Skip to content

2009 Nautel Laser World Championships Listen Live! 40 Years of Nautel

About The Event Print E-mail

(En français) 

What is sometimes simply referred to as the "Laser Worlds" in reality is split up into two similar, but distinct events:

Laser Senior World Championship - August 17-August 26, 2009
Laser Masters World Championship - August 27-September 5, 2009

Together, these events will see up to 580 sailors competing, potentially representing over 60 countries. The age spread of competitors between the two events can range over 60 years. The event is expected to require upwards of 800 volunteers over its duration, and will see hundreds of eager spectators and family members attending.

Cumulatively, this will likely be the largest sailing event in Canadian history. The event was last hosted in Canada in 1980 in Kingston, Ontario. The Laser class is now the largest adult and youth racing class in the world, and is the most active Olympic class sailboat worldwide. To date over 190,000 Laser sailboats have been produced, with thousands new made every year.

Laser Senior World Championship
This event will run from August 17th to 26th. This is the World championships for the Laser class, and is the premier event on the class calendar for 2009. Competitors are the best of the best, and must qualify in advance to achieve one of the potential 180 available berths. The competition will see 3 days of preparation and 7 intensive days of racing, a grueling test for any athlete.

Laser Masters World Championship
This event will run from August 27th to September 5th, and will see up to 400 sailors competing. All competitors must be at least 35 years of age, with many far surpassing that. With an abundance of experience on the race course, many sailors have been actively competing in Laser events for decades, and can still thoroughly thrash sailors a fraction of their age. In addition to highly competitive racing, these sailors also enjoy a hearty social component and are not afraid to have as much fun off the water as they have on. This event has 3 days of preparation, 6 days of racing, and one resting day.

Click here to view a map of the area.