Tahoe ILCA Champs Brings Tight Racing and Fun Times

Normally held on Stampede Reservoir, this year’s Tahoe Laser Fleet Championships took place by the Lake Forest Boat Ramp just outside Tahoe City. This is a fabulous venue with affordable on-site camping, and is within walking distance of Tahoe Yacht Club (TYC) and downtown Tahoe City.

We could not have asked for better wind. Both days saw a beautiful, gradient-reinforced thermal breeze of 8–20 knots and sunny skies. The water color was an incredible indigo blue, with concentrated chop putting a premium on keeping the bow down upwind.

This was the best race committee work I’ve seen in a long time in challenging, shifty conditions. Lake Tahoe is ringed by mountains, and the wind funneling through the valleys provided blasts of wind from the left and right. It was incredibly difficult to stay on the right side of the shifts, and everyone experienced the pain of seeing competitors who had been well behind suddenly cross in front.

Saturday saw six races completed, with five double windward-leewards, and one very fun triangle course. Sailing was physically demanding, and I was reminded once again how humbling and challenging it is to sail a Laser when it’s windy and choppy. Cockpits were often full of water.

In the ILCA 4 class, Asher Bauerly (ABYC) dominated with six straight bullets, proving that he who sails most and trains hard wins. Local sailor Ethan Mooiweer (TYC) finished second, followed by other Tahoe locals Oliver Hoffmann (Scuttlebutt YC), CJ Fogg (TYC) and Polina Lerner (TYC). For several of these young sailors, it was their first real Laser regatta in windy conditions.

The ILCA 7s had 22 competitors. Racing was incredibly tight on the first day, with multiple race winners slugging it out in the physical conditions. Elliot Drake (StFYC) posted consistent scores to take the lead on day one with a 2,1,1,3,2,2. In second was Al Sargent (StFYC) posting a DNS (due to a flat tire on the way up), 4,2,3,1,5. Not far behind was Tahoe local Nick Pullen (Scuttlebutt YC) with a 3,6,5,1,2,1.

Day two brought more of the same conditions. Some sailors really found their stride, such as James Bauerly (Asher’s dad; how great is that?), posting a 1,7,2,2. Drake hung on to win with scores of 2,1,5,3. Pullen advanced to second with 5,3,3,1, edging out Sargent, with scores of 7,2,4,4.

A big shout-out to one of the new Master Sailors in our local fleet, Randy Thomas of the Tahoe Yacht Club. He just started sailing Lasers this spring in our local Monday night races. On day one, he received the hard end of the boom on his cheekbone after a capsize, and had one of the most impressive shiners I’ve ever seen. Normal people would have quit, but Randy completed all the races on both days, and as a result, won the most important trophy of all, the Whitey Cup, named after our dear departed friend Eric “Whitey” Conner, exemplifying enthusiasm and resilience.

I want to express a huge thank-you to John Siegel, his team, and the Tahoe Yacht Club for putting on a first-class event. It was great to see many old faces returning to race, and many new ones too, who will forever be part of our fabulous tribe of Laser sailors.

The 2025 Tahoe ILCA Fleet Championships were held on Sept. 06–07. You can find full scores here.