Monday, September 15, 2008

Don't You Know Who I Am?

I've written here before at length about the fun I've had traveling to various exotic spots around the world with Tillerwoman to have interesting vacations linked to my sailing in Laser Masters Worlds Championships at aforementioned exotic spots. I've also written in Unqualified about how the Laser Class is attempting to tighten up the entry to the Masters Worlds in order to prevent totally incompetent bozos who don't know the pointy end of a Laser from the pointy end of their whatsits from entering these prestigious events. Or maybe just to prevent barely competent marginal Laser sailors with embarrassing blogs from entering?

Today the International Laser Class Association opened up applications for the 2009 Masters Worlds in Canada. OK, Nova Scotia isn't exactly as exotic as Mexico, Spain or Australia but it's still going to be a popular event among North American sailors.

As of 2:30 pm on the first day of applications...

  • There are 45 applications for the 35 places allocated to the USA.

  • There are 45 applications for the 11 places allocated to Australia.

  • There are 24 applications for the 15 places allocated to the United Kingdom.

  • There is 1 application for the 0 places allocated to American Samoa. (Good luck Ari.)

And so on.

Probably someone's going to be disappointed.

Each country's class association has to decide which sailors will be allocated places if too many from that country apply. I wrote at Unqualified about the North American system for ranking applicants, and I've already fired off an email to the North American class office documenting my eligibility on the two options of previous Worlds participation and ranking in major Masters regattas in the region. And I was in the first 35 to apply.

So I should be OK. But you never know what will happen when the wheels of sailing politics start to turn to divi up a scarce resource. But if our esteemed leaders decide I am unqualified to represent the USA then I will just have take up bodysurfing or snowmobile racing instead.

Come to think of it, that might make for a more interesting blog...

Update 10:56pm Sep 15: I have just discovered that one piece of the information above is incorrect. According to a post on the Laser Forum in the last hour by Tracy Usher, President of the North American Laser Class, the 35 allocated places shown on the international class website as allocated to the USA are actually the allocation for both USA and Canada (the host country). There are already 95 applications for those 35 places and it's only the first day. According to Tracy, "The entries are time ordered, so the first 35 between both countries are 'in'". But as the USA and Canada entries are listed separately it's not clear to me whether I am in that first 35 or not. Hmmm.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

You need something to spice up your resume.

Maybe you can pose for the German edition of Playgirl.

Anonymous said...

I was thinking of adding something about my record of reform as a small town sailing club commodore, and the fact that I served for two years as regional rep for a sparsely populated sailing class... but thought better of it. They might think I was running for vice president of the Laser Class, a position for which I am of course totally inexperienced.

Blogger said...

How about adding that you are an occassional contributor to Scuttlebutt...

Litoralis said...

Perhaps if you told them you were involved in organizing a local fleet at a grassroots level, they'd let you be president of the Laser class.

Anonymous said...

Better not tell any of the voters that I was against the new Laser rigging before I was for it.

Anonymous said...

Can you see new Hampshire from your house?

Anonymous said...

Better than that. From my house, I can see the factory where they make Lasers.

Well sort of. I can see a bit of the island that the factory is on. That means I have boat design and boat building experience, right?

Jos said...

Dear Tillerman,

I was given a paper yesterday evening announcing the Senior Games 2009 in Zeeland, the Netherlands.

I case you are not chosen to represent your country in the Masters Worlds in Canada next year (which is would be a great injustice, I know) you are more then welcome to come and participate in the races on the Grevelingenmeer.

If you by that time you are completely fed up with that plastic bucket you call a sail boat, there are plenty of other sports to choose from....

http://www.seniorgames2009.nl/page/Sailing

Take care,
Jos

Anonymous said...

I registered as American Samoa, as the Dominican Republic was not an option. (Apparently we did not send our annual report to ILCA yet, AKA $).

I also read that ILCA allocates boats for the people who travel the farthest, and Samoa sounds far.

I did not see anywhere that a proof of residence is needed to qualify for a country. If this is correct, you can quickly find a country that you want to represent and that their Master fleet is still sleeping. Maybe this country will even have a budget for your travel and boat charter. If not you can at least complain in the local media, that you are not getting any support, and that you already registered for the 2010 Worlds on behalf of their enemy across the border.

The 7th Laser Caribbean Midwinter in Cabarete, January 16th-18th 2009, will be the first race Masters will be racing in 2009. You may use it to qualify any or all of your countries.

Best regards, and see you soon.
Ari
Cabarete, America Samoa, Dominican Republic

Anonymous said...

Geeze Ari, you lead a complicated life. I assume it is only a matter of time before you open a Laser Sailing Center on Pago Pago Bay and organize the first Laser Polynesian Midwinters?

Anonymous said...

Whoa, this is getting awfully complicated. Racing history, entry timestamp, arbitrarily chosen country of origin, home country vs. home continent.

Why don't they just decide who goes like they figure out parking in New York? If you were born on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, you can go this year. Otherwise, you go next time.

Unless the regatta starts on one of thirty-four state, local, or national holidays. Then, no one can go unless they have an aunt who once sailed a Laser.

That makes a lot more sense to me than the current system.

Anonymous said...

BREAKING NEWS: Another sailor has now applied for one of the 0 allocated places from American Samoa. He is a well-known USA Master sailor so perhaps he thinks the odds of getting a place at 0/2 for American Samoa are better than the current USA+Canada odds of 35/107?

He could be right. My Irish friend Mr O'Docker neglected to mention the extra complications of how extra places may be allocated to countries at a later date if other countries don't take up all their allocations. Methinks there may be some tactical voting taking place here based on a bet that Andorra and the Cook Islands may not take up their places thereby giving anyone with an American Samoan class membership a free pass.

I wonder if I should make another entry under an assumed name to represent the Isle of Man, just for insurance.

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