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NoR and Entries for Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championships

Matt Wearn current Australian & Olympic Laser Champion – photo by Jesus Renedo

The 2023 Oceania & Australian Open and Youth Championships will be held at Georges River Sailing Club on Botany Bay 1-8 January 2023.

After the disappointments of cancellation of the event scheduled in Fremantle, WA in 2021 and 2022 it will be great to stage these championships in 2023.

Botany Bay is a great venue for big sailing events with lots of open water and clear winds. The club is near to the airport and the surrounding suburbs have lots of accommodation options.

There will be great lead up events with the NSW & ACT Laser State titles at Wangi A.S.C. on Lake Macquarie in November 2022 and Sail Sydney on Sydney Harbour from Woollahra S.C. 13-18 December 2022.

The Notice of Race for this event is Here.

Entries can be placed $350 until 30th November 2022 Here and may be accepted with an additional $80 late fee after that date.

Charters will be available from NB Sailsports and Performance Sailcraft Australia.

 

Matt Wearn current Australian & Olympic Laser Champion – photo by Jesus Renedo

Places Available for ILCA 4 & 6 Youth Worlds

Places are available for ILCA 4 (Vilamoura, Portugal) and ILCA 6 (Shoreacres, Texas USA) World Youth Championships. Due to COVID these Youth Worlds events were cancelled in 2020 and Australians were prevented from travelling to the 2021 events. For 2022 we will have sailors back on the starting line.

ALCA has worked with Australian Youth sailors to optimise the big fleet tactical regatta experience at ILCA World Championship events since 2009.

A big part of that has been assuring teams utilise Australian coaches who bring those World Championship experiences back to Australia. The experience gained at ILCA Youth Worlds is not only transformative for young adults, but also for the standard of sailing back home.

ALCA is delighted to advise that Annie Eastgate has been nominated by Australian Sailing as Australia’s ILCA4 Youth Worlds Championship coach travelling to Portugal in August, Brody Riley has been nominated ILCA6 Youth Worlds Championship coach travelling to Texas. While these positions are subject to respective team forming and fundraising ALCA is optimistic that both teams will be competing with coaching support.

Over the years ALCA has worked with hundreds of families, dozens of teams and sponsors to finance coaches. Work has begun for our 2022 Youth Worlds Teams:

  • ILCA 4 Youth World Championship regatta 9-20 Aug 2022, Vilamoura Portugal. Pre-regatta and regatta coaching proposal dates are 19-30 July 2022. Australian Sailing and ALCA are discussing team coach support.
  • ILCA 6 Youth World Championship regatta, Shoreacres Texas USA. Pre-regatta and regatta coaching proposal dates are 19-30 July 2022. Australian Sailing and ALCA are discussing team coach support.



Applications for these and all other ILCA World Championships can be placed on the ILCA web site at https://sailing.laserinternational.org/public/site/event-list.

Laser Newsletter History Collection

Rob Lowndes has put together a collection of Laser newsletters “Lasernews” starting with the first in September 1974 through to the last in 2007. This gives a superb account of the history of the class in Australia and especially in the NSW/ACT District.

As a Laser 50th anniversary project Rob has had the Lasernews scanned and now posted on the NSW & ACT Laser web site at http://laser.asn.au/?page_id=4946. There is some background Here.

Rob has included a handy headline guide for each edition so you can browse though Laser history by subject as well as timeline.

In compiling this collection and the guide I suspect that Rob has spent many hours combing the newsletters so, if he wasn’t before, he is by now the foremost source of factual Laser legend in the land.

Thanks to Rob for his work on this project and even greater applause for the authors and editors who compiled the newsletters over the years. Also thanks to Paul and Yoko Hargan who managed to collect and collate these pieces of history.

New Australian Olympic ILCA 6 and 7 Coaching Line Up

The Australian Sailing Team made changes to their coaching line up for the Paris 2024 campaign.

The team is under recently appointed High Performance Director Iain Brambell OLY.

Carolijn Brouwer and Ben Walkemeyer will join forces to coach the ILCA 6 squad.

Brouwer, the new National ILCA 6 coach, represented the Netherlands and Belgium at three Olympic Games in three different classes. Most recently she has been coaching the Australian Sailing Futures Program Nacra 17 squad.

Brouwer said “I feel really strongly about developing a strong squad culture that not only helps the girls advance their skills on the water, but also helps them grow as people off the water.”

WAIS coach Walkemeyer has been appointed as the Assistant National ILCA 6 coach. He was one of four sailing coaches included in the most recent AIS Elevate Athlete2Coach program, in-part for his work with the Australian Sailing Futures Program ILCA 6 squad.

Spaniard Rafa Trujillo who coached Jake Lilley to a 7th place finish in the Finn class at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is the new National ILCA 7 coach. The role was vacated after three-time Olympic gold medal winning coach Michael Blackburn was appointed as Australian Sailing Technical Director last year.

The full Olympic class coaching line up is Here.

Australian Laser Masters at Westernport

The Australian Masters is on at Westernport Yacht Club in Victoria 25-28 February 2022.


Entry links, documents, updates and results for the event will be on the Australian Laser app. Select 2022 Laser Masters Australian Champs in National & District Events.


The Australian Masters will be preceded by a two day coaching clinic 22-23 February. Information on the coaching clinic is Here. You can enter for the clinic ($150) Here.


Information on PSA charters for the Masters event ($1,000) is Here.

