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Sick no more!

OG — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:49:48 +0000

Anyone who says they have never been seasick is serioulsy in need of slap. At some point or another, we have all felt that queezy feeling mulching around in the pit of our tummys causing the saliva glands to go into overdrive. I’ve been there, not afraid to admit it either!

“Seasickness happens when the body, inner ear, and eyes all send different signals to the brain, resulting in confusion and queasiness. The problem generally is attributed to the inner ear (vestibular) balance system. The motion of the boat swaying and pitching sets off the conflicting alarm signals to the brain causing nausea, headache, dizziness, and sometimes vomiting. Medical research indicates that motion sickness affects up to 90% of the population to some degree. For many the problem is recurrent and severe. While the degree of susceptibility varies widely, almost no one is immune, given the right stimulus of duration.”

Ok, thats the scientific technical marbo jarbo explaination for it…

But now there is a cure! (kind of…)

Forget the Berocca or the Quills and definitely forget the sick bands that go around your wrist. Instead, take a swig of the ginger kind and suck down a Smooth Sailing.

At “the first signs (you) are usually pallor, yawning, restlessness, and a cold sweat forms on the upper lip and forehead. As the symptoms increase, upset stomach, dizziness, fatigue, and drowsiness may occur. In the final stage, if the stimulus from the movement is uninterrupted, nausea and vomiting are likely to result.”

Yummy!

So instead of sucking it in and trying to hold the vomit inside your gizards, simply venture to the esky or chilly bin and grab yourself a can of Smooth Sailing. Before you know it you will be sailing smoothly thanks to your Smooth Sailing Ginger Supplement that will have you hiking like a hard ass in no time.

I wonder what it tastes like with rum…

Smooth Sailing the Beverage link >>

Comments >>

…I don’t know about anyone else, but just the thought of drinking this makes me feel sick…

Goodbye Nick…

OG — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:44:06 +0000

James Peate, edited by YA, Sydney, Tuesday, 13 May 2008

The skipper of the 2008 OAMPS Australian Youth Team 29er, Nick Peate, tragically died while at home in Ballina (NSW) on Saturday 10th May. He was just 17 years old.

Nick was a member of the Richmond River Sailing Club, the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron and The Southport School Sailing Club, where he was the 2008 Sailing Teams Racing Captain.

With a natural sporting talent, Nick achieved representative honours in many sports including sailing, gymnastics, cross country and hockey. He also had success in schoolboy rugby union, athletics and rowing.

More…

Mixed classes at the Olympics?

OG — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:55:35 +0000

ISAF made the ruling today that it would stand by the November 2007 decision and the following classes will be represented at the 2012 Games.

Women’s Events
1 person dinghy
2 person dinghy
Keelboat (match racing)
Windsurfer

Men’s Events
Windsurfer
1 person dinghy
2 person dinghy (high performance)
2 person dinghy
1 person dinghy (heavy)
Keelboat

Sadly the multihulls are still out, but with their exclusion, why not invite a mixed class into the scenario? There are plenty of guys sailing with girls across many classes, so who is to say that another class can not be invited into the Games?

At International, National and local events guys and girls sail together all the time in double handed classes, so wouldn’t it make sense to encourage these sailors to continue along this path with an achievable goal being what ISAF regards as the pinnacle of yachting.

Women’s match racing has made it’s way into the Olympic Games, so there is no reason a mixed class can’t be there either…

Comment >>

(Still) No Multihulls for the Olympics

johnsee — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:47:39 +0000

Reports from the ISAF Council Meeting in Qingdao, China, indicate that the International Sailing Federation has not changed its earlier stance over the exclusion of the Multihull events from the 2012 Olympics.

The reports we have are of the chain of events is as follows:

Thursday PM - the events committee has not reafirmed the Council decision from November therefore asking the Council to relook at their decision and possibly get the multihull back in for 2012.

On Saturday the vote to determine the ISAF November Olympic debate started by the ISAF President stating that he affirmed the decision from the November meeting. He then handed the meeting over to ISAF Vice President David Kellett to discuss the submission.

