Pembrokeshire Performance Sailing Academy

Pembrokeshire Performance Sailing Academy will provide bespoke, one to one coaching in most performance sailing dinghies.  Additionally, if training in Laser 5000 is required, I can travel to where you are or you can visit Dale to receive tailored training to your needs.  Please get in touch at the e-mail address provided.  Happy Sailing, Taff

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Entry Form

GWSC

Also now available are the event entry forms and accomodation lists. Get your entry forms in as soon as possible and please note there will be a meal at Dale Yacht Club on the Saturday night so get your meal order forms returned asap for the caterers…It is at the end of the race entry forms.

NoR – http://laser5000.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/dale_nationals_NoR_2012.pdf

Entry Form – http://laser5000.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Dale_Nationals_2012_Entry_Form.pdf

Accomodation Lists
Self Catering – http://laser5000.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/dale_nationals_accomodation_SelfCater_2012.pdf
Camping – http://laser5000.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/dale_nationals_accomodation_Camping_2012.pdf
Bed & Breakfast – http://laser5000.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/dale_nationals_accomodation_BB_2012.pdf

With the 2012 Season just about on us, I thought it about time that I put something out to lay down the foundations for the season and let people know what’s going on for the year.

2011 saw some considerable successes not least of which for Mark and Susie Reynell who, with the exception of the Nationals that they could not attend, swept the board at all the meetings we held. As a result, they are not only the Inland Champions, but also the Travellers Series Champions. Having said that Alistair Kinsman and Paddy Adler performed magnificently at Filey and are our 2011 National Champions.

We will of course be running the Travellers’ Series in 2012 and the events that will count towards the overall Travellers Title will be;

• The Open event at Grafham over the 26th and 27th of May. This is part of the Laser Multi Class event that is being held there.
• The Laser 5000 National Championships at Dale in Pembrokeshire on the 30th of June and 1st of July.
• The Laser 5000 European Championships at Plymouth over the 27th to the 29th of July.
• The Laser 5000 Inland Championships, venue tbc, but likely to be Rutland Water once again.

Having mentioned the Nationals and Europeans, I’ll just explain a little more about them.

The Nationals will be hosted by Dale Yacht Club, in the heart of the Pembrokeshire National Park. As this is my last year as Chairman, I have unashamedly lobbied for this location – it is beautiful, friendly, the beer is good, and the sailing venue is second to none (well perhaps Garda might be slightly better – but only because of the guaranteed winds!). So far, I’ve had expressions of interest from 13 boats. I sincerely hope that they, and more all turn up. This would be an absolutely fantastic way to finish my tenure as the Chairman and would certainly get us the recognition as a Class that we thoroughly deserve after a few years in the doldrums. Please make every effort to get there. More information, including accommodation, menu for a dinner on the Saturday night and the all-important NoR will be placed on the website soon.

The next major event for 2012 is the European Championships which will be held as part of the Port of Plymouth Week. We had tried to run it over a 5 day period, however due to the lack of entries from our European membership and the low numbers from the UK, we’ve cut it down to a long weekend in an attempt to try and get more people to come along. So far numbers have been quite disappointing. This will be a great weekend, with lots going on because of the overall events and once again, the sailing venue is fantastic. More details will be posted once the Port of Plymouth Sailing Association have finalised things.

Do please try to make to as many events as possible. Without obvious support and greater numbers at events, it makes it very difficult for us to be able to get deals for you either in terms of cheaper kit, sponsorship at events and more importantly to try and convince manufacturers to build new parts for us. The most obvious example of this is the mast. Members of the committee have been approaching all sorts of manufacturers, from the more established marine spar makers such as Seldens, to aluminium extrusion factories to try and persuade them to make more masts as there are none left in stock at Northampton Sailboats. So far we are coming up against a brick wall because none of these people see a viable financial payback because our numbers are so small. If you enjoy sailing your boat, then please support us by attending events and training. It really doesn’t matter what standard you are, we will be very happy to see you at the events and we will all try and help out if you’re new to the 5 tonner.

