ILCA NSW & ACT

We can foil – But do we want to?

We normally avoid commenting on sailing politics however you may be interested to hear that the Executive Committee of World Sailing are considering bringing in major changes to the classes for the Paris Olympics of 2024 (and presumably to Los Angeles 2028 and beyond).

There is a view opposing the move and an online petition which outlines the issue HERE. The petition to date has 23,000 signatures including that of Victor Kovalenko (Head Coach AUS Olympic Team) and multiple AUS 470 Olympic medalist Mathew Belcher. The petition summarises the World Sailing proposal in the following words;

“World Sailing’s far-reaching proposal moves the focus from accessible classes like the Laser Radial to a technology-driven format demanding wholesale replacement of expensively acquired boats and equipment. It is now possible that up to eight of the 10 current Olympic sailing disciplines will be dropped for Paris 2024….the Olympic format under consideration by World Sailing sees the Finn, 470 Men and Women, Windsurfer Men and Women, Laser and Laser Radial all possibly dropped for the 2024 Olympic Regatta. Only the 49er and 49erFX will remain…..Instead World Sailing propose a wholesale switch of emphasis to foiling and foiling equipment……”

In the interest of balance, in a rather rambling letter, World Sailing’s President Dane Kim Anderson provides a response to the criticism HERE.

Perhaps the International Olympic Committee can follow WS’s lead and change some other sports to spark them up. Perhaps we could have flippers in the swimming events or Oscar Pistorius type appendages on the runners or hang glider assisted long jump – the mind boggles.

There is a good opinion piece on the Sailing World web site on the subject HERE.

DBSC are running a Winter Championship Series.

The series will comprise up to 21 30 minute races with 3 races every second Sunday, starting 6 May and ending 29 July.

There is no cost to race just turn up. All are welcome, including visitors from other clubs.

Other arrangements  are;

• 8am launch for 8.30am start
• Course is triangle, sausage and upwind finish
• 5 minute starts with Radials & 4.7s start at 1 minute and Standards at zero
• Same start and finish line
• Races run by rostered DBSC volunteers
• 30 boats have indicated participation so far
• There will be a perpetual championship trophy that the winner can display at their club until the next series

The main Laser events coming up are listed on our web site under the Events tab.

If you know of other events which may be of interest to the wider Laser sailing community then please let us know HERE.

The main NSW & ACT Laser District events for next season are;

We are starting to think about events for 2019/20 season so if your club has an interest in hosting one of our events please contact us HERE.

Entry offers for the Laser World Masters Dun Laoghaire Ireland 7-15th September 2018 have been sent to all 33 active Australian applicants. The list and status is HERE .

The event web site HERE has lots of information.

Olympian and Medal Winning Olympic Coach Rory Fitzpatrick has documented the expected conditions on Dublin Bay HERE and radial master Sean Craig gives good advice on what sort of race gear to pack for the variable Dublin weather HERE.

Hunters Hill Sailing Club, supported by BoatCrewGear.com and BoatRopes.com.au are delighted to present the 2018 “Pleasant Sunday Morning” Winter Race Series.

Come along and enjoy the winter sailing on the waters adjacent to Hunters Hill Sailing Club.

The Race Series is open to all off the beach dinghies, and will be raced in mixed fleets along yardstick speed ratings in a relaxed racing environment. Canteen facilities will be open for competitors, families and supporters.

Race days are 6th May, 3 June and 5 August 2018 and entry is $44.00 per boat for the series.

More information is HERE and you can enter HERE .

Daniel Costandi 4.7 Winner

The NSW & ACT Metropolitan Championships were held over the weekend of 17-18th March at Drummoyne Sailing Club. DSC is a fabulous club with a great rigging area and on and off water facilities.

There were 77 entries for the event over the three fleets – 4.7 – 20 entries, Radial – 33 entries, Standard – 24 entries.

The regatta was in two parts with a gentle 9-12 knot easterly on Saturday followed by a boisterous 18 gusting to 30 knot north westerly on Sunday.

RO Col Chidgey set the sailors some challenges. Considering the tight race track defined by the west harbour islands and the many moored craft Col opted for journey courses rather than our normal trapezoid (essentially windward and return courses). There were two days of starboard rounding courses. This combined with restrictions on sailing inside moorings (including very many with little more than a small red float to mark them) lead sailors to refresh their knowledge of RRS rules which we seldom need to consider in our events. Some sailors managed the new situations and environment better than others.

