6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world WINTER 2017

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1 6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world

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5 Offi cial publication of the International Laser Class Association North American Region US Postal Service: Please return undeliverables to: ILCA-NA 2812 Canon Street San Diego, CA USA Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement # Please return undeliverables to: Bleuchip International PO Box London, ON N6C 6BC Editors Sherri Campbell & Jerelyn Biehl ILCA-NA Officers Andy Roy Chairman 15 Claudette Court Peterborough, ON K9J 7Y7 Canada Meka Taulbee Vice Chairman Dunedin, FL USA Eric Reitinger Treasurer 7908 Normandy Drive Mt Laurel, NJ District Contacts...6 President s Report...8 New Composite Mast Announcement...9 Starting Strategies...10 Regatta Reports European Masters Championship...12 Fat Boyz Regatta...14 US Master NA Championship Event Schedule...21 District Reports Calendar...29 Why Join the Laser Class?...30 Membership Applications...31 John Long Secretary 4707 Sierra Madre Road Santa Barbara, CA jlonginsb@yahoo.com Al Clark Member at Large 337 E 6th North Vancouver, BC V7L1P al.clark@shaw.ca Sherri Campbell Executive Secretary 2812 Canon Street San Diego, CA USA phone: fax: sherri@odmsail.com 6 continents, 122 countries - the biggest adult and youth racing class in the world Cover photo: Another great shot by Jan Anderson from the North American championship of Canadian Jack Bruce from Mississauga, Ontario. 5

6 26 HAWAII District 1 Claire Sears clairesears1@gmail.com District 2 Philippe Dormoy, 385 Place Desmarest, Ile Bizard, Quebec, H9C 2G Philippe_dormoy@steris.com District 3 Nigel Heath ; nigel_heath@manulife.com D3 website: District 4 Brigitte Smutney, Sail Manitoba; Pacific Ave. Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2Z sailing@sportmanitoba.ca District 5 Mark Lammens 510 Cynthia St. Saskatoon, SK S7K 7K , sasksail@sasktel.net District 6 Andy Hunt, W 8 th Ave Vancouver BC V6K 2A , hotline: athunt@vcn.bc.ca District 7 Judith Krimski Laserd7@gmail.com District 8 Frank Seckler laserd8@gmail.com 6 District 9 Peter Bushnell Cazenovia, NY peter.bushnell@carrier.utc.com District 10 Eric Reitinger 7908 Normandy Dr Mt. Laurel NJ Er4599@gmail.com District 11 Jon Deutsch 3422 Blithewood Dr, Richmond VA , jon@laserdistrict11.org District 12 Stanley Hassinger stanley.hassinger@gmail.com District 13 Michelle Davis laserbrain2@hotmail.com District 14 Britt Drake cbdrakelll@yahoo.com District 15 Griffin Orr Griffin.orr@me.com forum/?fromgroups#!forum/txlaser/ District 16 Tim Fitzgerald, 2322 Bromfield Circle Wichita KS 67226, TIMFITZ875@gmail.com District 17 John E. Coolidge, Jr., 1113 Hanover St Chattanooga, TN jc@chattprint.com District 18 John Shockey johnrshockey@gmail.com District 19 Ken Swetka Koerber St., St Claire Shores, MI District 20 Sean Lennon spatricklennon11@gmail.com Facebook: Laserd20 District 21 Matthew Thompson D21.sec@gmail.com D21.laserforum.org District 22 Kurt Hoehne, 524 N 67 th St Seattle, WA kurthoehne@gmail.com District 23 Geoff Hurwitch Geoffh437@yahoo.com District 24 Stephen Aguilar 1809 Brier Way, Carmichael, CA sailsteve55@gmail.com District 25 Jorge Suarez, 7 Covina Ave Long Beach, CA jorgesuarez0@yahoo.com Groups.yahoo.com/group/nalaserdistrict25 District 26 Guy Fleming, Olina St. #6 Kaneohe, HI , guynsyd@hawaii.rr.com

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8 President s Report Happy New Year to all NA Laser sailors! Perhaps the biggest news of late that effects the Laser Class is decision by World Sailing (WS) to maintain the Olympic classes from the Rio 2016 Games for the 2020 Games in Japan. In its recent state of the union address at the annual WS meetings, very positive comments were made about the Laser Class as it easily maintains its position as the de-facto number one class, both in terms of participation at the Games by fleets sizes and thereby nations competing, and also by gender participation due to the inclusion of both the Radial and Standard rig classes. The week following the WS meetings the ILCA held its annual World Council Meeting over three days at a Heathrow airport hotel. My impressions as I left the meeting were very positive about developments within the Class. The initial day of the meetings covered technical issues, with presentations by the Class Technical Officer, Clive Humphris. During the year preceding Clive visits the Laser manufacturing facilities and he undertakes comprehensive and detailed measurements on a large sampling of randomly selected hulls, spars and blades. The data from Clive s 2016 inspections show remarkably close measurements and tight tolerances across the samples. Both builders produce hulls within the same very narrow range for hull weight, mast rake, spar deflection and various other measurements. This is, of course, great to see. The second day covered discussion and agreement on wording on proposed rule changes that will go to the Class members for vote early in One of most significant rule change proposals will be to allow the use of an electronic compass that can also have an integrated timer function. There is also a proposed rule change to allow a floating clam cleat on the hiking strap line designed to enable easier strap adjustment and a tension setting that will hold and not gradually slip as is often the case with the current loops and line friction systems. Considerable discussion also centered on the now approved composite top section, which is common for the Standard, Radial and 4.7 rigs. I just learned 8 from Laser Performance that the new section will be available in NA by the end of February. From the considerable testing done with the new section, including on-the-water testing performed by top sailors using both the aluminum and composite section, there is no reported performance difference between the two. This means there isn t any urgent need to rush out and buy one if your current section is fine. The advantage with the composite section is of course durability, as it s designed not to have any permanent bends to hopefully end the frustration many have experienced with the aluminum version. Another presentation and discussion at the meeting was to review a revamped and modernized ILCA web site. I ve seen the sneak peek and it looks great. I m told the new site will be ready to go live very soon. In my North American region report at the meeting, I presented some of the excellent entry numbers we saw at various events in NA Class membership is down just slightly from the year previous, which is often the case in an Olympic year. I also reported that our most significant issue in North America is that dealers (and thereby sailors) continue to have difficulties obtaining new sails and certain Laser parts. I was assured by the LP representative at the WCM that the parts issue is no more and all dealers should be able to buy whatever is needed. He did, however, concur that they are behind in getting new sails to the dealers, but he assured us that this issue will be remedied in the very near future. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all NA Laser sailors, and I hope you can get south (unless you already live there) for a winter Laser regatta.

9 Laser Class Announces New Composite Top Mast The class legal composite mast will be available in early December 2016 The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) is pleased to announce the release of a class-legal composite top mast section that is expected to be available for purchase in early Because the new mast was designed with the exact same weight and bend characteristics as the existing aluminum upper sections, it will not provide a performance advantage but instead will eliminate the permanent bending problems associated with the aluminum spars. ILCA s policy regarding the introduction of new equipment is that it should always have the same characteristics as the existing equipment and that the new equipment should not give a performance advantage when raced alongside existing equipment, says ILCA Executive Secretary, Eric Faust. The composite mast definitely meets that objective. It s been tested by some of the top Laser sailors in the world and they all agree that they can t determine any difference while sailing. According to ILCA Technical Officer, Clive Humphris, The new top section has been rigorously developed and tested over the past six years to assure that it is a like-for-like part with the current mast. The advantage is that the new mast will be much more durable and won t be prone to permanent bending like the aluminum masts. ILCA President, Tracy Usher, agrees. I ve sailed with a prototype composite upper while training in a wide variety of conditions -- I couldn t tell any difference between having this spar on the boat or using an aluminum one. I sail the same way and the boat seems to behave the same way. Everything felt the same. This is going to make Laser sailing easier for everyone, adds Usher. Sailors won t need to carefully align their mast rivet when rigging or worry about straightening their masts after a day of heavy air sailing. It s going to be a big improvement for everyone! Because the composite mast is now a fully approved change to the Laser Construction Manual, there is no need for a change to the Laser Class Rules. As long as the mast is purchased from an approved Laser Builder or one of its authorized dealers, it will be legal for use at all ILCA sanctioned events. The new mast specifications have been developed in close cooperation between the approved Laser Builders, World Sailing and ILCA. Because the composite top section is class legal and it will not provide any advantage in performance on the water, neither ILCA nor World Sailing anticipate that the use of the composite mast will need to be restricted for any future events. If it is subsequently determined that the use of the mast needs to be restricted, this will be controlled by Notice of Race on an event-by-event basis. For more information contact ILCA: office@laserinternational.org 9