To help those who are new or just back into the boat, we holding our annual Training Weekend at Grafham Water on the 14th and 15th of April. This is a chance for you to get some hints and tips from people who have been sailing the boat for a few years, to get some coaching from an RYA Coach and to have some fun on the water. The Association will be paying towards the cost of the RIB and facilities at the sailing club and at £20 per boat for Association members it’s a very reasonable price. We’ve only had 3 boats express an interest so far – why not come along and take advantage of this great opportunity.

Talking of training, I’ve just taken possession of GBR 5054 which I’m going to be using for people who would like some additional training and to let people who are considering buying a 5000 have a go to see what it’s like. Initially it’s going to be held at Dale in Pembrokeshire but I will consider travelling to where it’s needed at weekends only as long as my costs are met and a small charge to cover insurance and kit. Please let me know if you’re interested.

This is also the opportunity to ask you to keep your eyes open when you go to visit other clubs to see if you can spot any 5000s lying about in boat parks that are obviously not being used or not visiting us at events. We should be encouraging people to get their boats out on the water and sailing them. If they are not, for whatever reason, then we should be encouraging them to sell to people who will sail them. Please get the word out on the street to get these boats on the water. We can help move them on through our classified section on the website.

I’ve already said that this will be my last year as the Chairman of the Association. I’m changing jobs next year and I need to focus on sorting that out. I hope however to take a role in sorting out the next European Championships in 2014. There is also the opportunity for people to put themselves forward for any of the appointments in the committee and selections will be made at the AGM which is usually held at the Inland Championships in October. Places up for grabs are:

• Chairman
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Social Member

Let me know if you’re interested.

Lastly, my usual plea – pay your membership fees! We’ve reduced them to £30 this year and only £15 for students (who must prove it). We’re very keen to get lots of new blood into this boat (not over it ), so please encourage your mates to join in, pay your fees and get the advantages of cheaper entry to events and better prizes etc. A Paypal account has been set up to make it easier for you to pay in a safe way.

Good luck and happy sailing in 2012.

Laser 5000 GBR5233 Taff & Ade

We cannot be complacent however and although we have found more boats and new crews are coming forward, there are one or two who have had to sell their boats due to family commitments and to the current fiscal climate where people are having to concentrate on work; leisure time is more difficult to find and understandably family priorities come first.  The boat remains a challenge for many and I suppose amongst the many different priorities that people have, they may find it easier to sail a less demanding boat, despite the high intensity thrills the 5 tonner provides.  We must find ways of getting the boats that are sitting in boat yards and gardens out on the water again and sailing.

Despite this, we have had an active season and those that are sailing made some sterling efforts to keep the association active and much fun and entertainment was had.

RYA DINGHY SHOW – ALEXANDRA PALACE

Laser 5000 stand 2011 RYA Volvo Dinghy Show Alexandra Palace

The association has had an extremely rewarding year which started with the help of Northampton Sailboats as they invited the Class to join them at the RYA Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace.  There were many who showed an interest in the class and many youngsters showed an interest in the skiff, particularly due to the very affordable 2nd hand prices.

GBR5233 at the 2011 RYA dinghy show

We’ve followed one or two of these up and it’s slowly beginning to pay dividends.  In addition, many of the ‘old sweats’ came to see the boat again and many yarns were re-counted.  It was particularly good to see Derek Clark and Cliff Norbury, who were part of the original design team.

TRAINING WEEKEND – GRAFHAM WATER SC

Laser 5000 Land simulator training at Grafham

The annual training weekend was run again in April, however this time it was at Grafham Water with some new faces on the scene.  Having seen Mark Reynell at the 2010 National Championships, it was good to see him again at the Training Weekend, although he probably delivered more training from his effortless sailing that he actually received!  One highlight of the weekend was the appearance of Ben Julian, who now owns GBR 5000, the original production model Laser 5000 and although he said there was lots of work to be done on it, it was great to see him.  The weekend went well with lots of boat handling drills, and I think that by the end of the Sunday, the crews there wanted to put the Coach’s whistle somewhere that shouldn’t be mentioned!

