catch the trade winds

a builder update from Laser Performance

the latest issue of the Sunfish Class “Windward Leg” had an interesting update from the manufacturer of the Sunfish sailboat:

Brand new Sunfish boats manufactured at the LaserPerformance LDA facilities in Setubal, Portugal being inspected and boxed for shipment to the U.S.

LaserPerformance faced considerable headwinds in 2020. A combination of Covid-19 lockdown and supply chain disruptions curtailed Sunfish plans for continuous supply, growth and expansion. In 2021 the primary goal has been to get back on track. Last year LaserPerformance LDA successfully established manufacturing facilities in Setubal, Portugal. They also put into place technical teams for production, product development and quality and compliance. Sunfish hull production started this year in Setubal with one shift and, as of June, they have added a second shift to meet forecasted demand. The goal of meeting Sunfish boat construction standards has been attained. For the remainder of the year, priority will be given to bringing further design and quality improvements to the boat. To this end, the LP Team in Portugal is working closely with the Sunfish Class to incorporate their feedback and sailor experiences into the continuous improvement process.

LaserPerformance LDA also has an initiative to identify local and reliable vendors for Sunfish parts and accessories. LaserPerformance LDA aims to have all Sunfish boat parts sourced locally before the end of the year so that it can ship “a Sunfish in a box” to customers around the world and get parts to customers more rapidly. Equally important to LaserPerformance LDA is its commitment to seeking every available opportunity to introduce sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in all its activities and is excited by prospects for development and growth of the Sunfish.

Sunfish parts and new boats have been hard to get from suppliers… it’ll be interesting to see if this new build location will improve the Sunfish parts supply chain.

erie open regatta

the Erie Open Regatta is coming up in a few weeks – June 5th and 6th at Erie Yacht Club in Erie, PA.

This Sunfish regatta may not be a District Championship or a World Qualifier, but come sail anyway at one of the nicest venues on the Great Lakes!

official notice of race is here.

greater Detroit 2021 Sunfish race schedule

the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC) has released their 2021 Sunfish race schedule. you can also check them out on their Facebook page.

• May 16th – Baseline Lake (with the Michigan Sailing Club)
• June 6th – Watkins Lake
• June 26th & 27th -Independence Day camping weekend at Muskegon Lake State Park
• July 25th – U.P. Island Race (Les Cheneaux YC… details t.b.d.)
• September 4th & 5th – Labor Day camping weekend at Higgins Lake
• September 19th – Baseline Lake (with the Michigan Sailing Club)
• September 26th – Watkins Lake

all Sunday races start at 12:30pm [uno], with the camping/racing weekends starting earlier in the day to get extra races in over the weekend.

I said this last year (and the year before… and the year before… and the year before), and didn’t get a chance to sail with this group, but I’m again going to do my best to meet up with them for some sailing races this year.  with all the “stay at home” and corona virus issues still lingering around though… maybe not.

Sunfish máxima velocidad!

saw this clip posted on the Sunfish Forum today: Jonathan Martinetti of Ecuador flying across the water on his Sunfish.

Jonathan is no stranger to sailing fast – he was the winner (as a junior!) of the 2010 Sunfish Worlds in Italy.

 

h/t: Weston on the Sunfish Forum

ISCA 50th World Championship Postponed

update from the latest copy of the Sunfish class newsletter, the Windward Leg:

The 2020 ISCA World Championship sponsored by Maclaren, scheduled for October to be held in Sarasota, FL, USA, has been postponed until the spring of 2021. The resolution of the COVID-19 pandemic that the Class was hoping for has yet to materialize and restrictions on international travel in place are unlikely to change in time. As such, ISCA President Rich Chapman (USA) and ISCA Vice President Guillermo Cappelleti (Peru), in conjunction with the host Sarasota Sailing Squadron, recommended to the ISCA World Council that the Championship be postponed. This recommendation was approved unanimously by 16 members of the World Council, and Sarasota Sailing Squadron has agreed to host the 50^thSunfish Worlds during either late April or May 2021. The committee previously organizing the 2021 Worlds for Lake Garda, Italy, has agreed to delay their event until 2022.

“Although this was a difficult decision to make, it was clearly the right action to take. We are looking at our 50^th World Championship to be a very special event and that will require lead times and detailed planning that are impossible at this time. Fortunately, our sponsor, Maclaren, has agreed to carry over to 2021 and LaserPerformance again will provide boats for the Championship,” explained Rich Chapman.

Cindy Clifton, event chairman for the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, noted, “We were looking forward to hosting the 50^th Sunfish Worlds this October, but the pandemic-related barriers facing all regattas in today’s environment made this an easy decision to make. We look forward to hosting the 50^th Sunfish Worlds next spring at The Squadron.”

For more information, contact Sunfish Class Administrator Ed “Buttons” Padin at sunfishoff (at) gmail.com.