Chris Atkins from RYA (UK) opened the debate by promoting the multihull as a discipline that can increase sailing world wide

Bjorn Unger from the Events Committee said the Events Committee also did not support the November decision.

Avatar Comp!

OG — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:20:20 +0000

Here we go, another LSD Comp where you can win stuff!

This time we are looking for the best Forum Avatar. What’s an Avatar I hear you say? It’s that image next to your name that shows part of your personality.

But here is the catch, the Avatar has to be sailing related!

Here are some examples:

These are quite lame though…

Where do you upload your Avatar??? Once you are registered and logged into the forum, go to the User Control Panel, Profile, Edit Avatar. Maximum dimensions; width: 100 pixels, height: 100 pixels, file size: 59kB.

Get cracking and upload your Avatar today! You can steal one from the net (we don’t condone this of course!) or make one yourself (for those handy with photoshop etc.)

The winner of the best sailing related Avatar will win a SLAM Belt and SLAM Gloves thanks to our awesome sponsor SLAM!

This comp closes on Friday 23rd May, OG and Johnsee’s decision is final.

Go for it >>!!!

Hello world!

autorent — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:05:38 +0000

Welcome to Livesaildie.com, your new sailing blog hosted by Live Sail Die. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Hello world!

antivirusonline — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:17:06 +0000

Welcome to Livesaildie.com, your new sailing blog hosted by Live Sail Die. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Winter Training

johnsee — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:12:09 +0000

Last year we featured a guide from Australian Olympic Yngling coach Adrian Finglas on how to continue training over winter. Well today we received another take on winter training from LSD reader Stan. We aren’t sure of the original source of this, so if you have any idea please let us know…

* Sit on a bench with large metal fixtures cutting into your legs, stare straight up into the sun for 2 hours - for a more robust workout: invite 4 friends to come over and yell at you the whole time.

* Go out and get very drunk, sleep 4 hours, then stand on a rocking chair for 6 hours.

* Go to bank and withdraw as much cash as you can - then set it on fire.

* Sit in front of a commercial fan and have someone throw large buckets of salt water on you

* Cut a limb off nearby tree, tie ropes to it, stand on rocking chair with tree limb and ropes - hold them over your head for 3 hours…at 5 minute intervals drop on your head - more robust version: have friends yell at you in 6 minute intervals

* Pour cold water in your lap and give yourself a wedgie, now alternate between sitting and running around bent over

* Tie ropes between 2 trees and sit on a hard barstool tipping yourself into the ropes and balance - push your body against them as hard as you can for 6 consecutive hours - don’t stop for pain or bruising until the pins and needles in your feet make it impossible for you to walk.

* Nail rough grade sandpaper to your stairs and make sure the sandpaper is wet. Crawl up and down on your knees in shorts for several hours.

* Make 12 sandwiches on white bread with bad meat. Cram them into a plastic bag and sprinkle with sea water- eat one a day for 12 consecutive days. Make sure the last one is peanut butter and jam.

* Tie rope to rear bumper of friend’s car, hold on tightly, but allow rope to slip through fingers as car drives away - TIP: works best with nylon.

* Upon completion of above sit down and drink 24 Mount Gay Rums and tell your non-sailing friends what a fantastic sport it is.

Comments >>

Australian Yachting Awards

OG — Sat, 03 May 2008 07:29:52 +0000

The best in Australian Yachting were awarded on Friday night 3 May at a Gala evening in Sydney.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Elise & Tessa 2007 Olympic Test Event Gold

Nicole Brown, Media Op(p)s, Saturday, 3 May 2008

Australia’s Olympic Laser and Women’s 470 representatives were recognised with Australian sailing’s most prestigious honours at the Australian Yachting Awards in Sydney tonight.

The Male Sailor Of The Year 2008 was awarded to back-to-back World Laser Champion and NSW Central Coast local Tom Slingsby, while the Female Sailors Of The Year honour was awarded to the Women’s 470 team of Perth sailors Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson. Slingsby, Rechichi and Parkinson are part of the Australian Sailing Team aiming to match their sport’s best ever Olympic result of four medals when they compete in China later this year.

