ILCA Dinghy Book

The Laser was launched just over 50 years ago and has now been renamed the ILCA dinghy and moved to multiple licensed builders. To reflect this change, the leading book on Laser Sailing since 1979, The Laser Book, has now been renamed The ILCA Dinghy Book. In this latest update, it has also moved from a single author, with ILCA guru, Jon Emmett, joining the original author, Tim Davison.The ILCA Dinghy Book covers the techniques and skills needed to succeed in ILCA sailing, for those starting out through to those striving to win their Club Championship. Whether you are a youngster moving up to an ILCA 4 or ILCA 6, or a club sailor looking to improve your results, the expert advice from the authors, plus contributions from Laser gold medallists, world champions and their coaches, will take your Laser sailing to the next level.Beginning with setting up the boat, the book takes you through your early sailing experiences and caring for your Laser. Developing your skills on all points of sailing, you will then be introduced to race tuning and racing itself. This is detailed for all three Laser rigs, including the latest sails and masts.Over 350 photographs show you exactly how it’s done and 50 diagrams illustrate key boat parts, the different points of sailing and complex on-the-water scenarios with clarity.Whatever your background, your current level or the extent of your ambition, this book gives you all the tools you need to get out on the water and improve your ILCA sailing.

"This has been updated and re-booted many times and is now the classic ILCA / Laser book covering every aspect of sailing the boat." (UK ILCA Association) "This latest version brings it right up to date with the latest developments in the class using contributions from current top sailors in the fleet... Even though I've been in the class for almost ten years it contained some clever tips that I didn't know about." (Gybe Magazine)

Tim Davison has owned 20 Lasers over 50 years and medalled at World and European championships. He is author of over 20 sailing books, with The Laser Book being his first and most successful, and the title that launched Fernhurst Books when first published in 1979. Jon Emmett is a successful ILCA 6 sailor, representing the UK internationally for over 15 years. A professional coach and expert dinghy sailor, he is a National, European and World champion, and has won the UK National Championships nine times (most recently in 2023)! He coached Chinese Laser Radial sailing star Lijia Xu to a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games.