Bruce sent this to us today and asked us to send it to anyone who we felt might be interested ...
by Bruce Kirby
IT'S THE BOAT THAT MATTERS, NOT THE NAME
In an attempt
to rescue the Laser Class from its downhill course of the past few years I have
reluctantly decided that a name change, or re-branding is necessary. During the past three or four years dealers
have had difficulty getting timely delivery of boats, and in particular, of
parts. We have had calls and e-mails
from various parts of the world asking if there is anything that can be done to
save the Laser. To give some idea how
critical the situation with Lasers has become
(as of mid-April, 2013) there is a boat shop in Toronto which has 52
American- built Lasers that have been brought in for repairs of various kinds.
Laser
Performance in both Europe and North America own the name LASER and the
sunburst symbol on the sail, but they don’t own the boat. Because I am owed quite a bit of money by
these firms in unpaid design royalties it has been possible for me to terminate
their building rights at both factories.
What the
Laser sailing public must try to get their heads around is that it is not the
name of the boat that matters, It is the boat itself - that 13’ 10” bit of
fiberglass and aluminum that provides
us with untold pleasure. I love the name
Laser. I was there in the beginning when
then builder Ian Bruce came up with it.
I have lived with it and revered it for more than 40 years…but I know
that if the boat is to be saved it must have a new name.
Laser
Performance were terminated as builders last year, but the lawsuit was filed
this year because production of the Laser unlawfully continued after
termination. The International Laser
Class Association (ILCA) in lock step
with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) participated in this unlawful
manufacture by refusing to stop issuing Laser Performance the stick-on ISAF
plaques that are attached to the inside of the aft face of the cockpit,
identifying the boat as an authorized Kirby Sailboat permitted to be used in
Laser class and ISAF sanctioned events.
I have tried
to work with ILCA and ISAF on rebranding the boat, but they refused and
demanded instead that I get a Court Order.
So they are named in the lawsuit.
After filing of the lawsuit, ISAF initially asked ILCA to stop issuing
ISAF plaques to Laser Performance, but I don’t yet know if ILCA complied. In a new twist, ISAF and ILCA now seem
prepared to issue a new version of the plaque to Laser Performance which
removes my name from my own design. This
is not only against the Laser Construction Manual which ISAF and ILCA claim to
hold Builders to, thereby insuring a true one-design class, but also reveals
their true strategy to steal my design. The irony in all of this is that by
continuing to provide plaques to Laser Performance against my wishes and our
contracts, both ISAF and ILCA continue to collect money from Laser Performance
for every boat made even while I am not being paid the design royalty.
In any event,
all builders of the Laser have been terminated and the Kirby Sailboat will only
be lawfully built under the Kirby Torch brand.
This does not violate any prior agreement I have with ISAF and ILCA
since they explicitly only relate to manufacture of the Kirby Sailboat under
the Laser brand. ILCA and ISAF have trumped up a “breach” in order to push
through the “Fundamental Rule” change designed to excuse nonpayment of my
royalty by Laser Performance. Their
actions make their intentions clear:
Steal the Kirby Sailboat from its designer.
New builders with stellar sailing
and boat building credentials have signed agreements to follow the Construction
Manual so that new Kirby Torches will be exactly like old Lasers, and both
boats will be able to compete side by side under the rules of the Kirby Torch
class. We have asked ILCA to set up the
Kirby Torch class, but they continue to ignore us and the Torch even though
there are no longer any licensed builder for the Laser. Go figure?!
So if you
agree that what we are doing is in the best interests of the boat, please urge
ILCA and your district Laser class organizations to cooperate with us for the
sake of sailors throughout the world.
This is your boat. It’s my baby, but it’s your boat. With a simple change of the name we can offer
a better quality product, consistent
delivery and the steady supply of parts. The Kirby Torch Builders and Class
Association will serve sailors—that is our promise to you and the reason I am
taking on this fight. The fight is about pulling the boat out of the swamp it
has been dragged into and handing it back to the sailors cleaned up and ready
to move ahead for another 50 years. I
have been disappointed with the treatment handed to me by those who should be
firmly on the side of the sailors, and so at the age of 84 I am throwing all my
energy into meetings, phone calls and e-mails to save the little boat.
Please join
me in this endeavor and support the Torch.
I can no longer race with you, but I can cheer you on.
Bruce Kirby
Rowayton, Ct. U.S.A.
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