ALCA AGM 15 December 2021


The ALCA AGM will be held via Zoom on Wednesday 15th December 2021 at 11.00am AEDT (Vic, NSW, ACT, Tas) 10.30am ACDT (SA) 10.00am AEST (Qld), 9.30am ACST (NT) 8.00am AWST (WA)

Meeting ID 706 776 2418 PC or Mobile https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7067762418

By phone 08 7150 1149, 02 8015 6011 or 03 7018 2005

This meeting is normally held in person at the Australian Open & Youth Championships which unfortunately this year have had to be cancelled. All members are welcome to attend.

The agenda and reports are Here.

AS Youth National Camp – April 2022


Australian Sailing has announced a National Youth Camp shortly after the completion of Youth Sail Victoria in April 2022. The Vic Youth Champs event 16-19 April 2022 will act as the selection event for the Australian Youth World’s team for 2022 and for the National Youth Camp sailors. The Youth Camp itself will run from 20 – 23 April 2022.

The four-day camp will comprise guest speakers, education sessions, class based technical coaching for two days and individual and team problem solving challenges. It will be based at Royal Yacht Club of Victoria for on water activities and around the camp accommodation within the city of Melbourne for off water activities.

For further information, please contact Lesley Fasala – Performance Pathway Coordinator Lesley.fasala@sailing.org.au or Ash Brunning – Performance Pathways Technical Manager Ashley.brunning@sailing.org.au

New World Masters Ranking Policy from 2023

ALCA has changed the ranking arrangement for ILCA World Masters Championships to apply from World Masters 2023 which will be held in Pattaya, Thailand in February.

The new ranking policy Here is based on results from the previous Australian Laser Masters Championships.

This policy is much simpler than the previous ranking policy issued in July 2017 which factors results from six World National and State Masters events. The new ranking regime is facilitated by the change to Australian Masters from 2022 all being stand-alone Masters events held in rotation between the eastern states.

With its adoption the ranking of sailors for all ILCA World Championships (Open, Youth and Masters) will be consistent and based on performance at the respective Australian Championships.

In summary ranking for May 2022 World Masters in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico will be based on results of the previous two World, National and State Masters events as per the existing policy Here. For the February 2023 World Masters in Pattaya, Thailand ranking will be based on the results of the Australian Masters February 2022 Westernport YC as per the new policy Here.

ILCA will open applications for 2022 World Masters Championships for ILCA 7 on 1 December 2021 and for 2022 WMC for ILCA 6 on 11 December 2021.

Vote to Change ILCA Constitution



The International Laser Class Association proposes changes to its Constitution and needs a 2/3rds majority vote to bring this about.

The Constitution needs to be brought into the 21st century, to reflect the new naming and class builder arrangements and to reform the representation and voting rights on the ILCA World Council and modernise its governance.

Information about the proposed changes and a link to the voting site are available for the next six months on the ILCA website Here:

This is a non controversial change and a yes vote is recommended.

Apprentice Masters Age Range Extended


ILCA has just announced that from 2022 the Apprentice Masters age range will be extended from 35-44 to 30-44.

ILCA says that it is excited about this change, which for the first time gives sailors under the age of 35 the opportunity to join the ILCA Masters World Championships and to enjoy the unique atmosphere of that fleet. All other Masters age categories will remain unchanged.

The new age range will apply for all ILCA District, Regional and World events including the upcoming 2022 Australian Masters at Westernport and the 2022 Masters World Championships in Mexico.

ILCA says that while it does not expect this change to dramatically increase the number of Apprentice entries in events it believes that by being more inclusive and “broadening the tent” to allow more adult sailors to enjoy Masters events it will attract more interest in the ILCA class from both grass roots and former competitive ILCA sailors looking to get back into our great sport.

The Boat That Ian Built

Early Laser Regatta association Island NY


An interesting short movie (28min) from 1974 has come to light. It tells the Laser story of Ian Bruce and Performance Sailcraft the company which which he originally formed to produce and market it.

“The movie has fantastic footage of one of the first ever big fleet Laser regattas held at Association Island, New York on Lake Ontario across the lake from Kingston (with Ian Bruce competing!). The movie has interviews with Ian, Bruce Kirby, and Laser sail designer Hans Fogh along with shots of Lasers being produced in Ian’s factory.

You’ll also see amazing footage of Hans Fogh helming the prototype Laser in an October 1970 regatta held for boats under $1000 at the Playboy Club at Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. It was called ‘The America’s Teacup Regatta’. Ian and Hans decided to call the prototype the ‘Weekender’ with sail number TGIF, the abbreviation for ‘Thank God It’s Friday’.”

The movie is from the National Film Board of Canada archive Here

COVID Restrictions for Community Sport


With the sailing season coming up you might be wondering what are the COVID restrictions applicable. The situation is fast changing and different for each state and varying between local government areas within states.

Australian Sailing has a page with information and links to the latest health orders. You can click the box on the right to get the rules for community sport in your state.

The Australian Sailing page is Here.

Cancellation of Australian Open & Youth Championships 2022


With regret due to ongoing uncertainty about travel logistics and border closures it has been decided to cancel the Laser Australian Open & Youth Championships 1-8 January 2022 in Fremantle WA.

We considered delaying the event to later in 2022 however there is no guarantee, with the strict stance taken by the WA Government,  that  this will be possible. ALCA COVID policy requires that sailors from all states and territories can travel quarantine free to and from the event for it to be the National Championship.

In place of 2022 Australian Championships we invite each district to run and event or designate an existing planned event, as the ILCA World Championship selection event. The results from these district events will be interleaved and scaled for size to rank sailors for 2022 ILCA World Championships.