The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club hosted the inaugural Laser SB3 Class Championship in 2003 for a state of the art new dinghy or probably more correctly three- man sportsboat - the SB3.
This is a fast and exhilarating three-man sportsboat designed by Tony Castro who’s CV includes the Cork 1720 an already proven successful sportsboat design. The SB3 was launched at the London Boat Show in 2002 and has proved an instant success with class wins in 2002 at both Cork and Cowes Week.
Back in September 2003 some 32 boats contested the 1st Nationals with the winner Jerry Hill from the Solent being a keen supporter of the class from its inception and still involved to this day.
The Royal Cornwall’s Sailing Secretary Tim Coventry now retired from Laser was actively involved in the design and production of the SB3 and this year the Nationals at Hayling Island attracted 57 entries. After an auspicious start at Cowes with a Class Handicap win in 2002 by 2007 the SB3 is the largest one design fleet in the Regatta with 98 entries.
He must be thrilled with the growth of the class over the last 4 years with 75 new boats being launched in 2005 to 180 new boats hitting the water in 2006.
The SB3 is a fabulous fun boat to sail - fast and exhilarating with a large rig and sail plan providing speed and power both on and off wind.
It is fitted with a retractable stainless steel keel capped with 330 kilograms of lead at the base. This means that despite having an open cockpit the SB3 is uncapsizable but by using lightweight material for hull and spars is capable of breathtaking performance especially when flying the massive asymmetric gennaker.
At 20ft and being such a lightweight the SB3 is easily towed behind a standard saloon car and launch and recovery is a simple operation without lifts or cranes utilizing the custom trailer.
It is a sportsboat for those seeking keelboat “stiffness†and dinghy performance without the physical demands of dinghy or skiff sailing as a gunwale bar effectively prohibits hiking or leaning out and the SB3 carries no trapeze.
It is however definitely quick with 20 knots achievable in a real breeze downwind and upwind 6-8 knots boat speed indicates the SB3 is a real flyer and a whole lot of fairly dry comfortable fun
Given the performance and the lack of serious physical technique needed to sail the SB3 it has proved attractive to some of the cream of keelboat and dinghy sailors with the likes of Geoff Carveth, Mike Budd, Glenn Bourke, Tim Fells, Russell Peters, Rob Greenhalgh, Barry Parkin and Mark Rushall all appearing at the larger regattas.
Fleets have developed in France, Portugal, Ireland and Italy over the last few years and 2007 sees Vanguard the Laser subsidiary in the USA finally launch a major assault on the lucrative North American market.
Competition is undoubtedly fierce but the SB3 is a cheap alternative to the likes of the Melges 24 or J80 and with only 3 crew easy to campaign throughout a season.
In 2003 at those 1st Nationals in Falmouth we had 3 local entries from 3 local 1720 sailors namely Donal O’Halloran, Jonathon Money and Richard Beaman.
Donal had borrowed one of the early prototypes from Laser via Tim Coventry, Jonathon had gone into partnership with Phil Badger to purchase an SB3 and Richard had opted for the SB3 and sold his 1720.
Despite sailing a borrowed boat and new to the fleet O’Halloran nearly won the event finishing 4th overall with Beaman finishing 10th and Money 12th but today only Richard remains active in the Class however several other SB3s have started to race in the Port on a regular basis and there were 6 racing in Falmouth Week.
It leads one to question whether the SB3 could be the next Class to emerge on the Falmouth waterfront?
The popularity of a Class in the Port seems incredibly fickle with the likes of the GK24, 1720 and now the J24 seemingly rise and fall in the blink of an eye with the demise occurring for no apparent reason. Equally when one Class stalwart departs no one appears to take their place.
I suppose one explanation possibly could be the very mobility of these boats allows them to be trailed around to various regattas and as such decimate local fleet weekly turnouts.
Sunbeams, Ajaxes and for that matter Working Boats are not easily trailer sailed and have limited appeal elsewhere in the Country due to the lack of racing opportunities other than at Itchenor or Harwich.
I did think that the J80 would supercede the J24 in the Port as the modern One Design fleet but several owners have sold their boats since the Falmouth World Championships in 2005 and now the SB3 has emerged as the new kid on the block.
Given the pedigree that is Laser and the impetus that has started to roll with the SB3 and its launch in the States I am beginning to think that the last arrival on the sportsboat scene may well just about have all the answers and indeed be the final solution.
Cheap local sailing anywhere in the UK with the option of taking on the sailing superstars at any of the major regattas either at National or even International level.
The key is having sufficient numbers to race on a regular basis throughout the summer and with 4/5 SB3s already in Falmouth/St Mawes then 2008 really could see the Falmouth SB3 fleet flourish.
Laser use the slogan “The most fun three people can have without breaking the law†and I think that is a very apt description of what the SB3 is all about.
I hope our local fleet continues to expand and grow.
Truro Laser sailor James Tilley is the RYA Champion Clubs Liaison Officer and the programme originally launched in 1997 has just under a revamp and major relaunch via a new web site at