San Francisco Slalom COPYRIGHT and LIABILITY No Part of This Publication May Be Reproduced Without Prior Permission of the Publishers

World June 2011

1970’s

How to Get Your Boat Through Measurement

2011 San Francisco Slalom COPYRIGHT AND LIABILITY No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the publishers. The articles and opinions in LaserWorld may not represent the official views of ILCA. The publishers do not accept any liability for their accuracy. 2 TheThe StSt FrancisFrancis YachtYacht ClubClub HostHost toto thethe 20112011 WorldWorld LaserLaser 4.74.7 andand MastersMasters ChampionshipsChampionships

Located on San Francisco Bay, near the Golden Gate Bridge, StFYC is considered one of the finest racing destinations in the world and one of eleven platinum clubs in the United States.

The Club: Facilities for Sailors:

© Chris Ray With 2500 members hailing from ports The boat park will be located primarily around the world, StFYC is noted for at Crissy Field which is a short walk to Golden Gate Bridge its outstanding race management and the West of the St Francis Yacht Club, facilities. Host to national and world otherwise all regatta related facilities will championships, Olympic programs, be available at the St Francis clubhouse America’s Cup challenges as well as - from measurement to hosting the race high school and collegiate racing, StFYC committee and jury. In addition, the and San Francisco Bay together are clubhouse will also host the opening and considered one of the finest yacht racing closing ceremonies for both the Laser venues in the world. 4.7 and Master Worlds, as well as the StFYC promotes excellence in racing with midweek party the evening before the an extensive junior program, Olympic Lay Day during the Master Worlds. foundation, and one of the most active racing programs in the United States. Our Sailing Conditions: members are represented throughout all © Chris Ray levels of racing and classes, and many San Francisco is world famous for its Alcatraz have gone on to represent our country great year round sailing conditions. Cool in Olympic level and Grand Prix racing ocean waters off the coast couple with competition. high temperatures in California’s Central Activites for Families/Friends: Valley to create a strong afternoon Location: seabreeze nearly everyday from the The StFYC provides a front row seat beginning of March through the end of to watch the racing action which can The StFYC is located along the San October. In late July and early August be enjoyed from the main dining room Francisco City Front at the San Francisco the breeze typically begins to develop (serving both lunch and dinner), the Marina. The clubhouse fronts San around 10am, building through the day less formal “Grill Room”, the “Race Francisco Bay and affords commanding to peak around 6pm before beginning Deck” plus several other rooms in the views of the Golden Gate Bridge just to to back off. The direction is almost clubhouse. During racing days, several the West, Alcatraz Island to the East and always just South of West - the only activities are planned for partners of Angel Island and the Marin Headlands to question is the peak strength. It can be participants, ranging from yoga classes the north. The racing area for the Laser windy in San Francisco, peak breezes in to a champagne lunch. Those arriving 4.7 and Master Worlds will be just in front the mid-twenty knot range are possible, to the event early can partake of a true of the clubhouse offering spectators a though, on average, racers can expect San Francisco institution - an evening at spectacular front row seat. to sail in mid to upper teens. “Beach Blanket Babylon”. Possible tour Racing along the San Francisco City options are being offered for the Lay Front is also famous for its strong tides. Day of the Master Worlds, including the For further information on the To obtain a good working knowledge of Aquarium in Monterey, Muir Woods in St Francis Yacht Club go to: these tides please go to: Sausalito and a tour of some selected www.sflaserworlds.com http://www.sflaserworlds.com/article/6143 wineries in the Napa Valley. -San-Francisco-Bay-Knowledge ISAF Sailing World Cup - Final Leg Kieler-Woche in Germany has just seen sailors complete the Meanwhile ISAF are looking at rationalizing the final leg of the ISAF Sailing World Cup 2010/2011. This is the ISAF World Cup Series from 2013. 7th and last regatta of the series providing sailors some final preparation before the 2011 Olympic test event in Weymouth Overall Winners for 2010/2011: in August. LASER: The series will start again in November at Sail Melbourne. 1 Tom Slingsby AUS 3 Nick Thompson GBR Melbourne will be a popular venue as the Olympic circuit 2 Simon Grotelueschen GER 4 Javier Hernandez ESP prepares for the ISAF Combined Olympic Class World LASER RADIAL Championships held the following month in Perth where 75% 1 Marit Bouwmeester NED 3 Paige Railey USA of the Olympic country qualifying places will be decided. 2 Evi Van acker BEL 4 Sara Winther NZL

www.laserinternational.org 3 TheThe SanSan FranciscoFrancisco SlalomSlalom isis Back!Back! 20112011 SeesSees TheThe ReturnReturn ofof thethe FamousFamous LaserLaser SlalomSlalom

