ILCA NSW & ACT

Applications for entry for the following World Championships will be accepted beginning Tuesday, 20 August 2019:

2020 ILCA Laser Standard Men’s World Championship

2020 ILCA Laser Radial Women’s World Championship

2020 ILCA Laser Radial Men’s World Championship

For all three Championships, the deadline for receiving applications is 1 October 2019 at 23:59 Central US Time (14:59 2 October AEST ).

If you would like to compete in one of these Championships, you are encouraged to complete an entry application as soon as possible after it becomes available.

Ranking for these events for Australian sailors is described in the post HERE.

The Men’s Standard and Women’s Radial World events will have tightly limited entry however we expect that all sailors who wish to compete and who place a timely entry will be offered a place in the Men’s Radial World event.

It is on again the Laser event in paradise the Fiji Oceania Laser Masters. This year the event is from 12th to 18th October 2019 from the Sofitel Resort Denarau Island Fiji.

The Notice of Race is HERE. It contains information on entry and charter conditions for the event. Charter boats are one use PSA supplied.

You can enter online HERE. Entry is $330 which included event shirt and opening function and gala three course presentation dinner. At the same time as you enter you can book and pay for your Laser charter. You can pay a deposit of $300 to secure your Laser with the balance $1,200 payable at the same link by the end of August 2019.

The there is lots of resort accommodation available close by and more economical places to stay not far away. The Sofitel Denarau Island has some special rates available for sailors and their families. Competitors can use the code SFLASERS2019 for a special rate when booking at the Sofitel for the event.

You can get the feel of the event from the video taken last year HERE.

Watch out for more information on the event web site at https://www.oceanialaserchamps.com/

Performance Sailcraft Australia PSA is offering early entrants in the 2020 Australian Championships 1-8 January at Sandringham the chance to win a brand new Laser with carbon top section, a beach dolly and the winner’s choice of rig. To be in the draw you need to enter the Australian Championships before August 31.

The Notice of Race for 2020 Australian Laser Championships is HERE. You can enter  HERE. The event web site is  https://www.auslasernationals.com.au

Associated with the  Australian Championships and the Summer of 2020  Laser events the VLA are offering until 31 July Individual Gold Sponsorships at a cost of $250.

By taking out a gold sponsorship you will go into the draw to win a new carbon top section, get a 5% discount on your own entries for the 2020 events, receive an embroidered polo shirt and bath towel and get 50 PSA points to spend with them. You will also be helping the VLA in staging these events. Details are in the flyer HERE. You can obtain a gold sponsorship HERE.

If you plan to enter the Australian Championships, Sail Melbourne or any of the 2020 Laser World Championship events we suggest you visit www.laser2020.com . From there you can download the Laser2020 app or go to AppStore HERE PlayStore HERE. With the app you can sign up to receive newsletters which will contain updates on the events, guides to sailing at both Sandringham and Geelong, information on the social program, special offers on tours and sightseeing, and valuable sailing tips from expert coaches.

The Women’s Laser Regatta hosted by Double Bay Sailing Club is on again this year. This is a sailing regatta run by women, coached by women and sailed in by women and girls on the wonderful waters of Sydney Harbour!

 
Save the Dates 28-29 September.

 
The Notice of Race for the event is HERE  You can get more information and sign up for the event HERE . There is a limit of 50 places so get in quick!

 
This is an important women’s initiative support by the NSW/ACT Laser Association, NB Sailsports, MUSTO and many more sponsors. If you missed it last year – you won’t want to miss it again – jump on board for a weekend of sailing, coaching, racing, yoga, dinner, organic juices and treats, and the all-important gourmet chefs dinner and fireside chat with inspirational speakers and lots more!

 
The flyer with more information and contacts is HERE.

Well done Tom Burton and Matthew Wearn in completing an Aussie double with two Kiwis close behind in the 156 boat Laser World Championship in July in Sakaiminato-City Japan.

Tom would have enough cubes to build a reasonable size bungalow and an Olympic gold but this is his first Laser World Championship. He and Matt will be excited and can be very proud of their results. The full event results are HERE.

At the same venue later in July Zac West finished 2nd in the Men’s Laser Radial World Championship with Mark Louis not far behind him at 5th place. Full results of the Radial Worlds are HERE.

Photos above by Junichi Haria Bulkhead Magazine Japan

Voting is open until 31 July for a very important ILCA rule change.