10 Starting Strategies BY VAUGHN HARRISON INTERNATIONAL SAILING ACADEMY Having a good start will allow you to sail in clear air, and carefully choosing where you start will help you get to a side with less interaction with other boats. Starting at the favoured end of the line is the obvious solution, but sometimes it s the result of the temptation of an early advantage rather than long term wind strategy and fleet mechanics. Part of the process of figuring out where to start is to consider the line bias and then plan where you want to go and consider where you think the fleet wants to go. Here are some conditions and start strategies you can utilize to get an advantage and win races. Starting at the relatively un favoured part of 1. the line: This works really well if the oscillations are big (10+ degrees) and you see the next shift coming. Without starting at the complete opposite end of the line, often you can choose which side of the majority of the group you want without having to give up a ton of lateral distance (leverage). This will allow you to not be in a congested area on the start line and sail in clear air toward the next shift. There is a risk that some shifts can have permanent damage. For example when the race starts in a 10 degree shift to the right it will favour the boat end of the start line by 10 degrees. If that oscillation lasts longer than 1/2 the beat, then the sailors that started toward the committee boat end could arrive to the left shift ahead of you. Bear in mind, if you start in the middle of the line on a 10 degree boat bias and it s a standard size line for 50 boats, you need to make up around 7 boat lengths. This condition is common in Biscayne Bay, Miami with the North West winds. The buildings will create enough re-direction in the wind to have a very shifty course. Start in the middle or ends if there s current 2. pushing down the course: Oftentimes the current and wind will push the fleet backward within the last 1 minute. The only people who have a good idea of where the line is are typically at the ends. Being in the middle, the only way to have a good idea of where the line is is by having a transit. If you know there s lots of drift backwards, then you can be sure that seeing your transit won t be a problem. Use the warm up time before your race to sit at the leeward gates and watch how fast you are drifting backwards, and calculate that into your final minute approach. Also make sure you are sitting bow out on the boats around you in the final approach to the line so that you can see the pin and boat. There is no point in beating the boats around you if you are all 3 boat lengths back from the line at go. Remember if there is even 5 degree bias to one side of the line on a normal length line for 50 boats, you are already giving up around 3.5 boat lengths by starting in the middle. That plus the 3 lengths you lost to line sag and you are looking at giving up 6.5 lengths at go. Take a minute to picture 6.5 boat lengths (27 meters 10 or 88ft). Now imagine someone you really hate losing to crossing ahead of you by that much. Start toward the middle if the current is 3. pushing everyone over the line. Don t gamble on the crowded ends. The more that people fight for a hole, the more forward motion they have. Avoid conflict with other boats and give yourself lots of space to manoeuvre. Also when the fleet drifts over the line, you will be harder to spot in the middle on those black flags. Start toward the middle if you are unsure 4. about where the fleet wants to go or if the line is fairly square and the course is not offering any hints of favoured side. If the pressure is down, it is not so advisable. (see #7 starting at the ends) At least this way you should have the chance to make decisions as the race unfolds. If the fleet splits, then you can herd one pack towards a side. Typically a midline start is not advantageous but can significantly reduce risk if you think the fleet and course are un-bias. A lot of really great sailors take this approach often. With fantastic boatspeed and good intuition, you can build your strategy around the fleet s reactions. 5. On a slightly pin favoured line with right side of the course favoured (or boat favoured/left side favoured): If in the previous race the winners came from the right side of the course, you assume most boats will want to go that way. There may be a thermal breeze or land there creating a favourable wind shift. If you think that everyone will try to fight for that side then depending on how favoured the side of the course is, starting at the pin, or leeward of the majority of the fleet can work well. This will allow you to get a lane on port avoiding the crowds closer to the boat and herd the fleet into the right side of the course. Why is being left of the fleet advantageous? Because you won t

11 struggle to find a good lane on starboard. You may not always be leading, but often in the mix. The further the leaders go to the right, the more it works in your favour. They will struggle to sail fast back to the windward mark if you tack to starboard leeward and ahead. This particular strategy worked well at the 2016 World Championships in Mexico, and can be used in other venues with persistent breezes. You like the right side of the course, but no one 6. tacks: If you have a great start at the boat and starboard tack is lifted, it s possible that no one will tack. Don t tack! Just the same as herding towards the favoured side of the course, it can also be useful to sail the fleet towards the unfavourable side. Being the windward boat only becomes advantageous once you become the leeward boat on the next tack. If people duck you early on, don t wait too long to protect your side. Tack into a good lane on port and hope you bring more boats with you. The key is sticking to the majority of the fleet, but if you like the right side of the course, then sail on the right side of the fleet. you have space to tack. Once you are ahead, you no longer need to be furthest to that side. If you start in the middle of the line in light wind, you re often going to end up ducking the leaders and heading towards a side for pressure and clear air. People at the ends can work their way into the middle and people in the middle fight for lanes on the sides. We saw this play out during several races at the 2015 Kingston Worlds. Often the top 3 boats from each end of the start line would race up the center of the course, tacking on shifts and pressure lines, whereas people from the middle would go to the corners and never be free to sail and tack on shifts. Increase your odds of a better first upwind by implementing the strategies described above. To do this, first evaluate the fleet motives and strategically relevant course facts. Then implement some of these strategies accordingly. Doing so with solid execution will set the foundation for a winning first beat. Start at the ends if the wind is light 7. More often than not when new pressure fills in it will give the people closest to the sides an advantage. In light air, if you start at the end, you can work your way back into the middle once 11

12 Regatta Reports 2016 European Masters Championship BY PETER SEIDENBERG I always check the regatta calendar for interesting Masters regattas in Europe. It s the international flavor that I enjoy. The premier event, the European Masters, for instance, is like a mini world championship, often with flag-raising at opening ceremonies and national anthem-playing for the winners at awards ceremonies, and it always runs over 5 days. Earlier this year, I had my eyes for a long time on this year s European Masters, October 21-27, in Hvar, CRO, but my hesitation evaporated when the word got out that next year s Masters Worlds will take place in close proximity to Hvar, in Split. Here was my chance to sail in Hvar and look over the Worlds before returning home. Hvar is a picturesque old town at the western end of a 50 mile long rocky and arid island of the same name, located in the Adriatic Sea close to the Dalmatian coast, with Split being the nearest big city. Split provides life support to the island of Hvar with its international airport and ferry service. The Organizing Authority for the regatta in Hvar was a tiny sailing club, called Zvir, too small for anything: boat storage, boat launching or official and social functions. Croatian improvisation was the solution. Boat storage was provided on the town square and on 12 the adjacent promenade along the C-shaped harbor; launching was done over the edge of the harbor promenade on 3 floating wooden ramps; official functions were performed in and in front of the town hall; the opening and closing dinners were provided in a huge resort hotel, 20 walking minutes away from the town hall. A total of 162 sailors showed up from 18 European and 4 non-european countries, including 1 from the USA, me. The 5 largest contingents came from ESP (31), FRA (27), SWE (26), GBR (17), and GER (15). The two scheduled races per day were sailed on trapezoidal courses, with the 74- boat Standard fleet on the outer loop and the 88-boat Radial fleet on the inner loop, 5 minutes apart. One discard was given after 4 races and two after 10. The race committee had at its disposal two race areas for different wind directions and conditions: open Adriatic waters for southerly winds, and more sheltered waters between some islands for northerly and higher winds. Day 1 offered perfect sailing conditions with SE and 2-foot waves for both races, but not without starting problems due to a fair ebb current that was not recognized by everybody, causing a couple of general

13 14 for the second. Naturally, racing took place between the islands. Day 5 challenged the sailors with the strongest wind of the regatta due to Bora conditions, a cold, dry, gusty NE wind barreling down from the Balkan mountains. It blew a sustained 20+ knots in the morning, causing a one-hour postponement on shore, but eased off a bit to just under 20 knots during the day to allow the completion of the last 2 races of the regatta well before the 3 p.m. deadline. All in all, this year s European Masters in Hvar was a well-organized, well-run, wellattended regatta in warm and clear water, sunny weather, and in winds between 10 and 20 knots throughout the regatta. What more would a sailor want! recalls and a few BFDs. Sailing in the open Adriatic in warm, crystal-clear water was a treat. Day 2 brought carbon copy conditions of day 1, only that it was sunnier and even more pleasant. Day 3 dawned with a strong SE sea breeze and breaking waves so that the race committee decided to move the race course to the more sheltered area between the islands. However, by the time racing got underway the breeze had started to ease and was down to at the end of the second race of the day. Day 4 presented us with a new wind direction of NE for the first race of the day increasing to NE

14 New Fleet Co-Captain Scott Pakenham Beaker takes Fat Boyz Regatta BY JOE BERKELEY The most coveted trophy in all of sport is upon the mantle of Scott Pakenham Beaker, the newly conscripted, err, correct that, appointed Co-Captain of the mighty fleet 413. Pakenham Beaker won two races on his march to victory. The Fat Boy trophy is a beautiful statue of Buddha, and Beaker took much of Buddha s advice to heart during his win. In Beaker s ear, the Buddha whispered, Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. Beaker did as instructed. Fewer than 12 months ago, our champion suffered a heart attack. He made radical lifestyle changes, embraced a healthier way of life and lost a significant amount of weight. Pakenham Beaker s scores in the series were 1, 8, 6, 8, 1, and 11. There were no throw outs in the series so his 35 points overall were enough to take the win. In victory, Pakenham Beaker was calm and gracious. As the new co-captain of Fleet 413, Beaker has numerous audacious ideas. He is hoping to purchase a pontoon boat to rally fleet morale and is hell bent on finding a covered trailer to take boats to Masters week in Florida. Once he arrives, he shall take up residence in said trailer. Peter Shope was in second overall. He too had a pair of bullets. Shope, who lives by the Buddha advice, What we think we become, was having an outstanding race five when he discovered, upon finishing, the he had rounded the gybe mark rather than the weather mark. He was not alone. In that race, half the fleet was scored DNF. Each of those competitors contemplated the advice of the Buddha, There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: not going all the way 14 and not starting. At the award ceremony, Shope was prohibited from receiving the second place trophy, engraved, First Loser because it has gone missing. Fat Boyz Founder Professor Mark Bear of MIT promises to use all manner of technology to track it down. The First Loser trophy is engraved with some of the most iconic names in all of sport: Dennis Connor, Paul Elvstrom, Big Ben. None of them ever sailed in the regatta, but since no second place finisher ever got the trophy engraved, Professor Bear just put some high profile names on the trophy in a shameless attempt to add to the Fat Boyz lore. Dan Neri finished in third overall. More importantly, he organized the regatta with his wife Karen. The Neri s beautiful yacht Scout was the committee boat with Paul Cronin and Lori aboard flying the flags. No one ever really owns Scout, a sweet Ray Hunt boat, each steward just take cares of her until the next North Sails employee becomes her keeper. Dan sailed a consistent series then won the last race of the day. Special thanks to Dan for making sure every competitor went home