OPEN EVENT – POOLE YC

Laser 5000 GBR5248 Thomas & Ade at Poole

The next event for the Class Association was an open event held at Poole YC.  The club hosted us in fine style despite only 5 crews attending the event, probably due to the high winds forecast.  Having said that the winds on Saturday turned out to be light with many crews searching for the twin wire breeze.
True to the forecast, high winds in the top of a 5 range with massive force 6 gusts appeared on Sunday and it took a while for the decision to be made to head out to the sailing area.  2 boats decided to sit it out, with 3 heading out to the race area with the boat making the least mistakes (and therefore capsizes in these conditions) to win – but only just!

GBR5300 Mark & Susie at Poole

Results for Poole were:

1 GBR 5300 Mark/Susie Poole YC 3pts
2 GBR 5233 Taff/Mark, ASA 5pts
3 GBR 5196 Thomas/Alan Porthmadog 8pts
4 GBR 5113 Tom/Alec, RWSC 10pts
5 GBR 5248 Ade/James, Cargreen SC 16pts

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – FILEY YC (Sponsored by Northampton Sailboats)

GBR5307 Alistair & Paddy

In an effort to make the Class more inclusive in 2011, The Laser 5000 National Championships were held at Filey SC in North Yorkshire. The stunning venue allowed the 2010 European Champions from Scotland the opportunity to travel to the event covering more or less the same distance as those travelling from the south.  The Championships were kindly sponsored by Northampton Sailboats, our equipment supplier.  Entrants came from far and wide, with teams from Loch Lomond, Plymouth, Pembrokeshire, Suffolk, North Wales and the centre of England.

Final positions were:

1. GBR 5307 Alister/Paddy Loch Lomond 4 Points
2. GBR 5231 Thomas/Alistair GWSC 5 Points
3. GBR 5233 Taff/Nigel Army SA/Dale YC 8 Points
4. GBR 5249 Mark/Nicky GWSC 10 Points
5. GBR 5248 Ade/James Cargreen YC 12 Points
6. GBR 5269 Paul/Ed GWSC 13 Points
7. GBR 5035 Neil/Ben Felixstowe Ferry 21 Points
8. GBR 5196 Alan/Ed Porthmadog SC 22 Points.

OPEN EVENT – LOCH LOMOND SC(Sponsored by Glengoyne Distillery)
The Scots crews from Loch Lomond invited the Association to the Loch Lomond Dinghy Weekend and with the promise of sponsorship from Glengoyne Distillery, the class set off!
The club did a sterling job, with over 103 dinghies entering into a very tight fought and tactical weekend’s racing, with two courses for fast handicap and slow handicap fleets.  Of the Laser 5000 fleet, entries made the effort to drive up from as far as Plymouth, Poole, the Midlands, North Wales, Cambridgeshire, Pembrokeshire and of course Scotland and all were made welcome on the Friday evening by Paddy, the Club barman, Lasagne Cook and Laser 5000 sailor (is that wise making him the barman!?).  Boats were assembled; lasagne eaten and beer quaffed on the Friday evening before the rain arrived and the wind disappeared! (Note to self – check tent for leaks before you leave for an event nearly 400 miles away!).  The highlight of the weekend for me was seeing GBR 5000 – the original production Laser 5000 once again on the water after a lot of very hard work by Ben – she looked in a great condition considering the state she had been in some 3 months earlier.
And another note to self – in light airs, within 30 seconds of the gun, with boats all around and not going fast, it’s not a good idea to gybe away and expect to be able to accelerate across the line with backed battens, however much I swear at them!

Final placing’s were:

1. Mark/Susie GBR 5300 Poole YC
2. Alister/Paddy GBR 5307 Loch Lomond YC
3. Mark/Nicki GBR 5249 Grafham Water SC
4. Alan/Alastair GBR 5235 Loch Lomond YC
5. Taff/Ade GBR 5233 ASA/Dale YC
6. Ben/Chris GBR 5000 Edgebaston Reservoir SC
7. Paul/Ed GBR 5269 Grafham Water SC
8. Alan/Ed GBR 5196 Porthmadog SC

Laser 5000 2011 Loch Lomond Open meeting competitors

INLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS – RUTLAND WATER SC

GBR5243 Thomas & Alistair rigging

The usual final event of the season was the Inland Championships, held during the ‘Laser Classes’ event at Rutland Water.  Only 5 boats managed to make the trip, but some tight and interesting racing was seen in a range of wind conditions.

