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 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.
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