Please vote YES to secure the future of our class and to make sure that we remain in the Olympics.

The 2019 Rule Change vote is important, as ILCA works to meet new requirements imposed by the World Sailing Council in their 2024 Olympic Equipment Policy, which includes allowing competitive supply of boats and parts by qualified builders worldwide.

The rule change is a backup if the Laser builders can’t agree to World Sailing terms for the Laser to remain an Olympic class. If the builders agree then we don’t need the rule change but if they don’t  agree and we don’t change the Class rule then the Laser will be out of the Olympics after Tokyo 2020.

For reasons we struggle to understand the European Region EurILCA is recommending to its members to vote against the change. It is the their 2024 (Paris Marseilles) Olympics which the vote is aimed at keeping the Laser in – go figure.

A  YES vote before 31 July will;

• Make sure that our class will remain in the Olympics.
• Allow for healthy market competition and ensure that class-legal equipment is available in ALL parts of the world.
• Give control of our class to the sailors, not the commercial parties.

For information about the proposed rule change, click on any of the following links;

A summary of the reasons for the rule change

The text of the proposed rule change 

Detailed information about the rule change

Questions and Answers
CLICK HERE TO VOTE

There is also a link to voting on the ILCA website: www.laserinternational.org

Sad news today confirming that Ruth McCance has been killed in an avalanche, while climbing in the Nanda Devi National Park in the Indian Himalayas.

Ruth as well as being an adventurer was an active Laser sailor and member of Middle Harbour Amateur Sailing Club where she will be greatly missed. She also sailed Ynglings and big boats from Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.

On May 19th the World Sailing Council voted to retain the Laser and Laser Radial Class boats as equipment for the Men’s and Women’s One-Person Dinghy events for the 2024 Olympics.

Full approval for the 2024 Games is now contingent on the relevant parties agreeing to the terms of the Olympic Classes Contract by August 1, 2019.

Included in this new Olympic Classes Contract is a requirement that if the boat or equipment is protected by patents, trademarks (as Laser is) or other intellectual property, the owner of the IP rights is required to grant a license to any qualified new manufacturer on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms (known as ‘FRAND’).

World Sailing is leading discussions with ILCA and the builders with the goal of obtaining agreement on the Olympic Classes Contract and implementing a FRAND compliant licensing policy before August 1, 2019.

Obtaining agreement with the current builders, the IP rights holders will allow the class to remain Olympic and to continue under the Laser brand name.

ILCA has a Plan B which would remove the requirement for the boats and equipment to be provided by Laser trade mark holders. This Plan B would only be enacted if the builders and trade mark holders do not agree to the WS set terms and deadline of 1 August 2019.

Plan B requires a class rule change which it self needs a vote and 2/3rd majority approval by class members. ILCA has said that they will delay putting the rule change proposal to the vote until no agreement with the builders to WS’s terms and deadline is possible.

There is a more detailed update on the ILCA web site HERE.

There is a comprehensive description HERE by ILCA President Tracy Usher covering the issues and ILCA action on Plan A and what will be needed for Plan B. Either course of action if implemented by August 1, 2019 would see the Laser retained in the Olympics in 2024.

Ice breaker sailing is what they have in the deep north in winter whereas here this week we have 25 degrees. OK so maybe Australian ice melts at a much higher temperature.

Well whatever the following local Laser winter events are planned or underway;

• 2019 Seldén for Sailing Ice Breaker Series RPAYC Pittwater – details HERE
• 2019 Pleasant Sunday Morning Frostbite Series Hunters Hill Sailing Club – details HERE
• Winter Series Double Bay Sailing Club – details HERE
• Winter Series Gosford Sailing Club Saturdays 11,25 May, 15,29 June, 13,27 July – start 1.00pm
• 12-15 July South Pacific Laser Masters Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron NoR HERE  entries HERE

World Sailing Council meeting in London on Sunday 19th May decided to retain the Laser as the Olympic one person dinghy equipment for 2024 Paris Olympics.

The previous day the World Sailing Equipment Committee had met, also in London, and voted to recommend to the World Sailing Council that the RS Aero be selected for Paris 2024 Olympics. Their voting was 9 for Aero, 3 for Laser and no votes for either the D-Zero or Melges 14.