Where the Wild West meets salt water while racing do you get to hear your best - on San Francisco Bay - a 2011 grand friends howling in glee when you take a gathering of Laser Class sailors affords dose of saltwater up the nose? an opportunity too good to pass up. The Slalom works this way: Two parallel We’re going to revive a classic. The rows of buoys are laid to windward Time to go swimming! Laser Slalom is back. of the starting area. Two sailors start Colin Dibb, now of Fremantle, Australia one-on-one, each luffing nose-to a left © StFYC but originally from South Africa, tells us, side or right side bottom-most inflatable “When I first started sailing Lasers I saw mark. It is the sailors’ job to hold position a movie of the very first Slalom in San as best they can until the race committee Francisco, and I’ve wanted to do it ever sees that both are nosed-up evenly since.” (enough). Then a start is signalled. The A typical reaction. The Laser Slalom challenge is to tack up through your has returned before, from time to time, row of buoys, cross sides at the top (no sailed close under the windows of the St. hunting allowed), gybe down through Francis Yacht Club. But the heyday was the buoys, beat back to weather, cross the early years of the Laser class, when again, and hurry-up gybe to a finish at the fleet was building and the world was the bottom. Fast and Furious! new. Unlike a rodeo, the rider didn’t get It’s an eliminations ladder, so the extra points for a rougher ride. But the survivor (oops, winner; we meant winner) bigger the breeze and the steeper the advances. And while there is no absolute chop and the nastier the whitecaps (both guarantee of wind on San Francisco © StFYC sailors down at once, now, that’s a good Bay, there is a tremendous likelihood of look), the closer we came to a bronc- a seabreeze of 18-22 at the height of the buster’s notion of what is “classic.” day. Thirty knots can happen, and that’s The 2011 Slalom runs August 3rd - 4th, perfect. Forecast currents for 2011 are between the Laser 4.7 World heavy on flood tides, moving with the Championship and the Laser Masters current, which should flatten the water World Championship. In that prospect and make maneuvers easier. But with lies plenty of fresh meat for a fleet limited the current pushing, those gybes will to 32 entries, with slots still open. Slalom be coming up in a hurry, won’t they? courses are laid close to the beach, Past survivor-winners have included the and the course is configured to force likes of Olympic medalists John Bertrand hurry-up maneuvers. Under pressure, and Jeff Madrigali. The most recent good people go bad in conditions that winner was Abe Torchinsky at a 2008 would never otherwise trip them up. Slalom timed to a Laser North American The splashier the crash, the heartier Championship. the audience appreciation. Where else Slalom Antics!

Winner of Boat Competition Announced! We are delighted to announce that Conrad Rebholz from Spain, Sybilla Merian from Switzerland, Rupert from Germany was the winner of our competition to win Phillips from Hong Kong and finally Sarah Stubbs from a brand new Laser sailboat with the unique sail number the UK. 200,000. The competiton was run by the ILCA to celebrate the The eight runners up have been offered sail numbers continued growth of the Laser boat and the production 200,003 to 200,010 which have been reserved for the of 200,000 Lasers worldwide. sailors when they purchase a new Laser. The runners Congratulations to Conrad who was picked from nearly up were Jack Swikart from USA, Luigi Santocanale two and a half thousand entries and over seventy from France, Christian Demleitner from Germany, Maya countries. Podesta from Malta, Pablo Perez de Ascanio Gallego

www.laserinternational.org 4 Measurement How To Prepare Your Laser For A Championship

We speak to the Laser Class Chief Measurer - Jean-Luc Michon to find out what advice he has for sailors who want to pass easily through measurement during championships!

