Bruce Kirby has officially terminated Performance Sailcraft Japan’s license to build the Kirby Sailboat. By terminating PSJ’s right to build the Kirby Sailboat under the “LASER” brand, Bruce Kirby has cleared the way for the Kirby Torch to enter the market in another territory.

Bruce Kirby has withdrawn without prejudice his motions for prejudgment remedy against both the Laser Performance defendants and the governing body defendants ISAF and ILCA.  Kirby has also requested that the case against all defendants be trial ready by June 2014.

We have received a number of emails from sailors who are having difficulty completing a purchase using Google Wallet.  We apologize for the inconvenience and as an alternative you may simply email your order to store@kirbytorch.com and send your check including $5 for postage to the class association:

Kirby has asked the Connecticut Federal Court to issue a prejudgment remedy (“PJR”) against Defendants ISAF and ILCA. If granted, the PJR would prevent ISAF and ILCA from selling ISAF plaques and sail numbers for Kirby Sailboats without authorization of Bruce Kirby. Laser Performance has been terminated as an authorized builder of the Kirby Sailboat. Copies the pertinent court papers are below.

The Kirby Torch Class now has enough members to have defeated ILCA’s Fundamental Rule Change. It was perhaps not widely understood at the time of the vote but the Rule Change, pushed through by ILCA and then recently approved by ISAF, attempted to eliminate the requirement that builders of the Laser must have an agreement with designer Bruce Kirby. This violates the 1983 Agreement which established the Laser as an International Class, the basis on which ISAF plaques are issued to builders of the Laser, and on which the Laser was chosen as equipment for use in the Olympics.

The Kirby Torch class preserves the original basis on which the Kirby Sailboat obtained international status from ISAF.