This followed tenders from 8 classes of boat and sea trials and detail evaluation of four (Laser, Aero, D-Zero and Melges 14) by an Evaluation Panel. The Evaluation Panel’s report HERE concluded that the Aero and Laser were suitable Olympic equipment but it scored the Aero higher on most of its criteria.

The recommendation from the Equipment Committee was rejected by the 19th May World Council meeting and so the process moved to a ballot where World Council Members cast votes on the four boats. The results of these votes were;

• Men’s Dinghy 36 for Laser 5 for Aero and none for D-Zero and Melges 14
• Women’s Dinghy 37 for Laser 4 for Aero and none for D-Zero and Melges 14

The International Laser Class Association on 20 May said the following;

“The vote was an important milestone but is not the end of the process. All contractual agreements must be successfully concluded by 1 August or the council will select new Equipment. ILCA has been working to ensure that the class is able to implement World Sailing’s FRAND compliance policy, which is a requirement for Olympic Equipment.

ILCA is looking forward to a scheduled meeting later this week (22 May) with representatives of World Sailing, Performance Sailcraft Australia, Performance Sailcraft Japan, and LaserPerformance to look for ways we can move forward together for the benefit of sailors and the sport worldwide.”

More information is on the World Sailing website HERE.

The SPLM is on again at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Manly between 12th and 15th July.

This is always a great winter event and a chance to escape to the warmer, beautiful one day perfect the next, Queensland weather.

The Notice of Race for the event is HERE.

Entries can be placed online HERE.

Entry prior to 5 July $195 and $245 if later.

The event is preceded by a Laser Forum on Thursday evening 11 July at the club.

The flyer for the event is HERE.

The ILCA yesterday issued a press release detailing the earlier signalled name change for the Laser.

The need for the change comes following last month’s termination of the European based Laser builder Laser Performance LP. LP holds the trade mark name Laser and the Laser star burst logo in its previous supply area which is everywhere except Oceania Japan and Korea. There would be trade mark issues if boats supplied by a builder other than LP were to be supplied with the name Laser or the star burst logo anywhere outside of Oceania, Japan and South Korea.

Forthwith boats will be supplied from PSA, Performance Sailcraft Japan and new builders as they are added with the name ILCA Dinghy and the ILCA logo as used by ILCA and registered some time ago.

The ILCA press release HERE explains the name change and the post HERE answers frequently asked questions on how the builder and name changes will impact and be managed in the class.

There is more information on why the change has been necessary and the local impacts. You can see it on the ALCA web site HERE.

ILCA will seek member approval of the name and logo change. If it is approved it will be sent to World Sailing for formal approval. The process and the reasons for it are outlined in more detail on the ILCA web site HERE.

ILCA has today announced that it is seeking new builders to complement its existing network of Laser manufacturers.

The move comes after longtime builder of the class dinghy, Laser Performance (Europe) Limited (LPE), breached the terms of the Laser Construction Manual Agreement (LCMA), which seeks to ensure the identical nature of all Laser class boats, regardless of where they are built.

There is more information on the reasons for, and the implications of, this move on the ILCA web site HERE.

There is a Frequently Asked Question on this subject on the ILCA web site HERE.

Australian Sailing is calling for expressions of interest (EOI) for Athletes and Support Staff to attend the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa from the 5 – 20 July, 2019.

A selection criteria is now available on the AS Youth website outlining the criteria for both athletes and support staff. To be considered for the Pacific Games we ask that athletes or support staff register by the 5 April, 2019 by the close of business AEST by 1700 hrs.

Athletes  >> Click Here

Support Staff >> Click Here

If you have any questions regarding the event please contact Lesley Fasala AS Manager Regattas and Events lesley.fasala@sailing.org.au

Hunters Hill Sailing Club have their Pleasant Sunday Morning Frostbite Series on the waters adjacent to Hunters Hill Sailing Club on Sunday 5 May, 2 June and 4 August 2019.

The regatta is open to all off the beach sailing classes including Lasers Standard, Radial and 4.7. There will be a mix of windward leeward and passage style racing.

Series entry is open until 4 May 2019, and must be accompanied with a series entry fee of $44 (inc GST) per boat. Entries received on or after 5 May 2019 must be accompanied by an entry fee of $22 (inc GST) per boat per race day participated in, paid at registration.

See notice of race for further details and to enter click HERE.