News
Masters Update 28 April 21
UKLA Masters Nationals 9-11 July 21 at Pevensey Bay Sailing Club IS ON!
The UKLA Masters Nationals at Pevensey Bay Sailing Club on 9 to 11 July are ON.
We have had to make the sad decision that we are unable to be part of the EuroMasters circuit due to the current COVID 19 situation. International competitors are still welcome, as long as they comply with COVID 19 regulations and quarantine rules that are in place at the time.
Entries open on 29 April 21. We do have an upper entry limit, so don’t miss out.
Please note that Campervan spaces have to be pre-booked. Details are in the NoR.
We expect that the local accommodation / campsites may get booked up quickly. So please think and book ahead.
Looking forward to seeing you at Pevensey for the UKLA Masters Nationals.
ILCA International Circular
2021 ILCA7/Standard Men and Masters World Championships
Dear District Members,
Applications for entry for the following ILCA World Championships will be accepted beginning Thursday, 15 April 2021:
For the above events, the deadline for receiving PAID applications for initial allocation of places is 20 May 2021 at 23:59 Central US Time.
You are encouraged to complete an entry application as soon as possible after it becomes available. Only applications received by the application closing date are eligible for allocated places. Late applications will be accepted after the initial round of Entry offers.
Information about all ILCA World Championships and access to applications is available through the ILCA events page
Best regards,
The ILCA Team
Changes 2021
We are very pleased to report to you changes we have been working on over the past few months.
The observant amongst you would notice that we changed our domain name!
Look at the top bar and you will see that our website became ilca.uk - this is following our re-banding efforts. All UKLA emails have also changed to @ilca.uk but as we transition, you should be able to reach us on old emails as well until we phase them out.
STOP PRESS
The most exciting news to report is the introduction of a new MEMBER PORTAL
From Wednesday on (31st March 2021) you will be able to log in to the portal and manage your membership and events. Those who renewed your membership already will be shown as ACTIVE. If you have not renewed yet, you will be shown as LAPSED and can renew directly through the portal.
We chose a system that you may already be familiar with through your own sailing club. It’s called the Sailing Club Manager and we are excited to be working with them to keep all membership and events matters in one place for you.
As mentioned in a newsletter earlier this year, membership cards will arrive via email. This is a massive saving to the class and you should not expect to see any snail mail from us apart from the Yearbook - which I hope you enjoyed! If you have not received it, the digital version can be found here
Please amend any personal details that may be incorrect. You can add and amend your boats as well, and when we open entries to events, you will be able to book yourself or members of your household to attend. Parents who are not active members can also book events on behalf of their children but will require their own profile. Depending on which email address you provided at sign up/renew, child’s profile may be linked to parent’s or child’s email address. If you do not receive an email on Wednesday, it means you are not currently in the system and should create a new profile.
We are the first class association to jump on board to utilise many functions the system offers and are looking forward to opening event entries soon.
Letter from EurILCA
Members.
Please read the below EurILCA letter:
“Dear District officer,
As you may know, in response to new requirements under World Sailing’s Olympic Equipment Policy, our class has recently welcomed six new builders of class-legal equipment. Due to existing trademark restrictions, these builders are selling new boats, sails and other gear under the ILCA brand name.
Although no one wanted to see this change, it is an inevitable result of opening the market to new builders and has allowed our Class to remain in the Olympic Games for both men and women. Overall, this transition to an open and competitive builder environment will be a huge boost to our class and EurILCA is excited about the future.
Although the Class’s legal representatives advise the Class maintains a strong position with respect to the use of the LASER brand and the sunburst logo, EurILCA is committed to spending its time and money on promoting great events and bringing more people into our sport rather than engaging in legal disputes.
The transition to ILCA is already well underway with increasing numbers of ILCA branded boats and sails appearing across Europe. Again, this transition was not our first choice but, in the end, it proved to be inevitable. In order to avoid any unnecessary disputes over trademarks, EurILCA is now changing over from the old names and sunburst logo to the new ILCA name and logo for all our events. In addition, EurILCA has started an immediate review of the website, logos, Notice of Race(s) and other communications to remove the sunburst logo and word Laser ahead of the forthcoming season. This should become apparent over the coming weeks.