At the end of the weekend, the final 2011 Inland Championships results are:

1. Mark/Susie GBR5300 Poole YC
2. Thomas/Alistair GBR5231 Grafham Water SC
3. Tom/Niall GBR5301 Draycote Water SC
4. Taff/Nigel GBR5233 Army SA/ Dale YC
5. Neil/George GBR5035 Felixstowe Ferry SC

TRAVERLLERS’ SERIES RESULTS

2011 Rutland Inland Championships

At the end of the 2011, despite low turn-out at some of the events, a total of 13 boats were seen on the race track, which is an increase of 2 boats on the previous season, indicating a further increase in participation across the fleet.  Final placing’s in the Laser 5000
Travellers’ Series were therefore:

1st.  Mark and Susie Reynell GBR 5300 Pool YC 12 points
2nd. Taff Owens/Nigel Simms GBR 5322 ASA/Dale 14 points
3rd. Alister Kinsman/Paddy Adler GBR 5307 LLSC 15 points
4th. Thomas Sauval/Alistair Farman GBR 5321 GWSC 16 points
5th. Mark and Nicky Rushton GBR 5249 GWSC 19 points
=6th. Paul Burns/Ed James         GBR 5269 GWSC 25 points
=6th.Ade Beaven-Smith/James Williams GBR 5248 Cargeen SC 25 points
=6th. Alan Moss/ Alastair GBR5235 LLSC 25 points
=7th. Neil and George Luckett       GBR 5035   Felixstowe 27 points
=7th. Ben Julian/ and Chris GBR 5000 Edgebaston 27 points
=8th. Tom Hill/Alec GBR 5113 RWSC 28 points
=8th. Alan Butler/Ed GBR 5196 Porthmadog 28 points
=8th.Niall Ferguson/Tom Lambert GBR 5301 Draycot SC 28 points

Members of the Association will also be taking part in the SailJuice Series of races which are five major handicap events which constitute this winter’s series. They are:

Draycote Dash, Draycote Water Sailing ClubSaturday/Sunday 19/20 November 2011

Grafham Grand Prix, Grafham Water Sailing ClubMonday 2nd January 2012

Bloody Mary, Queen Mary Sailing Club Saturday 7th January 2012

Steve Nicholson Trophy, Northampton Sailing Club Saturday 28 January 2012

John Merricks Tiger Trophy, Rutland Sailing Club Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th February 2012

2012 Laser 5000 Sailing Programme

This event marks the end of a great 2011 season of strong class racing to build on for 2012, starting with training at Grafham in April and including the European Championships on UK shores in Plymouth in July.
The full programme for 2012 is shown below.
Training Weekend at Grafham Water – 14th/15th April
Open Event at Grafham Water (During ‘Laser Masters’ event) – 26th/27th May
National Championships at Dale SC – 30 June/1 July (tbc)
European Championships at Plymouth –  23 to 29 July
Open Event in September (TBC)
Inland Championships at Rutland Water SC – Oct

A special mention is reserved for the loss of Thomas and Alistair from the UK fleet as regular circuit competitors as a result of Thomas moving back to France – we haven’t stopped trying to tempt them back, they will be missed.

OTHER MATTERS
Masts. Many of you will be aware that since the sale of the last mast held by Northampton Sailboats, I have been looking at the various options for getting new mast built for the Class.  Selden, who were the manufacturer of the original Cirrus section are no longer interested in producing the mast and there are no other manufacturers in the UK that are willing or able to produce it although Z Spars were very helpful to us, they cannot produce the mast we want.
I have sought the consensus of the Association and much debate was had about whether we should adopt a carbon option for a mast.  Eventually this option was not considered to be in the interests of the Association for various reasons – cost, separation of the fleet, undermining the one design ethos and the possibility of having to re-cut sails amongst others.  I have therefore sought the assistance of an aluminium extrusion company, not in the marine industry with the construction of a new mast.  We are still in the initial investigations; measurements have been taken, discussions had and in the first instance, the Chief Engineer is quite hopeful.  However, I have not discussed costs yet or how production and sales will be handled or who source the rigging.  So, despite some initial optimism, there is still a long way to go before I can truly say we have solved the problem.

