Laser Youth Sailing: Separate Radial and 4.7 Fleets, or Rig Swapping?

A picture from Europe - where there are 4.7 youth fleets
about as large as the Radial youth fleets
JUNE 13 UPDATE: The organizers of CORK in Kingston have just announced that there will be a separate Laser 4.7 fleet, after all! As long as there are more than 10 registrations in the fleet - which is most likely as there is word of competitors coming from as far as Florida to compete!

Our take: any youth Laser sailor below 145 lbs should sail the 4.7 fleet, which is attracting a growing number of the previously top Canadian Opti sailors. Sailing the Radial when underweight, especially in Kingston where the wind conditions can be very challenging indeed, is a mistake.

See the Update from the Organizers.

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The year 2018 is seeing the emergence of Laser 4.7 fleets in Canada, and this is good news.

For many years, in Canada, youth sailors out of the Optimist have transitioned directly to the Laser Radial, a rig way too powerful for sailors typically weighting around 100 to 120 lbs when leaving the Optimist class.

With the development of Laser 4.7 fleets, mostly in Halifax and Toronto, two key youth regattas, the Canadian Youth Championships, and the CORK International Regatta,  are now accepting the Laser 4.7. Yet this is done very differently in the two events.

The 2018 Sail Canada Youth Championships will be held in Toronto at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, August 24th - August 31 2018.  The notice of race is pretty straightforward: there will be distinct Laser Radial and Laser 4.7 fleets. The Laser Standard is also represented, so is the 29er, the Nacra 15, the Club 420 and the i420.

As for the 2018 CORK International Regatta, to be held in Kingston, Ontario, on August 13-17 2018 - a venue that can be very windy, because of thermal winds -, the 4.7 is now offered as a rig for youth sailors, contrary to past editions. Yet, the organizers have chosen a rig swapping approach.

«  Competitors may choose Radial or 4.7 rigs at their discretion, provided that all rig changes are made on shore and all sails have the same number (Rig-Swapping Rule turned on), » states the Notice of Race.

Contrary to the Sail Canada Youth Championships, the Notice of Race does not envision any Laser Standard fleet.

Analysis

The approach adopted by Sail Canada / RCYC for the Canadian Youth Championships is the right one.  As sailors will be between the ages of 14 and 18, there will indeed be a few male sailors having already reached the weight for the Full Rig, and there will be many sailors, both male and female, still too light for the Radial. So it makes lots of sense to have 4.7, Radial and Standard/Full Rig fleets.

The approach adopted for the CORK International Regatta should be changed. The Laser 4.7 is not competitive with the Laser Radial in most conditions. So it’s most unlikely that the 4.7 will be much used, and if it is used, it will be most frustrating for those sailors having opted for it.

It’s much better to have separate fleets, and sailors then compete in all conditions with their chosen rig. The number of Laser youth sailors typically present for CORK International should allow easily for a significant fleet of Laser 4.7. 

The decision of discarding the Laser Standard at CORK International is also questionable. Indeed, as indicated above, there are typically a number of male sailors already ready to sail the Laser Standard at age 17 or 18, and it would be good to have a Laser Standard fleet at CORK.

What is really important is that sailors choose, with their coach, the rig that is the most appropriate to their weight, and level of sailing skills.

Ideally, for both events, it should be great to have 3 large and competitive Laser fleets, in the 4.7, the Radial and the Full Rig.

Links:

Sail Canada Youth Championships
https://www.sailcanadayouthchamps2018.com

Notice of Race: CORK International

http://www.cork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-Int-NOR.pdf

Article: Jumpstarting the Laser 4.7 in North America
https://issuu.com/jbiehl/docs/lasersailor_low_res_proof

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