15 with a handsome shirt. All of the top three finishers received Helly Hansen bags embroidered with the Fat Boyz brand. Mark Bear was fourth overall. North Sails newest employee Steve Kirkpatrick was fifth. Ed Adams, who had the audacity to arrive without Bodie, the greatest dog in Fleet 413, was sixth. Will Donaldson was seventh. Christine Neville who did the scoring was eighth. Chris Bollinger whose hard work is paying off was ninth. Bob Kinsman was tenth. Jeff Beckwith 11, Joe Berkeley 12, Oliver Moore 13, Brian Leaver 14. Alexander Runci from Mo Brown 15 th. Peter Hopple 16, Jack McVicker 17, Stephen I got the Comanchee tee shirt Kosacz 18, Alli Moffet 19, Scott Vogel 20, and Larry Colantuono 21. In two short weeks, the regular frostbite season kicks off. Co-captain Scott Pakenham Beaker has already started his reign by putting his best foot forward. That said, he s noted that between juggling soccer coaching and fatherhood there is a chance his marriage will not survive being a fleet co-captain. Not to worry. If he gets DSQ ed on the home front, fleet co-captain Jack McVicker, who happens to be a realtor, will find him a new home. As the Buddha would say, No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again Laser Masters ACCs & Orange Coffee Pot Regatta The Surf City YC (NJ) is pleased to be selected to host the 2017 Laser Masters Atlantic Coast Championship the weekend of June 3-4. Many Laser sailors will recognize this as the traditional weekend of the Orange Coffee Pot Regatta. In fact, in a unique arrangement, the Masters ACC will be held in conjunction with the 46 th running of the oldest Laser regatta in existence. The races on Saturday will count toward both events with the Masters returning on Sunday to complete their ACC. Early June is a wonderful time of year to sail on Long Beach Island good breezes, minimal boat traffic and the pre-season housing options are much more reasonable. Additional information and a NOR will be available soon. It is expected that Masters ACC registration will be through Regatta Network and Orange Coffee Pot-only registration will be through the SCYC website at For additional information, please contact Regatta Co-Chairpersons Rich & Sue Warren (warrens25@comcast.net) and long-time Laser Master supporters Newt & Marilyn Wattis (nwattis@verizon.net). Everyone in Fleet 413 sends good karma to Moose McClintock. He had a health hiccup and we hope the man who said, the Laser is the greatest boat of all time, is feeling better. THE TOP TEN SIGNS YOU ARE AT A MASTERS REGATTA By Joe Berkeley -A competitor bites into a Granola bar between races, cracks a tooth in two, spits it out, and keeps racing. -At the scoreboard, the most oft heard comment isn t who s winning, but Hey, can I borrow your reading glasses? -Failed first marriages are referred to as Hey, it s your throw out race. -New relationship is so pleasant it displaces pain of previous relationship. -Reentry into Laser class is impetus for healthy living. -Competitors don t do recreational drugs. They do yoga. -Everyone has been laid off at least once. On my first day, my boss said, we re all a family. Five years later, I said, funny, my mother never laid me off! -Advil is shared as if it is candy. -Some competitors have such poor vision, they can t really see the marks, but like a dog that goes blind, they use other senses to find their way around the race course. -Everyone has a road bike and goes for a ride when there is no wind. 15

16 2016 Masters US National Laser Championship BY JOE BERKELEY For three days, the sky in Marblehead was slate gray, but the results of the 2016 Masters US National Laser Championship were crystal clear. Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Sailing Center threw out a three to win the Standard rig regatta with a total of 11 points. For awhile, it looked like he was building a picket fence with his gaudy scores of (3), 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 3. Ernesto had great speed, great tactics, and his level of fitness served him well. He s one of those athletes who has muscles in his knuckles. But even Ernesto was challenged by the conditions. He hit himself in the head with the boom and had to shake it off to keep sailing. The number one headshot photographer in the world Peter Hurley took a break from jet setting to finish second overall. He overcame a black flag in race four and was mighty pleased with his finishes of 2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 2. Hurley called his overall performance a Shabang! which is the declaration he makes for stellar results in the photo studio or on the race course. Tim I-love-Cross-Fit Law hopped on a plane and crossed the pond from the UK to finish third overall. He sailed consistently and enjoyed the competition and the camaraderie. Law believes in the transformational power of sport, and has noted that it is not the result but the pursuit of the result that really matters. Law led a contingent of UK sailors who opted to visit Marblehead rather than compete in Europe. The group was duly impressed by the ambience as well as the fare at the breakfast institution known as The Driftwood. In fourth place overall, Brian Fisher became stronger as the event progressed. A part-time trainer and full time fitness enthusiast, Brian believes that in sweat there is salvation 16 Photo by David Robison and a sound body can propel the mind forward. On the last day, he said, Today I over achieved and I am pleased with my performance. The US Nationals was a true international event. Benoit Meesemaecker won the first race of the series and finished fifth overall. He wanted to charter a brand new boat. When none were available, he accepted the fleet scribe s frostbite boat and won the first race, proving once again that it is not the boat that determines the outcome of the Laser regatta, but the sailor. The President of Sail Newport, Steve Kirkpatrick finished in sixth overall. He enjoyed the big breeze on Saturday that topped out just below 30 miles per hour. The Water Rats from Canada came down south and enjoyed the sailing. The top finishing Rat was Ray Davies in seventh who campaigned Finns and Lasers in the past. The only thing he wanted from the event was to have his beloved Toronto Blue Jays beat the Red Sox. The locals offered their hospitality, but declined to offer the Blue Jays luck. In 8 th overall, Marc Jacobi had three races in the top three. At dinner, he shared stories of his two Olympic campaigns and discussed the sacrifices such a campaign requires. While Jacobi is an RS Aero enthusiast, he was born to sail a Laser, and when he has his A-game on, he is long and rangy, trimming and hiking with enthusiasm while wearing a hat that is so ugly it makes Andy Roy s lumberjack chapeau look handsome. The cyclist/sailor JB Braun was one of 25 local Marblehead boats on the line. He finished in ninth overall and went home with a bullet in the final race. Braun has a superb power to weight ratio and when the conditions are to

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18 his liking he has exceptional boat speed. A North Sails computer guru, Braun is modeling virtual reality that shows sailors how sail trim effects speed in real time. When it was time to decide where to put Comanche s mast, Braun made the call. Ken Read said words to the effect of, If that s where JB says the mast goes, that s where the mast goes. The position is very far aft like on a multi hull. Thus far, Comanche has broken a variety of records. Glen Dickson rounded out the top ten and represented Bay Head Yacht Club well. He went home with memories of his fourth as his best race, which is quite an accomplishment in a fleet this deep with talent. In the radial fleet the man of Iron, Peter Seidenberg added more silver to his groaning mantle. Seidenberg, who is on the cusp of his 79 th birthday, won the regatta with a 3, 4, 2 1, 10, 8, 8, (13), 3. Not one to rest on his laurels, he was packing up to attend the European Masters Championship. Fans holding the feature story about him in Sailing World mobbed him for autographs. James Libel of Coconut Grove Sailing was second overall in the radials. He had two bullets and enjoyed the sporty conditions. All of Christine Neville s time training on Third Beach landed her upon the podium. She finished the regatta strong with a pair of bullets. Never one to be intimidated by a strong breeze, Christine was thrilled with the gusty conditions on Saturday. Close behind Christine in fourth overall, Al Sargent of the St. Francis Yacht Club had three bullets. When the conditions were wet and windy, Sargent felt like he was at home on San Francisco Bay. overall. Tim Woodford from Brooklyn Marina took seventh. Scott Collinson of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club was eighth. Jamie Carter was ninth, and Paul Clifford of Westwood rounded out the top ten. While there were more than 100 boats at the regatta, President Andy Roy is not one to take the success of the Laser class for granted. To wit, he noted that the new composite top section is class approved and the builders have the go ahead to make them. Now that the new sail and top section are class approved, Roy is turning his focus to the development of a new lower. All of the competitors were grateful for the work of the RC, the regatta officer Patrick Andreasen who put a year and a half into creating the event, Housing Chief Tom Dailey, and judges led by Nancy Glover. Special shout out to Big Ben Richardson who broke his gooseneck on day one and joined the RC for the rest of the regatta as an ambassador. If there were a debate to decide who had the most luxurious accommodations, it would still be raging. Every competitor who asked for housing received a bed. Peter Shope was molly coddled in the lap of luxury with all of the creature comforts including a bathroom that featured a vast collection of fruity soaps. Not only did Shope look handsome with a new haircut, he also smelled like fresh fruit. More than one sailor noted that the renovated Eastern Yacht Club is the most beautiful clubhouse they had ever seen. Downstairs boasted washers, dryers, showers, changing rooms, and ample open space for a skipper s meeting. One of the most famous Water Rats of all time, the great Nigel Heath from Toronto gnawed his way to fifth overall. He sailed with consistency, all of his finishes were a 4, 5, or 6 with the exception of his throw out. Dancan Whitrow from Britannia Yacht Club was sixth 18 Upstairs at the fancy dinner, the club bent the dress code rules more than a defective lower section to allow those in tee shirts to enjoy the fine food, Rumson s rum, and Bent Water Brewery Beer. Joe Berkeley is an amateur sailor and a professional writer, photographer, and director. His work is at joeberkeley.com. Photos by Phil Smith

