club.
If you wish to be part of the volunteer fleet and assist in planning and organising as well as running of the event, please also get in touch office@laser.org.uk
We look forward to seeing you there!
The View from the Jury Boat - How to Avoid Yellow Flags
Photo: Neill Richardson
At a typical weekend event supported by on-the-water judges, the number of Yellow Flags given for breaches of rule 42 is usually small, often no more than three or four per race in light wind conditions. In strong winds the Yellow Flags are even fewer in number as the possible gain from a rule 42 breach diminishes. It is only over a week long regatta in consistently light winds that a pattern of Yellow Flag penalties becomes apparent. One such event happened this year at the 2019 ILCA Laser Under-21 World Championships in Split, Croatia.
After five days, only two races had been scored due to light winds. On the final day three more races were scored in 15-19 knot winds. With sailors eager to race on the final day there were multiple general recalls. A total of 49 Yellow Flags were given during the regatta, a sufficiently large number to make a useful analysis of where and why these penalties were given. The table below shows why penalties were given and on which leg of the race course. Numbers are expressed as percentages with 100 equating to the total of 49 penalties during the regatta.
The table clearly shows key areas of vulnerability to rule 42 penalties on each leg of the race course.
Run: The run is the most vulnerable leg for rule 42 penalties, over half of the Yellow Flags were given on this leg. Of these penalties more than half were for rocking, many of which were due to body movement with no, or insufficient, steering. Most of the remaining run penalties were for multiple gybing which either clearly propelled the boat or were repeated and unrelated to changes in the wind or tactical considerations.
Start: The next most vulnerable leg is the start. Half of the Yellow Flags here were for sculling, either below close-hauled, in both directions or crabbing. The other half were for pumps, rocks or sometimes both, usually just before or after the starting signal.
Reach: The next most vulnerable leg is the reach with 14% of Yellow Flags given. Most of these were for repeated rocks induced by body movement and the remainder were for repeated body pumps which flicked the leech.
Beat: The least vulnerable leg is the beat with only 11% of Yellow Flags given. These were all for repeated body pumps usually immediately after the start or when crossing a starboard tack boat.
Looking at the final column of the table gives an insight to the most common reasons for Yellow Flags. Nearly half of these were for rocking, usually on a downwind leg. A quarter were for pumping, by both sheet and body across all legs of the race course. The remaining quarter were equally split between sculling at the start and multiple gybing on the run. There were no penalties for ooching which accords with my own experience, having never given a penalty to a Laser for ooching. The absence of shrouds and a convenient bulkhead in a Laser make ooching virtually impossible.
The two most important learning points from the table are:
1. Be careful on the run. When you roll the boat to facilitate steering into linked S-turns make sure the roll is consistent with the direction you are turning the boat, to windward to bear away and to leeward to luff. Be prepared to vary the degree of roll as the wind and wave conditions change.
2. Be careful in the last 30 seconds before the starting signal and immediately after the start. If you are sculling to get the boat moving remember to stop sculling once you reach a close-hauled course. If you roll the boat and perform a body pump at the starting signal make sure the leech does not flick and you do not clearly propel the boat by these actions.
Attention to these two points should reduce the probability of getting a Yellow Flag by three-quarters.
By David Battye
Olympic news update on what British Sailing Team Lasers are currently doing…
Well in short this is actually quite a quiet time of year for us BST Laser sailors. We are well underway transitioning into our winter training, which usually means moving abroad to somewhere warmer. Whilst we do brave the Weymouth conditions out in November and sometimes December, our hours are dramatically reduced, our efficiency goes down and it can get particularly unpleasant to spend a lot of time outside. It’s a bit like if you have a normal job and you came to work on one chilly winters morning to find your boss had sold all the office windows…. not ideal.
So, for the next few months we are basing ourselves in Vilamoura, Portugal. Vilamoura is a great place in the winter (I’m sure it is in the summer too, although I have never been). Flights are ridiculously cheap, with an average return price from Bournemouth about £28, although I did get a special offer a while back of £4.99 each way. It’s more expensive for us to actually get to the airport! God knows what Ryanair do to the planes to make it that cheap but so far so good and we are yet to have any bad experiences.
