ILCA UK Chair Blog #93

Jun 10

Firstly a reminder, please send your support to Hannah Snellgrove and Micky Beckett who competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics as part of our ILCA community and are connected to us in ways that many others aren’t. There are thousands of ILCA sailors around the country that can relate directly to their competition as they sail exactly to same boat. That’s why I would like to ask you to send a message of support. We have pinned a post in our FB (I know some of you may not interact with FB but as a volunteer organisation, it allows us to get things going efficiently).

Who would not want to sail an ILCA? Check out this 2min video and send it around your friends and family (young and old). As a younger sailor I am sure this would have been appealing but back then Laser sailors had a reputation as one-trick ponies. This may have been given the fitness and technique needed to succeed in the class.

The ILCA remains a highly tactical boat. With its relatively slow speeds and one design nature, tactics and boat to boat manoeuvring remain a core skill. That’s what we all love. A couple of weeks ago we had 25 ILCAs racing ay Queen Mary on Sunday morning in 4 to 8 knots of very patchy and shifty conditions. Over four laps of two races, the place changes were dramatic - some down to luck and others skill. Many sailors had the chance to get close to the front, not based on technique or fitness but tactics. Of course, these skills are developed and refined as the racing becomes more competitive at national and international level. It is no secret that any ILCA sailor competing regularly in the gold fleet of Worlds and Euros is a highly skilled tactician with skills that are highly transferrable to other classes.

While I don’t think some of those skills will be developed without a focussed approach to ILCA sailing, I also believe there is a benefit to sailing other boats. While most of my sailing was in Laser /ILCAs, I also spent four years team-racing in Firelies at university, a number of years campaigning J24s as well owning and racing Fireballs, 470s and 1720s. In recent years (or decades!) it has been ILCA racing but I have also sailed a Waszp for the four years as alternative therapy. All this experience complements my skills when it comes to ILCA racing.

Today, ILCA racing is the route to professional sailing and many of the top ILCA sailors combine their ILCA racing and training with sailing other boats, anything from J70s to Waszps but also kitesurfing/foiling and wing foiling. Young sailors should always look for opportunities to try new things where they can. This may be borrowing a double-hander for a regatta, trying a wingfoil or even doing some instructing or coaching.

Snippets

Get ready for the summer – Chair’s playlist of three virtual training sessions on Youtube

RYA Pathway Evolution Webinar Series Tuesday 18 June 2024 | 5pm | Online

ILCA UK events

You can enter the ILCA UK Noble Marine Open & National Championships 2024 – WPNSA here

The next ILCA UK event is the Masters weekend at WPNSA on 6th/7th July. Why not come and start your program for the Masters Europeans in Hayling Island next June? For those of you considering a return to competitive ILCA sailing after some years at this Masters event, remember you are not expected to perform at the same level as you did as a youth!

After that we also have the Women ILCA Regatta - Rutland Sailing Club on 13th/14th July. If you want to ask more about this, Fiona’s contact details are on the link. She would love to hear from those thinking of transitioning from junior classes and masters and anyone else.

Welsh Championships welcome sailors of all ages on 19/21st July and Youth is invited to sail at the Youth Open event at Royal Lymington YC 27/28th July.

Other ILCA events

Over the summer there are many open meetings and Grands Prix all over the country. See our calendar.

As some of you will have seen, the RYA Regional Junior championships have been cancelled (please note that the Scottish and Welsh events are unaffected https://www.rya.org.uk/racing/british-youth-sailing/events/regional-junior-championships). I am aware for three replacement regattas (click on venue for details) on 22nd/23rd June for ILCA4s at Queen Mary, WPNSA and Derwent.

In addition, for those youths looking for regional racing throughout the season, check out these (none of these are UKLA events so for details please see the organisers):