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21 2017 Schedule Regatta Standard Radial Laser 4.7 Masters World Championship ISAF 200 points Split, Croatia Sept Medemblik, NED Women: Aug Youth: Aug Men: Aug Nieuwpoort, BEL July Split, Croatia Sept NA Championship 40 GP pts. ISAF 100 points Royal Vancouver YC Vancouver, BC June Royal Vancouver YC Vancouver, BC June Royal Vancouver YC Vancouver, BC June Buffalo Canoe Club Rideway, ON August Canadian Championships 30 GP pts. ISAF 50 points CORK Kingston, ON August CORK Kingston, ON August CORK Kingston, ON August Wabanum SC Edmonton, AB August US Championships 30 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 2 West District 22, 24, 25 West District 22, 24, 25 West District 22, 24, 25 CGRA Cascade Locks, OR July 7-9 CORK 30 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points Kingston, ON August Kingston, ON August Kingston, ON August na Midwinters East 30 GP Pts. ISAF 100 points Clearwater, FL Feb Clearwater, FL Feb Clearwater, FL Feb Davis Island YC Tampa, FL Feb Midwinters West 30 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points California YC Marina del Rey, CA March California YC Marina del Rey, CA March California YC Marina del Rey, CA March na Miami OCR ISAF 200 points Miami, FL (men only) January Miami, FL (women only) January na na Atlantic Coast Championships 25 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points Carolina YC Wrightsville Beach, NC May 6-7 Carolina YC Wrightsville Beach, NC May 6-7 Carolina YC Wrightsville Beach, NC May 6-7 Surf City YC Surf City, NJ June 3-4 Pacific Coast Championships 25 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points Ventura YC Ventura, CA June 9-11 Ventura YC Ventura, CA June 9-11 Ventura YC Ventura, CA June 9-11 Gulf Coast Championships 25 GP Pts No Coast Championships 25 GP Pts Great Lakes Championships 25 GP Pts Corpus Christi YC Corpus Christi, TX June Corpus Christi YC Corpus Christi, TX June Corpus Christi YC Corpus Christi, TX June TBD TBD TBD na District 18 District 18 District 18 Ithaca YC Ithaca, NY July

22 District Reports District 1 Claire Sears Nova Scotia Hello Sailors! It has been a productive fall with lots of Laser sailing while the weather was still warm (and also once it got cold). Sailors were on the water as late as November 20 th. The RNSYS hosted their annual Fall Dinghy Regatta once again. Top finishers in each class are: Laser Radial: 1. Matti Muru 2. Liam Bruce 3. Ryan Anderson Top female: Clara Gravely (5 th overall) Laser Standard: 1. Dan Mosher 2. Dan MacMillan 3. Kevin Pallard This event was also held in conjunction with a Canadian Youth Sailing training camp in preparation for the upcoming Youth Sailing World Championships in New Zealand in December. The camp was successful with sailors coming from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Ontario being coached by Olympians and national team members. Best of luck to all North Americans selected to compete in this regatta, but especially to District One s Lauren Sullivan, who will be representing Canada in the Laser Radial class! One final announcement is the creation of the Skull Island Race Team. This is an informal dinghy sailing team based in Shediac, New Brunswick. Its aim is to establish organized training times for sailors of all ages to participate as well as facilitate getting more athletes to more regattas in the Maritimes. This is the first team of its kind in the province and it is very exciting to see the encouragement of Laser sailing in the region! The official launch will be in July of 2017, but in the mean time you can check out their Facebook page (of the same name) or contact Dave Cripton at davecripton@gmail.com for more information. Now D1 sailors are either loading up the trailers for Florida or packing boats in garage for the winter. Over the next little while, the focus for many will be fitness so that they are ready to hit the water when the time comes. Happy gymming and happy sailing! District 3 Nigel Heath Ontario Once again the boats are packed away for the winter and all is quiet at the sailing club, except for a few hard core guys that look for any warmish opportunity to go for a sail. Sure I like warm weather, but I also enjoy all the out-door activities that a good cold winter provides. Winter goes a lot faster when you have outdoor sports that you can look forward to each weekend, just as we look forward to hitting laser regattas on summer weekends. So hopefully we have a really cold winter this year with loads of snow (has he lost it?) so that winter activities are available on our doorstep, or at the sailing club on the hard water. So instead of spending weekends binge-watching old episodes of The Office or the Walking Dead 22 get out of the office (or house) and become a part of the walking alive and take part in outdoor winter activities. Assuming the ice is thick enough, the Water Rats Sailing Club (and other clubs) offer lots of outdoor winter activities: go for a long walk on hard water, come down and pat your sailboat, go ice skating, hockey, cross country skiing and if you are an adrenaline junkie (or a little crazy) you can try snowkiting, kitewing skiing, ice sailing on the ice. We will be doing snow kiting lessons at the Water Rats if the ice conditions are suitable. Follow all this with a hot chocolate in the warm clubhouse and a BBQ. Yes, the Water Rat club house is warm in the winter. So get out there, stay healthy for the next sailing season and do your body some good, but don t fall through the ice. We better all enjoy winter before global warning eliminates these activities here in southern Ontario...hopefully not I hate bingewatching old TV shows! We are starting to put together the regatta schedule for 2017, so if your club wants to hold an event let us know and we will get it on the schedule. Once again we expect an extremely busy summer sailing season. Already scheduled are the Canadian Championships in Kingston August 10-13, 2017, followed by CORK Aug and people are thinking about the Standard and Masters Worlds in Split, Croatia in September. We will be looking for training events leading up to Masters Worlds. Hope to see you out on the ice this winter. District 4 Manitoba, CA Brigitte Smutny After a record mild fall all boats are put away and we are waiting for some snow in Manitoba will be a busy season for our Laser sailors with the highlights being Sail West from July 13-16, 2017 at the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club and the Canada Summer Games from July 28 - August 4, 2017 at the Gimli YC. The Laser District 4 Championships will be tagged on to Sail West. The NOR will be finalized shortly and can be found with the 2017 training and racing schedule on our website (Photo: Anthony Clark - gold medal for Westman at the Manitoba Games) District 5 Mark Lammens Saskatchewan Canadian Masters Championships are at Wabamun SC on August 18-20, Great hosts with an International Race Officer. We are guaranteed square courses and marks properly set. For those that think up down courses are boring, if the course is square on the downwind, passing happens!!, if not then it is follow the leader like we used to have on the old style triangle courses with the reaches Dick Degner series events will be the AB Icebreaker Regatta at Calgary YC, Saskatchewan Championships at Redberry, Canadian Masters Championships at Wabamun SC the Short Course back at Redberry and the AB Champs at?????. (to be determined). Paxton, Bussin and Nagy are the 2016 winners and will be reflected on the Dick Degner. Congrats. Thanks to the host clubs for their support for our laser events is a Canada Games year with the Sailing at Gimli, MB. Sail West is at Lake of the Woods July District 6 Andy Hunt Vancouver Greetings to all District 6 sailors, volunteers and coaches. By the time the Winter editon of The Laser Sailor is received by District 6 sailors, the sailing season will have come to an end. There were regattas in September, October and November. For those of you who won t be sailing during the winter months, I hope that all of you are at least do something else that you enjoy. The first regatta that I will report on is the Fall Dinghy Championships. The Fall Dinghy Championships is the last dinghy regatta that the Royal Victoria Yacht has on its calendar. This year it was on September 24 and 25. Sailors arrived on Saturday morning to complete registration, prepare boats and talk to other sailors. The AP flag went up due to lack of wind and (unfortunately) stayed up all day Saturday. The weather itself was nice and mild and sunny. Due to no racing, dinner was served a little earlier than normal. After dinner, the sailors (and others) were treated to a presentation by Victoria based paralympic sailors Bruce Millar (2.4 mr) and Jackie Gay and John McRoberts (Skud 18). The wind cooperated on Sunday as the RC managed to get in five races. The Lasers (18), Laser Radials (26) and Laser 4.7 (1) all raced on a course near the Oak Bay Marina. The wind came from the north at about 5 8 knots with puffs up to 10 knots. The left side of the course was favored for most of the day but if you went too far left, you could hit some shallow rocks with your centerboard which happened to at least one sailor. Sailors from the Royal Victoria Yacht Club were scored first, second, third and fourth in the Laser Standard Fleet and scored 6 out of the top 8 places. In the Laser Radial Fleet, eight of the top ten sailors came from the lower mainland. Benji McMaster dominated the Laser Radial Fleet scoring first in all five races. Results: Laser Standard Max Gallant, RVICYC, 7.00; Ian Elliott, RVICYC, CYC, GSC, SALSA, 9.00; Robert Britten (Master), RVICY, 10.00; John Owen, RVICYC, Laser Radials: Benji McMaster, RVANYC, 4.00; Alec Coleman, WVYC, 11.00; Justin Yuen, RVANYC, 17.00; Makena Shepard, RVICYC, 18.00; Luke Rushton, RVANYC, 20.00; Luke Vincent, RVICYC, The second regatta that I will report on is the Pumpkin Bowl Regatta. This regatta was held at the West Vancouver Yacht Club on October 15 and 16, Both the Laser Standards and the Laser Radials had nine races in total while the Laser 4.7 sailors were only scored in three races. I did not attend the regatta so I don t know why there was a difference in the number of races in the different fleets. There were three Laser 4.7s, five Laser Standards and twenty-four Laser Radials. The fact that the Laser

