Welcome ................................................................................................................... 1

Why Optimists? .................................................................................................... 2

What Squads Do You Run At Hunters Hill Sailing Club? ...................................... 3

My Kid Just Wants To Sail Once A Week – How Does That Work?...................... 5

How Much Is An Optimist? .................................................................................. 5

How Can I Help? ................................................................................................... 6

Getting Started .......................................................................................................... 7

Winter Training .................................................................................................... 7

Spring / Summer Training .................................................................................... 8

Contact Information ............................................................................................. 9

Important Dates 2019 ........................................................................................ 10

Important Dates 2020 ........................................................................................ 11

Parent Responsibilities ............................................................................................ 12

Towing To Regattas ............................................................................................ 13

Sailor Responsibilities ............................................................................................. 14

Coach Responsibilities............................................................................................. 15

Gear and Packing .................................................................................................... 15

Everyday ............................................................................................................. 15

Regattas .............................................................................................................. 16

Optimist Regatta Checklist ................................................................................. 17

Registering for Regattas .......................................................................................... 18

Regatta Fleet Levels ........................................................................................... 18

Helpful Links And Resources .............................................................................. 20

Australian, New Zealand, Asian And International Opti Regattas ..................... 21

1

This year we have put together a short information package before the season starts. The aim of this guide is to outline the roles and

responsibilities of team members and their parents and provide

essential facts about Optimist racing at HHSC.

We hope you find the following pages useful and look forward to

seeing you all this season as we continue our development of fine sailors and, more importantly, fine kids!

You can also keep up to date with all of our news, chat rooms and other useful information via our TeamApp site

https://hhscoptisquad.teamapp.com

Julian, Greg, Chris, Dereck and Andrew

OptiParents & Engine Room

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Put simply, the Optimist is the dinghy the world learns to sail in. You

can pop into a sailing club virtually everywhere on the planet and see youngsters honing their skills in these little one design freedom

machines. And they fit so beautifully into the transition from the

Learn2Sail learn to sail program.

Optimists are super stable little dinghies, and their quirky sail plan

means the sail is easy to depower as the breeze gets up – it means that Optis are often the first boat on the water, and the lasts one in as

the wind picks up!

We often say about Optimists, that it’s “not about the boat” … and

that is right. It’s very lack of bailers, awkward looking rig and hull design

mean that it teaches, and rewards, correct sailing technique. If you can master sailing an Optimist quickly and efficiently in all breezes,

then you are well on the way to being able to sail any larger, faster

craft throughout your lifetime!

And if you aren’t from a sailing family, the elegant simplicity of the

“Oppy” means you aren’t forever adjusting stay tensions (there aren’t any), worried about fitting weight correctors to an underweight hull

(most are overbuilt by a kilo or two), or buying this year’s “fastest”

design – it hasn’t changed since it was locked down in 1995, and that after 50 years of barely changing since the first Optimists were

designed and built in Clearwater, Florida. It’s really more about

managing your OptiKid, than managing the boat! The robust, overbuilt design of all the Opti equipment means it is very rare that

anything breaks, so a complex tool kit just isn’t required.

It takes just 15 minutes to rig an Opti from scratch the first time, with

someone helping (and we have HEAPS of helpers), and from then on,

with our fabulous rigged rack storage system, it takes literally two minutes to rig your OptiKid’s dinghy and have them ready to sail –

perfect for a quick drop off by a parent, grandparent or other carer – no experience required!

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And, if you like to travel with your OptiKids, you can simply roll up your

AUS Opti sail, take it with you on regular airline travel, and go and race at any one of hundreds of regattas that are on each weekend across

the globe!! Travelling with your kids and their boats provides a lifetime

of fantastic memories, at a relatively low cost.

If the passion for racing really bites, and skills and a bit of luck develop

nicely, then you can represent Australia at events, including World Championships, Asian, European and North American

Championships, as well as National camps for girls.

We run a series of programs designed to take young sailors from their

first nervous solo attempts post Learn2Sail, through to National and International dingy sailing – while never forgetting that “Kids +Boats =

Fun”!!

Our program runs around three squads:

• Transition to Green Fleet;

• Green Fleet; and

• RaceFleet

Our

takes graduates from the Learn2Sail program, and works

on our rawest sailors in small groups of no more than three per coach,

getting them confident in handling their Opti away from bigger

groups, learning the ropes on launching and recovering at our tricky ramp, and beginning to understand the coaching terminology they

will hear over coming seasons. We aim to have Transition Fleet kids

moving into Green Fleet in only a matter of weeks, if they work hard and apply themselves in their classes. Transition Fleet kids need to be

sailing in their own Opti.

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Our

introduces our young sailors to the

thrills, challenges and adrenaline rush that is sailing in their own Opti in

fleets, and learning to race! We ease the OptiKids into racing at a Club level, with coaches actually on the course with the sailors giving

them tips and cheering them on. We also start to take this squad away

to their first regattas, including a wonderful weekend away in Canberra, in late October.

