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Laser Fleet

Royal Lymington Yacht Club Laser (ILCA) Fleet

The Laser class is the ideal youth boat for sailors moving on from the junior classes who wish to sail a single-handed boat. Junior sailors can start by using the 4.7 rig once they weigh around 50 to 55 kg and then progress to the bigger Radial sail once they weigh above 55 kg. After that, there is the option to progress to Standard rig. The club has a laser available for those sailors who would like to try the laser before committing to a boat.

The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) is the primary entity that organizes Laser racing around the world. In 2019, ILCA began a process of authorizing new boat manufacturers to build boats that could be raced in ILCA events. Due to trademark considerations, this new boat, which shares all one design characteristics of the Laser, is known as the ILCA.

The Laser/ILCA truly is the boat for all ages. Whether you’re a junior about to embark on an adventure in the Laser 4.7 (ILCA4), right up to over 75 legendary Masters, no other adult class is raced in more countries in the world. It is a massive class, ranging from grassroots all the way up to Olympic sailors. The class has a competitive national and international racing circuit and is an RYA supported youth class.
 

Lymington Youth Lasers

 
The Lymington Lasers have over the years produced some excellent sailors, counting a number of British National Champions, and many come back to help with the coaching which is regularly organised.

In 2020, sailors from the Royal Lymington Yacht Club achieved 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the 4.7 British National Championships, 1st and 2nd in the 4.7 U16 British National Championships and 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the UKLA Laser Ladder Series Championship.

Lymington Youth Lasers welcomes sailors transitioning from Optimists and Teras. The aim of the RLymYC Laser 4.7 Fleet is to give knowledge and confidence to sail a technically challenging and rewarding single-handed dinghy, to sail it well, to make friends, to have fun and develop lifelong skills that are common to many aspects of sailing.

Laser Coaching

The Lymington Youth Lasers Fleet is active throughout the season with regular coached training and racing opportunities.


The 4.7 Transition flight

Our aim is for the sailor to be a self sufficient with the Laser and the 4.7 rig as quickly as possible, and thus join in with the Intermediate flight once certain guiding criteria have been met. Our assumption is that all sailors joining the Transition flight are coming from other junior classes (e.g. Optimist, Tera, Topper) and parents vouch that their child is a capable single-handed dinghy sailor to the equivalent of at least RYA level 2. 
 

The 4.7 Intermediate flight

Our aim is to equip sailors with the knowledge and skills to be able to compete for mid fleet results by the end of the season, should they want to. There will be some reliance to continue their development away from the RLymYC 4.7 Fleet; this may include other club regattas, youth series or general social sailing, and is all about getting ‘time on the water’. 
 

The 4.7 Experienced flight

Our aim is to identify those 1% performance improvements that become critical as the sailor moves up the performance curve. For some, this will mean competing regularly and targeting top third finishes, and that there is a degree of self-help both on and off the water. For others, it will be about just being technically proficient. 
 

Radial flight

We would expect the Experienced sailors to be clear in their own mind when they’re likely to have outgrown the 4.7 rig, and ready for the next challenge.

Parents are encouraged to volunteer helming or crewing the safety ribs. Rib helms are required to have RYA PB2 and the Club runs courses throughout the year, enabling interested parents in gaining this qualification (subsidised for Full/Family Members).
 
 

Upcoming Coached Laser Training Sessions

Laser Racing

As well as informal racing within the club Laser fleet, there are other opportunities to race with the Royal Lymington Yacht Club.
 

Monday Evening Dinghy Racing

Lasers may join our Monday Evening Dinghies, every week at 18:00 from April to September. Click here for more information and here for the latest Results. 
   

Friday Evening Junior Racing

Our Friday Evening Racing is aimed at our junior and youth members and takes place every week with warning signal at 18:00 from April to September. 
Click here for more information and here for the latest Results. 
 
 

 

Join our Laser (ILCA) Fleet!

 
We welcome visiting sailors to our Open Training, however there are many benefits to becoming a member of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. They are two ways that children can become members: 


1. Full Family Membership

We offer discounted family membership rates and children aged under 18 join FREE when parents take up family membership. This type of membership brings the most benefits, including subsidised coaching, full use of the club’s facilities including our restaurant and bar (with members' rates for food and drink), access to our dinghy storage parks, access to club boats and SUPs to hire, discounted rates for training courses and inclusion in our adventure sailing and social programmes. Full members also enjoy full use of our waterfront facilities including overnight mooring on our pontoons with electricity and water, launch service to river moorings or tenders to borrow, boatmen services including our on-site crane at discounted members' rate. Find out more and join us!


2. Junior Membership

Children can join in their own right as Junior Members. The annual subscription is the only as much as the cost of a buoyancy aid and this brings slightly subsidised coaching (although the discount is not as great as Family Members). Find out more and join us!


Please do get in touch with the Fleet Captain by email if you would like to find out more about Laser sailing in Lymington or to join the RLymYC Laser Fleet WhatsApp group, or call the club office on 01590 672677.
 
Laser Class Captain: John Vinycomb rlymyc.youth.laser@gmail.com 
Head Coach: Hugh Styles hugh@timeonthewater.co.uk
 
UK Laser Class Association: https://laser.org.uk
International Laser Class Association: http://www.laserinternational.org

Contact the Laser Fleet