Association Handbook and Rules.   If you go to the Association Webpage you will find the latest edition (Edn 6) of the Association Handbook.  I would urge you all to read it and take note of the various hints and tips contained within it.  In addition it clearly indicates the rules for the One Design Class, it is crucial that all that sail the boat understand and apply these rules, not only for our Class Events, where weight and righting measurement will be taken and boats may be liable to inspection, but also within your own club handicap racing.  After all, the handicaps are based on the boats being sailed according to their rules and sailing the boat against others in the class should be all about skill and boat handling and not about different weight advantages and sailcloth etc.

Sponsorship.  During the year we have received some sponsorship for various sources – Northampton Sailboats, Glengoyne Distillery and you may not be aware, but also from Noble Marine who have provided some finance and are willing to do so again – hence the logo at the bottom of this page and on other documents that we produce.  They are very helpful to members of the association that have sought insurance through them on production of a valid membership number in the past.

Association Fees.   We have made the decision to reduce the membership fees for this coming year to £30 for full membership and students will only have to pay £20, so it’s once again a great deal to be a member and I would urge you all get your fees to Neil Luckett as soon as possible in 2012.  The committee do a great deal of work on your behalf and there are some events in 2012 where we will require some funding to reduce entry costs to members and we may also need a pot of money to help with the finance of the new masts. There have been a few instances in 2011 where people have sought assistance from the Association, but have not been members and have subsequently not paid, this will not happen in the future!

Activate the Fleet.   Some of you may be aware of the ‘Activate your Fleet’ campaign that the RYA have been running for the last few years.  In an attempt to improve the entries to events and to get more people sailing this great boat, a few of the committee have been very active in their areas to get in touch with various clubs and sailing associations to see if they can find boats in yards/garden etc and to try and encourage people to get them back onto the water.  We will continue with the campaign in 2012.  I would ask you all however, if you know of any boats or owners of boats that are not being used, to let us know or talk to them to find out why.  If we can help get them on the water again, we will.  If we can help sell them by advertising on our Classified Advert site on the webpage, we will.  If people want some training, we’ll also see what we can do.  We can also offer some trial sails (depending on location) if people want to try out a boat before they buy one.  Please help us out.

Finally, 2012 will be my last year as the Chairman of the Association, I would therefore ask, that all of you who own a boat and want to get the most out of it make every effort to attend some of our events for the year.  Crucially we have a European Championship in Plymouth, just as the Olympics are about to start (it’s a great way for the continental 5000 sailors to get across here to see some of the festivities).  In addition, and being totally self-serving, the Nationals will be held at my home club, Dale, in Pembrokeshire and in order to make it cost effective, we need as many people as possible to come to it.  It’s a lovely place, very beautiful, with a great sailing area and plenty of places to stay, the beer is pretty good to!

Although it’s slightly early, I hope you all the very best for the Christmas period and I hope that everybody has a great 2012.

All the best

Taff,
Chairman Laser 5000 Association

The weekend of the 15th & 16th October saw 5 crews gather at Rutland Sailing Club for the 2011 Inland Championships, the concluding event of a great 2011 season that started with a training weekend at Grafham in May, followed by class events in Poole, Filey, and Loch Lomond throughout the summer.

