Opti TV

Which 420 Sailboat Are You Talking About?   Trust us, we know it gets confusing when talking about the 420 Sailboat. There's the Club 420, the International, the Collegiate... which one is right for you? Well, in the latest installment of The Post-Opti Life we take a look at the family tree of the Club 420 and dispel some rumors and confusions about the boat. As always, we are looking at a sailing class from the lens of someone who is looking to move on from the Optimist class and isn't sure what to pick. The Club 420 class is a close cousin of the Olympic 470, designed for learning double-handed sailing skills like flying a spinnaker and trapezing, all while being easier on the bank and taking a beating as compared to more fragile International 420. Dive into the Club 420 Class in our latest video above, let us know what you think!

 Get The Best Perspective And Training So we all know that sometimes the fleet we sail in isn't the biggest, or the highest level, and we want to do better. Thats what clinics are for! In Episode 8, we took a trip out to Toms River Yacht Club to see how they run preseason clinics and found that they are a great tool to warm up before the racing season, and how you can find good clinics for specific topics in, or outside of, your area! Check out Episode 8 and let us know your thoughts -

Wow. I can't believe it's already mid-October, 2023. It's been quite a ride this year for this Sailing Director, sometimes coach, sometimes video man, keeping this not-so-little project going. I've gotten the chance to meet so many people and young sailors that have given me feedback on the channel and information sets and this keeps me motivated. The downside of all of this is that keeping a full-time job, running a business to fund this project, finding and attracting sponsors; not to mention the entire process it is to produce even one video, has made it difficult to keep publishing content consistently.  Yes, OPTI TV is a one-man band at its core - BUT that is not to complain about the awesome places I've been able to visit and the people I've been able to meet, quite the opposite. What I am saying, if anything, is that I am currently in search of help to produce content and it is going well - You will get an update very soon.  In any case, thank you for con

Never Been To the Orange Bowl Regatta? Read This Guide! In 2020 we covered the International Orange Bowl Youth Regatta in this video, and an accompanying article HERE . If you've never been to the regatta, and are attending for the first time this year we figured we'd put together a helpful guide to The Orange Bowl Regatta and the area with tips on parking, the format, racing and events surrounding the Orange Bowl. So take a seat and let's dive in! A Brief History Of The OBIYR Lester Johnson introduced the idea of a youth regatta on Biscayne Bay in Miami through the established name of the Orange Bowl Regatta in 1978. The purpose of the youth regatta was to organize a youth sporting event during a time when families were looking for a fun pastime during their winter break. The Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta has continued that tradition through today for the last 42 years. The regatta has grown from 450 youth sailors in 2002 to over 600 today. In the past five year

 Although the Optimist class is comprised of children, the fact of the matter is that serious racing happens in the Optimist class and that carries with it needs for equipment and replacement parts. Any sailor or coach worth their salt will tell you that you need a ditty bag or tackle box to carry spare parts and tools in order to keep your Opti up or in case of technicals - breakage - out on the race course.  The historical example of a ditty bag, complete with marlinspike So what should you keep in your ditty bag? At the bare minimum, your ditty bag needs to have tools to repair or adjust parts of your boat. A good set of screwdrivers, of medium length, pliers, and a crescent wrench are absolute musts Example contents of a ditty bag. Note the ample variety of tape, tools and spare line Next, you'd want to add a roll of sail tape, the thick kind, to patch up tears or holes that might happen. I cannot stress the importance of dealing with that sooner rather than later, because a sm

Best Practices And Tips One of the downsides of the Optimist class having such a high level competition is that Optis get worn down through the use that they get relatively quickly. They have quite a few fiddly bits for a children's boat that require looking after and some preventative maintenance, like any boat. We've put together some basic tips that you can use to keep your Opti in racing shape, from keeping your boat clean to spots of wear to look out for. As always if you have questions or want some more tips, feel free to DM us or post a comment below!