Once there, the location is quite nice with cheap accommodation, food and transport. The climate is also pretty mild which means you can spend hours outside with quality cycling and sailing sessions, with weather rarely forcing you to change or cancel plans. In total I am spending 51 days out there, so hopefully we can rack up 3-4 times more sailing hours than here in the UK.
The next big event for us are the Laser World Championships, to be held in Melbourne, Australia in February. Most of the team are going out to compete, including myself, and it is sure to be an epic fight, especially as our Olympic trials are still open with no one selected for GB at time of writing.
Otherwise there is not much to report from us British Sailing Team lads. I’m am currently on a mandatory 4 week no-sailing program, having had my lovely big toenails removed a week ago due to repeated ingrown episodes, so am struggling to adjust to a normal, lazy paced life.
Caio for now.
Sam Whaley
216656
LASER PERFORMANCE OPEN AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2020
LASER PERFORMANCE UK LASER OPEN AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2020 MOUNTS BAY SAILING CLUB 25th -31st July
We are hoping to welcome many sailors from overseas as we did in 2019.
Mounts Bay is a fantastic location! Great for family holiday, great for sailing, surfing, beach games, sun bathing…
Plans are already underway to make this the best Nationals ever! Great racing, Great socials! Entries opening soon. Website still under construction, but you can see it here:
Book your accommodation now – there is a basic field where you can camp near the dinghy park or here is a link to the club’s accommodation list-
SUPER GRAND PRIX 2020 - Great Fun For All
SGP's are a new exciting way of combining training and open meetings for the club and travelling sailor - one day's training, followed by social, then racing on the Sunday.
There’s a series in the North and one in the South.
Dates so far for 2020 are:
23rd/24th May St Mary's Lock Lakeland/ Borders
30th/31st May Queen Mary Thames
13th/14th June Newhaven & Seaford South East
13th/14th June Hollowell Midlands
11th/12th July Pagham South Coast
22nd/23rd Aug Castle Cove South Coast
3rd/4th October Staunton Harold Midlands
More details to follow.
Article: Transitioning into an ILCA
The complete guide and top tips to get you started on the ILCA pathway.
The ILCA (formerly known as Laser) is one of the most popular racing dinghies ever built and one of the most active classes here in the UK. ILCA’s are found in every corner of the country and you can easily buy one and be out racing the very next day. The ILCA is a pretty powerful step up from junior and smaller classes, so it can be quite a daunting move and I remember feeling pretty unsure about what I was doing when I first moved in. This aim of this guide is to give you some top tips to getting into the class and how you can make the most of every opportunity the class has to offer. Here are what we will be covering:
Boat – what to look out for when buying an ILCA, suitable rig choice and must have upgrades.
Events – all about UKLA events and how they work in the UK.
Training – information about the many training options in the ILCA.
The Boat
Although ILCAs are super simple, when buying an ILCA there are a few things to watch out for. Firstly, you need to come up with a budget of how much you want to spend and have a look at some boats on the market. For reference here are the years each sail number were produced:
The widespread nature of the class means there is quite a lot of choice on the market, with a large range of ages and prices to suit every budget. In the grand scheme of things, Lasers/ILCAS are built like tanks so an older package shouldn’t be at any disadvantage to a new boat. My first Laser was number 169208 (built in the year 2000) and was perhaps my favourite of all time!
When you are buying a used boat look out for these specific things to ensure your boat is in top shape and ready to start racing:
An XD pack is recommended for racing and makes life a lot easier! This comprises of a Harken 16:1 kicker, 6 or 8:1 downhaul and a 6:1 outhaul.
Again, a carbon tiller and extension make life a lot easier- although not essential. More on this below.
Ideally the boat will be in perfect condition although this is obviously unrealistic! Chips around the gunwale are common and unless they look deep, they are generally fine and don’t leak.
