Laser gets behind Sabot

by Jardine Media on 4 Aug 2009 Dynamic Central Coast Laser manufacturer, Performance Sailcraft Australasia, have put their weight behind Australia’s premier Sabot event. PSA has signed a lucrative sponsorship deal to support the Sabot Nationals, due to be held at Gosford Sailing Club later this year. PSA will also provide ten Laser 4.7s for young Sabot sailors to trial at the event, with the best ‘Sabot kid in a Laser’ winning the use of a free boat for the upcoming Laser 4.7 Youth Championships.

The sponsorship deal was initiated by Hugh Leicester, Vice President of the International Laser Class Association, and a driving force behind the decision to host the 2008 Laser Worlds at Terrigal. As the father of three young children, Leicester has been a dedicated supporter of Sabot sailing for about twelve years and said that he was impressed by PSA’s enthusiastic backing for a major youth event, particularly during the current economic downturn.

‘The way they took to the suggestion was very heartening. And the way they’re getting behind it, further than the actual sponsorship money that they’ve giving, the support they’re giving in terms of having boats on deck for kids to try is just fantastic.’

While many clubs struggle to recruit or retain their junior fleets, Gosford Sailing Club has developed a reputation for building a strong youth sailing culture. Leicester, whose three children all learned to sail at the club and still race there regularly, observed that like adults, children initially respond to the social side of the sport. He said that the Gosford Club’s informal mentorship program, where older kids donate their time before Saturday racing to help out with the younger children’s learn to sail classes, is one of the main reasons Gosford has such a strong group of young sailors.

‘I think that the main thing that you’ve got is the camaraderie with the other kids. So the welcoming of new kids and the interacting with the kids that are established is the primary appeal for the new kids. If the new kids are just left there and they go out and do nothing and capsize it’s easy for them to become disinterested.’

‘…Sabot parent Brian Hansen, whose son Kurt won the Australian Two-Up Sabot Titles in the preceding two years, and who this year will compete for the first time as a single hander, agreed that Gosford’s practice of encouraging older children to mentor younger ones was beneficial. He added that other factors that had helped build the club’s strong youth sailing culture were strong parental involvement and the club’s location in the relative shelter of Brisbane Waters.

Then there’s the other factor which always means that sailing faces an uphill battle against other sports where minimal equipment is required: money.

Ask yourself the rhetorical question, if you’re a parent with three young children, what would you rather buy- a couple of thousand dollars worth of boat or a soccer ball?

Hansen said that Gosford has tackled this perennial problem by providing a large fleet of club boats for loan. We compete pretty well against surfing and swimming and other summer sports as you don’t have to have a whole lot of money to get involved in it: the Gosford Sailing Club has a whole lot of club boats, whether they be VJs or Sabots, available for loan to get kids going…That’s part of the success of getting so many kids into it.’

The GSC Sabot Nationals are expected to attract a fleet of upwards of 200 dinghies, with a large Tasmanian contingent likely to compete, led by former NSW resident and now Hobart resident and Laser coach Richard Scarr. While Gosford is hosting the event, the organisation will be handled by the Sabot Northern Zone Association, which basically covers all Sabot events north of the Hawkesbury River and up to the Queensland border. Hansen said that the strength of the Northern Zone was partly due to the organisation’s commitment to hosting family friendly events:

‘Northern Zone has a strong social aspect…for example, we do an away regatta at Forster on the Great Lakes and also at Taree, so it’s like a travelling regatta and it helps to build the social aspect, all the parents getting together.’

Kevin Winchester, from Laser dealer NB Laser, agreed that among the youth sailing organisations, the Sabot association was particularly well organised and that their program of events had helped build family involvement in the sport.

‘The parents really get behind their kids because it’s their sport and of course they all want to see them go well, but they want to see them learn and grow up with some good values with a great bunch of people. And it’s not just here in NSW or in each individual club; it becomes a national thing, so they’re getting friends all around Australia.’

Like many people involved in sailing, PSA’s Chris Caldecoat is acutely aware of the importance of nurturing a youth sailing culture: today’s happy kid in a dinghy is tomorrow’s keel boat sailor, yacht club member and Masters competitor of the future. He said that although PSA’s decision to back the Sabot event was primarily pragmatic, he regards the 4.7 as the ideal ‘next boat’ for older Sabot competitors wanting to remain in a single handed class, it was the energy of the Sabot association that won the day.

‘It’s got a very strong NSW base…There are parents that have been Sabot parents for years, and they still are, and I suppose that’s what we’re supporting: we’re supporting the fact that there is the passion there from the parents and Sabot people directed towards sailing.’

For more information on the Sabot Nationals and Sabot Week 2009/2010:

http://www.nnswsabot.yachting.org.au/

For more information on Lasers contact Performance Sailcraft:

Performance Sailcraft Pty Ltd
Lot 7 Catamaran Road, Ourimbah NSW 2258
Australia
http://www.lasersailing.com.au

Gosford Sailing Club:
http://www.gosfordsailingclub.com.au/