It’s always fun to welcome a new sailor to our one design fleet. I am happy to share with you that Glen Marck has purchased a Laser from a neighboring fleet. Glen, the owner and skipper of the J105 Bottle Rocket, has sailed at a high level in club races as well as in many YRA of LIS events. Glen is adding the Laser to many years of fun sailing on a Wind Surfer and will bring a new level of competition to our Tuesday night Laser series this summer. Glen also mentioned that one of his big boat crews is looking at various Lasers currently for sale. As the Hempstead Harbor fleet (open racing to all on Tuesday nights) approaches the mid teens in number of boats, I thought you might be interested in a YouTube video from a Laser’s on board camera recording Tuesday night racing at Bristol RI.

Fleet members are getting their wet suits and dry suits out for preseason practice during warm spells later this spring. The wet suitors usually wait till May 1 (50 degree water) while the dry suitors start earlier. When racing starts mid-May we will be racing multiple windward leeward courses with an average race taking 15 minutes. Some have asked “why so short?”. The fifteen minute race has a start, multiple up-wind tacks on two course legs, two mark roundings and multiple jibes down wind, with all the tactics and rule situations which evolve in a close race, and all this with up to 15 boats participating. One can see this as an optimal way to sharpen critical racing skills demanded of competitive sailing. And then you do it all again 6 to 8 times on one Tuesday evening!

– Bill Banks