If the boat is from before 2011 it probably will have foam foils, whereas 2011 onward boats have GRP fibreglass foils. The GRP foils are a nicer finish out the box but are obviously prone to damage and cracking should they be dropped so best to check them over well. Foam foils are more durable but can lose their finish pretty quick.
Ropes are super easy to replace so don’t get too caught up over their condition.
Spars all need to be straight ideally apart from the ILCA 4 lower mast section, which is pre-bent at factory by design.
In 2017 a composite top mast was released and is now fully class legal. This is great because they last forever and don’t bend permanently but otherwise there is minimal benefit to having one. If the boat you are looking at has one then great, otherwise I wouldn’t worry about it for now. For reference a new composite top mast is currently £525.60.
Carbon Tillers
Given there are relatively few aspects of a boat you can change, a lot of sailors obsess with finding the perfect carbon tiller. There are a few different makes on the market at the moment, all with their own benefits and drawbacks.
What makes a good tiller? Well a perfect tiller needs to be:
Strong and stiff so there is no unwanted flex or movement when steering.
As low as possible at the back where the traveller runs over the tiller, but high enough to never have to worry about the front of the tiller hitting the cleat at the back of the cockpit.
Super lightweight (no point carrying around extra, unnecessary weight).
Large, friction free wear pad.
Tiller Extension
The tiller extension is not as critical as the tiller, but still important are the weight and length. Personally, I use a 130cm extension which I find suits me quite well, although you can use longer/shorter lengths if you find that is better. The one critical upgrade I would always have on my tiller though is a bobble on the end, such as this one:
You can buy tillers already with this bobble pre-installed, or you can make your own by wrapping rope around the end of the tiller and then covering with insulation tape.
Rigs
Quite an important one this and it very much depends on your experience and weight. The ILCA 4 is a great starter rig and quite an easy one to set up. I sailed a 4.7 (now ILCA4) from 50kg right up to 65kg, which whilst is a tad on the heavy side, really allowed me to develop my windy weather skills and become totally confident in the boat.
The Radial (now ILCA6) is another step up and a bit more difficult to manage compared to the 4, so I really would recommend only moving up when you are totally confident in your ILCA 4. I moved in at 65kg and raced in the ILCA 6 until I was 75kg.
The Standard (Now ILCA 7) is another physical step up but quite a nice balanced rig with the new MK2 sail, which was introduced in 2016. This is what I currently sail, and I would say can be raced competitively in a weight range of 75-88kg.
Events
The are hundreds of ILCA events that take place every year ranging from open meetings all the way to the world championships. All the details about these events can be found on the UKLA website at www.ilca.uk
Here is a quick overview of every type of event in the UK and how you can go about competing at them:
Grand Prix
These are regional open events which count towards a series (usually with great prizes at the end!). Everyone is welcome and the racing is always fun and entertaining. Newly formed this year are the Super Grand Prix’s, which incorporate top quality coaching on one day and racing on the other.
Super Grand Prix
We introduced the Super Grand Prix in 2019 and they instantly proved extremely popular. These are cool events with one day of top-quality coaching, followed by a social in the evening and then awesome Grand Prix racing on the Sunday. They are aimed at the club sailor who wants to progress to doing open meetings, but it also means that we get an even bigger event that’s more sociable for all.
More details can be found on the event calendar page of the UKLA website: www.ilca.uk
Qualifiers
These a collection of six events which as a series qualify you to compete at the World & European championships. Whilst the racing is very tough, with a collection of the UKs best at every event, there is a great vibe to every event. Now also incorporating the ILCA 4 fleet, we have everyone competing from ILCA 4 newbies all the way up to Olympians which makes it a great learning environment.
Nationals
One of the highlights of the year, the UKLA Nationals is always lots of fun. 6 days of racing are mixed with great socials and awesome free prize draws. The last four years we have had a fancy gala dinner, music evenings and even a new boat giveaway!
Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation Training
The UKLA sometimes run open training in conjunction with the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, which is based out of WPNSA. Currently, there is a big push for U21 Standard sailors, with many dates in currently on the website for 2020.