23 Radials outnumbered the Laser Standards in not that unusual in District 6. Here are the results: Laser 4.7 Adrian Conn, NSST / SYC, 3; Cam Foster, RPSA, 10; Griffin Williams, WVYC, 12. Laser Standards Jorge Yanez del Castillo, JSCA, 8; Grahan Brown, RVANYC, 15; Branden Bugden, RVANYC, 31; John Williaams, RPSA, 32; Keona Wishart, HSC, 48. Laser Radials Benji McMaster, RVANYC, 11; Maura Dewey, RVICYC, 14; Alec Coleman, WVYC, 20; Matthew Stanagahan, WVYC, 34; Kit Stoll, SeattleYC, 37; Justin Yuen, RVANYC, 53. The third regatta was the Bluenose Regatta. For the first time, the Bluenose Regatta was part of the BC Sailing Circuit. The number of types of boats meant that there had to be two separate courses. Fortunately, the Laser Standards and the Laser Radials were on the same course. There were four races on Saturday and two races on Sunday. The wind on Sunday was light enough at the beginning to justify a postponement of about an hour. There were 15 Laser Standards and 22 Laser Radials. There were no Laser 4.7s. Results: Laser Standards Max Gallant, RVICYC, 6; John Owen, RVICY, 10; Jorge Yanez del Castillo, JSCA. 17. For those of you who are interested, there were 6 Laser 4.7s, 46 Laser Standards and 47 Laser Radials scored in the BC Sailing Circuit. The top three sailors in the Laser 4.7 class were: Adrian Conn, NSST / SYC, Griffin Williams, WVYC and Seth Rushton, RVANYC. The top four sailors in the Laser Standards were: John Owen, RVICY, Adam Sorenson, RVICY, Max Gallant, RVICY and Jorge Yanez del Castillo, JSCA. The BC Sailing Circuit consists of 11 regattas and sailors throwout their three worst scores. There is talk about having a Masters division in each of the BC Sailing Circuit regattas for 2017 and scoring the Masters separately. Planning for 2017 is taking place. The big news is that the 2017 Laser, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 North American Championships will be held at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on June For Laser Master sailors, this means that there will be an opportunity to compete in three regattas in a row on the west coast (D6 and D22). The first regatta (as mentioned) is the 2017 Laser, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 North American Championships. The second regatta is the annual WAVES Regatta. This regatta is hosted by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club on June 30 to July 2, The third regatta (GORGE, D22) is the 2017 US Masters on July 7 9, I hope to see some of you on the water in Please don t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions and / or comments. District 7 Judith Krimski New England Helios, the god of sun blessed District 7 this summer filling our days with warm breezes and sunny days. With the coming of September Helios was usurped by god Zeus who rained down Wicked pissah Nor Eastahs! sorely testing the stamina of many a Laser sailor. While some fell before Zeus s trident blow others flocked to the challenge. Most notably, 120 sailors competing in the Masters U.S. Nationals at Eastern Yacht Club, Marblehead MA. The week preceding showed Zeus s stamina as day-after-day he pummeled the coast with heavy winds and chilling rain. By regatta time Salem Bay was a roiling cauldron of raging seas and wind bringing on a few grim faces but overwelmingly a Let s do this! attitude. In the end the Laser sailors won some for just making it through all three days and some in competition, but a larger lesson was reinforced for the master sailor, in the end participation and camaraderie are what s most important. And don t forget the great stories! In other parts of the District sailors in Marblehead, Cedar Point, and Hyannis among others were enjoying the competition of weekly club racing. Weekly fleets are the meat and potatoes of Laser sailing in NE and this writer can t say enough about all the hard work fleet captains put in to keep sailors motivated. In Marblehead, a few years ago after complaints about sloppy rules enforcement, the fleet began counting penalty turns and recognizing those who performed them as a thank you for self-policing. In a new twist, the top penalty turners were awarded a prize of an apple pie. At the Ponce de Leon Regatta in September the top circler was youth sailor Robert Phipps from Duxbury, MA seen here among the other top finishers. Big D7 congratulations to two of our members: Peter Seidenberg, first legend (age over 75) and 10th overall out of 88 Radials at the 2016 Laser European Masters in Hvar, Croatia. This confirms to the writer that YES there is a fountain of youth out there and Peter has found it. Warrior pose anyone? And Scott Beaker who after suffering a heart attack last year came back BIG and won the coveted Fat Boys Regatta beating two National/ International champions the dynamic duo of Shope/ Neville. More nasty weather accompanied Hingham YC s first Octoberfest Regatta in which 19 Lasers competed. Top prizes went to Peter Hopple (1), Stewart Roach (2), and Dave Penfield (3). This was the first year for the Octoberfest with fleet captain Peter Hallemeier promising to make it an annual event. As the winter sets in frostbiting fleets are starting up in CT, RI, MA, and ME. To quote the venerable Stephen Kosacz s quote from day one of frostbiting at Portland YC WIDE AND TIGHT, come on guys WIDE AND TIGHT!! This writer will add keep it warm and friendly and fun! For a full list of who s frostbiting where and when visit the D7 website com Laser RC Laser Complete Ready to Sail Radio Controlled Sail Boat What s Included: Hull Standard Mast Standard Boom B Sail Radio Equipment Keel Rudder Electronics District 8 Frank Seckler NY For more information, or to order, please go to: It s been a fun year for District 8 Laser Sailing, and it continues into Send us a note to to schedule a clinic, workshop, or regatta for your club Hudson River Yacht Racing Association HHYRA One- Design Laser Winners in the 6 Laser events of 2016: Michael Gunn, Gary Schneidman, and Carol Marsh ( 3 rd overall and 1 st Radial. 26 racers qualified for the series over 60 attended one or more events. Photo are Laser Fleet Captain Jon Marsh and Carol Marsh on their clubs un-rigged Laser Dry land only Laser sailing simulator that really rocks and spins! Laser Frostbiting is going strong with 4 dates and 24 completed races already completed! Tomás Ruiz de Luque sailing Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, and coach for 470 silver medalist Belcher and Ryan 2016, has been on the water and in GET IT TODAY! $ (REG ) 23

