Irish Laser agent Nick Bendon of CH Marine has announced the new Standard Mark II Sail for the Olympic dinghy has just been signed off by the Laser class and ISAF for most competition. The sail will not be legal for ISAF World Cup competitions nor for the 2016 Olympics.

Official launch of the class approved Mark II sail is set for November 1st, 2015 and CH Marine will accept pre-orders. CH Marine is quoting prices of €569 and £385 Inc VAT and free delivery.

Following the Olympic Games in Rio, the sail will be class legal for all competition. This new class approved sail is more durable due to its bi-radial construction, it is manufactured out of longer lasting 4.5 ounce Dacron cloth with optimized sail patches, tapered battens with Velcro batten pocket closures, and the new luff tube design is easier on the upper spars.

Specs:

• Bi-radial construction
• Larger window
• Tapered battens in Velcro fastened pockets
• Luff tube mast joint patch
• 4.5 oz Dacron sailcloth
• Optimized patching for durability
• Red sunburst
• ILCA Sail Button

Who will be the Royal Alfred Yacht Club King of the River 2015? This year’s edition takes place on Saturday October 3rd. Last year, Radial Youth Champion Conor O’Beirne switched into a full rig and beat all-comers, edging former top ranked Full rig sailor and recent RS400 Southerns winner Paul MacMahon into second. Eighteen Lasers raced between the East Link Toll Bridge and the Samuel Beckett Bridge on a lovely Autumn day.

O’Beirne took away a famous old trophy with great pedigree from previous Liffey events for Sportsboats – 1720s and after that SB3s (as they were called back then). With good local turnouts in Laser Full rigs all Summer on Dublin Bay and an open invite to 4.7s and Radials to come along (with a separate start on offer) we hope to exceed that number this year. It’s also a great way for Laser sailors from Dun Laoghaire, Howth or wherever to warm up for the various Frostbite series.

RAYC Commodore Barry MacNeaney will again be RO and is known for banging off races quickly to keep things on the go. There’ll be as many races as possible before the Bridge lifts again at 1600 hours! Launching is at the hosting Poolbeg Yacht Club with great spectating along the Quays or perhaps with a coffee or glass of wine on board the “Cill Airne” restaurant/bar ship.

Download the entry form and Notice of Race below.

#CORKKingston – Belfast's James Espey lies 41st from 53 in the Gold fleet of the Laser Worlds in Canada and Cork's Fionn Lyden is 12th from 53 in the silver fleet. Both fleets have sailed three races of their final series. Results are HERE.

Ireland has already qualified for the Olympics in the Laser class, thanks to Espey's efforts in Santander, the focus for both Irish sailors in Kingston will be on achieving their best results in advance of the forthcoming Irish Olympic Laser trial.

Yesterday began with strong winds of 15 knots from the south. As the day progressed the wind lowered to 8 knots, and kept competitors on their toes with tricky conditions and shifting winds.

Previous regatta leader Philipp Buhl, Germany, had a tough day, finishing 15, 16 and 27, dropping to 3rd overall, with Great Britain's Nick Thompson moving up to 1st. Thompson stayed at the front of the pack, playing the breeze and finishing 7, 2, 4. Thompson has a 20 point lead going into the final day of racing. Australia's Tom Burton moved up to 2nd today with a 15, 27, 2.

Yesterday Stephano Peschiera from Peru, qualified his nation for a spot in the 2016 Olympic Games. This is the first time Peru has earned a sailing berth in the Olympics through the qualification process. Seven other nations earned their Olympic Birth by sailors qualifying for Gold fleet, with one berth still undecided. It will go to the top sailor in silver flight representing an unqualified nation. Joaquin Blanco, Spain and Alexandr Denisiuc, Moldova are the top two competitors in Silver flight who's nation have yet to qualify.

Tomorrow is the last day of Laser Standard World Championship Racing on Kingston Waters. Racing begins at 0900, with three races scheduled.