RYA Squad Training
There are quite a few RYA squads in the ILCA program ranging from the junior ILCA 4 (4.7) squad all the way to the Standard youth squad and then the British Sailing Team. The pathway is brilliantly set out to guide you throughout the transitions and I have done just that journey, qualifying for my first ever squad in 2012 when I gained selection into the ILCA 4 national squad and then worked my way up through the ILCA 6, ILCA 7 youth squads before being selected for the British Sailing Team in 2016.
To be considered for selection you just have to attend the Youth Series if you are in a ILCA 4 or attend a few of the Qualifiers & a couple of other events in the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7. The full qualification is usually published on the RYA website but it’s a very simple, fun and friendly process.
That being said as I hopefully have highlighted in this article, there are plenty of other world class training opportunities you can do should you not be in the RYA squad system, and it certainly isn’t the end of the world if you don’t make it in immediately. I have been rejected for five different squads but each time I just came up with a plan on what else I could do to make sure I beat everyone next time around!
Conclusion
Hopefully this is a good overview on our activity in the UK and maybe even give you more direction should you currently be sailing a Laser/ILCA or aspire to in the future. At the end of the day what matters most is having fun, and for me racing in a great environment with your mates is the perfect way to do that.
Sam Whaley
GBR 216656
Noble Marine 2019 Laser Standard Inland Championships
On the first race of the Sunday, the wind was far right at the starting gun meaning the long tack was starboard and it was those who worked the right hand side well and got into more pressure that came out on top at the first mark. Joe Mullan lead at the first mark and had a big enough gap on the next boat to be able to defend his position meaning that the real battle was for second place. Jack Hopkins sailed an excellent race but unfortunately did not get a result due to his black flag. This meant that Alan Davies took second place instead with Tom Brindley finishing third.
In the Second race, the majority of the fleet played the shifts up the middle of the beat, however, the boats that were in more pressure on the left hand side of the course were the ones who came out on top. It remained very close between the top 4 boats for the entirety of that race but in the end it was Alan Davies who came out on top, closely followed by Alastair Goodwin in second and Joe Scurrah in third.
In race 3 there was a large amount of pin bias at the start and more pressure on the left hand side meaning those who were able to come off the pin end and lead out to the left hand side were looking good at the top mark. Again, there was a close battle between the first four boats for the medals in that race. In the end Jack Hopkins took the race win just ahead of Joe Scurrah whilst Joe Mullan had to settle for third after getting a yellow flag penalty.
With the conditions having been so difficult to predict, it was all still to play for going into the last race. There was a lot of pin bias again in race 4 and there was a big split in the fleet on the first beat with many sailors trying to play their side of the course. However, it was Joe Mullan who was first to the top mark having sailed up the middle of the course. Joe then maintained his lead for the rest of the race. It was a real game of snakes and ladders as people fought for a place inside the top 3 with Jack Hopkins taking second place and Ross Williams of Queen Mary SC finishing third.
The overall standings showed that it was consistency over the day which was the key to success. The final results were Joe Mullan in first, Joe Scurrah in second and Jack Hopkins in third.
A huge thank you to all of the volunteers that made the event happen, we wouldn't be able to have such high class racing without you. We would like to thank Noble Marine, our title sponsor for UKLA's Qualifiers, and Sailingfast.
Photo Credits Guy Noble
Noble Marine 2019 Laser Radial Inland Championships
On Sunday we had light winds from anything between 4-10 knots and shifty. In the first race there were two general recalls and then a large line sag after - typical Radials! The competition between the top five was very close, I won this race with Finley Dickinson very close to me and then Shotaro Kikkawa in third.
The second race was very similar conditions with probably the most wind all day, I even got hiking. Personally I wouldn’t say there was a favoured side because both sides came in however playing the shifts was very important all day. Results for the second race were Drew Barnes 1st, Finley Dickinson 2nd and James Foster 3rd.
