Australian RC Laser Sailors to compete in European Championships

The Australian RC Laser community is set to be represented by two Australian RC Laser sailors at the upcoming European Championships being held in Valenciennes, northern France, May 14-16. Valenciennes is a town of about 400,000 people on the Scheldt (French: Escaut) river.

RC Laser Sailors from Australia will compete in the 2016 European Championships

Alan Griffith, a regular RC Laser sailor at Dobroyd in Sydney, and Peter O’Grady, of the Paradise Radio Yacht Club on the Gold Coast, will be travelling to Europe to compete in the Championships in May. The experience of sailing in an international fleet will be something new for both of these RC Laser sailors.

The French organisers have recently advised that there are more places available for international entries to the European Championships. Australian RC Laser sailors interested in attending should contact info@radiosail.com.au

Both Alan and Peter will be travelling with suitcases loaded with promotional literature about the wonders of the Gold Coast, with the aim to entice a large contingent of European RC Laser sailors to enter the 2017 RC Laser Championship of Nations, planned for early November next year.

While there has not, as yet, been any Notice of Race issued for this big event, expressions of interest have been received from more than a dozen overseas skippers, as well as many Australian RC Laser Sailors.

For more information about the 2017 RC Laser Championships of Nations or the 2016 European Championships please contact info@radiosail.com.au

RC Laser Championship of Nations 2017 – Update

Greetings from Australia’s Gold Coast – the site for the 2017 RC Laser Championship of Nations.

RC Laser Championship of Nations 2017 - Gold Coast
RC Laser Championship of Nations 2017 – Gold Coast

Since we sent out our message last year we have received expressions of interest from USA, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and every mainland state in Australia.

It’s still more than 18 months before the series and we know that we will be receiving many more enquiries from overseas.

If you have not already done so, you can register for the 2017 RC Laser Championship of Nations now. Register Here

Our organising committee has been meeting regularly and we are pleased to report some major developments.

Firstly, the Australian distributor of the RC Laser, Cliff Bromiley, has offered to hire out up to 10 brand new boats. He is asking for a deposit of $200 AUD payable by October 2017. This is good news. Even better news is that the deposit is fully refundable to any overseas visitor who sails in the regatta. Cliff is asking that you bring your own sails and radio gear.

For any further information please contact Cliff at info@radiosail.com.au or contact us.

This offer must be limited to 10 boats so we suggest that you place your order as soon as possible.

The other good news is that many of our club members have offered free board and lodging to overseas visitors for the duration of the regatta.

We are certain that all visitors will enjoy their time here – even if they do not win the series.

Take the time to look at the following videos and show them to your family – but only if you realise that you may be opening a Pandora’s Box!
Gold Coast Australia = travel guide and must see attractions
Gold Coast – city video guide
Gold Coast Tourism Movie

If you have not already done so please register for the 2017 RC Laser Championship of Nations now.
Register Here

By Peter O’Grady, RC Laser Championship of Nations 2017 Organising Committee

RC Laser Sailing Central Coast

RC Laser Sailing Central Coast style

 

Rc Laser sailing Central Coast 1

 

 

Sunday afternoon RC Laser sailing on the Central Coast couldn’t have been better – the weather was great (apart from the wind); the venue was great and so was the company.  There was a fleet of 13 boats – great to have so many RC Lasers on the water! There was a lot of interest generated among the Central Coast sailors to try and get themselves more organised as a RC Laser fleet.

The forecast was for a north easterly breeze 20 to 30 kph from the middle of the day… it might have been that way on the beach, but it didn’t come through on the still water.

The course was 4 sided; if we were lucky, the start was into the wind, but swung around to a bit of a reach, then swung around to a following breeze on the approach to the first mark. There were some big rafts around that one! As you emerged, the wind appeared to be coming from the south east, so it was an initial work, but as you got used to that, you had to turn down to the second mark, then start a work up to the third mark. If you were lucky, the breeze held, and you could maintain your course; but most of the time it swung away further to the south to take you away from the mark. But everything was saved for the last leg – you just had to keep your boat moving – in any direction – then try to come back to the finishing line, and start over again. I think everyone was hoping for more solid wind to come in but it didn’t happen.