The Australian Yachting Awards were attended by 11 former Olympic sailing medallists, including Colin Beashel and Tom King, and current Australian Sailing Team members Iain Murray and Andrew Palfrey (Star), Karyn Gojnich (Yngling), Ben Austin and Nathan Outteridge (49er) and Malcolm Page (Men’s 470) who will all soon depart for European regattas before arriving in Qingdao for the Olympic Games.

Slingsby was honoured for a remarkable year of achievements which have seen him rise to Number One in the ISAF Laser Class World Rankings. The 23 year old retained the Laser World Champion title on his home waters of Terrigal in January, having won the 2007 Worlds in Portugal. He also won Gold at the Laser European Championships, claimed Silver at the Sydney International Regatta, brought home a Bronze medal from the Princess Sofia Trophy and finished fourth at the Olympic Sailing Test Event in 2007.

At 22 and 21 years of age, Rechichi and Parkinson are the youngest members of the Australian Sailing Team (AST). They have made major contributions to the AST’s medal haul, winning Gold at the Olympic Sailing Test Event and Bronze at the 2008 World Championship in the women’s two-person dinghy, the 470. Their results are impressive given the pair have had to overcome a series of injuries and illness in the past two years.

The Sailor With A Disability Award was shared by Brisbane’s Daniel Fitzgibbon and Perth’s Rachael Cox, who recently moved to Brisbane to train with Fitzgibbon. With just one month of training, Fitzgibbon and Cox won Gold at the SKUD International Championships. The pair went on to compete in the IFDS World Championships where they finished a respectable fifth in a chartered boat and without the advanced technologies enjoyed by other competitors. Fitzgibbon is a quadraplegic and Cox is classed as an incomplete tetraplegic with partial spinal cord damage. They have won selection for the 2008 Australian Paralympic Team in the SKUD, which is the two person keelboat class for the Paralympic Games to be held in Qingdao, 6 -17 September 2008.

The OAMPS Insurance Brokers Youth Sailor Of The Year 2008 is Gabrielle King.
Seventeen year old King was crowned both the 2007 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Champion and the Women’s 2008 Laser Radial Youth World Champion, won the NSW Youth Championships and both the 2007 and 2008 OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championships. Hailing from Maclean NSW, King has been selected for the 2008 OAMPS Insurance Brokers Youth Team and will be heading to Denmark in July to defend her Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship title.

Tasmania’s Murray Jones was named Volunteer Of The Year for his dedication to all areas of sailing. A prominent youth and team racing coach, Jones has coached Australia’s Team Racing team at the World Championships three times. He is also an active member of the Management Committee of the Tasmanian Yachting Association, Yachting Australia’s Team Racing Committee and Director of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. Jones also turns his hand successfully to umpiring, running regular rules seminars and is the Race Officer at club races and championships.

The Sport Professional Award 2008 was presented to Sydney’s John Anderson OAM. The 1972 Star Class Olympic Gold medallist became a talented player in the sail making industry with North Sails. A consultant to yacht owners as an IOR Optimiser, Anderson became highly sought after for his technical advice. He took on the role of Development and Technical Officer for Yachting NSW in 1982 and has been one of the lead technicians through many offshore rating systems as they evolved: IOR, IMS, CHS and IRC. Anderson has also taken on roles within youth development, training and events to share his knowledge and skills with new generations of Australian sailors.

Yachting Australia’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2008 was presented to Perth’s Graeme Owens and Melbourne’s Harry Tedstone.

As an international judge, the Royal Perth Yacht Club’s Graeme Owens has dedicated himself to ensuring sailboat racing is run correctly and to the highest standards. Owens has been a member and Chairman of numerous committees over the past 50 years, including Yachting Australia’s Racing Rules Committee, Race Officials Committee, National Judges Sub-Committee, National Umpires Sub-Committee and Appeals Review Committee, Yachting Western Australia’s Racing Rules Committee, Executive Committee and the President of two State Class Associations. Owens is a prolific author and wrote the original ISAF Call Book for Umpiring as well as the Umpiring and Match Racing Manual. He has educated others within all these areas of the sport and done it all on a voluntary basis.

