Sailing on Saturday last weekend told of Centenaries and suggested that 100-year fatigue may have set in. 

But one anniversary will not pass without huge celebrations, and that is the Golden 50 years of ILCAs or Lasers, as old hands still call them, in Ireland

The 50th Anniversary Irish Championship on 14th and 15th August at Ballyholme on Belfast Lough in Northern Ireland will not only have young blood among the entrants but also several who have never stopped sailing Lasers.

Trevor Millar taking a nose dive trying to surf the breakers in Ballyholme Bay- courtesy BYC 

Trevor Millar was instrumental in bringing the first Laser into Ballyholme. Elaine Taylor from that club (who saved her babysitting money to buy a Laser), which she says, "was supplied by Performance Sailcraft in Waterford, so there was an ample supply of boats for the enthusiastic Irish sailors". Elaine's boat was red, and she called it Miss Elaineous. It was to be seen all over Ireland, where Lasers were racing.

Trevor Millar had in those days a builders' van and from 1977 he and fellow Laser sailors travelled round Ireland to all the Irish events where Elaine, said "they camped, raced hard, had lots of craic and then went home and ready to go back to work on Monday for a rest!".

All ILCA sailors are invited to the 50th Anniversary Irish ILCA National Championships, which will be a memorable time for reminiscing, making new friends and memories. You can register at ILCA Ireland National Championships 2025 | ILCA Ireland - Irish Laser Class Association, and you can look at old photos on EurILCA | Photo galleries, where you can see 70s, 80s and 90s photos. The sail numbers in the 70s were in the 60,000s, now the newer numbers are well into the 200,000s.