Opti TV

Keep Your Boat In Sailing Shape With These Tips Sometimes kids will be kids but when you give them the tools and the know-how they will take care of their Opti better than you know! Here's a 10 min video on how to keep your Opti in sailing shape. If you have access to your boat during quarantine, it's a good idea to inspect it and give it some TLC to stay ready for when sailing returns. 

Do Your Homework, Be Consistent We all know it starts at the start, but as USNT and Worlds coach Omari Scott tells us, it comes down to being prepared, and staying ahead of the competition by doing your starting line homework!

As Earth Day turns 50, IODA announced today they are launching a co-branded education inititative with World Sailing. This is a great step towards climate action and sustainability, with the Opti Class being one of the largest youth classes, education is the first step to action. IODA Announces Sustainability Education Initiative Full Text Reproduced Below EARTH DAY 2020 – IODA Launches Co-Branded World Sailing Sustainability Education Program   IODA is committed to ensuring that sustainability and the environment is a focus of our class activities. The theme of Earth Day 2020 is   “Climate Action”   and as the largest youth sailing class in the world, we recognize that Optimist sailors are the next generation leaders and future guardians of the worlds’ lakes, oceans, rivers, and the planet.  The actions we undertake today on climate change will affect future generations of sailors and the world in which we play our sport. As result, on this ...

all rights Matias Capizzano Have you ever been out there, and heard your coach tell you things like "Cheer up, it might never happen" "It takes more muscles to frown than to smile".  When your sailing day is just not going your way? Me too. When I was first learning to sail, all my classmates would tell me these things when I was having a bad day, and I agree - these are not good ways to cheer someone up. That is until the seniors in the sailing club told me "Smile: You'll sail faster" The problem, though, is that you generally say something like that to someone who isn't smiling. And it is the last thing that someone who isn't smiling wants to hear.  That said, they were right. You do sail better when you're relaxed and happy. And, possibly more importantly, you sail more often if you are happy and relaxed when you are out on the water. I know it's hard to realize this, but think back to a regatta ...

Mast Sleeves Must Respect 3mm Rule Hey Optimistas, the IODA Technical Committee put out a notice regarding Mast Collars and Sleeves, it seems that manufacturers have been producing mast collar and sleeves with loose tolerances, which is in violation of Class Rule 3.2.5 (f).  IODA Technical Committee Notice April 16, 2020 We recommend checking your Mast sleeve and collar on your boat if possible, as perhaps general wear and tear has made the tolerances loose on your boat. Be ready for the IODA Championships when they return! Full document reproduced below:

Hey there savvy Opti Moms and Dads, Zim Sailing has further reduced pricing on some clearance items, so now may be a good time to pick up those winter sailing items you missed out on or that jacket replacement now that Junior has outgrown the last one! Head over to Zim Clearance to check out the sale

It All Starts At The Start! For those Green Fleet Sailors who are looking to progress into the Championship/Main Fleet, your biggest hurdle in a race is the dreaded Green Fleet Washing Machine - the mass of kids sailing from pin to boat, and boat to pin until it's time to start.  Avoid the Machine by thinking about the starting line differently with these tips. Ask coach more about Ladder Rungs and Line Bias!

Creating A More Efficient Workflow So - you've successfully incorporated video into your debriefs and have seen the improvement in your sailors. But you feel like something is missing - you want to show leech comparisons or maybe want to show your sailors what they are doing right and wrong in a more...immediate format. We've compiled some editing tips and know-how so that you can maximize your video content for your debriefs and bring your coaching to the next level. BUT first - check back with Parts 1 and 2 of the Video Debrief series so that you're up to speed on the best video practices at practice (you sea what we did there? and there?). Once you've read through the first two parts- you'll need to figure out what editing software you'll be using. For most  editing you'll be doing, iMovie or OpenShot are free options for Mac and Windows users, respectively. They will be good enough for the 2 quick edits we are going to show you here in Part 3: S...

Preparation Is Key We asked the Opti TV contributors what their #1 piece of advice for sailors competing in a USODA or class qualifier, and here is what they had to say: MacKenzie McGuckin:  "Be Adaptable"  Here are are couple types of regatta day situations that might arise: Some situations can be prepared for in advance.  This is why we practice.  Gear failures, arriving late, challenging weather, venue logistics, can all affect your mental readiness.  You can practice dealing with distractions in the familiar setting of your home club before the event that can help reduce the effect on regatta day.  Sometimes though, things may not go as planned, and you need to be ready.  Some unplanned situations could include forgetting your pack of extra sail ties or tripping in the parking lot and falling.  In these situations, you need to be able to think on your feet and execute a plan for recovery.  Arm yourself with strategies to deal with ...

