Optimist, Open Skiff, Youth & Olympic Sailing Blog

Discussions have taken place for years to attempt making sailing a more attractive Olympic discipline, without convincing results. Here is a realistic proposal for a different and exciting format.   Check article: https://dinghysailing.substack.com/p/sailing-racing-format-for-the-olympics

 With legal action having been started in the ILCA/PSA dispute, a central issue will be the tolerance of significant differences in measurements between hulls. The dispute between Performance Sailcraft and the International Laser Class Association pertains to a variety of the boat measurements, including the length, the beam and the daggerboard width. The IlCA (ex-Laser) is supposed to be an “off the shelf, equal performance, one-design sailboat” — a term created by the International Laser Class Association, that draws from a term used by Takao Atani in the 1970s, that the Laser should be an “affordable, off the shelf, equal performance, one-design sailboat,”  Note that the word affordable has interestingly been dropped. A Laser, at the beginning, did cost US$1000; today it’s about US$10,000.  The official measurements of the Laser were, from the very beginning, 423 cm of length and 137 cm of beam, according to Kirby’s drawings. These remain the official measurements of t...

 Many of us have a more or less old Laser in our garage, with some blades, mast sections, boom, sails etc. Can this be transitioned towards a "Turbo Laser" at reasonable cost? Many of us have a more or less old Laser in our garage, with some blades, mast sections, boom, sails etc. And because of all the small incremental changes/enhancements brought to the boat, and the associated obsolescence, the equipment is no longer competitive, except maybe at the club / local level.   For sure, you can use that equipment, and still have fun. But what about putting a powerful turbo to this equipment, at reasonable cost? Currently, a class legal boat retails at approximately 8500 - 10,000 US$, depending on the chosen options. Recent second-hand boats, ex-charter and others, can sell for 6000 - 8000 US$, approximately.   But what about getting a boat that is much faster, thanks to a brand new high performance hull, at a more affordable price?   This may become a reality very soon...

 There is a dispute raging about the conformity/legality of thousands of ILCA (formerly Laser) hulls from the past 5 years. And this has an immediate implication that you need to be aware of. This September 20th, the International Laser Class Association - the sailing class governing the ILCA dinghy - came up with an announcement titled “Protecting the One-Design Integrity of the Class.” The position held by the Class, and not shared by the Australian (former) builder Performance Sailcraft Pty Ltd (PSA), is that all the boats being produced, except for those by PSA (until its dismissal as a builder) conform to the original Kirby design as using a mould that “can be traced back to the original mould created by Ian Bruce.” “ILCA’s master mould was formally designated in 2005 as the definitive reference mould for all hulls, and its lineage can be traced back to the original mould created by Ian Bruce. This master was used to make moulds used by Performance Sailcraft Europe (later to b...

  At the Southhampton Boat Show in the UK, there is a new boat on display. It strangely looks like a Laser, at least for the hull. There is even a Laser logo in the sail. But it’s not a real Laser, ... At the Southhampton Boat Show in the UK, there is a new boat on display. It’s called the Rascal, but it strangely looks like a Laser, at least for the hull. But it’s not a real Laser, nor an ILCA as a matter of fact. What’s going on?   The boat announced by Performance Sailcraft this September 19 2025 at the Southampton Boatshow in the UK is called the “Rascal.” It is currently being presented as an adventure / endurance boat, but in fact, it may be much more than that. It may be the foundation of a “New Laser” — something that has been widely discussed for years and years — the original Laser dates from 1970 — but never really implemented, despited some significant changes made to the monotype boat throughout the years. One of the most interesting characteristics of this just a...

 You can find new pieces of analysis about youth and competitive dinghy sailing on this new Substack!  https://dinghysailing.substack.com  

I have been busy lately, including with the now world famous blog http://covexit.com yet this caught my attention.  The pricing in the Netherlands for the new ILCA boats, produced in the UK, is twice the pricing of the Laser by LaserPerformance.  3,995 euros for the Laser (non ILCA approved) versus 8,035 euros for the ILCA (non The Laser Class approved) We expected the announced "market competition" to push the prices up, but this is considerable.   Pretty ridiculous, as these are essentially the same boats. Check the links on the images  for details ...