Top ten 1. Nick Thompson, GBR, 27 points
2. Tom Burton, AUS, 47
3. Philipp Buhl, GER, 52
4. Tonci Stipanovic, CRO, 53
5. Pavlos Kontides, CYP, 55
6. Christopher Barnard, USA, 64
7. Bruno Fontes, BRA, 68
8. Matthew Wearn, AUS, 73
9. Charlie Buckingham, USA, 73
10. Sam Meech, NZL, 74

#laser – Scotsman's Bay was at it's idyllic best last night for another excellent two Laser races under the DBSC burgee. While some were missing we welcomed back a few old faces in the form of Dan O'Connell, Theo Lyttle and Conor Byrne. Indeed it was the Monkstown Bay man O'Connell who mastered the conditions best and registered a first and second, to Lyttle's 1 and 3.

The key to success in a force 2 southerly into a flooding tide was, of course, the early tack off the start in towards Sandycove.

Thereafter place changing was minimal, in contrast to other Tuesday's so far this year. Despite the returnees above, turnout was actually down slightly at 12 boats, mainly due to some exhaustion after a windy Westerns in Galway last weekend.

Click for DBSC resutls

#rio2016 – Just over a year before the Rio Olympics Sailing Regatta, the much anticipated 2016 Olympic Games Sailing Nomination Procedures has been published by the Irish Sailing Association (downloadable below).

A real dilemma for selectors has been the men's Laser class. Belfast's James Espey (31) did Ireland a great service in qualifying the country at the first attempt. The selectors have been aware that two years can make a difference to the development of younger sailors, suggesting that recent Youth World silver medalists Finn Lynch (19) and Seafra Guilfoyle (18) will come into the selection mix. Espey's age and performance profile suggest, that while he could triumph in an unambiguous trials format selectors have decided Irish sailing might be better served by looking to the future, especially as the talent glass in this class is more than half full.

It looks like early selection in the Laser Radial and 49er class has not been too hard a decision for the ISA. Any significant competition to the Rio nation qualifying sailors has not materilaised, and this removes the uncertainty of a trial series. This can bring benefits to the performances of Annalise Murphy (25), Ryan Seaton (26) and Matt McGovern (28), allowing them to build a programme focusing on podium positions at major events. Funding, coaching and athlete needs support can be built around this model. In the case of Murphy, in particular, improving performance in light air conditions is a must if Ireland is to improve on its 2012 result in Weymouth. 

In the nomination procedure, the ISA sets out a trials series for the Laser standard class (men) and notes that apart from the Laser standard, a trial will only take place in another class if more than one candidate meets a minimum standard. For the Laser Radial this is top 60% at the Oman Laser Worlds later this year. According to the criteria, if a trial is needed the entry will be open to all candidates.

So far Ireland has secured nation qualification for Rio in the Laser, Laser Radial and the 49er dinghies. A campaign for a fourth slot in the women's 49erfx is currently underway. 

In the 49erFX, selection has to await country qualification, but this should be a formality given recent top performances by Brewster and Tidey. Their performance may have inspired other young sailors to up their game and pose a challenge for them even late in 2015 or is such a prospect now too remote?

The Trial Regattas for Laser and Laser Radial shall be, 2015 Copa Brasil de Vela, 2016 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, and the 2016 Laser Radial World Championships (Women) and the 2016 Laser World Championships (Men)

The Trial Regattas for 49er and 49erfx shall be, 2015 Copa Brasil de Vela, 2016 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, and the 2016 49er and 49erfx World Championships

Full details downloadable below.

#laser – Eighteen of our regular fleet plus another few guests (who sportingly ducked out at the finish) from the ISA Laser Academy made for a busy start line and top notch racing in Scotsman's Bay last night. Plaudits also to DBSC yet again. RO Suzanne McGarry set great courses, switching from W/L to Olympic triangle for the second race and calling it just right with a shortened course late on. How fantastic it is to see these young sailors engaging with the local racing infrastructure. It just goes to show that if the product and format is right at a local level, young racers will join in with the older sailors and get valuable race practice to supplement their hours of dedicated training.