We expect ILCA to issue further guidance on this topic in the near future along with advice for naming events and proper usage of the ILCA name and logo on your District website and documents. EurILCA encourages you all to follow our lead for the transition to the ILCA brand now and take proactive steps. Velum Limited is using the sunburst logo and Laser name for its boats and the breakaway class, The Laser Class. Our combined transition will help to identify us, the World Sailing recognised Olympic single-hander and to distinguish us from the new non-class legal boats.
2021 also marks the 50th anniversary for the ILCA Class Association. The boat was designed in 1969 with factory production in 1970 and the International Laser Class Association founded in 1971. Over the years our boat has been named the TGIF, the Weekender, the Laser and now the ILCA. Rebranding in line with the 50th anniversary will accelerate our transition and growth as we start to see a way forward from Covid-19. Look for more news to follow on the anniversary celebrations. The EurILCA team is looking forward to the opportunities ahead and we hope to see you all out on the water soon.
Kind regards,
The EurILCA team
New FAQ page
Another small addition to our website is here!
If you have questions with regards to equipment, training, events or any other sailing/class related queries that you feel should be included, please use the contact page within the FAQ page and we will add it to the list.
Thanks for your help with building this up!
Replica Kit - a word from UKLA Measurer Alan Davis
Replica kit: Barton Marine has launched a new vang. They confirm it has not been approved by ILCA for use in racing although it does state it is "class approved". This approval is from the breakaway class association which is not recognised by World Sailing or the RYA. Take care when buying any new or replacement parts for your boat to ensure they meet with Class rules - we do not want our members to get caught out.
SUPER GRAND PRIX 2021 - Celebrating the Golden Anniversary!
Great News! The UKLA will be sponsoring the Super Grand Prix in 2021! So you’ll get top quality coaching and racing for a fraction of the usual cost!
Following the success of our Super Grand Prix events in 2019 we are hoping to continue the experience in 2021 (Covid permitting!) For this special Golden Anniversary year the UKLA is planning to fund some of the coaching costs, including paying for a coach on the Sunday. The Sunday coaching would be for all racers- briefings/de briefings and on the water support. We want to give something back to our valued members, and it therefore goes without saying that to take part in a SGP you must be a UKLA member!
Photo credit Georgie Altham
The Super Grand Prix (SGP) is a fun weekend event consisting of top quality coaching, evening social and competitive racing. Developed to encourage club sailors to take the first steps to an open meeting, and provide a bigger, more sociable event for everyone.
Primarily aimed at club sailors, but not exclusively so, valuing diversity in the fleet, encouraging all ages, gender and rigs to come together to celebrate everything that is the ILCA, with the emphasis on fun. Helping to grow and sustain a healthy club base across the regions, building confidence to take an active part, create ambassadors, whilst helping sailors develop skills and ability to get the most out of ILCA sailing.
There are currently three broad regions - South, Midlands and North.
SUPER GRAND PRIX 2021
SOUTH:
22/23 May - Queen Mary SC
17/18 July - Pagham YC
7/8 August Castle Cove SC
MIDLANDS
TBC
16/17 October - Staunton Harold SC
North
29/30 May - St Mary’s Loch
3/4 July - Pennine SC
Masters News
Euro Master Series 2021 update Mar21
The 2021 Euro Master Series continues to see regattas postponed or cancelled due to Covid 19. Organising Authorities have a strong desire to host events but only in a Covid-safe manner and in accordance with any National restrictions prevailing. This is the current position as at 10Mar21 and all events will continue to be reviewed by the relevant Organising Authorities.
Notice of cancellation or postponement will be made at the earliest opportunity. Please note that this may not always be possible due to the speed with which some National restrictions are imposed. The vaccine roll-out and summer weather will hopefully be positive forces for the remainder of the season. The current schedule appears below:
STOP PRESS BELGIUM Event CANCELLED
ILCA Master Worlds Barcelona, Spain 17 - 26 September
Barcelona Regatta 18 - 20 June. Not part of the Euro Master Series but held at the same venue as the Worlds.
