One of the greatest things about our boat is that it offers a huge amount of fun and family pleasure to all ages yet at the same time it satisfies the desire for excellence and a physical test at the highest level in the Olympic Games. The Laser is something very special. 165000 owners have been attracted to its simple charm and continue to be attracted at a rate of nearly 4000 new boats per year.
Seeing 15 and 16 year old youngsters, fresh out of Optimists, getting a thrill out of sailing an Olympic class boat in full control with the Laser 4.7 or Laser Radial rig is as exciting as listening to the stories of 60 year old Masters recounting their wild rides on Pacific rollers during the 1997 World Masters Championship in Chile.
The Laser is challenging and it is rewarding whether it be at club level or the Olympic Games. When you take your 10 year old boat out for a local race the challenge is to work harder, hike longer, be smarter and sail better than the other Laser sailors. At the end of the race you count the number of boats behind you and you are rewarded with the knowledge that you beat them fair and square by your own skill and effort. Even if there are no boats behind you the challenge is to go out next time knowing that you have the same equipment and the potential to improve.
And there is a bonus! It is quick to rig, it keeps you fit and is inexpensive. That is why I first made the long journey from New Zealand to England back in 1976 to take part in the European Championships and why 22 years later I’m still sailing from Tamaki Yacht Club. Having just moved from the “young” master group I can assure you that the racing is just as much fun and equally competitive.
When you look in the centre pages of this Handbook and count Lasers sailing in 115 different countries all over the world and you see that the Laser class has achieved the highest ever country entry at the Olympic Games, and more recently see that 65 countries have entered the Laser Class at the 1998 Dubai World Sailing Championship, you perhaps realise just how great our little boat is and why it is so important to look after it with a strong class association.