To the racing and Kinsale Radial hotshot Ross O'Sullivan took Cian Cahill's full rig and pretty much controlled Race 1 in a challenging Force 2-3, working the left side of the beat where pressure was best and holding the pack off with good speed downwind. Behind him came Patrick Cahill and Luke Murphy, followed by Liam Glynn in a Radial in fact. With a triangle set up for Race 2, the Lasers looked forward to catching a few waves down the reaches but, ultimately the clock caught up with us and Flag S went up after just one lap as the breeze turned off. Luke Murphy took the gun and with it the "Boat of the Night" accolade, followed by RCYC's Cian Byrne sailing the O'Beirne Laser tonight. Older lads Coakley and Craig were next in line, putting a few of the young pups in their place at least, which is kinda important for senior morale !

Some head off for the Westerns at Galway next week and also worth noting is that Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta closes entries next Tuesday, June 30. Both Radials and Full rigs will compete at VDLR.

Results here.

#dbsc – CRUISERS 2 - 1. Bendemeer (L Casey & D Power), 2. Black Sheep (E Healy), 3. Utopia (J Healy)

CRUISERS 3 Tuesday - 1. Grasshopper II (K & J Glynn), 2. Yeehaa (McCabe Cramer Carey Whelan), 3. Asterix (Boushel/Meredith/Counihan)

Ensign - 1. NYC1 (A Dooley), 2. INSS 2 (G Williams), 3. NYC2 (B Mathews)

FIREBALL - 1. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 2. Incubus (C Power/M Barry), 3. Clandog Millionaire (J & C Clancy)

FIREBALL - 1. No Name (S Oram), 2. Clandog Millionaire (J & C Clancy), 3. Elevation (N.Colin/M.Casey)

GLEN - 1. Glendun (B.Denham et al), 2. Glenmiller (P Cusack), 3. Glencoe (Rose Mary Craig et al)

IDRA 14 FOOT Race 2- 1. Dart (Pierre Long), 2. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 3. Doody (J.Fitzgerald/J.Byrne)

IDRA 14 FOOT Race 1- 1. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 2. Dart (Pierre Long), 3. Doody (J.Fitzgerald/J.Byrne)

Laser Race 1- 1. Cian Cahill (RSGYC), 2. Rob Cahill (RSGYC), 3. Luke Murphy (RSGYC)

Laser Race 2- 1. Luke Murphy (RSGYC), 2. Dan O'Beirne (RSGYC), 3. Marc Coakley (RSGYC)

PY CLASS Race 1- 1. Noel Colclough (), 2. W Zyszczynsk (Laser Vago), 3. Conor Duffy (RS400)

PY CLASS Race 2- 1. Noel Colclough (), 2. W Zyszczynsk (Laser Vago), 3. Conor Duffy (RS400)

RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Different Drummer (D Tonge), 2. Cresendo (L Balfe), 3. Ruff Diamond (D.Byrne et al)

SQUIB - 1. Tais (Michael O'Connell), 2. Sidewinder (R&R Westrup)

#dbsc – Fifteen DBSC Lasers enjoyed two races last night in a lovely warm, oscillating breeze, again within the confines of our wonderful Dun Laoghaire harbour. Race Officer Ian Matthews was on his game as usual, with square lines, course reconfigurations and no hesitation in bringing out the black flag to put manners on an ultra-eager fleet. Two great races saw a totally different top three in each, with Race 1 going to ISA Youth National Champion Conor O'Beirne (replacing bro Dan who's in Canada) followed by Gary O'Hare, then Paul Keane. Marco Sorgassi had got a peach of a start and led all the way up the first beat. Race 2 saw John Marmelstein, just returning to Lasers, take a great win, holding off Sean Craig and Patrick Cahill. No Radials adjusted into top three this time, but Shirley Gilmore took a creditable 4th in race 2. Possible highlight of this race was Rory McStay attempting to overtake O'Beirne at the downwind finish by rushing forward for a swallow dive off the bow. Interesting interpretation of the following Racing Rule/Definition ; Finish: A boat finishes when any part of her hull, or crew or equipment in normal position, crosses the finishing line from the course side. Another RStGYC instructor, Luke Murphy, also displayed fine seamanship by testing the gap between daggerboard and slot. Funnily enough there's not a lot of space in there for hand plus foil and he duly retired, blood dribbling out behind his transom !

