Thanks to the race committee of Class Secretary, Nick Mortgu, and scorers Judy Bonanno, Mary Beth DeSantis, and Mary Lee Cale on the big board.

Photos Link: https://judybonanno.smugmug.com/Sailing/LASER/2024-RC-Laser-National-Champions

In recognition of 20 years of championship regattas at Marco Island's Mackle Park, the RC Laser Class awarded the 2024 RC Laser National Championship to the Marco Island Model Yacht Club. It was also fitting to honor Rocky and Mary Lee Cale's years of passionate leadership at the newly named Cale Model Yacht Sailing Center. The championship was held March 1-3 with a practice afternoon on Friday and competitive racing on the weekend.
On Saturday morning, the sailing venue was brightened by AMYA and RC Laser feather flags responding to the perfect SE breeze all day. Happy Fox, proprietor of Happy's Place, graciously provided a breakfast assortment that topped all regatta offerings in our model yachting careers. A great way to start each day. It's the Marco way!
The thirty-boat fleet was divided into two 15-boat fleets, and everyone sailed four races to separate into the gold and silver regatta format. At the end of the seeding races, Sean Fidler, from Brighton, MI, held a one-point lead over defending champion, Jim Kaighin from the Abacos, Bahamas. Barr Batzer, Lighthouse Pt., FL, was two back of Kaighin with David Ramos, Stevensville, MD, in fourth and Charleston's, Will Van Cleef in fifth. These five, in the end, would remain the top five but the mix would change.
Now that the fleets were divided (gold/silver), gold fleet's Barr Batzer made a move, surging to a nine-point lead over Kaighin, with Fidler and Ramos following. Barr had a day with only one race out of the top three and that was a fourth. Not yet calculated, Fidler, Ramos and Van Cleef had obvious throw-outs in the teens that could make things interesting while Barr had not yet sailed an obvious throw-out race. A comfortable situation.
In the silver fleet, Charlie Sumner, from Delray Beach, FL, held a one-point lead over Glenn Chalder, from Simsbury, CT and four points over John Santoro from The Villages. Santoro was the only Silver Fleet skipper to win two races on Saturday. Myles Loesel, Charlie Sumner, Bob Tallman, Bob Shapiro, and Bob Piper would follow in that order.
Sunday was a bit overcast, and the Southeast breeze had dwindled a bit as the A-Sail vs. B-sail strategy dance on shore with last second decisions going on with one eye on each other's choices. Additionally, in the afternoon, the breeze decided to move further west, and, after a race start, I called abandoned race (Rule 32d), Rocky shifted the starting line and added a new windward mark further west to square the course. That worked to get the last two heats completed fairly.
Barr had six races in the top three on Sunday with a WDR 16th as a throw-out. His only other discard was a day-one fourth and he won the championship by 20 points on net score. A terrific accomplishment in this talented fleet.