Oh, and we know this program works, as we had 3 of the top 10 Green Fleet sailors at Nationals, including National Champion Stella Hurley,

just 13 months into her Opti career.

From Green Fleet we hit our RaceFleet Squad … and the pace

quickens.

steps the OptiKids up into learning about the wind, the tide,

the waves, and how it all affects a sailboat. The training steps up a notch too, with a greater focus on boat handling and control,

including the ability to sail backwards, stop, move forwards and stop

again – sail without a rudder, begin to kite the sail on downwind runs – to mention just a few!!

aims for NSW and National events at the front of Green Fleet

and Intermediate level, as well as being the best dang gunwale

surfing squad this side of Texas!! They will train at least one day per week, in addition to Sunday Club racing.

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This squad will work hard on the finer points of Opti sailing, especially

starts, mark roundings and race strategy, on multiple training days per week. The expectations of OptiKids in this squad are that they will

head to Nationals and beyond, learn to teams race, and participate

in all aspects of HHSC’s social and racing life!

That’s not to say there isn’t fun to be had – far from it – but this squad

is an aspirational one for those that want to make sailing their primary sport. Its motto is “Dare to Dream, dare to Achieve”.

Perfectly!!! But we would encourage you to participate at first in the Transition, Green and initial RaceFleet programs before making that

decision. That way, your OptiKid will have the necessary skills to enjoy Club racing safely and get the most out of their early sailing

experiences – and greater value from the purchase of their own Opti!

You can spend between $1000 (old second hand) and $6000 (fully

specc’d new boat) on a fully rigged Opti – with the older boats

representing great value – especially for the Transition and Green Fleet level sailor. Our experience has been that boats purchased second

hand for around $2500, cared for properly, will sell for around $2200

two years later, with perhaps a new sail in the second year for circa $500. So there is tremendous value to be had,

HHSC has a TeamApp for sale section where good boats are sold

within the Club, and you can also search the NSWIODA website for

sale page as well.

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We love having parents help out around the Club, and we run Sailing

Australia courses to help get you qualified for the water focused activities like safety boat operation, race officer or first aider. So don’t

be put off if you aren’t a sailing person – we can get you involved

safely and well in a range of activities!

When you register your OptiKid for the season, you’ll be asked to

volunteer for certain tasks, and then a roster will come out allocating you a task and a series of dates (probably 1 per term plus a summer

holiday date) you will be required. If you can’t make a date, the onus

will be on you to arrange a swap with another family – easily done!!

We’ll also teach you how to load an Opti on your roofrack or trailer,

properly securing it for travel both short and long distance, and

keepings things safe!

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The HHSC Optimist Race Team spends most of the winter training on a

Sunday from our home base at Hunters Hill Sailing Club, Clarkes Point

Woolwich. Although no two training days are ever the same, we do have a similar format that we tend to follow.

Every Second and Fourth (and fifth if we get one!) Sunday of the month, we will have a training day for all Opti sailors.

RaceFleet sailors are expected to have their boat rigged and ready to go by 9:00 AM, and we expect to be finished and packed up by

4:00pm.

Transition and Green Fleet sailors, we’d like you rigged at 2pm, to finish

on the water by about 4pm, packed up by 4:30pm.

HHSC also hosts a “Pleasant Sunday Morning” racing series on the first

Sunday morning of each winter month – this year we raced May, June

and August. Off the water and packed up by noon!!!

We will be having Autumn and Winter intensive blocks of training, during the Term 1 and Term 2 holidays. The blocks will be for each of

Transition, Green Fleet, and RaceFleet.

These blocks will replicate regatta conditions, and so will run for 4 or 5

days , which you can confirm on TeamApp or on the HHSC website.

On some days the team does some fitness activities and on others we do a land lesson. The team then heads out on the water for our

morning training session, we come back in for a quick and nutritious

lunch and are back out on the water for the afternoon. The best way to improve your sailing is to keep sailing. When the weather works with

us, we tend to maximize our sailing time and make the most of our

training days. For these reasons we ask that the athletes bring packed lunches on normal training days.

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For Green Fleet, there will be a mix of Adventure Sails and racing,

especially over the autumn and winter periods – just long sails where the OptiKIds get to figure a few things out themselves, and have some

on-water coaching, but mainly support and fun, as they explore the

waters of the Harbour.

Once Spring is sprung, we really get cranking. RaceFleet training will also be on Tuesday afternoons from 4:30-6:30pm. It will involve theory

and fitness work.

Our Spring Camp is 30 Sept to 2 October for 3 days, building up to the

NSW Youth Championships.

In Term 4 RaceFleet Training will be Tuesday and Thursday afternoons

4:30pm (rigged and ready) to 6:30pm, Saturday afternoon 3:00pm to

5:30pm and Sunday racing 11:00am to 2:00pm.

Transition and GreenFleet training will be Friday afternoon, racing

Sunday.

We will be taking every opportunity to race, with Club, InterClub, Travelers Trophy, Interstate and Nationals on the agenda.