Harry Tedstone has contributed to the sport of yachting since he was a young man and has been an active member of the Royal Brighton Yacht Club for 56 years. As a passionate participant in the sport, Tedstone won three Australian titles and numerous State titles. However, it is his efforts to ensure others maximise their enjoyment of the sport which is most impressive. He has more than 30 years experience as a Race Officer across all aspects of race management, regatta organisation and administration. In addition, he can be found training and mentoring up-and-coming race officials and young sailors, representing a wide range of classes from Etchells to Sabots and Cadets.

The Sport Promotion Award 2008 went to the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. The RGYC boasts a proud history stretching back almost 150 years, over which time it has strongly supported and promoted the sport of sailing and actively marketed the sport to both the sailing and general community. Examples include interactive websites, press & TV coverage and engaging future generations of sailors through many well established programmes such as Come Try Sailing, Adult Introduction to Keelboat Sailing, Youth Training and Sailability. The RGYC hosts a great many regattas, however its pinnacle event, Skandia Geelong Week, has become Australia’s largest sailing event due to its appeal across all levels of yachting enthusiasts from beginner to elite performer.

The inaugural President’s Award was presented to Audi Australia for their outstanding support of Australian sailing, which includes sponsorship of the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta, the Australian Sailing Team, the Audi IRC Australian Championships, the Cruising Yacht Club Winter Series and the Etchells class.

Comments >>

Five people killed after two boats collide on Sydney Harbour

OG — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:04:37 +0000

After a string of horrid boating accidents in late 2007, including this one on the Brisbane River, there has been another collision between powerboats, this time on Sydney Harbour.

Could this accident mean an end to people enjoying our waterways?

Sydney Harbour is always busy… Photo Source

Story Link

BREAKING NEWS

FIVE people have been killed after two boats collided in Sydney Harbour early today. Police and other emergency officers on the scene are desperately trying to save other passengers.

A fishing trawler and an aluminium half-cabin runabout collided about 200m off Bradleys Head, near Taronga Park Zoo, about 2.40am.

The impact tore apart the stern of the smaller, aluminium vessel.

It appears that 14 people, all aged between 18 and 31, were aboard the smaller vessel which belonged to a Sydney shipbuilding company.

Five were killed in the crash with the remainder being rescued by fishermen in a nearby dinghy.

Police said the fishermen ferried the bodies and survivors to Taronga Park Wharf.

Two victims have spinal injuries with one in a critical condition.

Nine people are seriously injured following the accident between the two boats off Bradley’s Head on the north shore of Sydney Harbour.
Three of the survivors were seriously injured with one listed as critical.

That man, a 30-year-old, has head injuries.

An 18-year-old woman, the only female on board, is in a serious condition, along with a 31-year-old man.

A spokeswoman for Royal North Shore Hospital said they were in a unit described as “resuscitation”, which was similar to intensive care.

The remaining injured, aged 31, 22, 24, 30, 21 and 19, are listed as stable with minor injuries.

One person had to be airlifted from the scene and eight others were taken to Royal North Shore hospital in Sydney.

Acting Inspector Tony Bear, who was one of the first on the scene, said passersby helped in the rescue.

“Members of the public have come to the assistance of the victims and, as a result, coordinated effort between all emergency services have transported those people to Taronga Park wharf,” Insp Bear said.

Another report said that one of the vessels was virtually cut in the back, while the other escaped serious damage.

“It would appear all the victims have come from the one vessel,” Insp Bear said.
Officers were unsure why 14 people were aboard the smaller aluminium vessel.

Ambulance officers who helped the survivors said all crew were “relatively young”.

The boat sustained serious damage to its stern.

It appeared as though the trawler struck from behind and then mounted it, buckling the cabin.

Police cordoned off the Taronga Zoo wharf as water police and Polair searched the water to confirm all had been found.

The trawler and the shipping repair vessel were later moved to Balmain Water Police where the victims’ bodies were unloaded.

John Wilson from Ambulance Services NSW said five of the injured were able to walk.