Yearbook Goes Digital
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UKLA are always looking for ways to improve the class associations service to you, its members, and promote ILCA /Laser racing. All of those who were members last year will have received a copy of the 50th anniversary edition of the Yearbook. Now we have put the Yearbook into a digital format and published it on issuu.com. Of course it's free but you won't be able to download it. Please share. We've had great feedback and are now thinking about the Yearbook for 2022 - happy to consider ideas for this.
UKLA relies on us all renewing our subscriptions - this enables us to put on more high-quality events around the country and carry out as many training sessions as we can fit in.
With many of the European events looking doubtful, UKLA want to make the UK events as successful as we can. In 1989 the subs were £13. And now they are £38, just a little over the average inflation rate. So help us help you, renew now.
Our Sailors page
UKLA have set up Our Sailors page on the website. The idea is that anyone who wishes to promote themselves or their websites or social media pages to potential sponsors can post about 100 words and a photo. Eventually we hope that this will form a directory of sailors. Please send you 100 words and photo to Ellie … office@laser.org.uk
We started to roll out with our top young volunteers Sam Whaley, Ben Flower and Lydia Barber.
They joined the team and have dedicated their free time to make sure that you have a nice website to look at, podcasts to listen to and a great Dinghy Show stand to visit.
Be sure to listen to these podcasts - they are a brilliant way to get to know the folks you sail against.
Sam has been busy sailing abroad, but he does have time for remote coaching! Find out more here
And finally, the Sailors page can be found here
Introducing HEADS UP - UKLA News with Ben Flower & Sam Whaley
Heads UP UKLA News with Ben Flower & Sam Whaley
Having done over 20 ‘An Hour With Flower’ podcasts Ben has teamed up with Sam Whaley (two times National Champion) and is doing a monthly News podcast - called ‘Heads UP’ it will look at the events for the forthcoming month. Ben tells me they will look at giving insights into the venues, interviews with local sailors, tips for racing and many other very useful bits of info.
‘Heads UP’ April edition will look at preparing yourself and your boat, some tips on starting racing after a long break and maybe you have splashed out on a new sail - how should you break it in? Watch out for it on the website.
‘Heads UP’ May edition will look at events at WPNSA, Weir wood SC, Rutland SC, Keyhaven SC, Queen Mary SC, and St. Marys Loch SC.
Memorial 8
Over the past year, pandemic has claimed many lives across the world and within our sailing community.
Amongst those, we lost ex Committee member and Master sailor David Catto.
Those that raced David and those that lost friends over the pandemic may want to join the event set by his friends.
UKLA Open & National Championships 2021 - WPNSA
We will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of our amazing boat all this year and are planning a special Golden National Championships, followed by the Under 21 Worlds, at the Weymouth Olympic venue - Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy. The UKLA Open & National Championship will be held from Friday 13th to Wednesday 18th August 2021. Come along and join in the fun!
The Nationals Pages are now enabled on the website. Click here - Nationals - to find out more about Off - Water Activities, Learning and of course Racing!
EVENING FOOD (Covid permitting):
We hope you will come along to the evening socials - Daily Prize Givings, Q & A with the winners, Prize Draws, 50th Anniversary Quiz, Sports Night, AGM, Jam Sessions etc etc. Before these activities we can all enjoy a meal together:
Friday. Special Welcome Evening with Italian Themed Meal FREE for all competitors, courtesy of the UKLA.
Extra tickets can be purchased in advance @ £10 each
Saturday: Moroccan Night. 2 Courses £10 Tickets to be ordered in advance
Sunday: BBQ. £16 Tickets to be ordered in advance.
Monday: Curry Night. 2 Courses £12 Tickets to be ordered in advance
Tuesday: GALA DINNER. Tickets to be ordered in advance.
We are hoping to bring back all the learning opportunities that we had in 2018/19 - so expect Race Clinics in the mornings, Question and Answer Sessions in the evenings and Mentor/Mentee pairings throughout the event.
We’ve also managed to negotiate a 10% Discount on all Courses/Water Activities with both the Andrew Simpson Foundation and OTC for family members connected to the competitors. This includes scheduled courses in windsurfing, wind-foiling, kitesurfing, SUPing and e-foiling. Passing trade during the event will not receive any discount - it has to be pre-booked at least a month prior to the event.