The third race was the shiftiest I would say, with the wind changing direction and strength less often but changing angles were bigger. Shotaro Kikkawa led round the first mark and kept his lead with Jon Emmett and myself close behind which were the final positions.
The final race of the day and to be honest some people thought it could have been cancelled but a good call and at the right time we got another race in, Shotaro Kikkawa led from start to finish winning this race, in second was Oli Sturley and third was Scott Forbes.
The racing was very close, and the competition was good. Well done to Shotaro Kikkawa for winning on equal points with myself in second place and Finley Dickinson in third overall.
Special thanks must go to Grafham Water for holding the event, PRO Peter Saxton and all the race team for their hard work, plus dad for taking me. Also, our title sponsors Noble Marine and SailingFast for providing the prizes.
By Drew Barnes
Winter 2019-2020 Laser training in the North East
Winter Laser training has started in the north at Pennine sailing club with Richard Benson
At Pennine SC:- 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th January
At Derwent Reservoir SC:- 8th and 15th February 7th, 14th and 28th March
All dates are Saturdays only, 10am rigged but not changed £20 per person If the weather looks too bad for any reason will advise around 7pm on Friday night so as to save a wasted trip. Also at Beadnell Sailing Club Monday to Friday 25-29 May £60 plus donation for RIB expenses
Contact David Shilling 07870 333498 davidandvictoria@talktalk.net and follow the facebook page Lakeland and Border Laser Grand Prix
Minorca Sailing Masters Inland Championships 2019 Standards report
When competitors arrived at Rutland for this year’s Masters’ Inland Championships there was no wind, and sure enough, Saturday’s racing was initially postponed.
However, a light westerly breeze filled in just after midday, the AP was lowered and the fleet drifted gently out to the start area. Luckily it did slowly build and racing got underway with little delay. The PRO set a triangle sausage three-lap course and amazingly race one got away first time. Up the first beat, the right-hand side paid well and Richard Major (sailing with his Standard Mk 1 sail because he forgot to pack his Radial sail) found he was leading by a country mile. The rest were in catch-up mode with Alan Davis, Neil Peters and Tim Keighly well placed. Shifty, patchy winds led to lots of place changes behind Major, and up the final beat, Stuart Hudson inched past Davis to lie second behind Major, who still led by a distance with just the final downwind triangle to go. For no good reason though, Major followed the Radials down the run (perhaps there was a deep longing to be with his own kind) gifting first place to Hudson, but he still managed to retain second with Davis third.
Race 2 saw a textbook port-end start by Peters, with Hudson and Davis also down that end. The left side was beginning to pay and these three rounded in close proximity. The lead swapped between Davis and Hudson several times, but up the last beat, Hudson sniggled through and held on to the finish with Davis second, Keighly third and Major fourth, and that was it for the day.
Rutland SC provided some much needed great food and we were greatly entertained by Neil Peters with incredible tales from his round GB in a Laser experiences. Congratulations to John Curran of Wembley Sailing Club for winning an incredible Minorca Sailing holiday in the prize draw.
Sunday dawned flat calm and we waited for a forecasted light northerly before launching. Race 3 again got away first time, with Davis again making a good start at the port end. The wind strengthened and lifted on port on the left side of the course, and Davis led at the first mark and held that lead to the finish. Major grabbed second, Peter McChrystal third, with Hudson recovering from being right on the first beat and edging past Guy Noble for fourth.
By now the wind was dodgy, but Race 4 did get away after a short postponement. Davis and Hudson were level on points going into the last race, and after Hudson got a slightly better start, he covered Davis closely up the first beat. They ended up on the right side of the course along with Major, which was very wrong and so it was that the top three overall were the last three round the top mark. At the front, the race was led and won by Graham MacWhirter, with Tim Keighly second and Guy Noble third.
At this stage, the wind really had disappeared and the PRO and most of the competitors had had enough. This meant that the lead was tied but Stuart Hudson won on count back and received Guy Noble’s newly painted Masters’ Inland trophy.