With weather like this and 25 entries on the books so far, we must be quite close to our first 20 boat turnout. Last night followed on from an excellent Royal Alfred Bloomsday Regatta where the 17 Lasers were the largest one design fleet (dinghy or keelboat). We hope for the same or more for VDLR on July 9-12. Entry here Join us even if you can only make the weekend and remember the Thursday is a nice late start at 3.30 pm. There'll also be two discards for those juggling other commitments.

#dbsclaser - Powers that be (and Winkie Nixon!) please take note! Dun Laoghaire Harbour again served up great DBSC dinghy racing last night that would have been simply impossible either (i) Outside, given very light wind and strong tide or (ii) With a new 435 metre pier stuck in the middle of the race course, occupied or not writes Sean Craig. Like the Water Wags on a Wednesday, junior racing on a Friday, Sunday Frostbiting all winter and as with a myriad of other racing, recreational and learn to sail activities, we may see our activities decimated, scaled back and pushed outside where the risk/safety factor rises exponentially. Worth considering is that out of six DBSC Tuesday night races so far in 2015, FIVE have had to take place inside the harbour. Indeed we could have had two more inside on a windy May 12 but for the Cruise Liner shuttle service which, in fact, knocked off business an hour before our start !

The racing round-up is perhaps secondary after that but what a great little race DBSC laid on. A season's best fifteen Lasers joined a great dinghy turnout. It would have been seventeen but (no names here!) one took a wrong turn and went outside the Harbour and another young hotshot overdid his road bike training and also missed the start ! Nice to see 4 Radials out. Off a pin biased line ex 420 ace Adam Hyland nailed the start, the first beat and led for the whole first lap. Gary O'Hare was up to second after a great run. On the second beat, Sean Craig and Luke Murphy broke away and held the top two places on a dicey downwind run to the finish. Mark Coakley was always there or thereabouts and claimed third ahead of the Cahill brothers.

We are delighted to support the Royal Alfred Yacht Club "Bloomsday" Regatta this Saturday June 13. RAYC have kindly added 4.7s to the ticket and we have 2 races, first gun 1130, good après in the RSTGYC after. Online entry and now also sailing Instructions here DBSC Tuesdays resume actual Bloomsday June 16!

#laser – CH Marine has become the official dealer for Laser Sailboats in the Republic of Ireland following an agreement between Laser Performance and one of Ireland's leading boating stores. The Cork company's initial focus will be to establish a reliable and regular supply of boats and equipment for boats in the existing market and later it will turn its attention on building the brand and expanding Laser's growing range of boats which include the popular Laser Pico, Bahia, Vago and Dart 16. 

CH Marine, with stores in Cork and Skibbereen, already hold comprehensive stocks of Laser Boats and Spares ready for immediate delivery, orders may be placed online or by calling directly to one of the stores. 

CH Marine is one of Irelands' largest marine equipment supply companies which has been established for over 40 years.

Nicholas Bendon, CH Marine's Managing Director, says "The Laser range fits well in the rapidly growing Dinghy side of their market" CH are established gear suppliers to the Optimist market, with the Optiparts brand and they have been very successful in selling the sailing wear brands such as Rooster and Musto the dinghy and sportsboat markets.

CH Marine has a dedicated Laser section on its site HERE