We will let you know when we get the special discount booking codes.
UKLA Team
Join the Team
The UKLA is looking for enthusiastic people to join our ever growing team -
In particular at the moment we’re looking for people to help with:
The South west Grand Prix Circuit
The National Grand Prix Circuit
The Newsletter
Please email Ellie at the office if you can assist in any way - even one morning a month would be great!
Many thanks to Richard Mason for help with Grand Prix, Super Grand Prix and sponsorship
New Podcasts!
Check out the latest installments of ‘An Hour with Flower’, featuring UKLA Chairman Rob Cage, top coaches Charles Bailee-Strong, James Hadden and Tim Hulse and super star and BST member Lorenzo Chiavarini.
50th Anniversary Events
UKLA Roadmap Back to Racing
After a lot of thought and deliberation over the latest Covid rules, we have concluded the event we had hope to run at WPNSA in April (8th /9th) is not possible given the restrictions we will be living under. Providing the current government roadmap stands then we are confident we can re-start UKLA events soon.
FIFTY YEARS OF THE ILCA
This year is our 50th anniversary and we plan to celebrate the success of our class with a few special events.
The first event being at WPNSA on 8/9 May, with the ILCA 4s & 7s racing on Saturday and ILCA 6s on Sunday. There will be 3 races each day. We hope to start taking entries for the event in early April.
We will be looking for volunteers to help run the above event, if you can help then please volunteer through our new portal
Stokes Bay SC, in conjunction with UKLA, are planning to hold a 50th Anniversary Celebration event on 19/20 June. The event will be open to ILCA 6 / 7 rigs over 2 days, with a meal on the Saturday night.
The warm friendly welcome from Stokes Bay ensures this will be a fantastic event, make sure you enter early to avoid disappointment. Watch the UKLA website for further details.
13-18 August sees our annual National Championships at WPNSA where we plan to continue our 50th Anniversary celebrations.
ILCA 4’s
For the ILCA 4s sailors we realise the Nationals clash with the last couple of days of the ILCA 4 Worlds in Ireland. To help and encourage as many ILCA 4 sailors to compete in both events we have shortened the ILCA 4 Nationals to 3 days starting on the Monday and finishing on Wednesday. For those sailors not attending the ILCA 4 Worlds we are going to organise a special two-day warm up 50th Anniversary event over the weekend (14 th & 15 th August) at WPNSA, which will run along side the ILCA 6 & 7 Nationals.
Our Super Grand Prix events will also be part of this year’s celebrations so don’t forget about them!
Hopefully after a difficult start to the year, by the time we get to summer we will back to a busy sailing program.
Wind Strategy by David Houghton and Fiona Campbell
AT THE REGATTA
The availability, accessibility and accuracy of weather information has changed enormously since the first edition of Wind Strategy was published, but the following statement still holds true:
There is nothing mystical or magical about weather routeing. It is simply making sure that at every stage of a race, however long or short:
· You have not overlooked any available and relevant weather information.
· You have used this information to find the quickest way to the finish.
Observing the weather in Rio in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games
The key word here is ‘relevant’. There is little point in being able to download megabytes of fancy weather charts for a two-hour harbour race in a dinghy. You need to know the weather forecast, the tides and currents, and how the wind behaves around the bay using the techniques described in earlier chapters.
On a dingy course you have to do your own weather routeing. Starting with the best and latest weather observations and forecasts, you think through how the shape and topography of the coast and variations in water temperature are likely to influence the winds experienced on the first beat to windward. At the same time, observing the minute-by-minute evolution of the wind and weather, you operate like an onboard computer, judging at every stage of the race which is the best way to go.
The same applies in a typical inshore or short offshore race. You will always have a better appreciation than anyone onshore of what the wind is doing in the short term, particularly the bends, bands and eddies which you must then apply to the latest forecast. And the more you appreciate and understand the ways of the wind within the frameworks presented in the preceding chapters, the better your judgement will be.
