The single-handed Standard and Performance lasers and the Laser 16 for up to 5 sailors are ready to be booked!

New prices for the 2025 Season

Single handed lasers: half day: 20 EUR, full day 30 EUR
Laser 16: half day: 30 EUR, full day 45 EUR

Sailing demonstrations may be organized upon request!

The Laser is a universal family of one-design dinghies that has started the career of many sailors. The CNCE has two single-handed Lasers (one “standard” and one “performance” type), as well as one Laser 16 near Mechelen, 20 minutes north of Brussels. The two single-handed Lasers and the Laser 16 are available for CNCE members to sail upon advance paid reservation and in accordance with the rules and procedure laid down by the CNCE (see below How to book a CNCE dinghy). All three boats are kept onshore, to be launched into the water for sailing, and recovered to dry land once sailing has finished. Additionally, the two single-handed Lasers need to be rigged before launching and de-rigged and properly stowed after retrieving. In order to safely use the single-handed Laser boats, one must be a good swimmer and possess sailing skills equivalent to competent crew level. One should have ample sailing experience, since the sailor will be alone on the boat and needs to do everything by him/herself. The single-handed Laser is very light and has no fixed keel, therefore it capsizes quite easily. In the case of capsizing, one needs to be able to right the boat and get back into it, or, in the worst case, swim to the shore with the boat.

CNCE YouTube videos

The Laser 16 is a bigger daysailer with more stability that can carry up to five total crew. It is therefore suitable even for complete beginners, under the supervision of a competent coach/skipper. Since she is quite heavy, we recommended that a total of 3 people are available to get her in and out of the water at ease.

Reservation step by step

To reserve or sail a dinghy, you must have paid your membership fee for the current season. You need to have created your CNCE Twizzit account to be able to reserve a boat and make your payment online. The booking system is run on a first-come, first-served basis and in accordance with the CNCE rules.

Please create your Twizzit account and log on to it. If you already have one, log on to it.
If you are booking for the first time, it may be easier to book using your desktop computer

Please follow step 1 AND 2 below if you want to book any of the Lasers:
In step 1 you block your time slot so no one else can book the dinghy of your choice anymore.
In step 2 you will be able to pay online and download the rules for the use of the CNCE dinghies.
Your reservation is NOT valid until you complete the two steps

Step 1: book your time slot

In the Twizzit menu, go to Planning (if you are using the Twizzit app, first click on the agenda icon at the bottom of your home screen)
On the Planning page, click on the green dot with the plus sign (bottom right), then on Bookings.
On the next screen, select the date on which you want to sail.
In the line below the date, type in the Laser type of your choice ('standard', 'performance' or '16').
From the search results, select "Laser ... booking: morning" or "Laser ... booking: afternoon".
If you want to reserve the dinghy for a full day, please reserve the morning first and make a second reservation for the afternoon.
You will then see the available time slots for your dinghy & date marked in green.
You can book just a morning or afternoon, or the whole day. Click on the slot(s) you want to reserve, then on Book now.
On the form that appears,
- check that the date and time are what you selected
- add all participants (this won't change the price, but it is an insurance issue)
- click on Save Booking.

You will receive a message saying that the reservation is pending approval. The process is not finished yet, and you need to complete step 2 below.

Step 2: fill in the Dinghy booking form and pay online

In the Twizzit menu, go to Home.
Click on the tab Offer at the top of the home page.
In the list of subscriptions forms, go to the Dinghy booking form and click on Subscribe.
Fill in the form.
Once you have downloaded the Dinghy rules, click on Continue, then on Pay online now and make your payment (no credit cards).

Now all you need to do is read the Dinghy rules you just downloaded and ... sail!

Remember to take photos of the boat and rigging before and after sailing and to complete the Dinghy reporting / photo upload form. This is a mandatory step.

If you have booked a morning sailing session, please make sure to have the dinghy ready at 2pm at the latest, for hand-over to the next sailor!

...is the ideal starting point for aspiring sailors. As early as primary school age, youngsters can participate in dinghy training and competitions. As they grow up and develop their skills, they might decide to move on to bigger boats. However, there is no reason for adults NOT to sail dinghies. Dinghies are more sensitive and reactive than yachts and give easier and faster sensations and sometimes let you ...swim!

Hombeek

Dinghy sailing is recommended for building experience and developing and sharpening your maritime sense. They are not only fun to sail, but they are a great way to improve your sailing expertise. Single- or multi-handed, dinghies help understand the basics of sailing: sail trimming, controlling (easing/tightening) the lines, understanding the effect of the centerboard and the rudder, using your body position (front-rear, side-to-side) to balance the hull, reading wind shifts and anticipating local weather conditions. Regular sailing on these light, but nevertheless safe boats can give adults a lot more confidence and understanding of boat handling.

Our dinghies...

For Valk sailing (sailing on a traditional Dutch boat with a CNCE coach), please visit our Valk sailing page

Video: CNCE tutorial - Rigging a Laser

(for white hull CNCE Laser; yellow hull Laser is slightly different)