“We got the call at about 2.34am (AEST) to an accident between two boats just off Goat Island and the situation at the moment is that we have five deceased persons,” he told reporters at the scene.

“We’ve transported nine to Royal North Shore Hospital.

“Of that nine we’ve got five walking, we’ve got two with spinal injuries and one other with injuries unknown at this stage.”

The area is now a crime scene and a search is under way between Bradley’s Head and Goat Island.
Sydney Water Police are heading the investigation.

Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Comments >>

2008 WA Laser State Championships

OG — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:34:47 +0000

Wrap up report from Western Australian Laser sailor Tristan Brown

The WA State Laser Championships were held at Geographe Bay Yacht Club over the ANZAC Day long weekend, with 73 boats competing across the three different laser fleets. All fleets saw lead changes across the three days, with the conditions making it very hard to maintain consistency for the entire championships.

On the first day, everyone encountered challenging light breezes which struggled to stay in the one spot, with numerous changes in angle and strength. Race One got underway in these same conditions, and before too long the fleets spread massively. Some were able to take advantage of these massive changes whilst others struggled their way around the course. After over an hour of fickle breezes, the opening race of the regatta was abandoned.

Once the breeze stabilized later on in the afternoon, Race One was resailed. This time there was no abandonment, and results stood. In the Full Rig fleet, Paul Slaughter (who was leading the earlier race when it was abandoned) proved there was justice after all, and sailed very well to win. In the Radial fleet, Michael Taylor proved he would be hard to beat in the lighter conditions, taking the win, over fleet newcomer David Mooney in second and Tom Lovelady third. In the 4.7 fleet, Zac Evangelisti took control of the race to be leading the 4.7 fleet after the first day.

More >> & Comments >>

Volvo Ocean Race Announcements

johnsee — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:14:32 +0000

Photo: Rick Tomlinson

A few quick bits of information that have graced the Live Sail Die news desk in the past few days.

Rick Tomlinson has been named the official photographer for the race. With some spectacular photos coming out of the race in previous years he has big shoes to fill, but definitely has the ability to capture some more amazing images based on his website.

Jack Lloyd has also been announced as the Race Director. Jack is an International Judge and Umpire and was previously a rules advisor to both Team New Zealand and OneWorld in the AC.

Comments >>

A Pirate’s Life For Me

sansan — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:59:06 +0000

News, News and More News…

Sometimes, life is boring and normal, and then there are times when life is all but slow; Things seem to change at a rapid pace. A wise man once said, ” The only constant is change.” I agree, however, sometimes you are ready for a change but when it comes it knocks the wind out of you.

The GOOD news!

Hey It’s all good news. GR has taken advantage of an awesome opportunity. Currently, he is in the Bahamas on a 142′ Richmond yacht. He is the Chief Engineer! This position was not exactly what he was aiming for when he started this journey into the Yachting Industry. Initially, He was shooting for a Captain position. Yet, this opportunity came at a perfect time, and he is able to take full advantage of some wonderful experience with an awesome Captain and Crew. The yacht is based out of Ft. Lauderdale and stays at the dock for the most part but does take a lot of trips during the High Season. And as with any boat, it’s still just a hole in the water that the Owner throws money into, which really just means, maintenance ,maintenance, maintenance!

As for me, I am currently working toward my Real Estate license. I’ll take my State Exam on May 8th. Prayers are appreciated. I am working on a yacht myself it is a 52 ‘ Trumpy an old wooden boat that has won many awards for regatta’s in Abaco, Bahamas. I am helping to restore it to it’s original condition, that is before it sank in a hurricane years ago in Abaco. The boat is right here in Ponce Inlet so I can ride my bike to work which is lovely considering the price of petro!

As for Gia, She is currently preparing to graduate from Pre- kindergarten, And Yes they actually have a formal ceremony for that? Who Knew? Then she will be in Summer Camp and This fall it’s off to Elementary school for the real deal Kindergarten. She recently got a basketball that she is really good with, and I love to play so we’ve been doing that quite often.