Three races were held on Saturday in difficult, light and shifty conditions. Race 1 got off to a great start with all five boats in close proximity to each other for the first lap. Thomas Sauvel and Alistair Farman in GBR5231 showed good light air boat speed and handling to win races 1 and 2 with solid starts and well executed tactics, keeping their nerve in race 1 when Mark and Susie Reynell in GBR 5300, only half a boat length astern, headed for the finish after lap four leaving Thomas and Alistair to start another beat. 5300 soon discovered it was a six lap race and re-joined to fight for 2nd with Thomas Lambert and Niall Ferguson in GBR 5301, whilst 5231 had it right and extended their lead to a healthy margin to take the pressure off and seal the victory.Meanwhile, close behind, the fleet were hot on their heels with frequent position changes in the shifty conditions.5300 got off the start line first in the last race and held on to the lead to win the third race with 5231 close behind in second. Taff Owens and Nigel Simms in GBR 5233 fought closely with 5301 and Neil and George Luckett in GBR5035 throughout the first two races with frequent place changes to share 3rd,4th and 5th positions. 5035 unfortunately had to bring their regatta to a close before the start of the third race.5231 ended the day as overnight leaders, one point clear of 5300.

With another three races scheduled, Sunday dawned to a mirror finish on Rutland Water, allowing competitors the chance to catch some rugby world cup action before the AP was finally lowered as the breeze began to fill in.By the time race 4 got under way the breeze had built to a solid 10 knots, gusting into the low to mid teens. Racing on the outer loop of the trapezoidal course, windward and leeward marks were placed within 30m of a parallel shore, making for exciting sailing on a congested race course. Positions changed throughout the fleet, the lead changing between 5231 and 5300, with 5300 eventually getting the bullet.

Race 5 saw more close racing on a course re-laid for the right hand shift in wind direction, moving competitors further away from the shore. 5300 lead from 5231 culminating in a nail biting final close reach to the finish, 5231 holding their kite whilst 5300 chose to go for white sails only. Eventually, a short leg and a couple of badly timed gusts transpired against 5231, securing 5300 the win.

Close racing throughout the weekend meant that settling the final results came down to last race duels between 5231 and 5300 for 1st and 5233 and 5301 for 3rd. Pre-start saw aggressive match race manoeuvring between 5231 and 5300 on a pin end bias line. This theme was continued up the first beat with some close quarter action and matched tacking, with 5233 and 5301 also in the mix.5300 reached the first mark ahead, followed by 5301, 5231 and 5233 respectively. 5300 went on to extend their lead to the finish and secure the overall win, whilst positions changed behind to see 5231 coming in 2nd, followed by 5301 and 5233; 5301 doing enough to secure 3rd overall on count back. Following completion of the course, it transpired that 5231 had been deemed OCS amongst the pre-start excitment.

At the end of the weekend, the final 2011 Inland Championships results are:
1st GBR5300 Mark Reynell/ Susie Reynell Poole YC
2nd GBR5231 Thomas Sauvel/ Alistair Farman Grafham Water SC
3rd GBR5301 Thomas Lambert/ Niall Ferguson Draycote Water SC
4th GBR5233 Taff Owens/ Nigel Simms Army SA/ Dale YC
5th GBR5035 Neil Luckett/ George Luckett Felixstowe Ferry SC

This event marks the end of a great 2011 season of strong class racing to build on for 2012, starting with training at Grafham in April and including the European Championships on UK shores in Plymouth in July.
A special mention is reserved for the loss of Thomas and Alistair from the UK fleet as regular circuit competitors as a result of Thomas moving back to France – we haven’t stopped trying to tempt them back, they will be missed.

Report by Mark Reynell
Laser 5000 Class Association Secretary

Laser 5000 2011 Loch Lomond Open meeting competitors

Well done to all everybody who competed in 2011 and good luck in 2012.

(Sponsored by Glengoyne Distillery)

Once again, the Laser 5000 Association came together to hold an Open Meeting at the stunning venue of Loch Lomond as part of the Loch Lomond Dinghy Weekend, with the results counting towards the Laser 5000 Travellers’ Series.

The club did a sterling job, with over 103 dinghies entering into a very tight fought and tactical weekend’s racing, with two courses for fast handicap and slow handicap fleets, which where once again split down to the various competitions.