We sailed on the A sail all day – there was one B sail up, but I think it struggled more with the conditions than most of us.

To Graeme, Richard, Derek, Brian, Roman, Ivan, Mark and Tony Hill; I hope the day has encouraged you to get into more frequent RC Laser sailing together. You are all welcome anytime at Dobroyd. To the Dobroyd sailors, thanks for coming along for the day. Thanks to Kevin and Brian for hosting the day – well done; and thanks to Brian Lindsay for his enthusiasm for extending the class on the Central Coast.

Rc Laser sailing Central Coast
Boat retrieval Terrigal, Central Coast

Noel McPherson
RCL#65

RC Laser Racing – 2016 South Australia Series

The RC Laser racing series is off to a great start in South Australia.

The RC Laser racing series in South Australia will be sailed over 10 competitive races from February to November in 2016. Eight races will be sailed at Mawson Lakes, about 12km from the centre of Adelaide, and two races at Tiranna Way West Lakes, about 14kms from the City near Port Adelaide. There will be seven afternoon races and three morning races to provide a range of conditions. Starts are at 3.30pm at Mawson Lakes, but it’s recommended you get there early because races may start at 3pm if the water is clear of other boats. The afternoon racing will be completed within 2 hours. The points for the series will be over the best of six races for each participant.

RC Laser racing series dates

April – Sat 2nd Apr 2.30pm West Lakes
May – Tues 3rd May 3.30pm Mawson Lakes (Please be rigged and ready to start at 3pm)
June – Sat 4th June 9.30am Mawson Lakes
July – Tues 5th July 3.30pm Mawson Lakes (Please be rigged and ready to start at 3pm)
August – Tues 2nd Aug 3.30pm Mawson Lakes (Please be rigged and ready to start at 3pm)
September – Sat 3rd Sept 9.30am Mawson Lakes
October – Sat 1st Oct 2.30pm West Lakes
November – Tues 1st Nov 4pm Mawson Lakes

RC Laser racing series at West Lakes, SA
RC Laser racing series at West Lakes, SA

RC Laser 2016 SA Racing Series – Race Results

Race 1 Tuesday 2nd February – 1st Jurgen Luther, 2nd Mark Easton, 3rd Adrian Heard, 4th Linsay Sawyer, 5th Lou Lamberts
The concept of varying the time of day for Laser Series races got off to a good start on Tuesday. The trying conditions caught Adrian and others out, and Linsay looked very consistent with his C rig by comparison. Well done to Jurgen for leading the way and showing the rest of us that a B rig can be sailed such gusty and windy conditions. I’m still scratching my head as to how the old wizard did it. One thing I do know is that all of us bar Jurgen need to get competent at sailing downwind in those conditions with a B rig and without excessive nosediving (192 featured strongly here) if we are to do any good at all in the nationals in a stronger wind.
Incredibly four of us finished just 2 points apart. On count-back Mark claimed second spot, due to two excellent final races.

RC Laser racing venue – Mawson Lakes

Race 2 Saturday 5th March – 1st Jurgen Luther, 2nd Adrian Heard, 3rd Lou Lamberts, 4th Linsay Sawyer
Challenging conditions were the order of the day on Saturday morning, with all except our master mariner, Jurgen, floundering in some races. As if the heat rising to the mid 30s wasn’t enough, the second race descended into something of a farce as Jurgen and Linsay sailed very slowly eastwards and Lou and Adrian watched their boats wallow for 20 minutes at the western mark with no wind. Thank God there was a shady tree there to stand under. Lou put in a couple of respectable seconds in the very light airs of the first three races, before having battery problems in later races. Adrian and to a lesser extent Linsay struggled in the drifters, but once the light wind arrived in race 4, Adrian showed more ability to match it with Jurgen. Linsay again displayed how genuinely competitive he can be, and was unlucky to get into irons at the windward mark while at the front of the fleet in one of the later races.
Next race is 2.30pm Saturday 2nd April at Tiranna Way, West Lakes.

By Adrian Heard