24 the club using chalk board and actual daily frostbite videos and a computer program to help analysis our Sunday racing performance. 28 Registered so far. Registrants in order to date 12/6/16 Chris Poole Gabe Hannon Edward Liebens Robert Blanco Lindsay Hewitt Eric Johnson Alicia Martorella Geoffrey Loffredo Frank Seckler Andrew Roosevelt Wyz Mooney John McGrane Ed Berenblum Tracy Kornrich Robert Terry Chuck McCarthy Jose Plisic Holly Sears Alex Ellis William Archer David Kruse John McCarthy Steven Jay Dino Ness Katie Mooney Brian Aweh Peter Sander Francis George Rod Williams Avi Lessman From the Huguenot YC frostbite Laser Leader Jason Viseltear, we re growing almost 20 boats!, We hope we can continue the momentum by initiating a warm weather Laser series following this season s Frostbiting. In sum: The goal of the growing group of HYC Laser sailors is to expand our season beyond frostbiting (and which will in turn feed back into frostbiting!) To this end, we have just completed a dolly-capable gangway, which will finally allow the dry sailing of dinghies throughout the year and after the frostbiting docks are filled again with the summer s bigger boats. The idea is to now capitalize on HYC s proximity to NYC (20 minutes on Metro North and 30 minutes by car) and on the enthusiasm generated by the urban-dwelling frost biters - for whom our club presents both an easy entry to the sport and welcome expansion for others - in order to build an affordable racing fleet at the club! ( Hugonuet YC) Hugonuet YC racing ) East End Frostbiting: Breakwater YC We have had 5 boats on the line for Laser Frostbiting 24 the last few Saturdays and it would be great to have more. We have a clubhouse with a fireplace and shower, and Marty is an incredible resource on RC, putting a lot of time and effort into helping us, as always. So come on down! It s really fun and it will keep you naturally high for the rest of your weekend Saturdays! Keep an the Calander for the Sag Harbor Winter Festival and laser Regatta! Alicia Martorella ( relaxing from work racing a Laser) District 9 Peter Bushnell Upstate New York Three final regattas to report along with several photos to highlight the 2016 season for district 9. Thanks to all of the clubs, organizers, and sailors for a great season! September 10, Willow Bank YC, Cazenovia, NY, Death Roll Regatta. Thirteen boats. Five excellent WL races in south breeze 15-20kt. Carl Boller RC. Results: 1) Brad Dunn, 2) Peter Bushnell, 3) Drew Porter, Paul Martellock, 5) Mike Lorenz, 6) David Filiberto, 7) Kenny Fourspring, 8) Joe Miller, 9) Eduardo Solessio, 10) Liz Wolaver (full rig:(), 11) Tom French, 12) Todd Harrington, 13) Jeremy Forrett September 17, Otsego Sailing Club, Cooperstown, NY, Glimmerglass Regatta. Seven Boats. Five races in heavy south breeze 20-25kt. Results: 1) Chris Wilson, 2) Drew Porter, 3) Brad Dunn, 4) Peter Bushnell, 5) Peter Gould, 7) Tom French, 8) Brian Denney. October 9, Henderson Harbor Sailing Association. Results: 1) Bobby Bryant, 2) Tom King, 3) Andy Leonard, 4) Kira Munger, 5) Brian Denney. Photos: Jessica Lietz D9 GP, July. Photo Lorrie Lietz. No Coast regatta, Ithaca, August. Photo Lorraine Lietz. Thousand Islands Park YC regatta, July. Photo Steve Baker. Brad Dunn, Death Roll regatta, Cazenovia. Photo Jack Jones. Eric Reitinger District 10 New Jersey, PA Er4599@gmail.com After the weather canceled the Philadelphia Cup last year, the regatta came back with some great weather in a wonderful location. The event includes multiple fleets and sailed out of the Independence Seaport Museum. Winds started off just above ten miles per hour out of the northeast. Five Winward/ Leeward four leg races were run with a large amount of current. The racing was followed by a nice party on the upper deck of the museum with all the fleets involved. The top three in the fleet of eight were: Eric Reitinger (BBYC) John Burnham (CRYC/RYC) Michael Mays (MCSC) 6 races were held at Marsh Creek for the Bill McLaughlin Memorial Fall Laser Regatta in very light conditions. Here are the final results and congrats to Jim Knab on his sweep of the spring and fall events at Marsh Creek! Here s a small write up from Randy Blough from the club about the entire event: Twenty-one sailboats competed in two divisions Saturday at the Bill McLaughlin Memorial Regatta at MCSC. Competing were Sunfish and Laser class sailboats; both popular 14-foot boats designed to be

25 sailed singlehandedly. In the Sunfish Class, Dave Sikora, who lives in King of Prussia but sails on Barnegat Bay (NJ), was deemed the winner over fellow Barnegat racer David Thompson based on tiebreaker criteria. The two had achieved identical total scores over the six-race regatta. Third place went to Connie Meeks of Cooper River (NJ) Yacht Club. In the Laser Class, Jim Knab of Cooper River was first, followed by Kyle Hanson (West Chester) and three March Creek sailors: Joe Folds (Haverford), Mike Mays (Newtown Square), and Allyn Miner (Havertown). Meeks and Miner were the top female skippers in their respective divisions. This year s edition of the annual gathering had been renamed in honor of long-time club member and sailing enthusiast, William Bill McLaughlin. McLaughlin, of West Chester, a lifelong sailor, had died in March while racing in a national-level Sunfish competition in Florida. McLaughlin was an exceptionally accomplished sailor, winning many races in several different boat designs throughout 5+ decades. He always shared his knowledge freely. Fellow Sunfish sailor Fred Glasier of Elverson remarked, Bill was always the guy we watched on the racecourse to see how he was adjusting to the day s wind patterns. He loved to talk about the racing and would cheerfully share his expertise. Bill s wife June McLaughlin was on-hand Saturday to address the competitors; remarking about the joy that sailing had brought into Bill s life. Saturday s six races were conducted on triangular and windward-leeward race courses, under the supervision of Race Officials Charlie Lindsay, Colleen Cliffel, and Debbie Blough. Sailing was followed by a meal, awards, and informal discussions reflecting on the positive impact Mr. McLaughlin had on fellow sailors. Full results of the Lasers: Jim Knab Kyle Hanson Joe Folds Mike Mays Allyn Miner JR Futcher Louis Margay Bill Parsons Jerzy Sliwinski Laura Chisholm Paul Dovin Bob Myers George Fallon Monmouth moved their Laser event from September to November. They also have a new facebook page for their Laser fleet. You can find it here and request access: groups/ / Here s the write up from Glen Dickson: Monmouth Fall Laser Regatta November 5, 2016 Monmouth Boat Club Red Bank, NJ While Monmouth Boat Club s Fall Regatta was moved to early November this year, the ten sailors who made the trip to Red Bank got to enjoy weather that was a far cry from frostbiting. Bright sunshine raised the temperature from around 50 degrees at breakfast to the low 60s by midday, and a moderate westerly breeze that shifted to the northwest allowed for seven fun races on the notoriously tricky Navesink River. The first race got off in about 10 knots from the west, with the mark set a healthy distance from the river s northern shore. While there were the typical big oscillations, the velocity was fairly steady, at least for the Navesink. These conditions held up for a windward-leeward twice-around course as well as for Race Two, a modified Olympic course. Regatta chairman and local favorite Chris Henkel had some bad luck in Race One, breaking his upper section and subsequently missing that race and the next. Glen Dickson of Bay Head Yacht Club won the first two races, edging out locals Dan Vought and Larry Nociolo. Before Race Three, the breeze shifted about 25 degrees to the northwest, prompting PRO Dale Barney to move the mark far closer to a nearby point. The breeze was now much spottier, with an average velocity of perhaps eight to 10 knots but lulls well under five knots close to the weather mark and puffs up to 15 knots in the middle of the river. Youth hotshot Luke Arnone of Mantoloking YC, a former Optimist national champion, figured out the new pattern the quickest and sailed his Radial rig to first place in Race Three. Vought, Nociolo and Henkel traded top-three finishes over the next two races, favoring the right side for the most consistent pressure, while Dickson fell off the pace. For the last two races the breeze built a couple knots, perhaps to knots, which filled in the biggest holes on the upper part of the beat and provided steady pressure for the bottom part of the course. Nociolo and another MBC member, Josh Parks, staked out big leads in both contests but were eventually nipped by Dickson on the last beat. The fleet reached back to MBC to enjoy a great lunch of Mike s Subs and some cold brews upstairs Colie Sails Signature Upgraded KITS Colie has the gear you need to win, not just get around the course. Successful upgrades to be Competitively Equipped Maffioli and V12 upgraded lines Custom made inhaul bungee Vang Retaining Bungee Ronstan & Harken blocks Rigged exactly how Clay Johnson rigs his boat. Clay s Centerboard Bungee System: often copied but never matched Top of the line Allen blocks Spliced and whipped 5mm V12 traveler FSE Robline Dinghy Control Hand-made, spliced dingleberry Spectra hiking strap line with instructions Bay Avenue Point Pleasant dev@coliesail.com NJ

26 in the clubhouse. The sailors watched a little college football and compared notes on the tricky racing, which saw everyone suffer a few bad finishes. It was a real Navesink day, declared Nociolo. After one drop, Dickson took first with 11 points, followed by Vought with 16. Nociolo won a tiebreaker with Parks for third at 21 pts, while Arnone took fifth with 25 pts and showed impressive speed sailing a Radial against Standard rigs. All of the top five received snazzy embroidered windproof vests, as MBC continues to raise the bar for D10 regatta prizes. Many thanks to Henkel, PRO Barney and the rest of the MBC volunteers for putting together a great day on the river. By Glen Dickson There are some reports in this issue of the outside district events such as the master s events and you can see D10 sailors have been representing the area well at those events. Toms River held their fall series over the month of October. There were three race days and they had eleven different radials sail the three race days. After fourteen races here are the top three from the series: Leo Boucher Tyler Mowry Michael Pinto Look for the spring series notices! We have entered frostbite season and three series have been going on in the area. Marsh Creek gets some great numbers every Sunday and ran the series into the middle of December. Monmouth runs their series every Sunday throughout the winter starting at noon and currently have more than twenty different boats sailing throughout. Cooper River s series started back up after a year hiatus due to the dredging of the lake. There were four race days (one day was blown out) including Thanksgiving. John MacCausland won the series for the 21 st time. There were twenty different fulls and seven different radials. Here are the top sailors from both fleets: Fulls John MacCausland Dave Breder Nobu Orikasa Robbie Seidleman Patrick Myers 1st Junior Full: Emerson Cowart. In addition D12 sailors were represented at the Florida Masters Series, The Masters World Championship, The North American Championships as well as the US Championships. With this much participation both locally and nationally we are looking forward to an even stronger 2017 under the leadership of our newly elected 2017 D12 Secretary Stanley Hassinger. District 13 James Liebl/Michelle Davis Florida Say what!? I m already late for District submissions to the Laser Sailor!?!? Okay, then here it goes in a rushed, stream of consciousness style First, big kudos to D13 sailor Ernesto Rodriguez for winning the Laser Masters US Champs at Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Massachusetts! That dude was flying. And thanks to Eastern Yacht Club for running a great regatta. Oh yeah, thanks to Rob Hallawell, even though he s not District 13, for letting me stay at his parents house during the event. If you want to get as fast as Ernesto or D13 s next THE ALUMINUM TRAILER LIKE NO OTHER generation (the next generation being all the men, women, boys and girls under age 25), you have to come sailing. And there are plenty of opportunities to come racing, no matter what your skill level, for 2017 around D13. By the way, that next generation is super-fast. Super, super-fast. Here are a couple of those opportunities: Orange Bowl and Open Orange Bowl (basically a couple of days between Xmas and New Year s)- there s no better Xmas present than getting to sail in warm Miami for a couple of days when everyone is on winter break and work is slow. The Open Orange Bowl is for everyone too old for the Orange Bowl regatta. No matter your age, there s an event Radials Allyn Miner Aidan Ryder Brinton Thomas UNIVERSAL DOLLY FULLY ADJUSTABLE District 12 Finn Hassing N & S Carolina, Georgia The D season has now come to an end. As promised we sailed in a wide variety of conditions, from heavy air and big waves at Wrightville Beach to light and challenging conditions on Lake Murray. The season was very successful with 69 sailors competing in one or more D12 Championship Series Regattas. We had a strong showing of juniors accounting for 21 out of the 69 overall participants. The series winners were: 1st Overall and 1st Master: Glenn Walker. 1st Overall Master and 1st Grand Master: Charlie Usher. 1st Great Grand Master: Finn Hassing. 1st Junior Radial: Lucas Sawin. 26 EXTENDED RETRACTED Canfield, OH Toll Free

