Skip to main content

Top 5 Books Every Opti Race Coach Should Read

Because Information Gained Is Information Conveyed

by A.Olivo

For as much as we get information through video now, books are still a critical source of information for sailors. There are many different books out there for racing sailors but I've found its often difficult to equate the information in them to Opti sailing. However, in our library we have these 5 great volumes that can make a big difference in your Opti coaching. Check them out below and we've included amazon links in case you want to pick them up:

(disclaimer: we are a participant in the Amazon Affiliate Program, where we earn a small commission through sales generated by our Amazon links, at no extra cost to you.)

 Winner's Guide To Optimist Sailing by Gary Jobson


A legend in the sailing world on his own right, Gary Jobson wrote this with the idea that any Opti Sailor can read it and gain a competitive advantage. The book is already a few years old but contains great information that is Opti-specific and can be shared with your Sailors. Don't write this one off as it still is applicable to any Opti sailing out there.









The Optimist Dinghy 1947-2007: A provisional history of the first sixty years of the International Optimist dinghy by Robert Wilkes, Clifford McKay Jr.


The definitive history of the International Class across it's first 60 years, this book should be read by anybody involved in Opti Sailing as it shows just how important this little dinghy has become and perhaps can serve as a reminder of it's humble roots and purpose. Remember coaches, these are kids after all - they are not professional sailors (yet)!










 Winning In One-Designs by Dave Perry


 Our first pick from the Rules Guru Dave Perry, this book is one of our favorites because it de-mystifies large fleets that one-design boats often see. With Dave's signature writing style, he does a great job of simplifying big fleet tactics and starts. It does deal a lot with bigger boats but almost all of it is applicable to Opti fleets.















 Tactics made simple by John Emmett


Olympic gold medallist and multiple world champion, Paul Goodison, explains why this book is important if you want to win races. He says: “To win sailboat races you need to sail the boat fast. This comes down to hours on the water training and tuning – there are few shortcuts to hours of practising on the water. To consistently win races you need to sail fast and smart – making the right decisions to sail the best course. If you are not the fastest boat, you are still able to win races and regattas by managing risk and sailing smart. This is where good tactics come in. But, unlike boatspeed, tactics may be learnt by thinking about each leg of the course and different situations from the comfort of your own home. Jon Emmett’s new book, Tactics Made Simple, is a great tool to help fast track this learning.”





 100 best racing rules quizzes by Dave Perry

Our second pick by Dave Perry, is his latest version of his 100 best racing rules quizzes. This book is a goldmine for racing coaches, helping you to gauge the level of knowledge with your group about the rules, and challenge them on their knowledge, because as we all know Opti sailors are not the most well-versed! Note that this book gets updated by Dave on every iteration of the rules book, so make sure you pick up the latest version of it to avoid having gaps in the quizzes as rules change.














Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Should Be In Your Dock Box/Ditty Bag

 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...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Roundup Returns: October 2023

 SailGP Upset: USA Climbs To 3rd After Cadíz For those who don't follow SailGP, the Formula 1 of Sailing, Team USA has come in with the sneak and climbed to 3rd overall for Season 4 with a decisive win in Cadiz this past week. Skipper Jimmy Spithill together with flight controller Taylor Canfield (who we interviewed here in 2020) took the team through light wind, non-foiling conditions and surprised everyone with the win.  The U.S. beat both rivals across all metrics - picking up the highest average speed of 32.7 km/h, highest 58% flight time and executing the fewest number of maneuvers - just six. The Americans also sailed the shortest distance - a total of 4.9 km/h versus ROCKWOOL DEN’s 5.7km and Australia’s 6km. Spithill went on to dedicate the win to the team’s flight controller Hans Henken, who was injured during an incident in Taranto. While this was ‘such a massive blow for the team’, the incident gave the team ‘a real amount of purpose’, Spithill said.  “It was a...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Guide To Your First International Orange Bowl Regatta (Optimist Class)

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...
Post a Comment
Read more