Laser Nationals

Only 20 Standard Lasers at the Nationals !

A local Open would get more than that

Already discussed:
http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12810

If you include the Masters nationals the Lasers are way way more popular than the Byte, and judging by the PY list there are about 30 Lasers on the water for every Byte.
There's a specific situation with the Laser class that the Nationals appears to have turned into a youth event few older sailors want to attend.

Edited by JimC - 05 Aug 17 at 2:16pm

I was not doing a Byte verses laser thing but a laser verses l the other single handers thing. We have 5 sailing bytes, 3 aeros, 8 Novas and 2 phantoms.phants. Only Lasers are buggered up club ones.

Originally posted by iiiiticki I was not doing a Byte verses laser thing but a laser verses l the other single handers thing. We have 5 sailing bytes, 3 aeros, 8 Novas and 2 phantoms.phants. Only Lasers are buggered up club ones.

Then may I suggest that your club is a statistical outlier. I don't think that the Laser is a particularly exciting boat but it fulfils a crucial role in international dinghy racing, which can't be underestimated. Consequently the Laser appears certain to be here to stay for many years to come.

To be fair, if the future of dinghy sailing was in something like the Byte then I'd have packed up many years ago. To state that a Byte is a better boat to sail than a Laser is ridiculous.

Originally posted by Sam.Spoons I think the Byte is no more or less than a smaller Laser (Byte C2 excepted). As such it is neither better or worse than a Laser just suited to smaller sailors.

Right, so the Laser:-

- Over 212,000 boats built to date by several builders around the planet
- Raced competitively in 115 countries inc. National Championship, so pretty much ubiquitous
- Mens' singlehander in 6 Olympic cycles so far
- Ladies' singlehander in 3 Olympic cycles so far
- Boys / Girls singlehander in WS (ISAF) Youth Worlds
- World Championships in Youth, U-21, Mens, Ladies and Masters, with 5 age categories at Masters in both Radial and Standard.
- Regularly attracts 400+ boats to Masters Worlds and 150+ at restricted entry Worlds
- Regional European, North American, South American and Asia Pacific Championships across rigs and age categories
- Lots of clubs around the UK regularly have 20+ boats out racing in club fleets
- I can attend a local Open in the middle of England and race against 50 Lasers.

I don't sail a Laser any longer, and don't care to, but please could you explain to me how exactly the Byte compares to the above....



Edited by sandgrounder - 05 Aug 17 at 9:39pm