In 2020 the Laser was rebranded as the ILCA. The reason for this is to do with problems with the european class builder (Laser Performance) and the designer (Bruce Kirby). It seems Laser Performance wasn’t paying class fees to Bruce Kirby and they also seemed to have issues with the Laser Class Building Regulations. As a consequence the Laser class is now known as the ILCA, and various new builders have been approved. What does this mean for sailors? If you sail an older boat and it has the correct class plaque for Laser then you can sail it in ILCA events. If you buy a new boat or equipment it will need to be marked with the new official ILCA logo. As part of the rebranding exercise the sails have also changed: the Standard rig is now known as the ILCA 7, Radial is the ILCA 6 and 4.7 is now ILCA 4. Ovington is approved as a UK builder, and they have a lot of experience with building high performance dinghies in the UK.

Laser spars are made of aluminum tubing. The boom and topmast both use the same tubing so if your topmast fails it is worthwhile to hang onto the long bit for use as a spare boom. Note the boom should have an internal sleeve to reinforce the kicker attachment. If you buy an older boat check the sleeve is present, and fit a sleeve if it is not there. Dimensions of the boom sleeve are: 900mm long, outside diameter 44mm, wall thickness 1.8mm.

New spars come with stainless steel rivets holding the various fittings in place. Over time the aluminum can corrode causing damage and eventually spar failure. To help prevent this damage the stainless rivets can be drilled out and replaced with aluminum. These will cause less damage over time, although Aluminum is considerably weaker and the rivets will need to be replaced from time to time. The rivets should be inspected for wear and damage on a regular basis to prevent any nasty surprises. Corrosion inhibitor paste should be applied where stainless fittings come in contact with the aluminum.

During the quiet winter months it is worthwhile to check your spars for loose fittings or rivets and make sure they are not bent. Spars can last longer by changing rivets and also swapping ends on the spar.

Orkney has a selection of Regattas in the summer offering friendly competition in various localities. So far Burray and Holm Regattas have gone ahead with great success. Longhope has been cancelled for 2021. Westray Regatta is due on 31 July. Stromness Regatta was postponed but now rescheduled for 14 August. Kirkwall Regatta is scheduled for 7 August. Kemp Cup is scheduled for 11 September.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.