Equipment is nice,
but it is knowledge and skill that gets
someone to the top.

Browse around the site, and you will find a wealth of information and links, for sailors as well as for event organizers. There are of course some products here that are for sale, they are here to help support the coaching and coaching programs for youth. This is not trying to be a retail store, just a place to come to get information, ideas, and the occasional product that I find that really offers something extra.

News and Happenings of Note

Opti Splashes

Hike out, go fast, have fun!

That's how sailing should be!!

2009 Training Sessions 2009 Training

June training sessions

Optimist Dinghy ~ Geoffrey Nelson continues to climb the Opti ladder, with a 2nd in Nov '09 Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, and qualifiying to sail at the legendary Lake Garda in Italy in April 2010. Next targets after that are the Opti Team Trials in Houston in early May, followed by US Sailing's Youth Multihull Championship (with older brother Stephen) in late May, also in Houston.

On-Line Shopping

If you see something listed on our shopping pages and there is no "Add to Cart" button next to it, that means that we are out of stock. Simply drop us a note and we'll let you know when we expect to be able to ship.

Line Prices

Many of our lines are still priced at 2008 and 2009 prices, instead of increasing prices and dvertising a discount. That's less work for us, and usually amounts to a better deal for you.

Now here, lifevests from Extrasport. We're stocking the midrange Eddy, and may add the junior vest, the Inlet Jr, if there is sufficient interest from the Opti crowd. You can find them via the menu left, under Gear>Body Stuff.

There is a new name in sailing in North America - Zim Sailing, headquartered in Rhode Island. The company is made up of sailors from Europe, North America and Asia, and will focus on Youth sailing in North America. Their boats will include the Opti, the Splash, the C420 and the CFJ. They will also have a line of RIBs for coaches and instructors and are working on a line of all-metal dollies for their boats.

The Opti, Splash and C420 will all be made in China in Qingdao, while CFJs will be build as needed in the USA. Our connection to the new company has come through the C420 and CFJ - Zim has acquired the molds, plans, and inventory for those boats from Performance Sports International, who needed the production and storage space for their Nacra catamarans. The Splash is a Dutch design, a very successful youth boat internationally that is idea for kids coming out of Optis who want to pursue single-handed sailing. The Opti hulls come from a Chinese builder who has been building quality Optis for many years. They will come into the US as bare hulls and be outfitted with equipment from Optiparts.

We have available boat covers and padded blade bags from Aquata to go with these boats.

The 2009 Racing Rules of Sailing Are Available On-Line

I Racing Rules for 2009-2012 are available on the ISAF web site. The link below will take you to an annotated version, highlighting the changes from the current Rules to make it easier to work through what is new. Note that additions are in Red and deletions are lined out.

http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/RRS200920092012SHOWINGCHANGES-[6255].pdf

How Serious are You About Getting Better?

Jan 14, 2007, Rush Creek Yacht Club, Dallas TX, 10-12 mph winds, and 25° F: Some of my Opti training group that got in 4 hours sailing that day, the middle day of a 5 day training camp that totaled over 18 hours of sailing while the rest of Dallas was hiding from from the freezing rain and ice.

What are YOU doing to get better? If your idea of winter is sitting inside and waiting, then these sailors just got farther ahead of you. You can't catch anyone by doing less work. (And these kids will tell you that they all had fun - they all had on the right gear including waterproof socks - and will never be intimidated by any Yankee sailor's stories about frostbiting!)

(The fog in the background of the photo is the typical 'steam' cloud that rises above a lake when the air is much colder than the water, heat and moisture leaving the lake surface. Its common on lakes just before they feeze.)