Five races, of the scheduled six, were completed – two on Saturday and three on Sunday.

Zoe Thompson clear Radial Winner

The 4.7′s were dominated by Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (RSYS) who comprised 11 of the entries and the first five places. Daniel Costandi won all three of the breezy day races and won from Jack Ferguson who won both of the light wind races. Third was Sylvie Stannage who as well as RSYS also sails from adjacent Hunters Hill Sailing Club.

The Radials were dominated by the fabulous trio from WA lead by Zoe Thompson who won counting three first and one second place. Fellow WA sailors Elyse Ainsworth was second and Jacinta Ainsworth third. Jack Littlechild from RSYS and Double Bay SC was 4th and first Under 19 and Henry Otto from the same clubs was 5th and first Under 17.

In the Standards Nic Skulander from Woollahra SC counted three bullets in a convincing win from Oskar Hansen and Zac Skulander both from Middle Harbour ASC. Oskar was the first Under 21.

The full results of the event are HERE.

The DSC did a great job in staging this regatta. Thanks to DSC Commodore Grant Wakefield, Sailing Manager Peter Robinson and Col Chidgey and their teams for a great regatta.

There are some terrific photos of the event by Peter Robinson linked below. Just click the thumbnail to see the photo full screen.

• Saturday photos
• Sunday photos

This year ILCA proposes seven rule changes concerning fittings, mast sleeves ropes and future rule change voting method itself.

You can see the detail of the proposed changes, none of which are particularly contraversial, by clicking on the survey link HERE. Voting can also be accessed through a link on the ILCA website www.laserinternational.org

Voting on 2018 ILCA Rule Changes began on 7th March 2018 and will conclude on 7th September 2018. All members of any Laser District may vote – one vote per member.

ILCA encourages members to have their say on these rule changes so we can be sure that the rules reflect the opinion of members around the world.

The Metropolitan Championships are coming up on the weekend of 17-18th March at Drummoyne Sailing Club.

The Notice of Race is HERE and entries can be placed  online HERE or on Saturday 17th at the club. Entry is $60 or $30 for sailors under 21.

Current Sailing Instructions for the event are HERE. Change already incorporated into SI’s is HERE.

Drummoyne Sailing Club has great facilities and offers viewing of the race track in most breezes. The club’s web site HERE  has information on the club’s dining and facilities. The club is located at 2 St Georges Crescent Drummoyne. Google Map location  HERE.

This will be a fun venue with racing around the islands in the more traditional triangle, windward/return format.

There is good rigging area however car parking in the area is tight. Recommended parking is in the large adjacent Birkenhead Point Centre. Birkenhead parking information is  HERE.

Entries are open for the 2018 Oceania & Australian Laser Masters Championships run by the Maroochy Sailing Club  and sailed from Mooloolaba between 9-12 February 2018.

This will be a cracker of an event and not to be missed.

The Notice of Race for the event is HERE. You can enter online HERE.

For masters sailors who are planning to enter the next World Masters event at Dun Laoghaire, Ireland (7–15 September 2018) this event will be one of your last chances to gain entry ranking points (see HERE).

The event web site is HERE.

Following the ALCA AGM and the gathering of views on the timing and length of the Laser Nationals (Oceania & Australia Laser Championships) the ALCA Committee have decided that the following arrangements will prevail for next (Tasmania 2019) and, as far as possible, subsequent Laser Nationals events.

• Measurement 1^st January 2019
• Measurement and Test Race 2^nd January
• Races 3^rd to 8^th January (6 days 12 races)

These dates and arrangements for the 2019 event, to be run by the Mersey Yacht Club Devonport, will be formalised shortly in the usual way via the Notice of Race. This  will be a combined Open and Masters event.

The timing for the 2020 event to be hosted by the Victorian District is fluid at present as arrangements are finalised for the National/Regional and International events planned for Melbourne and Geelong in that year.

ILCA has announced the entry opening and closing dates for the following 2018 World Championship events.

Applications for entry for the following will be accepted from Tuesday, 9 January through to Tuesday, 20 February:

• 2018 ILCA Laser Radial Men’s World Championship (7)
• 2018 ILCA Laser Under-21 World Championships (11)
• 2018 ILCA Laser 4.7 Youth World Championships (16)

Applications for entry for two other events will be accepted from Thursday, 1 March through Thursday, 12 April:

• 2018 ILCA Laser Radial Youth World Championships
• 2018 ILCA Laser Masters World Championships

Once open entries can be placed on the ILCA web site HERE.
ILCA advises that if you don’t apply by the respective closing dates you may have little chance of receiving an entry offer.
ILCA set Australian entry targets for the events which are open are shown in brackets above.