Thanks to Rutland SC and all the organizers for putting on a great weekend. Although this season has been one of mainly light wind events racing has been competitive yet friendly and the onshore hospitality of all the clubs involved has been exceptional. On behalf of all the competitors this season we would like to thank all the volunteers for their hard work. And as another season ends we would like to make special thank you to all the sponsors - Minorca Sailing Holidays, Southeast Sailboats, Laser Performance UK, Wildwind Holidays, and Fernhurst Books.
Minorca Sailing Masters Inland Championships 2019 Radial Report
Beautiful weather greeted the Laser Masters at Rutland on the Saturday morning of the event, that is if you like the surrounding fields and Swans reflected in the mirror like surface of the water, but not if you wanted to take part in good sailing conditions. It wasn’t looking good for getting in three intense races on the first day of the Inland Championships.
Eventually, after a postponement of just over an hour we were released from shore with the promised wind beginning to fill in over the lake.
The wind wasn’t great but enough to get us under way. Starting after the Standard fleet has its advantages as the Radials could watch where on the start line the big boys were starting and which way, left or right, they made their way to the windward mark.
Remarkably both fleets got away first time and by the windward mark a pattern was starting to establish itself in the Radial fleet with Jon Emmett, Rob Cage and Mike Kinnear up at the front closely followed by David Catto and Gareth Edwards. It appeared that going right a short distance from the start line was paying off. The top three fought a close battle over the first race with Jon maintaining a short lead until the end, followed by Mike and then Rob. Alison Stevens could well have been up in the top five but for a gear failure which ended her race.
The second race was looking like a repeat of the first race with Jon eventually establishing a slightly bigger lead but this time from David who got past Mike on the broad reach and held him off to the finish. Rob made the error of not sailing farther enough to the right side of the course on the windward leg, it was that critical in this shifty wind. Rob lost out to David and Mike and finished fourth with Gareth fifth. That was it for the day as the wind was dropping away, but hey not many of us thought we would get two races when we first arrived.
We were all hoping for better winds come Sunday, but it was not to be as we were met with foggy conditions which meant no appreciable wind on the lake. This resulted in the inevitable postponement. A few glimpses of the sun cleared the fog and we were launching an hour later. The wind strength was even less than on Saturday and had swung from the South to WNW so all the knowledge of what way to go up the beat from the previous day was out the window. The RO got us away for the first race of the day without too much difficulty. This time it wasn’t obvious from watching the Standards what was the best route to the windward mark so there was a lot of guess work needed, although on the face of it, it didn’t seem to pay to hit the corners. Rob had obviously gone into a dark room overnight and meditated because he was leading at the windward mark this time and held off Jon all the race to take his first bullet of the event. Behind Rob and Jon at the windward mark came Gareth & David and then Bob Draper, looking fully recovered from a bad shoulder injury, who had made the best of the fluky conditions to round in fifth. The finishing positions were Rob, Jon, Gareth, David and Mike.
Conditions continued to deteriorate with the wind alternatively rising and fading so there was a bit of a wait until the second race of the day could be started. The RO was determined to get in another race and everyone was actually looking forward to a much needed discard.
The wind was dying all during the race and Rob appeared at the top mark in first position and looked on course to repeat his result in the previous race but that was without taking account of the brilliance of Jon who had a poor first beat and only managed fifth at the first windward mark. Jon proceeded to work his way through the field and finished first followed by Rob and then Alison who seemed to be really enjoying the conditions. Mike was fourth and David fifth. The wind had virtually disappeared by the time the back markers were struggling to finish so we were sent home to get ashore before darkness fell.
Final overall positions for the Radial fleet were:
1st Jon Emmett Apprentice Master
2nd Rob Cage Grand Master
3rd Mike Kinnear Legend
Our thanks go to Rutland SC and the Race Committee and Team for a very good series sailed in very trying conditions. Also, to all our sponsors: MinorcaSailing for their wonderful prize, Laser Performance UK, Wildwind, Southeast Sailboats, Fernhurst Books and Merger IT for continuing to provide their amazing support.
