Savvy
Fleet Shaping Up for Rolex Laser Masters North
American Championships
NEWPORT, R.I. (Sept. 5, 2003) -- A hundred or
more Laser-class sailboats will alight on Narragansett
Bay next weekend for the Rolex Laser Masters North
American Championships. Hosted by the New York
Yacht Club (NYYC), the event is open to members
of the International Lasers Class Association
(ILCA) who are age 35 or older and will register
entrants up until 0900 on Friday, Sept. 12. Racing
is scheduled to begin that same day and continue
through Sunday, Sept. 14. Already, 97 boats have
registered, more than double the number at last
year’s North Americans held in Florida.
Racing takes place in four classes, Apprentice
Masters (ages 35-44), Masters (45-54), Grandmasters
(55-64) and Great Grandmasters (65+), with prizes
going to the top-three finishers in each class
plus the top Apprentice Woman and top Master Woman.
A Rolex timepiece will be awarded to the overall
winner.
"It’s
shaping up to be a terrific event," said
Steven Wolff (Fairfield, Conn.), who co-chairs
the event with Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.) and
Susan Daly (Newport), "with an incredibly
talented contingent of Laser sailors from New
England joining competitors from all over the
continent. How many races we run will be weather-dependent,
but the plan is to take advantage of the typically
optimal September breezes in Newport and get in
as much racing as we can."
Wolff
explained that all classes will sail together
in "standard" rigs, except that Great
Grandmasters and Women may switch between standard
rigs and "radial" rigs at anytime during
the regatta. The ILCA’s North American Masters
handicapping system will be used. "The handicapping
works the scores so, like in golfing, the younger
competitors can go up against the older ones and
an overall winner can be determined," said
Wolff.
Notable
in the early lineup of competitors are Bill Symes
(Portland, Ore.), who finished second in Grandmasters
class at the 2002 Laser Master Worlds, and Peter
Seidenberg (Portsmouth, R.I.), who was third in
the same class and finished 5th at last year’s
Laser Masters North Americans in Great Grandmasters
class. Another entrant, Chris Raab (Sunset Beach,
Calif.) will now sail as a Master but sailed to
second in Apprentice Masters class last year at
the North Americans. Second in Masters class at
the ‘02 Laser Master Worlds was entrant
Mark Bear (Bristol, R.I.), who also finished as
first Master in the Laser Open Midwinters East
in 2003.
"I
am a fairly active laser master sailor, so I expect
the usual: Great competition, sportsmanship, companionship,"
said Bear. "It is also a good chance to race
against the very top caliber sailors of our age
group and prepare for the Worlds in Spain which
begin in a couple weeks. Expectations are high
because the event was so outstanding last time
it was held here (at the NYYC in 1993). I remember
that regatta as one of the best I ever participated
in: Fantastic race management and great shore-side
assistance and hospitality."
Entrant
Ryan Minth (New York, N.Y.), president of the
ILCA North American Region who finished fourth
at the ’02 Laser Master Worlds in Apprentice
Masters class, added: "Rolex's support of
this NYYC-hosted event brings the high-class,
history, and prestige of this event to a pinnacle.
I anticipate this to be the Master's event of
the decade."
From
local fleet 413 will come some of the country’s
hottest sailors, including Dan Neri (Newport)
and America’s Cup veterans Moose McClintock
(Portsmouth, R.I.) and Scott Ferguson (Jamestown,
R.I.). Sally Sharp (Enfield, N.H.), who finished
third at the ’02 Laser Master Worlds in
Women’s division and won the division at
the ’00 event, will sail in Masters class.
The
Notice of Race and entry information is available
at the NYYC website (http://www.nyyc.org).
