News Austin Laser Fleet Folds

gouvernail

Super Opinionated and Always Correct
Mark it on your calendars. On July 14, 2010 a total of six sailors showed up to enjoy laser racing on a night with 80 degree water, 10 to 15 MPH winds and 90 degee air temps.

There were about 30 Sunfish racing a total of eight great races.

The fleet founder of both fleets is abandoning the Laser for local events and hopefully buying a Sunfish before next Wednesday.
 
Re: Auatin Laser Fleet Folds

I guess you like the bigger fleets better than you like the Laser?

I've corrected the spelling of Austin in your title (from Auatin).
 
Yes. The only reason to own a Laser is to compete in the largest fleet. As a boat for traveling to regatas, the Laser will still be my singlehanded playtoy. For Local Austin sailing, there simply are not enough interested sailors to make using one here a wise choice.

The Wednesday night Sunfish fleet here is 5 times as large as the Laser fleet and only a fool would sail in a tiny fleet while there is a huge fleet just as available.

I think Sunfish are horrible excuses for boats but I would rather sail around in a 30 boat fleet of any one design boat than waste my time sailing around with only five other people.

A look at the list of sailors who own Lasers and live around the Austin area would lead a person to believe there could be some wonderful competition in the Laser fleet. On one night this year we had an O'day winner, An Olympic silver medalist, a recent two time NAMasters Champ, four others who had won the Championship of Austin Yacht Club, The Current NA VP, and a few other guys who were successfuly mixing it up with those sailors, But that was one night and on every one of the other ten nights, the Sunfish fleet has seriously outnumbered and had better depth than the Laser fleet.

I certainly will keep an eye on teh laser fleet to see if it comes back someday, but in the meantime, I will be racing in a big fleet and enjoying far superior competition than that which is availasble locally in Lasers.
 
The Texas Sunfish circuit was getting it's legs under it at Rush Creek when I left Texas in 2004. It simply blows my mind that was the boat those folks decided to go with.

That club was a place of fickle fleets. One year it ws the J24, then it was the J22. There was a run at a Olson 30 class. In dingys it was the MC scow, then the JY15, then the Sunfish. There were attempts to get Lasers going, but they never held. Everytime a new fleet appeared the previous one disolved...If only we were actually bringing NEW people to the sport this may never happen as there would be enough bodies to support multiple classes.
 
We are working hard at building a Laser Fleet at White Rock Lake in Dallas.

See: http://www.wrlls.blogspot.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/pages/White...ock-Lake-Laser-Sailing/112458262141734?v=info

The Sunfish has never caught on at White Rock. The single-handed racing is in Lasers and Butterflys. There is some crossover b/t the two fleets (I sail both) but the Laser folks tend to be younger (many of whom sailed Lasers at Rush Creek) and the Butterflys older. We can't boost of a 30+ fleet, but I really think we can get the Laser Fleet established at White Rock for the long term.
 

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