RYA AWARD AND ROYAL PRESENTATION FOR SUNBURY VOLUNTEER - Tony Woods
A sailor and volunteer from Sunbury-on-Thames has been presented with one of the RYA’s most prestigious awards by HRH the Princess Royal, President of the RYA in recognition of his commitment to Queen Mary Sailing Club (QMSC).
Tony Woods received an Outstanding Contribution Award after being nominated by his club and selected as a winner by the RYA Honours and Awards Panel. He was presented at One Great George Street, London on Friday 22 November.
The RYA is boating’s national governing body and the Volunteer Awards are considered the ‘MBEs' of the sport, honouring people throughout the UK for their outstanding contributions across all the disciplines the RYA represents, including sailing, windsurfing, motor cruising, inland waterways and personal watercraft.
Watch a video of the awards here
Tony has been Fleet Captain at QMSC for nine years and organiser of the UK Laser Nationals for two years running. His own mentoring scheme gets the fleet to work together to improve sailing standards, provides support when things don’t go well and gives every Laser sailor at QMSC a sense of being on the same team.
He has introduced training sessions after racing on Sundays as well as professional coaching sessions from top Laser sailors. He initiated the Big Sunday series to get as many Laser sailors on the water as possible and has set up the QM Laser website and Facebook page. As a result, his resurrected QM Laser fleet is now as big as it was in the 1980s.
The UK Laser Association has persuaded Tony to bring his considerable organisational skills and energy to organising the Laser Nationals, and in Plymouth in 2018 he was responsible for creating the whole social programme. His consistent support for Laser sailors locally and nationally is outstanding.
Tony said on receiving his award: “I was both thrilled and honoured to receive the RYA award. Thanks to QMSC for nominating me and for being such a great team to work with! My wife and I enjoyed the awards ceremony very much.”
Nominations are now invited for the 2020 RYA volunteer awards, visit www.rya.org.uk/go/volunteerawards
Laser Masters 2019 Round-Up and 2020 Plan
The Laser Masters have had 5 events this year. We started at Notts County in March, then visited an old favourite at Pevensey who always have the most amazing beach support which makes up for the pebbles! Light winds accompanied the fleet to the Masters Nationals at Royal Torbay where much fun was had in the evening entertainment. Unfortunately, we were only able to complete one race at Hayling Island, due to too much and then too little wind. All those who attended on the Saturday night were able to hear about the adventures of masters sailor ‘Stick Daring’ during his circumnavigation of Britain. The inlands at Rutland finished the season where the race officer and his team did an amazing job to get 4 good races in in challenging conditions.
We are exceptionally lucky within the Masters fleet have sponsorship from some amazing sponsors: Laser Performance, Wildwind, Southeast Sailboats, Fernhurst Books, Minorca Sailing and Merger IT. A big thank you to them for all their support over the last year.
Laser Masters 2020
The Laser Masters fleet are looking forward to a full and exciting year in 2020. We have a range of venues planned from old favourites to new locations. The 2020 Laser Masters programme is:
9/10 May Brightlingsea
13/14 June Parkstone
3/4/5 July Weymouth
5/6 Sept Pevensey
19/20 Sept Draycote
7/8 Nov Chew Valley
As always, a GBR contingent will be heading over to the Laser Masters Worlds. They are being held in Geelong, Australia, in 2020, allowing the sailors to make the most of sunny weather in March! The Laser Masters Europeans will be held in Monaco in April 2020, and I will publish more information on the website and Masters Facebook page as it becomes available.
Late applications are now open so if anyone does fancy sailing down under, check out the ILCA website now. Places and charter boats are still available
You have mentioned the Masters Europeans. As our Nats are part of the EuroMaster series should we not also have a quick mention of that series directing people to:
https://www.eurilca.eu/euromasters/
The Laser Masters are a friendly fleet with good competition on the water with a range of expertise. More importantly, the social side is friendly and fun, and we encourage sailors to come to the events with their partners and families.
Come and join us in 2020 and experience the Laser Masters vibe.
Alison Stevens
Masters Rep