You are about to attend your first Does it take long to pass European or World championship. You must pass through measurement and through measurement? inspection for your boat and equipment. Measurement should take no more than The Laser is a strict one-design dinghy 5 minutes if everything is in order. Make where the true test, when raced, is sure you check the information on the between sailors and not boat and notice board to know how to present your equipment. boat ready for inspection. Remove all of your bags, including any foil and sail bags. This means that you can’t race a Laser Your boat should be presented with only Illegal traveller on deck where a change or addition has been one sail, mast, boom and set of foils. And made that is not permitted by the Laser always check that your mast sections are Class Rules. If your boat is checked straight to avoid rejection. during the regatta and is found with an illegal change or addition then the Jury As you get near the front of the queue has little option but to disqualify you from you will be asked to fill in a form with your the race. name, nationality and sail number. Jean-Luc Michon, Laser Class Chief Equipment with no Laser sticker will be Measurer answers the following rejected. Your sail will also be inspected questions: to ensure that your numbers and national letters are placed correctly on the sail. Women’s sails must have a red rhombus on both sides: look in the ILCA Handbook How should you prepare for or on the website for information about measurement / inspection? where to place sail numbers, sail letters and the red rhombus (http://www. laserinternational.org/sites/default/files/ First, think about whether you have made sail_numbers.pdf). If you borrowed or Illegal fitting any additions or alterations to the boat. chartered a Laser for the championship on traveller cleat If you have, then, look in the rules to your sail will have a different number than determine if it is allowed. the hull, you need to indicate this on the Ask the measurer in your country, or measurement form and get permission if that is not possible, talk to the Laser from the race committee to use an Class Measurer before or during the alternative sail number (at some large measurement. events, many boats are chartered, and competitors bring their own sails.) Please keep in mind that at some events there are more than 350 boats. At After your boat has been checked, you measurement it is your duty to inform the may be asked to rig it to see if everything measurer if you have made any changes. is OK with the control lines in position, and to ensure you don’t add any illegal equipment. What are the Measurers After that, the form must be signed by looking for? both the inspector and yourself. It is your Laser measurement is different to many responsibility to check that everything has other classes as the majority of the parts been stamped and/or signed. of the boat can be identified easily with the builders marks or stickers. So the What happens if you break Measurers will first look to see that you something or have to change have legal equipment. At championships a part during the regatta? you are only allowed to use one bottom section, top section, boom, sail, rudder, You must inform one of the race centreboard and hull, so each of these will committee, a member of the Jury or the be stamped or signed by the measurer. Measurer before the racing starts or Measurement Guide Next the Measurer will look over your between races. Simply telling your coach boat at the rigging lines, toe strap and the is not enough. As soon as you are back many other parts to make sure everything onshore, you must complete a form to is in line with the class rules. apply for permission to use replacement equipment, which must be approved and signed by the Measurer. www.laserinternational.org 5 News from Down Under Nick Page tells us all the gossip from NZ

Luis Leal de Faria, Measurer Central & South America offers the following advice on measurement. Sailors should question the following: Measurement only gets difficult when a boat has something that is not easy to H How many lines and how many turning identify as legal in the class rules. points are in each control system? The most common errors/problems are: H Are the lines rigged the way the class rules say they should be? H Not having a mast retention line, either at measurement or, later, on the water; H Are the battens legal, do they have their tops and are they within the length limit? H A top section which is bent; H Are the sail numbers and letters placed H The angle of the leading edge of the correctly on the sail? rudder in excess of 78 degrees; H Outhaul blocks at the gooseneck too far In case of any doubt at all about class from the centre of the gooseneck bolt; Illegal hiking strap rules compliance, sailors should contact bungee attachment a Class Measurer. If a boat is OK, H Hiking strap with two loops at the aft measurement will only take a few minutes end, one for the supporting line and - and all the stress will soon be gone. the other for the shock cord; H Illegal traveller rigging.

Rudi Ratsep, Measurer for North America says:

At events where the boats are provided Batten length is the next most prevalent most of the scrutiny is focused on the sail issue and most often happens because and how the boat is rigged, assuming that the sailor has assumed the manufacturers the hull, spars, foils all conform to class measured correctly and do not check the measurement rules. Discrepancies are battens themselves. It doesn’t take long sometimes discovered and the affected to check and it is far easier to trim your part either replaced or modified to adhere battens at home rather than scraping to measurement. Straightness of spars will them on a rock at the regatta venue. be checked at all events. Some other issues do crop up under the Line up for measurement At events where the competitors are “line” category. Most are inadvertent and allowed to provide their own equipment eagerly remedied by the sailor, some the entire boat will be scrutinized, are deliberate but ignorantly incorrect or looking closely for evidence of repair or designed for convenience and very few modification. Foils will be checked for are blatant breaches. My advice to sailors thickness, angle, length and width. Spars is do not try to get clever, use the provided will be checked for length and fitting attachment points and replace provided placement and top sections will be verified lines and hardware with similar obviously to be water tight. Any area of repair or accepted equipment. You may also wish to refinishing will get extra scrutiny. Very infrequently you come across a review the pictures on the In my experience by sheer volume the deliberate attempt to turn a Laser or its ILCA website with illegal number one issue is correctly placed sail equipment into something that is not a number and country code letters. Within Laser. I urge those sailors to stay at home. equipment: that issue most problems occur due to http://www.laserinternational. not spending an adequate amount on Just like the sailors, the measurers want time applying them. When using angled the measurement process to be over org/info/illegalequipment numbers and letters it is very easy to quickly and painlessly. It is a long and misplace the port side digits due to tiring day scrutinizing up to 200 boats. You can also refer to the measuring from the leach to the upper I ask the sailors to bring their ILCA Measurement Manual which Handbook to all events and spend some end instead of the lower end, thereby not can be found on the ILCA adhering to the 400mm clearance. Many time reading it. Time can be found waiting more misplacements occur on sails that to board the plane, train or automobile. It website: doesn’t take that long to get a grasp of the have been done by someone other than http://www.laserinternational. the sailor. At least an hour should be terms and intentions of the measurement allowed for applying numbers/letters, rules and the better the sailors understand org/info/measurementmanual I allow 1.5-2hrs when doing my own. them the easier it will be on everyone.

