FLANDERS REGATTA 4 JULY - 9 JULY 2009 NIEUWPOORT, BELGIUM


	Optimist Cadet 420 Laser Radial Laser Laser 4.7 Splash Europe 470 Finn 49er Patin

Classes - Laser

The Laser is a singlehanded plastic boat that is sailed worldwide and can even be seen in action at the Olympic Games. The main attraction is that they are all exactly the same design and they're so simple that you don't have to worry about the boat set-up. For so much fun, they are inexpensive to sail - secondhand prices are from £500 and new boats are around £3500.

There are three different sail sizes that can be used on the boat to cater for varying wind strengths and crew weights. The Laser 4.7 is designed for youth racing and the radial rig is normally used when it's too windy to hoist the full size sail:-

Boat	Sail Area	Weight
Laser (Standard)	7.06 m²	10+ stone
Laser Radial	5.76 m² (18% reduction)	8.5 to 11 stone
Laser 4.7	4.70 m² (35% reduction)	5.5 to 8.5 stone

This variation means that the Laser can be shared with the family and you can buy the larger sails as you grow, without having to part with the boat. At just under 14' overall and 59kg, they can also be put on your roofrack to travel to open meetings, or on your holidays. Events are organised all around the world for both older and younger sailors so you'll have plenty of fun sailing against your own age group! If you're not as young as you used to be, age groups start with 'Apprentice Masters' at 35 going up in stages to the 'Great Grand Masters' at 65+.