As per ALCA policy  Australian entries will be ranked according to placing in the Oceania & Australian Laser Championships 2018  except for the Masters Worlds entries which will be ranked as per the process linked on the ALCA web site HERE.

Zac Littlewood Radial Champion.

The Oceania & Australian Open Laser Championships run from Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron at Manly concluded on 4th January. Eleven of the scheduled 12 races were completed after one full day of racing was lost due to light and variable winds.

In the 75 boat Radial fleet Zac Littlewood WA won six of the eleven races for a 6 point win from New Zealander Josh Armit. Josh is the current World under 17 Laser Champion and was 4th in the Laser Radial Youth Worlds in Medemblik, Netherlands. Yoshihiro Suzuki from Japan was third.

In the Women’s event Manami Doi Japan currently World rank 6th won from Zoe Thompson WA and Marlena Berzins NSW. Manami was 8th overall in the Radial fleet.

Michael Compton WA was a comfortable winner in the 4.7′s with five race wins. Wonn Kye Lee from Singapore was the runner up  from Boston Cortis NSW. With a record 62 4.7′s entered in the event competition was fierce.

Tom Burton and Matt Wearn in Close Company

As expected Matt Wearne WA and Tom Burton NSW were in close company both around the race track and on the scoreboard in the Standards.  Each won four races however Matt finished up just three points ahead of Tom after the eleven races. Mitchell Kennedy QLD had two wins and consistent places to finish a clear third.

There is a more detailed write-up of the series from QLA HERE.

You can see the results for the 4.7′s and Standards HERE  and the Radials HERE . The event web site is HERE.

Sail Sydney for the Olympic classes concluded on Thursday 14 December. Sailed from Woollahra Sailing Club the regatta saw good sailing conditions.

Congratulations to Marlena Berzins for her win in the classy Radial Fleet. After a win at Sail Melbourne two weeks ago Tom Burton only managed a 5th in the Standard Rigs after one black and one U flag. NSW & ACT State Champion Finn Alexander was 8th in the strong local and international Laser Standard fleet.

In a closely fought series RSYS sailor Jack Ferguson won Sail Sydney in the 4.7′s. Jack was just two points ahead of Boston Cortis with Ryan Littlechild third.

Sail Sydney results are HERE.

A short video highlights clip is HERE.

In 2017 there were four rule change proposals put forward before the International Laser Class Association membership for vote. All four changes were approved by more than two-thirds of voting members in addition to being approved by the ILCA World Council, the Advisory Council and World Sailing, all of which are required in order to modify class rules.

The four rules will apply from 1 January 2018 are:

1 Electronic Compasses
Rule 22 was changed to allow the use of certain electronic digital compasses that are not GPS Enabled. ILCA will maintain a list of approved compasses on the ILCA website as an interpretation to the Class Rules.

Click here to see electronic compasses approved for use after 1 January 2018 

2 On-board Cameras
A new Rule 28 was added to allow the use of cameras while racing.

3 Shock cord inhaul attachment
Rule 3(v)vi was amended to read “A shock cord may be used as an inhaul on the clew.” This change removes the restriction on where the shock cord can be attached in the inhaul system.

4 Cleat in Hiking Strap Control Line
Rule 17(c) was changed to allow the use of one cleat and one turning point in the hiking strap support line. The cleat and turning point must be “free floating” and may not be attached to the hull or the hiking strap.

The 2018 Oceania and Australian Open Laser Championships will be held between 27th December 2017 and 4th January 2018 at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Manly Queensland.

This Championship is the only Regatta used to rank Australians applying to enter Open, Under 21 and Youth ILCA Laser World Championships in 2018. If you wish to qualify for these events from Australia you need to participate in this event. This event is also a 100 point World Sailing event presenting a great opportunity to gain world ranking points for Australia and all other Oceania Laser sailors closer to home.

This will be a fabulous event run at one of the best sailing venues on the planet.

The Notice of Race for the event is HERE. Standard entries closed at 16.30 on 1st December 2017. Late entries which have an additional $100 fee are now open. Entries can be place HERE. Links for boat measurement booking, event countdown and the regatta web site are HERE.

If you want some practice for the big event at RQYS then the QLA Metropolitan Championship is on 9-10th December. Entry and NoR are HERE.