Friday August 5 2011

The St. Francis Yacht Club kicks off the Laser Masters Worlds today, the third and last of a series of Laser Events hosted at the club over a three week period. The Masters fleets, divided by age, are comprised of seasoned Laser sailors from 35 to over 70 years old, who according to the Laser Class page, want competitive fleet racing but “recognizes that while your mind is still young, your body might not still be there anymore with the twenty-somethings.” At the Worlds level the top competitors may beg to differ. They stay in tip top shape in order to control and maneuver their light boats up and down the breezy course in each very intense 60 minute races.

This particular event, which hosts 240 sailors from 25 countries in seven classes on two side by side race courses, requires an extensive amount of coordination among the 246 volunteers for shoreside registration, launching, race management, and safety. Registration began today and continues through tomorrow . The first race will be at 1100 Sunday August 7th, and the racing will through Saturday August 13th, with a lay day on August 10th.

The 2011 LaserFest schedule at the St. Francis Yacht Club:
Laser 4.7 Worlds: 7/26 - 8/2; racing will commence on 7/28
Heavy Weather Laser Slalom: 8/4 & 5; this is a fun heavy weather event just off the deck of StFYC.
Laser Masters: 8/6 - 8/13 racing commences on 8/7, and 8/10 is a lay day. www.sflaserworlds.com for more info, and on Facebook: St. Francis YC - Racing

About the Laser
The Laser is a single-handed racing dinghy. The biggest attraction of the Laser dinghy is that is protected by the One Design class rules, which means that no changes are allowed to the boat unless they are specifically permitted in the rules. So in theory all Laser boats are the same whether they are brand new or 10 years old, making it the sailor who wins the race, not the boat. The Laser is a challenging boat that rewards athleticism, subtle steering and trimming techniques, as well as tactical excellence. It is a singlehanded Olympic class boat, also sailed at club, national and international levels. With nearly 200,000 boats in 140 countries, it is clearly the world’s most popular adult and youth racing sailboat.

One of the reasons the Laser is so popular the boat’s sheer simplicity. The two-part free-standing mast and sleeved sail make the boat easy to rig and its lightweight hull make it easy to carry and cartop.

The Laser Formula combines 1 hull with three different rigs: Standard, Radial and 4.7. Young sailors starting out in the 4.7 can move up in rigs as they grow physically and develop tactically, without the need to splash out on a completely new boat. The one-design protection also means that your Laser will never be outdated, which explains why Lasers have such a high resale value.
Finally, a strong class association which actively promotes and drives forward Laser sailing around the globe makes mass production of the Laser viable, keeping the cost of the boats and spares relatively low.



About the St. Francis Yacht Club
Founded in 1927, the St. Francis Yacht Club is steeped in over 80 years of yachting and racing traditions. From the beginning, the St. Francis Yacht Club’s membership roster has included many of the Bay Area’s most prominent citizens and greatest sailors. Early racers for the St. Francis included such champions as L.A. Norris, Mark Fontana, Myron Spaulding, Arthur Rousseau, Painless Parker and Lester Stone. Today, it is names such as Paul Cayard, John Kostecki, John Bertrand, Stan Honey, Morgan Larson, John Heineken, Genny Tulluch and Russ Silvestri who continue to keep the St. Francis name in the forefront of world-class sailing.

The annual regatta schedule at the St. Francis is one of the most active regatta calendars in the world.

Part of the attraction of racing at St. Francis Yacht Club is the excellent and challenging racing conditions unique to San Francisco Bay. Both physically beautiful and naturally demanding, the Bay provides a racer with the ultimate in wind, current and weather conditions for truly competitive, exciting sailing. The St. Francis Yacht Club prides itself on being able to provide members and guests to the Club with every comfort and amenity while dazzling them with its surroundings.


Paige Brooks
St. Francis Yacht Club
paigebrooks@gmail.com
415-409-8240