Despite strong competition, Royal Varuna Yacht Club has secured the rights to hold ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 Masters World Championships in Pattaya Thailand in ‘23, only 8 months away. These are the classes which were previously called Laser Radial and Laser full rig. It is expected that between 150-200 sailors will attend each event, so it will be huge, even by the loft standards of past RVYC events. Having these numbers of competitors in Thailand will of course also bring benefits to the area and potentially the country, as many will undoubtedly take the opportunity to see other parts of Thailand, when they are here to race.
The event start dates are Wednesday 8 February 2023 for ILCA 6, and Saturday 18 February 2023 for ILCA 7.
Full details will be posted on sailing.laserinternational.org/site/events-list when available.
The master sailors from Varuna are stepping up to the challenge by organizing 2/3 day training weekends the 3rd or 4th weekend of each month for the remainder of 2022. The sailors have been promised master specific coaching from K. Veerasit (Lim) who represented Thailand in Laser class at Sydney Olympics 2000, supplemented by guest coaches. So far the maximum number of participants has been 22, but it is expected numbers will increase from September onwards, now it is easier to travel to Thailand again.
These weekends are open for all Master laser sailors (age 30+), for a modest fee of 1200 THB/ two days weekend and 1800 THB/three days weekends. Charter boats are available, either for the weekends, or for the entire training period, with or without the master world’s event.
A typical weekend could consist of longer courses/exercises (Friday); Working on starts and specific skills (Saturday morning / afternoon sessions), and racing/individual coaching (Sunday). Over the 13 months the programme is running, the focus has started with particular focus on boat handling and skills development, and move towards starts, speed and race craft closer to the Worlds. It will also be feasible to participate in 2-3 major Thai races throughout the year, not to mention the Thailand nationals will be scheduled shortly prior to the Master worlds, to entice more foreign competitors to join.
Convenient accommodation is available in the Yacht club at reasonable rates, and most important, there will be free refreshments in the Beach Bar, after Saturdays de-brief.
If you want to take part in the coaching, contact the Varuna sailors on [email protected] and for questions on participation in the Masters worlds, the E-mail address is [email protected]
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