CHANGE TO LASER NATIONALS FORMAT

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM AUSTRALIAN LASER ASSOCIATION

Australian and Oceania Laser Districts

Folks

Following the ALCA AGM and the gathering of views on the timing and length of the Laser Nationals (Oceania & Australia Laser Championships) the ALCA Committee have decided that the following arrangements will prevail for next (Tasmania 2019) and, as far as possible, subsequent Laser Nationals events.

Measurement 1st January (2019)

Measurement and Test Race 2nd January

Races 3rd to 8th January (6 days 12 races)

These dates and arrangements for the 2019 event, to be run by the Mersey Yacht Club Devonport, will be formalised shortly in the usual way via the Notice of Race.

The timing for the 2020 event to be hosted by the Victorian District is fluid at present as arrangements are finalised for the National/Regional and International events planned for Melbourne and Geelong in that year.

A noticed on this is now posted on the ALCA web site at http://www.lasersdownunder.com/change-to-timing-of-oceania-australia-laser-championships/

Reasons for the Change

The three main issues which were identified with the current Laser Nationals timing are:

1.         People have to travel on or before Christmas Day – a particular problem for WA and Tasmania sailors and for all other sailors when the Nationals are in those states.

2.         There is a gap between the end of our Nationals and the AS Youth Championships – this year this is a full 6 days (5-10th January)

3.         The event is too long (currently 2 days for measurement and registration 6 days of sailing and 1 lay day i.e. 9 days in total)

Points of View 

The decision on the Laser Nationals arrangements is for the ALCA committee to take. However both prior to, and at, the ALCA AGM (30 December 2017) there has been considerable discussion, summarised below, on ideas to improve the Laser Nationals arrangements. 

Most were in favour of starting the event later so that sailors and families could spend Christmas at home even if they have to travel a long distance to the event. 

The Australian Sailing Team and others were happy with the rotation arrangement but in favour of a shorter series in terms of days and races. 4-5 days and 8 to 10 races were variously suggested. 

Some 44% of the sailors in the Laser Nationals stay on to sail in the AS Youth Championships so unsurprisingly there was a view that a later start to the Laser Nationals and a consequent much reduced gap between the events was a good idea and would reduce costs for families. 

Conclusion

Under the new arrangement we have a shorter series but with the same number of races, people can have Christmas at home and the gap between the conclusion of our series and the start of the AS Youth’s is minimised.