Lasers ready to cut loose at Napier Sailing Club’s biggest regatta

Almost 100 sailors are in Hawke’s Bay for the national Laser dinghy-class yachting championships being hosted this week by the Napier Sailing Club.

The biggest regatta this season in the Bay, which regularly stages national events and occasionally world championships, the single-handed class faces a busy four days from Thursday to Sunday with 10 races scheduled, including three on Friday and three on Saturday.

Championships spokeswoman Victoria Muir said 99 entries have been received, including four from overseas - two from Ireland, and one each from Sweden and Fiji. The fleet also includes at least eight Hawke’s Bay sailors.

Some top competitors in the class will be missing due to the proximity of the World ILCA 7 championships, include 2021 Laser Standard World champion Tom Saunders, but there will be a particular rush for Auckland yachtsman George Pilkington who will fly out immediately after the Napier regatta to get to the world event’s start line in Adelaide next Wednesday.

The fleet does include eight times Laser Radial Masters champion Scott Leith, and local hopes for the racing off Westshore and Ahuriri are led by two-time national Starling-class match-race champion Winston Liesebach.

Yachties started arriving in Napier at the start of the week and have been preparing their boats onshore, with tuition from coach Dan Slater from Auckland’s North Shore, and with some sailing on the Bay on Tuesday afternoon.

The forecast for the four days is for temperatures ashore up to 30C, but at sea northerlies are forecast at up to 15 knots, above the 8- to 12-knot medium-wind range sailors say is ideal for the class.