Sailors Beware - Respect The RRS The USODA Graded Penalty System What Is The Graded Penalty System? We hear people talk online and in realspace about exactly why the Opti Class is so bad, why kids want to leave it, and we think that the commentary seems to forget two things: one - these are kids sailing the boats two - there are a lot of them The average starting line in a USODA regatta is 55 boats. 55 boats . They may be 8 foot long bathtubs but thats 55 boats that race committee has to contend with. That means that due to the dual reality of having at least 55 boats, being sailed by Student Skippers, race committee has to get - for the lack of a better word - educational. Related: Keys To Success At USODA Regattas This is why the IODA, and in recent years USODA, adopted the Graded Penalty System (GPS) to keep racing fair, disciplined, and ensure sailor safety. Too often novice championship/main fleet sailors head out without proper safety equipment and a disrega...

When It Comes To Safety Knives, Less Is More The Spyderco Atlantic Salt Knife The Spyderco Atlantic Salt For our 2nd ever review we figured we'd pull out our favorite safety knife, the Spyderco Atlantic Salt in Yellow. This thing has been around for some years now, and we've owned one for 3 years already, but we feel like it does not get the attention it deserves because it is definitely is worth taking a look at as a choice for safety knife in your kit. From the spyderco website: It's been speculated the sheepfoot shaped blade originated with mariners who found the rounded tip especially beneficial when the knife was accidentally dropped (think working on a ship in pitching seas) as it couldn't stab the foot when hitting the deck. It's also been hypothesized that commanding officers on these ships preferred rambunctious hardworking sailors carry knives without pointed tips, especially while in port blowing off steam after months at sea. Spyderco...

Make Your Chalk Talks More Interactive So for our first Gear Review Article we picked the 3D-Printed Coach Kit from 3D Marine and More , a german company we found through instagram, and found really interesting. Often times, coaches are looking for every edge and tool available to bring their kids to the next level and we think this could be helpful for many coaches working at all levels - because kids love interactive sessions with coaches instead of coaches just talking at them. We had reached out to 3D Marine in early March and a very nice lady by the name of Tarja sent us not only the 3d coach kit but also their Pro Racer Flag Kit, Regatta Elements Kit, Compass and Start Watch. Here's our thoughts and why we think you should think about picking this set up 3D Printed Coach Kit  The 3D Printed Coach Kit is 3D Marine And More's first offering, which actually came from a request from the coach at the Potsdamer Yacht Club for a 3D-printed opti for some trophies...

We had some fun making this video reminding everyone to Stay At Home to win the race against COVID-19. For us, the good news today was that we received the  3D Marine Opti Coach Kit  for review! We've been looking forward to giving these a go as they are WAY more interactive for Opti sailors than the boring fridge magnets we usually use as coaches. We'll be throwing up the YouTube review tomorrow so in the meantime, remember to #StayAtHome !

Hey everyone, Brian Holloway from McLaughlin Boat Works is back with another tutorial on boat upkeep - check out best practices on replacing your bungee system for daggerboard trim - Crucial For Sailing!! Snag the EX1113 - Daggerboard Hold Down/Hiking Strap Lift System at Opti Stuff.

Sometimes, as sailors we tend to over-analyze and over-complicate our races and regattas. But often times its best to stick to the basics and keep it simple. Here are 10 golden rules that you can apply to 99.99% of your races and achieve better results

Everyone starts somewhere... Big Ben Himself Here's a photo of Sir Ben Ainslie back in 1989 when he rocked those GBR letters at the IODA World Championship in Yokohama, Japan. Who knew that perhaps the world's greatest sailor started in Optis?

Keep The Camera In Front Of You So, you've read  Part 1 of The Video Debrief series  and you're ready to get out there and film your practices. Great! As we discussed in Part 1 Video is a key component in the sail coaching game and can really bring your training blocks to the next level. However, it's not as easy as it looks! You've got the unique job of a) driving a powerboat b) coaching sailors and c) being a cameraperson. We're just going to go ahead and remind you to wear your kill cord/safety lanyard because...well...you're doing 3 things at once and if any one of those things go wrong the last thing you want is to end up in the water and your boat driving away without you. Just wear it, trust us.  Stay Sharp! Moving on, here are some tips we've compiled from our own experiences as well as common sense advice.  Equipment Check! Video recording equipment can be an expensive investment, and whatever you are using - make sure it is 100...