If you are interested in becoming a measurer, please email Jean-Luc Michon at: [email protected] www.laserinternational.org 6 More Fun Racing From The Bridge by Jeff Martin © Cathy LuvMyBoat.com Verco

How do you like your Laser racing? more time afloat not racing than racing! Lots of short, dynamic races (20 We could call these ‘Non-useful Time’ minute sprints) or a few long, (NUTS) and ‘Useful Time, (UT)! endurance races (60 minute long distance)? How to convert ‘Non-useful Time’ My early Laser sailing was amongst national championship fleets of up to more ‘Useful Time’? to 175 boats all in one start! Then My suggestions for discussion are; we used gate (rabbit) starts and 1.5 nautical miles (2780 metres) legs with 1. Reduce race leg lengths to races lasting between 1.5 to 2 hours maximum 0.5 nautical miles and be racing only one race a day. They were flexible in course configuration and long beats but the downwind was a angles providing most of time is chance for a rest … not like today. sailing true windward and square Now my Laser racing is two races run legs. in an afternoon at a local club each This would allow a course area to be between 30 to 50 minutes. The shorter moved much closer to shore and races give more mark roundings and more course areas to be fitted in close emphasise the importance of knowing to the shore. Save at least 1.5 hours what phase of a wind shift you are in of NUT. As a consequence of the on any part of the course at any time. smaller course areas close to the shore; Make a mistake and its hurts a lot more © Thom Touw on a short course but at least you get 2. Reduce the number of boats in a a chance to correct the mistakes in race to maximum 25 the next race. Club racing may not 3. Have 2 or 3 course areas close be a good comparison to a national to shore, each with two fleets on the championship and higher level regattas course means 150 at one time racing. but changes to more races of shorter duration are also happening at higher 4. Different course areas for different levels. How far can they go? rigs (Standard/Radial/4.7) and/or age or gender. In both forms of racing the starts and first leg are critical. In a very big fleet As a consequence of a smaller fleet; if you are not in the top 10% at the first 5. reduce the start signals to 2,1, GO. mark you were buried for the rest of With a pre warning of 5 minutes for the race and condemned to sailing in a the first start. washing machine of wind and water for the rest of the day! In a small fleet on a This would mean easier to set a short course there are only one or two straight line, less recalls and faster wind shifts up wind. Get it right and you turn around. are in control. Get it wrong and you can So we end with the same 4.5 hours still get clear wind and you do not lose time spent but we could have 3.5 touch with the lead. That means you hours dedicated to racing which are (hopefully) better positioned to take could give 7 x 20 minute races plus advantage of a tactical mistake by the a 5 minute break between each and © Thom Touw leaders! still be back on shore with an hour A big fleet needs a big course area. saved! The current practice for a fleet of 80 Other benefits include being able to + boats is a race area of about 1.6 wait on shore longer until conditions are nautical miles. If you can find a good good, family and friends and waiting Comments/ suggestions good and area of that size the centre is often 2 sailors can follow racing from the shore. bad to Jeff Martin subject MORE nautical miles from the shore. That More variety and therefore hopefully can be 45 to 60 minutes from the shore FUN RACING email: more fun. plus delays for getting the start line [email protected] correct for a big fleet with a recall, say I have not had the privilege to witness or try it and report back! 20 minutes, plus the sail home and Collegiate sailing races. However from you end up with at least 2.5 hours of what I read I may be very close to one non racing time afloat. In summary of the foundations of sailing in USA.