Of the Laser 5000 fleet, entries made the effort to drive up from as far as Plymouth, Poole, the Midlands, North Wales, Cambridgeshire, Pembrokeshire and of course Scotland and all were made welcome on the Friday evening by Paddy, the Club barman, Lasagne Cook and Laser 5000 sailor (is that wise making him the barman!?). Boats were assembled, lasagne eaten and beer quaffed on the Friday evening before the rain arrived and the wind disappeard! (Note to self – check tent for leaks before you leave for an event nearly 400 miles away!). The highlight of the weekend for me was seeing GBR 5000 – the original production Laser 5000 once again on the water after a lot of very hard work by Ben Julian to get her back on the water and she looked in a great condition considering the state she had been in some 3 months earlier.

So, Saturday morning presented itself as wet with not much wind; however as the morning progressed and we got into our wetsuits, the clouds began to break and the wind built. At ¾ of an hour before the start, the wind was such that heavy settings were applied and a screaming two sail reach to the start area was much enjoyed! Oh, what a mistake, that was the most of the wind throughout the weekend and it slowly subsided to around a very fluky and hard to read force 2 to 3 at best. However, the Race Officer did a sterling job to lay a course in an ever shifting wind and the races got underway.

Laser 5000 Fleet

It soon became apparent that Mark and Susie in GBR 5300 had lost none of the boat speed that they demonstrated at Poole in the early part of the year and soon got off to a striking lead, with Alister and Paddy in GBR 5307 chasing hard. Indeed, these two boats held pretty much the same position for most of the racing, with most of the change of positions being made mid fleet. There were some interesting tussles between Mark and Nicky in GBR 5246 (Nimby) and Ben and Chris in 5000 showing that the older boats remain as
competitive as the higher sail numbers. Taff and Ade GBR 5233 (Army), Alan and Alister in GBR 5235 and Paul and Ed in GBR 5269 (Shaken not Stirred) were having a great battles for the mid fleet positions with GBR 5235 getting the slightly better in the light conditions and Army struggling to maintain boat speed – until an almighty gust came down the course! Army managed to capitalise on the wind and held a very tight reach to the downwind mark and on upwind before the wind died again to take a very lucky 3rd place behind Mark/Susie and Alister/Paddy, with a trail of other boats wondering what had just happened and why the metal wasn’t in the sky anymore!

The shifting and testing wind conditions became the order of the day, with the Race Officer having to change the course each time between races and those that had applied heavy weather settings at the start of the day began to seriously regret that decision with some boats taking a chance and changing the rig settings on the water. Not a move for the feint hearted! However, the dye had been cast, Mark/Susie and Alister/Paddy were showing the rest of the fleet a clean pair if heels and gave brilliant demonstrations of how to keep the boat going in the right direction with speed in the lightest of conditions.

So, after 3 races, it was back to the club for some more beer, fine tales and good food and some stunning views of the Loch and the surrounding hills.

Sunday appeared, but the wind didn’t and in even less wind than the day before, the fleet set off for the race area and the Race Officer decided that there was sufficient (and more consistent) wind to start Race 4.

Now, in light airs, within 30 seconds of the gun, with boats all around and not going fast, it’s never a good idea to gybe away from other boats and expect to be able to accelerate across the line with backed battens, but I tried! Stopping, watching the rest of the fleet get away to a clean start and still being on the wrong side of the line half way through the next fleet’s start sequence is never a good idea and after having a word with myself (with the crew piping in), GBR 5233 managed to get going again! Typically, Mark/Susie were about rounding the upwind mark by this stage, with Ben/Chris(GBR 5000) showing brilliant boat speed in the light conditions not far

behind and in real competition with Alister and Paddy, good for them! Alan and Ed in GBR 5196, being quite new to 5000 sailing had just got the hang of making sure that Ed (the crew) was staying well forward in front of the mast, great. What came as a surprise to Alan was that when some wind did come through
and Ed not easily able to ‘spring’ out onto the wire that the boat would go from underneath him and so they decided to wash the sails! Still, another lesson learnt. Thankfully, Alan/Alister (GBR 5235) also decided to hang the washing out with a rather tied up kite, which allowed Taff/Ade to squeeze through to take 6th position, which was a real bonus and not expected.

