Onboard Trackers Introduced for Howth Yacht Club Laser Frostbites

11th October 2018

Dave Quinn

Lasers competing in this year's HYC Frostbites will use onboard trackers Credit: Afloat.ie

Olympian Dan O’Grady and Tokyo Olympic campaigner Ewan McMahon are among the entries lined up for next month's 2018-2019 Laser Frostbites at Howth Yacht Club where onboard trackers will be used for the first time in the long-running series.

Howth's own Olympic Radial campaigner, Aoife Hopkins, is also going to race some of the series in her busy schedule.

The series starts on Sunday 4th Nov, and runs to 9th March 2019. Organisers have arranged the hire of onboard trackers this year. This will allow for superb debriefing and coaching opportunities along with plenty of post-race banter!

Format is largely the same with 2 races each Sunday morning (FG 10:45) just outside the Harbour.

The event always attracts a large entry with sailors ranging from Ex Olympians and current top Olympic campaigners to absolute beginners, across the 3 rig sizes. All are welcome.

Online entry now open here

Published in Laser

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About The Author

Dave Quinn

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David is a keen Laser sailor, having previously sailed an SB20 and a number of IRC Cruiser Racers.

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About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):

ILCA 4: sail of 4.70m2
ILCA 6: sail of 5.76 m2
ILCA 7: sail of 7.06 m2

ILCA 2026 Calendar

Apr 04–05 — Munster Championships — Baltimore SC
Apr 09–12 — Irish Sailing Youth Nationals — Ballyholme YC
May 09–10 — Ulster Championships — East Antrim BC
May 23–24 — Masters National Championships — Howth YC
Jun 27–28 — Leinster Championships — Skerries SC
Jul 24–26 — National Championships — Royal St. George YC
Sep 11–12 — End of Season Championships — Waterford Hrbr. YC

2026 ILCA World Championships

Men ILCA 7: Aug 23 – Aug 30
Women ILCA 6: Sep 04 – Sep 12
Royal St. George Yacht Club & National Yacht Club (Dublin Bay)

At A Glance – Laser Dinghy Specifications

Designer Bruce Kirby & Ian Bruce

Year 1969

Crew 1
Draft 0.787 m (2 ft 7.0 in)
Hull weight 58.97 kg (130.0 lb)
LOA 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
LWL 3.81 m (12 ft 6 in)
Beam 1.39 m (4 ft 7 in)
Mainsail area 7.06 m2 (76.0 sq ft)

Racing D-PN 91.1 RYA PN 1088 PHRF 217