How To – International Laser Class Association

Fitness for Lasers

December 29, 2018 Katie Olsen How To

by Jon Emmett Laser sailing is most definitely a sport. Assuming equal levels of technical skill, the fitter you are the faster you will go in medium-to-strong winds, and you […]

Goal Setting

December 11, 2018 Katie Olsen How To, Uncategorized

via SportVid “You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.” “You cannot score without a goal.” “Aim before you shoot.” There are a lot of […]

Downwind in Lasers

December 6, 2018 Katie Olsen How To

by Jon Emmett Modern Laser races are finished at the bottom of the course, where they’ll be ready to start the next race. In fact, for today’s generation, the long […]

Reaching in Lasers

November 2, 2018 Katie Olsen How To

by Jon Emmett Although we now have less reaching in modern racing (gone are the days of the Triangle Sausage course), reaching is still very important. On an outer-loop course, […]

Upwind in Lasers

October 1, 2018 Katie Olsen How To

by Jon Emmett Light Wind It’s about getting your head out of the boat because every slight increase in wind speed translates into a big difference in boat speed. Sailor-positioning […]

Mark Rounding for Lasers

September 6, 2018 Katie Olsen How To

by Jon Emmett When boats come together, especially in a tightly packed Laser fleet there is a huge amount of opportunity for place changing. Whilst the leaders may have been […]

Covering in Lasers

July 31, 2018 Katie Olsen How To

by Jon Emmett The modern format often results in an exciting medal race where there is a battle between two or more sailors for the medals, and far more boat-on-boat […]

Gybing for Lasers

July 2, 2018 Katie Olsen How To

by Jon Emmett Downwind, there are fewer shifts than upwind because we are sailing away from the wind (not towards it). Still every shift counts and sailing the optimum angle […]

Rudder vs. Sheet: Heavy Air Downwind Sailing

June 4, 2018 Katie Olsen How To

By Vaughn Harrison via International Sailing Academy Photo | Christy Usher Rarely, and for only short periods of time, can you experience a balanced helm during a 20+ knot downwind. […]

Tacking for Lasers

May 30, 2018 Katie Olsen How To

By Jon Emmett One of the beauties of Lasers is just how well they tack—if tacked well. Races are anything but a boat speed race to the corner in most […]