Time for the 5th race of the series and this time, the whole fleet managed to cross the line in reasonable competition with each other and once again, GBR 5000 getting a brilliant start and were doing well up the windward leg, with GBR 5300 slowly reeling them in. As the last boats in the fleet managed to get around the upwind mark, the last of the wind gave up! Kites that had been flying were now a hindrance as they trailed in the water and were soon put away one by one. The RO shortened course at the downwind mark
and it was now a test of who could drift the fastest. The leading two boats – Mark/Susie and Ben/Chris were almost within touching distance of each other as they passed the mark and finished with Alister/Paddy not far behind. However, there was a large gap to the next 3 boats – Mark/Nicky, Alan/Alister and Taff/Ade with Paul/Ed behind them and Alan/Ed only halfway down the leg. Somehow, Army (GBR 5233) managed to get the smallest zephyr of wind to gain sufficient momentum to carry past both boats in front to take 4th.

There was no point in trying to run a 6th race and the Race Officer called it a day and we all headed off to the club in the most stunning scenery. Despite the light and fickle winds, the weekend was a great success. The fleet had made the effort to travel a long way to get there, GBR 5000 is back on the water racing, some great Malt Whiskey prizes for the top 5 (thank heavens for that zephyr of wind!) provided by the Glengoyne Distillary, some great hosts and good banter and more boats on the water show that the Laser 5000 fleet
is still a force to be reckoned with!. Final placing’s were:

1st Mark and Susie GBR5300
2nd Alister and Paddy GBR5307
3rd Mark and Nicki GBR5249
4th Alan and Alastair GBR5235 (Nimby)
5th Taff and Ade GBR5233 (Army)
6th Ben and Chris GBR5000
7th Paul and Ed GBR5269 (Shaken Not Stirred)
8th Alan and Ed GBR5196

That means that the travellers’ series now looks like:

1 GBR 5307 9 Points
2 GBR 5233 10 Points
3 GBR 5300 11 Points
4 GBR 5249 13 Points
5 GBR 5231 14 Points
6 GBR 5235 19 Points
=6 GBR 5248 19 Points
=6 GBR 5269 19 Points
7 GBR 5000 21 Points
=8 GBR 5035 22 Points
=8 GBR 5113 22 Points
=8 GBR 5196 22 Points

The final event to count towards this series is the Inland Championships at
Rutland Water SC on 15th and 16th October. I hope to see you all there.

Click here for a short video of the Laser 5000 stand at the show

Pic 2

Laser 5000 RYA 2011 Dinghy Show Stand

I’ll start with a huge thank you to the teams who manned the Laser 5000 stand over the weekend and special thanks have to go to Taff for his herculean efforts in organising our presence at the show. Massive thanks are also due to Tony, Dan and the Sailboats.co.uk team for their invaluable sponsorship of the class association stand.

The weekend brought a steady flow of visitors to the stand from past masters, current contenders through to potential future champions. We met many people recounting their memories of sailing or campainging a 5k in it’s early years. All were pleased to see that there is still an active 5k class association and fleet with some even expressing an interest in coming back to play with us again.

We made contact with several long term 5k owners who have not sailed their boats often or with us recently. We have hopefully engendered some enthusiasm for them to dust off their 5ks and come and join us at the events this year, especially the Laser 5000 training on 9th and 10th April month at Grafham to help them to tame their beasts! You guys know who you are so get those boats out and come and join in next month. I was in your position last year and have found the 5K hard core one of the friendliest and helpful groups in our sport, this has undoubtedly helped kick start my 5k career!

Pic 2

GBR5000 Reaching

One of the many highlights of the show was learning that GBR5000 the very first of the production boats is alive and kicking. Ben and Dan have acquired her are bestowing lots of TLC and sailing her in the Birmingham area. They need help with a few bits so please let us know if you have any spares that you’d be willing to part with to help them out. Spinnaker system, Pole, Sock, Bag and kite all needed as well as weights.

Another memorable moments over the weekend were visits from Derek Clark and Cliff Norbury two of the original design team, both of who came over with valuable information for us and to catch up with the latest happenings in the fleet.

In summary we had a really good show and have definitely raised the profile of the 5K within the sailing community once again.