Any system of routeing can only be as good as the information available in the first place, and we can all suffer from false confidence in the software. But there will always be uncertainties and someone, somewhere has to decide.
How To Make The Weather Forecast Useful
It is not unusual to hear a frustrated helmsman blame the forecast for a poor position, and indeed there is no better scapegoat. And you are right to ask whether a standard forecast or even a specialist forecast for a race area is of much help. Occasionally, of course, it will be dead right and there will be someone who has believed it and won. But what about on average?
The weather forecast is a vital piece of information for every sailor in every regatta. Its value lies in the background information which it provides: information which will enable you to judge the likelihood, position and character of bends, bands and shifts in the wind. In fact you cannot apply the information from Chapters 2 to 19 unless you know the direction and strength of the gradient wind and how it is expected to change – information that is the basic ingredient of every forecast. But beware of treating a forecast as though it is ‘ready for immediate use’.
The weather is often an overlooked or only partially-studied aspect of sailing, it being assumed that it is either too unpredictable to allow one sailor to use it consistently to advantage over another or that an app can give the exact minute-by-minute answer. But with practice, the weather, deduced from the theoretical tools in this book added to the observations and forecast, could prove to be that added extra which puts you ahead of the rest.
The Importance Of Your Own Observations
It is always amazing how many sailors either rely on what they are told and ignore what they can see for themselves, or rely on what they can see happening before a regatta and ignore the forecast and the indications of change. Your own observation is a piece in the weather jigsaw, which is likely to be unique to you. Your observations are weather facts, and every forecast is based on the facts about the weather at the time it was written. Never reject either the forecast or the observation. The more you practice putting them together the better your judgement in a race will be.
Where To Get Weather Information
Most sailors rely on the internet for weather information and the sources are endless. Website addresses are too numerous and constantly changing to be listed in this book, but a general search for weather in your local sailing area should produce plenty of choices to select from. Local sailing club and event websites often have useful links.
Spot location forecasts which detail the wind speed and direction as frequently as 20 or 30 minutes appear to give the sailor what they want: ‘the weather answer’. But it’s all too easy to rely on this detail and not think through the complications and race course specifics which are not in the forecast. Instead:
· Try to use two or three sites and build up the overall race period picture.
· Use methods described here, such as drawing the race area on a chart and highlighting the likely wind effects.
· Rain radar imagery is becoming increasingly useful with the availability of high frequency images at high resolution. This will allow you to check, when ashore, where the rain is and compare it to the forecast to make sure things are roughly on track.
· Sea surface temperatures and air temperature information is freely available to add detail to a forecast of sea breeze or thermal enhancement.
The internet also provides a wealth of information which can be gathered before travelling to a venue: previous race reports with frequent comments about the weather and tactics, and summarised weather data for various times of the year help to build an overall impression of the climate. Use videos, maps, satellite images and photos to build a picture of the area: where are the topographic features in relation to the race course in different wind directions? How high and rough are they? Where will the wind bends and bands be? When will water be flat or rough? These will allow the sailor to build an overall impression of a venue before even leaving home. A little homework by visiting sailors can greatly reduce the ‘home advantage’.
During The Previous Few Days
Follow The Weather On The Scale Of The Weather Map
Note the movements of depressions, fronts, troughs, anticyclones and ridges from day to day. Get a feel for how fast things are developing and for the way the pressure gradient wind is changing from day to day in both speed and direction. The internet is a useful tool in this respect as a video can be played which animates the charts and brings the weather to life.
Follow The Weather On The Small Scale
If you are preparing the boat near the regatta area, practice observing the clouds and the wind variations, getting a feel for the changes as they occur. Try to distinguish events that are due solely to changes in the gradient wind and those which are due to local factors. You can also do this from your desktop by comparing the forecast with local observations.
Study The Course
Think out the likely sea breezes for different gradient wind directions (a topographic or simple road map will help to give the local lay of the land: print and annotate this). Consider what effects the land will have on the wind if it is blowing offshore. Are there islands, bays and other features to influence the wind? What is the water temperature? Is it uniform? Are there any rivers, i.e. sources of fresh water, nearby? Look up the tides and the currents for the area.
Can Anything Be Gleaned From Satellite Pictures?