27 Biscayne Bay for you this week. Biscayne Bay Yacht Racing Association (BBYRA, year round)-once a month, one day racing on Biscayne Bay. Really easy to do- just launch, go racing, socialize, and go home with a big smile on your face. Check out the calendar at (look for the OD days, i.e. One Design). Melbourne Yacht Club Sunday Series (year round)-every other week Sunday afternoon racing. Again easy to do, launch, less than 5 minute sail to race area, race, hang out, grin on the way home. Treasure Coast Series-the plan is 6 to 8 one day race events spread around the District. Focus on easy, quality racing mixing all the D13 sailors, young and old. Keep eye on the Laser.org website for exact dates and locations. If you want to host one of the days just let us know. Midwinters (February)-one of the biggest regattas in North America and it s in our backyard folks! Masters Week (February)-a solid week of fun, camaraderie, and beautiful sailing. Again, one of the largest events on the North American calendar, so I don t want to hear excuses for not coming. Melbourne Yacht Club Spring Regatta (April)- great sailing centrally located for easy drive from anywhere in the body of the State. Keep eyes on Laser.org for exact date. Around Key Biscayne Race (November)-add some variety into the typical windward-leeward and sail a 20 mile race around Key Biscayne. You never know what s going to happen and what conditions you ll see in this one. No doubt, I missed a whole bunch of events. So, get your events posted on the calendar on the Laser.org site so everyone in the District knows about them. And, since I got the platform (I can t believe they let me do the write up for the Laser Sailor bet they won t do that again), I m going to go all Kanye on Taylor Swift and say: To all you parents of the next generation of Laser sailors, Laser sailing isn t just for your kids. You can come sailing with us too! Really. Each of the events above, except for Masters Week and Orange Bowl, race young and old together on the same course. Yes, your child will probably lap you when you first get back in the boat, but you ll have fun. And to all you other D13 Laser sailors, we all know someone with a Laser sitting around not being used. Make it a point to invite them (actually hound them) to come out for at least a day. Let s give them a reminder of the fun they ve been missing. Let s go sailing!! District 15 Griffin Orr Texas District 15 finished the year strong with three great events taking place. These included two district events, Arlingtons Laserpalooza and the Wurstfest Regatta at Lake Canyon Yacht Club. The Wurstfest Regatta was also our district championship regatta. Lastly, the Texas Corinthian Yacht Club were gracious hosts for the Gulf Coast Championships in October. Winning the District Championship Regatta in Full Rigs was Doug Peckover with Charlotte Rose winning the Radial fleet. The overall Full Rig circuit champion is Griffin Orr with Alex Goldberg and Forest Atkins in second and third respectively. Charlotte Rose is the Radial Rig circuit Champion with Asher Zitter and Spencer LeGrande in second and third. Our Iron man award goes out to Forest Atkins and John Oliver for competing in all 7 district events this season! Congrats to all!! We have a lot of exciting sailing in store for the 2017 season, opening with the Corinthian Sailing Clubs Rock the Ice District Regatta February 4/5. The Gulf Coast Championship Regatta has also been arranged to be held in Corpus Christi this coming June! See you on the water next year!! District 19 Ken Swetka Michigan [IMAGE HERE] Caption: Frostbiting at Crescent Sail Yacht Club, Grosse Point, MI. Grace Pytell (shown leading Ken Swetka above) had a great day winning many of the dozen or so races that day. Winter is upon Michigan but we had a lot of great regattas and activity this past season in District 19. The Crescent Fleet even achieved racing the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That is always the goal of our Frostbite season! Next up for this author is Florida in February!! Lake Lansing Annual + D19 Grand Prix Championships August 20 - Lansing Sailing Club Again Lansing pulls in the most participation for D19! Doug Carlson and his team do a tremendous job in running this event year after year! Below is the regatta story written by Doug and more information plus photos can be found at org: Strong and building southerly winds welcomed 37 sailors to the Lansing Sailing Club for its Annual Laser Regatta Saturday morning. It was a special event this year in that this was also the District 19 Championship! The registered fleet consisted of four past LSC regatta winners which set the scene for an exciting day of racing on Lake Lansing. The normal race schedule is to run three races with a lunch break followed by three more races. But with the looming weather forecast of rain and thunderstorms, the committee boat was stocked with water and Gatorade to distribute to the sailors on the water setting the stage for sailing six races back to back before the afternoon storms arrived. The first race got off after two general recalls by an anxious fleet with winds blowing 12mph to 15mph. After everyone seemed to find their groove and things settled down, it was Tom Labelle from Rochester Hills, MI (three time LSC regatta champion) who edged out a win in the first race. But this seemed to be like poking a sleeping bear as EJ O Mara, who finished 7th in the first race went on to place in the top 3 places for the next 5 races (including three 1st place finishes) to go on and easily win the 2016 LSC Regatta and District 19 Championships. This was a special win for EJ and many LSC Club members who remember EJ first competing in the LSC regatta when he was just 11 years old. The student has now become the teacher and is the District 19 Champion! Making a strong statement with the biggest lead and win in the final race was Chad Coberly from East Grand Rapids, MI (two time LSC regatta champion) who finished the day in 2nd place. Tom LaBelle continued to sail well throughout the day and rounded out the top finishers in 3rd place for the 2016 District 19 Championships. There was special recognition this year for the eight Radial competitors. Alex Johnson from Grosse Point Park, MI topped the group finishing 9th overall in the regatta. Ben Finkelstein from Ada, MI finished 11th to take the second Radial spot. Additionally Susanna Wagner from Haslett, MI led the six women racing this year to finish 8th overall. SAIL WITH INTENSITY Best prices on Dinghy sails, parts and gear! Back to basics on price without compromising performance! Laser Optimist Bic O Pen Sunfish C420 CFJ JY15 Flying Scott Vanguard Rhodes 19 Pico Zuma and more

