US Sailing Vid

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,690
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
I guess I was wondering if I’m still “flexible” enough to sail one ;)
@Hunter216 you don't have to be able to sail it although I have been known to take my daughter's Opti for a sail occasionally. There is a kid on our Opti Race Team who's grandfather is the main "parent" involved. He doesn't sail the Opti but he is still fairly involved. If your grandson is between 7 and 15, he could join up with the KYC team.
 
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Likes: Will Gilmore
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
I'm sure y'all can see how I stand on that issue.

Don't buy them an Opti. Buy them plans for one and show them how to build it.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
@Hunter216 you don't have to be able to sail it although I have been known to take my daughter's Opti for a sail occasionally. There is a kid on our Opti Race Team who's grandfather is the main "parent" involved. He doesn't sail the Opti but he is still fairly involved. If your grandson is between 7 and 15, he could join up with the KYC team.
I had one for our kids that I picked up for cheap after an international event at the Olympic harbour, the parent didn’t want to ship it home so I made an ridiculous offer and got it. They were interested but leaned more towards things they felt were more “cool” like wakeboard etc so I eventually sold it. I agree KYC has a great program for kids and has generated some world level participants, if you can learn to sail in the wind strength of a typical KIngston thermal afternoon combined with the “voodoo chop” between the club and Garden Island you can sail anywhere!! ;)
 

DArcy

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Feb 11, 2017
1,690
Islander Freeport 36 Ottawa
if you can learn to sail in the wind strength of a typical KIngston thermal afternoon combined with the “voodoo chop” between the club and Garden Island you can sail anywhere!!
Last year at CORK the Optis got caught in a squall that looked pretty exciting. A friend was on a 42 foot Beneteau watching the fleet which was struggling to make any forward progress into the wind and waves under power. There was already a pretty good swell from the 20 - 25 knot SW winds coming in from Lake Ontario. It lasted about 20 minutes with winds in the 40 to 50 knot range.
I was a little worried my daughter would be freaked out by the experience, she had been a bit tentative about sailing in big wind, so I went down to the ramp to grab her Opti when she came in. Her first words were "That was so AWESOME!!!" She hunkered down and stuck it out just cruising reach to reach; the race had been abandoned by that point. She said half the fleet was capsized so she was just sailing cautiously, keeping the boat upright, not getting too close to anyone.
Those are the experiences that make kids stronger and more resilient - assuming they survive :)
 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
Last year at CORK the Optis got caught in a squall that looked pretty exciting. A friend was on a 42 foot Beneteau watching the fleet which was struggling to make any forward progress into the wind and waves under power. There was already a pretty good swell from the 20 - 25 knot SW winds coming in from Lake Ontario. It lasted about 20 minutes with winds in the 40 to 50 knot range.
I was a little worried my daughter would be freaked out by the experience, she had been a bit tentative about sailing in big wind, so I went down to the ramp to grab her Opti when she came in. Her first words were "That was so AWESOME!!!" She hunkered down and stuck it out just cruising reach to reach; the race had been abandoned by that point. She said half the fleet was capsized so she was just sailing cautiously, keeping the boat upright, not getting too close to anyone.
Those are the experiences that make kids stronger and more resilient - assuming they survive :)
I’ve had a few of those AWESOME moments myself ;) It’s interesting to see the kids that start to see that level of intensity as “normal”. Olympics right down the road!
 
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Likes: DArcy