Well, love to you all, and yes we are still shopping for the perfect cruising vessel and plan to hit the Seas as soon as humanly possible.

A Pirate’s Life for Me.

Rules Question: Barging At The Start

johnsee — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:05:26 +0000

A and X are approaching the starting line to start with A clear ahead and to leeward of X. X establishes an overlap to windward between A and the committee boat. At position 3 A luffs, hailing ‘No room’. X responds to the luff, and in so doing makes contact with the committee boat. X protests. What should the call be?

Here’s a quick situation taken directly from the ISAF call book. Without looking up the answer in the call book (blue book is ok), who is in the wrong, who is in the right… and why?

Comments / Opinions >>

Windy day in Europe

OG — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:46:01 +0000

Photographer?

Comments >>

Oh dear, look what happened…

OG — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:14:11 +0000

More photos from the IRC States coming soon (of yachts actually racing!).

Comments >>

Blow up the pokies?

OG — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:39:29 +0000

There are no pokie (poker) machines at the club where I am a member.

I don’t think I would ever want to have pokies at a Sailing/Yacht Club.

But $200,000 in annual earnings??? That’s a hell of a lot of money that can go in coaching, development and club vessels…

From the Courier Mail:

Southport Yacht Club is ditching its 30 poker machines because they are “annoying” and the club is turning its pokies room into a VIP members lounge.

More than 400 members of the Southport Yacht Club on the Gold Coast have opted to give the machines the flick and turn the pokies area into a VIP members lounge amid growing concerns over problem gambling.

But club commodore Neale Hollier said the decision to scrap the machines had little to do with anti-gambling sentiments.

“I think the lot of the members … a) didn’t play them and b) just found them annoying because they took up a fair amount of space that could be better used,” he said.

“So our thoughts were: `Let’s get rid of them’.”

Mr Hollier said the 30 machines, which have been at the club for 10 years, grossed about $200,000 in annual earnings, but that figure had been steadily declining.

“They have been profitable. However, we’ve found since the non-smoking laws came in the drop in usage of these machines has been quite substantial,” he said.

“It was getting to a point where not this year, but by next year, we’d be in a negative situation.”

Mr Hollier said the club would offer all 30 machines up for sale and hand back its gaming licence to the government.

But he backed the continuation of poker machines at other clubs, saying it was up to patrons to decide which type of venue they visited.

Does your club have pokie machines? If so, where does the money go?

Should sailing/yacht clubs have poker machines as a source of income, or do they eliminate ambience?

Comments >>

Etchells and 16′ Skiffs

OG — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:28:13 +0000

Photos from the 2008 Audi Etchells Australian Championship and the 07/08 16′ Skiff Australian Championships are now available from SAILINGphotos.net

Etchells Images >>

16′ Skiffs >>

You will need to set aside about an hour to look through them all. There are 708 16′ Skiff images (a few crash sequences) and 643 Etchells images… I just couldn’t decide which ones to upload so just uploaded them all!

Enjoy!!!

Comments >>

12’s and 18’s on Leicestershire

OG — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:10:55 +0000

Next weekend sees the 12ft Skiffs and the 18ft Skiffs descend on Leicestershire, for the first round of this years Bartercard Skiff series, which take place on the 26th & 27th April at Rutland Water.

For the 12ft Skiffs, this will be first event in this years Bartercard Cup, a prestigious trophy presented to the overall series points winner. In a similar way to Formula 1, 6 points are given to the winning boat, with 2nd place getting 5 points, third getting 4, and so on.

With the recent addition of 3 more 12ft Skiffs from New Zealand, this event will see similar-sized fleets from both classes, making for quite a spectacle.

Brian Whitford from Bartercard said were really pleased to see the 18ft Skiffs get involved in our race series this year alongside the 12ft Skiffs, and are keen to work with both classes to build a series thats recognised throughout the world as being at the pinnacle of the sport of dinghy sailing, involving some of the countrys top sailors in the most exciting and extreme craft in the world.