28 For a third year in a row Gil Chesbro led the Race Committee supported by LSC members John Fishbeck, Daniel Hamilton and Stephen Wagner. The entire team did a great job keeping the races moving and enabled the fleet to sail all six scheduled races before the afternoon storms arrived. Once back on shore, LSC s big grills were fired up and it was time for the regatta s traditional you cook-it BBQ which gave everyone an opportunity to make new friendships and discuss all the on the water excitement while gathered around the grills! Everyone enjoyed huge steaks, chicken breasts, corn on the cob and all the fixings. No one left the regatta hungry! The BBQ was made possible because of a lot of time by LSC members Brenda Maynard and Julie Pierce who again picked up all the food and prepared the entire layout. Afterwards regatta awards were presented and the door prizes provided by Avon Sailboats of Rochester, MI were passed out to the lucky ticket holders. As always this regatta was supported by many LSC members who deserve a great deal of thanks for their help in getting the facilities ready for hosting this annual event. Complete race results can be found below. In addition, click here to view over 300+ pictures of the event taken by LSC Photographer Stephen Wagner. Thank you to all our participants. Without you we could not have had such a fun day! Pl Skipper Tot 1 EJ O Mara 8 2 Chad Coberly 14 3 Tom LaBelle 16 4 Craig Pearson 21 5 Doug Carlson 27 6 Mac Jacob 43 7 Ovidiu Adam 44 8 Susanna Wagner 51 9 Alex Johnson Steve Johnson Ben Finkelstein Peter Johanson Olav Messerschmidt Steve Varnum Scott Watkins Grace Pytell Bill Coberly Hugh Blaxill Steve Wiseman Lars Peereboom Libby Reeg Zack Holme Chris De Boer Noah Wolters Siri Schantz Kevin Varga Drew Korvalchick Jo McGlew Bob Miller George Peel John McEnhill Jeff Siarto Mike Moody Blaine Severin Gary Marx Susan Peters Andrew Eriksen 189 Michigan Fall Laser Regatta Sept 11 Story by - Andy Van Staveren 28 Jim Meyer won three of the six races on his way to winning the top position in the Fall Laser Regatta. Rick Lyons finished second and Ovidiu Adam finished third. It was a beautiful fall day but the winds were light and very shifty for the 12 racers. Thanks to everyone who volunteered to make the event a success. Full results here: Regattas/Events Coming soon! That s all for now from D19 (Michigan)! As always check or D19Laser for even more schedules, reports, and photos! District 22 Kurt Hoehne Seattle As the cold and damp settled into District 22, Laser sailors pulled out their thick wetsuits and lined booties. No rest here! Bellingham Yacht Club once again hosted a successful Dale Jepsen One Design Regatta in September. Modest Laser (12 boats) and Radial (7 boats) fleets dodged shared the course with 505s, Tasars and FJs for an interesting weekend of racing. Saturday s 30+ knots of breeze arrived about the same time as the boats got to the starting area, and the race committee sent everyone home and the chase boats made sure everyone got home safely. Laser sailor Carlos Abisambra rescued both an FJ and an abandoned Radial and reportedly did very well in the karaoke as well. Sunday was a long race day of six races. Canadian Benjie McMaster overcame a DSQ in the first race to finish with four firsts and a second for the victory in the dying breeze. In the full rig fleet Jorge Yanez and Alexander Shepard battled closely all day long with the victory (by one point) going to Yanez. Youth was served in the District 22 Championship which was held in conjunction with CYC-Seattle s Turkey Bowl the weekend before Thanksgiving. Saturday s racing was delayed, first on shore and then on the water before two light air affairs were recorded. On Sunday there the big breeze recorded at West Point off Shilshole never seemed to land consistently on the race course, but the Radials recorded two more races and the full rigs three more races. In the full rigs, Blake Bentzen had a stellar Sunday, showing off what he s learned in national and international competition over the past couple years. Second was Jay Leon and third was Seattle Laser Fleet stalwart Mark Ross. The 17-boat Radial fleet had stellar competition, boding well for the Seattle sailing scene in general. Abbie Carlson squeaked out the win over Owen Timms and Talia Toland. It will be fun to watch this Radial fleet s exploits in the coming years. Already interest has been expressed from Montana in hosting next year s Districts. Headlining Laser events on the Columbia River Gorge next year will be the US Nationals July 7-9 at Cascade Locks, Oregon. There will be a Laser clinic immediately preceding, June 27-July 6. If you re a Master sailor, you really want to attend the 2017 Masters! District 24 Stephen Aguilar NorCal Greetings from District 24. It s been a wonderful 2016 with plenty of events and lots of new participants. Our summer series was success with Emilio for the third year in a row placing first in the Standard class. In the Radial class Toshi Toshinari show dominance throughout the season and finish first. We had some really excellent conditions for all our events. Including the Masters North Americans and the Masters Pacific Coast Championships. We picked up a few new sailors from other classes this year who proved to be very competitive. Welcome all. The schedule for 2017 is in the process of being finalize as this is going to press. It looks like we re going to add a new ocean event in the southern corner of our district. A few of us are planning to go to Florida for the Masters week. With that said, I look forward to seeing you in the Sunshine state.

29 2018 Schedule Please contact the ILCA-NA office if interested in hosting an event below: Regatta Standard Radial Laser 4.7 Masters World Championship ISAF 200 points NA Championship 40 GP pts. ISAF 100 points Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Long Beach, CA July Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Long Beach, CA July Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Long Beach, CA July Canadian Championships 30 GP pts. ISAF 50 points St Margaret Sailing Club Glen Haven, NS July St Margaret Sailing Club Glen Haven, NS July St Margaret Sailing Club Glen Haven, NS July US Championships 30 GP Pts, ISAF Grade 2 Houston Yacht Club La Porte, TX June TBD Houston Yacht Club La Porte, TX June TBD Houston Yacht Club La Porte, TX June TBD CORK 30 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points Kingston, ON August Kingston, ON August Kingston, ON August na Midwinters East 30 GP Pts. ISAF 100 points Clearwater, FL Feb Clearwater, FL Feb Clearwater, FL Feb Midwinters West 30 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Long Beach, CA March TBD Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Long Beach, CA March TBD Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Long Beach, CA March TBD na Miami OCR ISAF 200 points Miami, FL (men only) January Miami, FL (women only) January na na Atlantic Coast Championships 25 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points Pacific Coast Championships 25 GP Pts. ISAF 50 points Gulf Coast Championships 25 GP Pts No Coast Championships 25 GP Pts Great Lakes Championships 25 GP Pts District 7 District 7 District 7 District 22 District 22 District 22 District 13 District 13 District 13 TBD TBD TBD na District 3 District 3 District

30 Why Join the Laser Class? What are some of the benefits of a strong class association? A strong class association means lots of boats to race against, near you and around the world! A strong class association with lots of racing attracts the world s best sailors - giving you the best racing possible! A strong class association means major events scheduled at the best sailing locations and moving all over the North American Region - there will always be a big event near you! A strong class association means solid class rules making all boats as identical as possible - you are competing against other sailors, not their pocket books! A strong class association means lots of people looking to buy boats keeping the resale value of your boat high. A strong class association keeps an eye towards the future and works with the builders to make improvements where needed while preserving as well as possible the competitiveness of older boats. To be strong, a class association needs the support of its sailors! What are some of the direct benefits of membership? You receive the annual Laser Class Handbook with the current class rules, interpretations of those rules, class constitution, guidelines for events, useful information for keeping your boat in good shape, contact information for your district, etc. You receive the International Class Association s quarterly publication Laser World which gives a roundup of international events sailed around the world, as well as information from the international office. You receive the North American Association s quarterly publication The Laser Sailor which is loaded with regatta reports, technique articles, fitness and nutrition tips, sailor profiles, reports from each of the North American Region s 26 Districts and much, much more. In addition, the magazine also contains advertising from Laser dealers selling Laser specific gear and aimed entirely at Laser sailors - if you are looking for something for your boat you will see it advertised here! You will have access to the class website at org containing all the latest news as well as the up to date calendar of events, complete with maps to show you how to find the events. And you can also find archived copies of The Laser Sailor as well as useful articles on how to sail your boat faster. Your membership makes you eligible to sail in any of the 50+ major Laser Class regattas scheduled every year throughout the North American Region, including open, masters, youth and women s events. points when sailing in major events, ranking you against your fellow competitors and making you eligible for end of the season prizes, like new sails, carbon tillers, etc. You get direct benefit by joining the Laser Class! What does the class association do with your membership dues? The first $14.00 of your membership dues go to pay the North American staff who work incredibly hard to: make sure our North American events get scheduled every year and that these events follow the high standards of the Laser Class, to publish our quarterly newsletter, etc. Importantly, that money also makes sure that if you ever have a question you can simply pick up the phone, or send an , and a knowledgeable person will answer you right away. $9.72 of your dues goes to the International Class where they use the money to pay their staff to make sure world level events get scheduled, ensuring all the boats are the same by inspecting the builders to make sure they are complying with the Laser Construction Manual, keep track of rules changes proposed by members, interfacing with ISAF on various levels, including keeping both the Laser Standard and Laser Radial as Olympic equipment, etc. A little over $7.00 goes to the quarterly assembling, printing and mailing of The Laser Sailor to you for the year. Around $5.00 goes to support and promotion, ranging from direct support of the districts and regattas to the website. Most of the remaining dues go toward all the things it takes to running an organization of 2400 members, from Executive Secretary travel costs, to federal income taxes all the way to mundane office expenses. Your membership dues are used to keep the Laser Standard, Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 as THE singlehanded dinghy to sail and race in North America and throughout the world! Why should you join the Laser Class? To enable the Laser Class to remain a strong class association and continue to make the Laser the pre-eminent singlehanded dinghy of our time. To gain the benefits of membership outlined above. To protect your investment in your boat, making sure that if the time comes to sell then you can be certain that the high demand driven by a strong class will enable you to get the best price for your boat. The International Laser Class Association, North American Region is what it is today because of the support of its members. Keep that tradition alive, join or renew your membership TODAY! Your membership makes you eligible for the LaserPeformance/ILCA-NA Grand Prix where you earn 30

31 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name Address City State / Prov. Zip / postal code Phone Sail # DOB (month/day/year) Sex Boat usually sailed Laser Radial Laser 4.7 Current Membership Fees All amounts are in US dollars. (Canadian checks must be in US dollars.) Regular - $50 for one year or $95 for 2 years Junior - $45 (Member may not turn 18 during term of membership), or $85 for 2 years (Member may not turn 18 during term of membership) International - $60 (any member not living in the US or Canada), one year only Amount enclosed US$ Please make checks payable to ILCA of NA or provide credit card information as shown below. Thank you for joining the Laser Class. Credit Card payment by Visa, Mastercard or AMEX (Sorry no Discover) Name on credit card: Credit card number: Exp. date: Credit card billing zip/postal code Security code NOTE: Occasionally we make our mailing list available to our advertisers. If you do not want your name included on these lists, please check here: RETURN THIS FORM TO: ILCA OF NA 2812 CANON STREET SAN DIEGO, CA

32 2812 Canon Street, San Diego, CA ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID San Dimas, CA Permit No. 410