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Lake Tahoe Laser Fleet off and racing

Buff Wendt
Special to the Sun

The Lake Tahoe Laser Fleet kicked off its Monday night series opener on Memorial day, and so far have had two beautiful nights of sailing.

The Laser is a small single-person sailboat used as the Olympic boat for both the men’s and women’s single-handed division.

“They are an extremely popular boat first built in the 1970s,” said race chairman Justin Casey. “It’s common to see them all across North America and the world.”



The fleet races every Monday night in front of the Coast Guard Station at Lake Forest until the end of August.

Monday night proved challenging for most of the 12 sailors, as the winds on the course shifted from side to side .



“It was a velocity game.” said Stan Eriksson, the first-place overall winner on the night. “It was very challenging to be on the correct side of the course and not sail into a hole.”

Eriksson was not referring to the Tahoe version of the Bermuda Triangle, but rather a section of the race course with no wind. When the winds are lighter, gusts can often fill on different sides of the course, leaving some competitors drifting while others have plenty of wind and speed.

David Adolphs, who won the first race of the evening before finishing 11th in the second, demonstrated the difficulty of sailing consistently in the wind conditions.

“The fleet was so tight that any small tactical mistake could easily place you at the back of the pack,” Adolphs said. “Likewise, there were lots of chances to capitalize on your fellow sailors’ mistakes. All three races had the competitors finishing within minutes of each other.”

The third night of racing will happen June 12. Beginners and experts are welcome to come join the races.

There are two fleets to race in: The ‘A’ fleet for more advanced racers and the ‘B’ fleet for less experienced sailors.

Scoring consists of totaling the points of the racers’ finish positions in the three races. Both fleets have nightly awards from sponsors Jakes, Sunnyside and Garwoods.

Contact Justin Casey at JGC45@aol.com or the Tahoe Yacht Club at 581-4700 for more information. Members and non-members are welcome to join in the races.

Night 2 ” June 5

1.) Stan Eriksson 6 points

2.) Matt Clark 10 points

3.) Jim Granger 13 points

4.) Buff Wendt 14 points

5.) David Adolphs 16 points

Night 1 ” May 29

1. Dan Hauserman 6 points

2. Matt Clark 10 points

3. Stan Eriksson 11 points

4. Buff Wendt 12 points

5. David Mesicek 16 points


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