Bob Clements from the 12ft Skiff Class commented were very pleased that Bartercard have the vision to see where were trying to take this, and are keen to come with us on that journey. The support weve had from Bartercard has been fantastic over the last 2 years, and I think that with the inclusion of the 18ft Skiffs this year, the series will go from strength to strength. Who knows, you might even get to see skiff racing on the TV soon.

Australian Laser builder expands range

OG — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:38:36 +0000

It’s exciting!!!

Laser builder Performance Sailcraft Australia has taken on the successful RS Sailboat range from Britain, and is now licensed to build and distribute all of the RS range in the Asia Pacific region. The RS Sailboats line-up includes junior learn-to-sail and racing classes in rotomoulded thermoplastic, as well as high performance GRP (fibreglass) one-design dinghies for one and two-person crews. “We were very particular about choosing the right brand to complement the Laser range,” says Chris Caldecoat, PSA’s Operations Manager. “It had to have one-design capabilities, international status and support from Yachting Federations worldwide.”

The dinghy revolution

The expansion of PSA’s range comes at the conclusion of a huge summer in which the NSW Central Coast based company built and supplied 160 new Lasers as charter boats for the Laser Standard and Masters worlds in Terrigal, NSW in February, followed by the Laser Radial Women’s Open Men’s and Youth worlds in Takapuna, Auckland in March. PSA also built another 450 Lasers for the numerous local and international sailors who were training and racing Downunder during the 2007-08 summer.
“We have not had a major Laser event for the past three years with less than 350 boats,” says Chris Caldecoat. “The junior Laser 4.7 fleet alone will double from 50 at the last nationals in Melbourne to 100 in Perth next Christmas.
“With the time constraints on the general population, the dinghy market has turned towards off-the-shelf, ready-to-sail one design boats. Today’s sailors are out on the water, not in the shed building boats, and the improvements in dinghy sailing apparel also allows sailing all year round these days.
“We have seen this with the Laser, which has been at the forefront of the off-the-shelf sailboat revolution. The class continues to grow and our boats are being sailed up to four or five times a week by keen club racers.”

Promoting junior sailing

PSA is targeting the junior classes in the RS range, particularly the RS Tera which will be on sale for less the $5000 with a dolly. “It is a ISAF Recognised boat, it looks cool and presents young single-handed sailors a boat with world title ambitions,” Caldecoat says.
“Performance Sailcraft will always target the racing side of the market, from introduction through to Olympic and World title aspirations.”
Also at the top of the list is the one-design RS Feva (ISAF International Class), which PSA has identified as filling a gap for an international junior class leading in to the 29er and 49er classes. A new XL Feva fully equipped for racing, on a dolly with cover will cost $9500.
The Feva has been selected to be used at the Australian Schools Teams Racing Championships for 2008, and PSA will bid to host the Feva World titles on Sydney Harbour in summer 2010.

Olympic Youth Festival

PSA will supply both Lasers and RS Fevas for the Australian Olympic Youth Festival on Sydney Harbour in January 2009.
The company is also implementing a program to assist young sailors around the Asia Pacific region to come up to competitive speed in the Feva class as quickly as possible. PSA will assist all competing nations in the Australian Olympic Youth Festival to send their best junior sailors and coaches to an elite training camp in Britain prior to the 2008 XL Feva World titles in Sweden. “The idea is to get the top kids and their coaches up to speed on the XL Feva and let them bring that knowledge home,” says Chris Caldecoat.

Modern two-person adult boat

Beyond the junior classes, the first senior boat from RS Sailboat’s range to be manufacturered by PSA in Australia will be the RS 200.
“Our market research shows that we are missing a two-person modern adult boat,” says Chris Caldecoat.
“This boat will also soon become an international class, with events at fun locations all over the world for competitors to travel to and compete.”

Charter boats and regatta support

PSA intends to build on the successful model established at major Laser regattas by making RS charter boats available every summer for overseas competitors travelling to Australia and New Zealand, and supporting the class events with on-site factory support.
RS boats will be distributed through PSA’s current dealer network around Australia and New Zealand. The company is also employing an RS brand manager to introduce the range to sailors in south-east Asia, where it expects the Feva in particular to become a popular class.

Comments & Contact Details >>