From The Center Console

Part of, and crucial to, the Opti Apparatus is the fleet of coaches that support the thousands of Opti sailors out there. They are the heroes (and sometimes the villains) to the protagonists that are Opti sailors. Coaches are crucial to the development of sailors and critical to ensuring that kids stay in sailing. With the growth and professionalization of the class over the last few decades the Optis have seen the fleet and presence of coaches grow exponentially. Some say this is a detriment to the class as any serious Opti sailor now requires coaching in order to be competitive, which incurs tremendous costs and potentially pushes a kid out of Opti sailing

We have found that whatever is the case, most coaches are good people who just want to give their kids a chance to find the greatness in them and don't care if a sailor isn't winning regattas right after stepping on the boat for the first time. Of course, you will find coaches that are tough and rough around the edges, but that is because the sport sometimes requires coaches that will not let you retreat even an inch. Some kids will respond to that! But we find that most do not.

This is why we write the series "From The Center Console" to share tips and stories to opti coaches from opti coaches - the sport has taken great strides to create training opportunities for coaches, but at least in the US of A there isn't more than the National Sailing Coaching Symposium from US Sailing - yet! We hope you will find great information here, which is indexed and searchable through the top banner.

Fair Winds And Following Seas

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