Although nice to look at, satellite images lack the resolution necessary to study local cloud structures
A copy of the latest picture from a weather satellite may be displayed or available on a smartphone. This helps to give credibility to the diagrammatic weather map; you can see for yourself that there are real swirls of cloud – depressions, and long, broad bands of cloud – fronts. But the pictures lack the resolution necessary to tell you anything useful about local cloud structures, while to deduce anything about their associated winds requires specialist expertise and a great deal of practice. So the answer is “no” – but they are nice to look at!
The Morning Of The Race
Ask yourself the following questions:
What Is The Gradient Wind Doing?
What is its direction? What is its speed? How will it be affected by local topographic and heating effects?
What Is It Forecast To Do Over The Next Few Hours?
Have you accessed the latest forecast and checked the observations upwind? Do they agree? Are changes expected and on what scale, i.e. is a front approaching or will local heating alter your sailing wind and at what time?
How Are The Low Clouds Moving?
Low clouds: Take a compass bearing on their direction and judge their speed
Take a compass bearing on their direction and judge their speed. Does their movement fit the forecast?
If it does not, then either mountains or valleys are interfering with it (see p51) or has the forecast been updated?
What Is The Surface Wind At Present (i.e. early morning)?
Is it the remains of a night land breeze? Has it been killed by a night-time temperature inversion? Or does it agree with the gradient wind: 40 degrees or so back from it over land and much lighter early in the day? Details of land breezes and other local winds are not normally covered in a standard weather forecast.
What Wind Is Forecast Over The Water?
Does the forecast appear to have taken into account coastal influences on the wind? Look at a wide scale image of your area, not just a spot forecast.
Is The Wind Nearly Parallel To The Coast?
If it is, you must consider the divergence or convergence of streamlines.
Has The Gradient Wind An Offshore Component (i.e. is it in Quadrants 1 or 2)?
If it is less than 25 knots and cloud is thin or broken expect a sea breeze. If it is strong, or you are racing before or after the sea breeze, expect a bend or standing waves.
On The Water
Sailing To The Start
Observe and record the windshifts. Note any changes in cloud:
· Is the cloud dispersing just offshore? This suggests that a sea breeze is about to appear.
· Is the cloud generally increasing to weather? This suggests the approach of a trough.
· Is the cloud developing only over the land? This suggests a sea breeze building if the gradient wind is in Quadrant 1 or 2; other and possibly very different thermal influences if the gradient is in Quadrant 3 or 4.
First beat: Keep observing the weather up the first beat
On The First Beat
Does one side pay? If so is this due to:
· Features of the land or islands affecting the wind?
· The presence of a sea breeze?
· Water temperature variations across or upwind of the course?
If there is a good reason for one side paying, and you expect that feature of the wind or water to persist, go towards that side next time around. How far you should go towards the layline will depend on how certain you are that the bias is permanent. For instance, if there is an island upwind and no change in wind direction you can be confident that the bands of strong and light wind downwind from the island will continue. If you can find no good reason for the bias then go up the middle next time and play the shifts.
Wind Strategy is written by weather experts and former Team GBR meteorologists David Houghton and Fiona Campbell. It has been the go-to weather book for racing sailors since 1986.
To get more of David Houghton & Fiona Campbell’s top tips, Wind Strategy can be bought here (https://fernhurstbooks.com/books/permalink/24/wind_strategy). People who sign up to Fernhurst Books’ newsletter can get 25% off the cost of the book.
2021 ILCA Under-21 World Championships
Applications for entry for the following ILCA World Championship will be accepted beginning Wednesday, 17 March 2021:
2021 ILCA Under-21 World Championships
For the above event, the deadline for receiving PAID applications for initial allocation of places is 29 April 2021 at 23:59 Central US Time.
You are encouraged to complete an entry application as soon as possible after it becomes available. Only applications received by the application closing date are eligible for allocated places. Late applications will be accepted after the initial round of Entry offers.
Information about all ILCA Laser World Championships and access to applications is available through the ILCA events page https://sailing.laserinternational.org/
Best regards,
The ILCA Team
International Laser Class Association
Website: http://www.laserinternational.org
ILCA 4s 2021!
