This is the web site of the ILCA Australia. We are the peak organisation co-ordinating the activities and supporting sailing of ILCA dinghies in Australia. Our members are the state based districts which directly provide events, training and information for over 2,000 ILCA dinghy sailors in Australia.
We are co-organisers of the annual Australian Open and Youth Championships which are run on rotation by state districts. The Australian Masters Championships are run in rotation between the east coast mainland states. The rotation sequence is:
| Year | Open & Youth | Masters |
| 1-8 January | ||
| 2021 | No Event | No Event |
| 2022 | WA (Fremantle SC – cancelled) | Vic (Westernport YC) 25-28 February |
| 2023 | NSW & ACT (Georges River SC) | NSW & ACT (BSC Port Stephens) 10-13 March |
| 2024 | SA (Adelaide Sailing Club) | Qld (RQYS Brisbane) 12-15 April |
| 2025 | QLA (RQYS Brisbane) | VLA (Westernport YC) 21-24 Feb |
| 2026 | Tas (RYCT Hobart) | NSW & ACT |
| 2027 | Vic | Qld |
| 2028 | WA | Vic |
| 2029 | NSW & ACT | NSW & ACT |
You can see the ILCA national and international calendar of events, governance and contact information as well as class news on this site.
About the Laser/ILCA
The Laser was designed by Canadian Bruce Kirby. Over 200,000 Lasers have been built since it was first launched at the New York Boat Show in 1971. You can see all about the origins of the Laser here and there is a 30 minute YouTube video here.
In 2019 the Laser was renamed ILCA as part of a strategy to introduce additional class builders necessary to retain Olympic class status under a World Sailing edict. The Laser Standard is now ILCA 7, Radial is ILCA 6 and 4.7 ILCA 4. There are now nine class builders distributed around the world using ILCA supplied moulds.
The ILCA hull is 4.23 metres long, with a waterline length of 3.81 m. The hull weight is 56.7 Kg and the ILCA 7 has a sail area of 7.06 square metres the ILCA 6 5.76 sqm and ILCA 4 4.70 sqm.
The ILCA is a strict one design boat. All aspect of its design and construction are controlled by agreements between the licensed manufacturers, the International Laser Class Association ILCA and World Sailing.
The Class is administered by the ILCA which is headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA. The ILCA also manages the running of the many international Laser events. There are around 14,000 members of ILCA and over 40,000 sailors of Laser/ILCA dinghies in 120 countries around the World.
ILCA Australia co-ordinates the activities of the seven state based ILCA districts in Australia. These activities include the running of the National Championship and National Masters Championship which are held annually at venues in each state in rotation. There are over 700 sailors affiliated with Australian ILCA Districts allowing them to compete at State, National, Regional or World Championships and more than three times this number of sailors who sail ILCAs at local and club level.
ILCAs are included in national and state youth championships and are very actively sailed by men and women in all age brackets at club, district, national and international levels. The Laser/ILCA has been used in the Olympics for men in the Standard Rig/ILCA 7 from 1996 (Atlanta) and for women in the Radial/ILCA 6 from 2008 (Beijing).
All the information about the Laser is in the ILCA Handbook which you can view online or download here.
The ILCA Formula
By changing only the sail and the lower mast the ILCA can be sailed comfortably in all wind conditions and provide exciting but controlled sailing for any sailor weighting as little as 45kg. The ILCA Formula is a 3 rig option that has been adopted by a number of sailing schools as a simple and economical way to keep sailing in all winds and reduce the amount of “down time”.
The ILCA 4 uses short pre-bent lower mast to maintain a balanced helm and a sail area that is 35% smaller than the ILCA 7. It is ideal for learning to sail or for the lighter weight sailor graduating from a Optimist.
The ILCA 6 is the next step up. It uses a more flexible and slightly shorter lower mast together with a sail area 18% smaller than the ILCA 7.
The ILCA 6 has a large following with national and international regattas and World Open & Youth Championships attracting as many countries and competitors as the 7. As well as a strong following amongst lighter weight sailors the ILCA 6 is also used for youth, women & masters racing.
Many countries including Australia now support full ILCA Youth programs. The ILCA runs World Youth Championships in ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 often with over 400 competing in each class. World Sailing uses ILCA 6 for its World Youth Championships.
ILCAs can be sailed well over a wide range of body weights. The wind strength and skill and fitness of the sailor play a part in determining the most suitable rig for the ILCA. The table below gives an idea of the most suitable weight ranges.
| ILCA Sailor Weight | ||
| kg | Ideal | Typical |
| ILCA 4 | 55-65 | 50-65 |
| ILCA 6 | 65-75 | 60-80 |
| ILCA 7 | 75-85 | 70-90 |