May 2024

On the Line May 2024

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Click here for the D7 website to see the season schedule and find a fleet near you

2024 Regatta Schedule   Welcome to 2024 ILCA season! The developing schedule is posted on the D7 website and at the bottom of this newsletter.  Here are the latest calendar updates: Portland Pilot Sadly, the June 1st event has been cancelled. John Bentley Regatta Registration is open for the John Bentley Regatta on June 22nd at the New Bedford YC in South Dartmouth, MA. Duck Island Yacht Club to the Grand Prix Rescue! As you may recall from April's newsletter, we had D7 Grand Prix events scheduled in every D7 state save Connecticut, but being from the Nutmeg state, the sailors at Duck Island YC in Westbrook were having none of that. They've planned a fun fall regatta on Saturday, September 7th. This is a beautiful spot on Long Island Sound and a great warm-up for the US Masters just a few weeks later. Registration is open! As a reminder, here is the rest of the D7 Grand Prix line up: Wickford Regatta, June 8-9 in (you guessed it) Wickford, RI.  This is a classic and beloved seasonal event that has been hosting lasers since the 70's. Sail off the beach, have a great dinner at the club, and enjoy the early summer breeze. True Blue Spencer Evans Regatta, July 20-21 in Blue Hill, ME. If you have never been Down East, here is your chance to sail in Maine's beautiful inlets and why not tag on a visit to Acadia National Park? D7 2024 Championship, August 10-11 in Harwich, MA. Stone Horse YC will be hosting this year's D7 championship on the Cape. Think great competition, beaches, and clams. Malletts Bay Boat Club, August 17-18 in Colchester, VT. How nice will it be to sail in fresh water? I plan to capsize just to give my boat a proper bath. This is a gorgeous venue on Lake Champlain right next to the hopping college town of Burlington. Oh yeah, this will be fodder for great road trip stories.  Lake Sunapee Regatta, August 24-25 in Sunapee, NH. Keeping with the fresh water theme, this is a new event that promises to test your lake sailing skills. Thanks Lake Sunapee YC! Any links to these events are in the schedule below. Call your sailing buddies, mark your calendars, and get permission to roll. This will be fun. Remember the top prize is a free tuition to the International Sailing Academy. D7 Championship Open for Registration The folks at Stone Horse Yacht Club are stepping up. Registration is open for the 2024 D7 Championship on August 10-11. A sneak peek at the NOR shows easy beach launching, the always coveted hose on the dry sailing area, and Saturday night dinner with the band Rip Tide. This will be awesome.  Massapoag 75th Annual Regatta Come celebrate 75 years of small boat sailing on the beautiful Massapoag Lake in Sharon, MA. September 6-8. Registration is open.  Do you have an event planned but don't see it on the calendar at the end of this newsletter? Please let me know: laserd7@gmail.com

District News National Championships at the New Bedford YC. Looks like there are over 100 ILCA 6's registered for the North American Championships June 6-9. Registration is still open for what will be an amazing event. Marblehead Fleet 631 summer sailing is underway. Every Tuesday evening, ILCA sailors gather at Eastern Yacht Club for informal practice racing with a first gun at 18:00. Sailing goes until dark. Boat storage in the EYC rack is available. Contact  laserd7@gmail.com for more information.   Greenwich Laser Sailing summer sailing Greenwich Laser Sailing is gearing up for Sunday races starting June 2nd and running through August. Check out their website for more information. American Yacht Club summer sailing AYC in NewburyPort, MA has started its Sunday summer series. Great fun on Jappa Flats. Contact Nat Coughlin for more information. natcoughlin98@gmail.com Hyannis Yacht Club summer sailing HYC is starting up both weeknight and weekend ILCA sailing. For more information, contact the fleet at hyclaserfleet@47936889.mailchimpapp.com  Cedar Point Yacht Club wraps up its spring series. CYC puts on an excellent fall and spring frostbiting show, and this year was no exception. Here are a few words from the CYC newsletter: That's a wrap. Twenty days, two seasons, no cancellations, and by our, unofficial estimate, a hiking-opportunity score of plus 90% for the Spring Season. That all translates into breeze, challenging conditions, and definitive confirmation that Fall and Spring are superior times to sail. A big congratulations to Steve Girling who is awarded the Robert R. Larson Perpetual Trophy for winning the combined Fall/Spring Series followed by Lawrence McGrath in second and Frederico Bediaga in third.There was some exceptional, competitive sailing to the end. As Steve noted in his wrap up, "With Andrew Scrivan dominating the Fall Series, but unable to sail this Spring, the Spring Series became a battle between Charles Stanley, Lawrence, Federico and Antonio Maya-Le Fort. We had some epic days, with breeze and lots of choices on how to execute a game plan."

The Loaner: A Great Way to Build Your Fleet Ensconced somewhere near your fleet is an excellent sailor whom you've never met. Maybe she is a recent college star who is currently very busy with her career and, for some odd reason, can't get a laser in her building's elevator. Maybe he is a gnarled veteran of many masters events who sold their boat to dabble in bigger craft but misses the thrill of being next to the water. Maybe said sailor has little people who demand to play soccer. (Of all things! Please, feet are for hiking straps.) Whoever the great sailors are lurking close to your fleet, one of the best ways to lure them back into the obsession is a fleet loaner. The Marblehead fleet, like many, has had great success with this approach. Rick Eno, a regular participant in our races, developed a loaner program with Pleon, our junior yacht club. Just this spring, we've picked up two new excellent sailors, who (don't tell their spouses) may soon be buying their own boats.  Loaners don't have to be pretty. If you can piece together a decent set up, folks will pay to sail and you can reinvest in the boat. Probably the most important aspect of a loaner program is someone to shepherd the process: begging parts from the fleet, collecting fees, coordinating with sailors, and generally making the fleet a welcoming place for newcomers.  Is it work? Yep. Is it fun? Absolutely It's a pleasure to see the smile on someone's face who hasn't ducked a boom in a long time.

2024 District 7 Regattas as of 3/19/24 Date Counts towards D7 Gran Prix? Notes Under the Rope NEW DATE APRIL 14TH   Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com Peter Milnes Regatta April 28   Fleet 413, Newport, RI Portland Pilot Canceled   Portland YC, Falmouth, ME ILCA Nationals June 6-9   New Bedford YC, Dartmouth, MA,  Wickford Regatta June 8-9 Y Wickford YC, Wickford, RI John Bentley Regatta June 22   New Bedford YC, South Dartmouth, MA Newport Regatta July 13-14   40th Anniversary! Very cool event True Blue Spencer Evans  Regatta July 20-21 Y Kollegewidgwok YC, Blue Hill, ME Lipton Cup July 20-21   Squantum YC, Quincy, MA Marblehead Race Week July 27-28   Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA D7 Championship August 10-11 Y Stone Horse YC, Harwich, MA Malletts Bay Boat Club Regatta August 17-18 Y Colchester, VT Lake Sunapee Yacht Club August 24-25 Y Sunapee, NH Duck Island YC ILCA Regatta Sept. 7th Y Westbrook, CT Ponce De Leon Regatta Sept. 8   Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA. Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com New England Masters Sept 14-15   Wickford YC, Wickford, RI US Masters Sept 20-22   Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA. Registration is open! Turkey Bowl Nov. 24   Eastern YC, Marblehead, MA Show up at 11 AM & register on site. Prizes and party afterwards. Contact tomdailey15@gmail.com D7 Gran Prix races in green. Sail as many as you can and win points for great prizes

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