ILCA-4s: Navigating the Major Events for 2021
In hindsight, 2020 was a year of very little choice international events for the UK ILCA-4 fleet, due of course to the Pandemic.
Although 2021 has had a slow start, plans are afoot for the summer season at least, to offer a considerable range of events for our sailors.
In this article our ILCA-4 rep provides guidance on how to plan for the events and navigate the entry qualification rules and calendar deadlines, including news of the creation of the Special 50th Anniversary Commemorative Regatta.
A number of deadlines are approaching, but parents and sailors are advised to keep these under review as the pandemic evolves.
Sailingfast Ladder Series
Our ladder series events are scheduled to recommence as soon as pandemic restrictions permit.
Details can be found here [Notice of Sailingfast Youth Series]
Eurilca 4 Championships
This year, the ILCA-4 Eurilcas will be held Friday 23 rd July to Friday 30th July in Travemunde Germany.
This is a restricted entry event, and the UKLA will be ranking sailors using our rolling ladder ranking system, as documented in our policy document: UKLA Qualification for U21 and Youth Feb Update. The current rankings are published here ILCA 4/4.7 Rolling Ladder/Youth Series results.
The applications for the first round of offers of a place at the event closes on 23 May, however the the UK has an allotment of 23 places in the boys fleet and 8 places in the girls fleet, and applications are encouraged even if your ladder ranking is still developing, as the rules permit the UKLA to exercise discretion in ranking applications.
Entry and event information can be found here
ILCA 4 Worlds
This year the ILCA-4 World Championships will take place in Dun Laoghaire, near Dublin Ireland, from
Saturday 7 August to Saturday 14 August.
Applications for first round entries close on 23 March, with first round entry offers scheduled to take place on 6 April. At this stage, the UK has 7 places in the boys fleet allocated to it, and 5 girls; and the UKLA’s ladder ranking system will again be used to guide the rankings, as documented above.
However being a neighbouring country, the UK has a much larger targeted allotment of places at the event – 30 sailors in aggregate across the boys and girls fleets. Therefore, if you miss the entry deadline, or if you are not selected in the first round, you should still apply for the second round of offers, for which the application closing date is 7 July.
RYA Youth National Championships
This event is scheduled to take place on 6, 7 August in Plymouth, and is part of our Ladder Series.
UKLA 50th Anniversary Commemorative Regatta & National Championships
Coincident with the last two days of the ILCA-4 world championships, the UKLA will be holding a special 50th anniversary commemorative regatta at the WPNSA. People who do not participate at the ILCA-4 worlds will be able to participate at this event, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday 14th and 15th August.
Immediately afterwards, on Monday 16th the ILCA-4 national championships will commence, to conclude on Wednesday 18th August. This means that sailors who do participate at the ILCA-4 Worlds will also be able to participate at the UKLA national championships, provided that they can travel from Dublin to Weymouth on Sunday 15th August.
The notices of races for these two events, together with the deadlines for entry, will be advertised soon.
Continuation of Ladder Qualifier Events
Pandemic permitting, ladder qualification events recommence on 25 September in Sunderland.
Continued participation in the ladder will likely be important to facilitate ranking for international events in 2022.
Our Sailors page
We enabled a new page on our website dedicated to our sailors!
We would be proud to add and promote YOUR sailor profile to our website. All you need to do is send us up to 100 words about yourself, picture and a link to your sailing dedicated page if you have one.
We started to roll out with our top young volunteers Sam Whaley, Ben Flower and Lydia Barber.
They joined the team and have dedicated their free time to make sure that you have a nice website to look at, podcasts to listen to and a great Dinghy Show stand to visit.
Be sure to listen to these podcasts - they are a brilliant way to get to know the folks you sail against.
Sam has been busy sailing abroad, but he does have time for remote coaching! Find out more here
The Dinghy Show kicks off at 10 on Saturday (27th Feb) and you can visit our stand over the weekend. Lydia Barber and Natalya Williams will be available to chat about sailing whilst being at Uni. We hope you already registered to attend (free) but if not, just click here
And finally, the Sailors page can be found here