More information will be released ahead of the commencement of the Spring Season. In the meantime, keep an eye on TeamApp for

more information!

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Julian Ashton – Optimist Class Secretary

Mob: 0449 903 801 Email: Julian_Ashton@bvn.com.au

Greg Hartnett – Coaching & Development

Mob: 0411 244 924

Email: greg_hartnett@bigpond.com

Dereck Quinlan – Applied Technology

Mob: 0409 298 421 Email: dereck.quinlan@mavenir.com

Chris Stannage – President & Chief Enthusiasm Officer

Mob: 0404 854 834

Email: cstannage@me.com

Andrew Livermore – Commodore HHSC

Mob: 0412 218 675 Email: commodore@huntershillsailingclub.org.au

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Spring Program 1 September to 30 November • HHSC Camp 30 Sept to 2 October

• NSW Youth Champs 5-7 October

• Canberra Regatta 26/27 October

• Teams Racing Trials 16/17 September @ Toronto

• HHSC Club Sailing Commences 15 September

• OptiChicks hosted by HHSC 30 November 1 December

Summer Program Dec 2019 • Sail Sydney 12-15 December

• SORS @ George’s River 20-22 December

• HHSC Pre Nationals Training Camp pre-Christmas (tbc)

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Summer Program Jan – Feb 2020 • Nationals – Royal Yacht Club of Victoria 2-9 January

• HHSC Sailing Camp – Week before School goes Back

• Australia Day Regatta @ HHSC (closest Sunday to Australia Day)

• TT5 @ MHYC 16 February

Autumn Program March – May 2020 • NSW States last weekend of March – all Fleets

• New Zealand Nationals

• HHSC Camp

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As OptiParents, please:

• Ensure that your child comes prepared for training and regattas;

• Help to unload and load trailers at regattas;

• Attend regatta planning meetings;

• Help all team members get their boats into and out of the water;

• Transport your sailor’s dolly, mast, boom, sail, rudder, dagger

board, mainsheet etc. to each regatta. It is a good idea to check that you have everything before you leave for the

regatta; and

• Be supportive.

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Here are some words of wisdom from one of our now seasoned Opti

parents.

Watching your child struggle to keep boat control in a heavy

wind, repeatedly get caught in irons, luff his/her sail during part of the race or be passed by the rest of the fleet, can be nail-

bitingly hard on a parent,

BUT:

o Don’t shout advice. The kids can’t hear what you’re shouting, all they know is that someone is shouting at them

– and that’s demoralizing and distracting

o Leave the coaching to the coach.

o Cheer for each member of the team on the water as they

pass near you.

o Give plenty of encouragement to all the team when they return to land. A “good job” and a pat on the back is a

far better encouragement than a detailed critique of

what you think went wrong during the race.

If you absolutely must critique your child’s racing technique after a regatta, wait at least half a day until your adrenalin and your

children’s adrenalin has settled back to normal. Then pick one

and only one point for discussion and do it constructively.

In order for sailors to attend regattas, we need to have enough

parents willing and able to tow trailers, to and from, each regatta or off-site training session. We will be towing RIBS for coaches and support

teams, and multiple Optis. As a rule of thumb, “if you are going, you

are towing”!

Once our regatta schedule is confirmed, a towing schedule will be made. Parents who tow trailers, are reimbursed by the other parents,

for fuel. Fuel costs are divided by the number of sailors. If you are

planning on getting a tow ball for your vehicle, you will need a hitch

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and ball plus an electrical connection for the trailer lights. Your

owner’s manual will tell you what the towing capacity is for your vehicle.

• Rig promptly when you arrive in the morning and de-rig as soon

as possible when you get off the water. The quicker we can rig and de-rig as a team, the more time we can spend sailing and

doing fun things.

• Help load and unload the trailer when we go to regattas

• Take care of your equipment!!

• Try your best each day. When we practice you only get out as

much as you put in.

• Listen to your coach both on the water and on land. This is extremely important for safety and it will let you get the most out

of each day.

A NOTE ON HEAVY WIND For some who are new to racing, strong winds can be very intimidating. As a race team, we always try to get on the water

even when the wind is strong. For most of us, sailing in big breeze

the first few times can be pretty scary and as your coaches, we will never force you to sail if you don’t feel comfortable.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that the only way to get good at sailing in strong wind is to go out and try! With a little

practice you will quickly find that big winds and waves are fun

and the worst thing that happens is getting wet.

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• Ensure the sailors’ safety, including safety from sun, heat, cold

and sudden weather changes

• Ensure the sailors’ learn to sail and race in safe, fun, and

supportive conditions

• Hand over the sailors to their parents at the end of the

lessons/regattas

• Provide feedback to the parents and sailors as appropriate.

It Is Important To Dress In Layers

Cool/Windy Weather (Below 25ºC) • long legged wetsuit –spring suit style

• Long arm / long legged wetsuit – steamer style

• Thermal Rashie

• Spray jacket

• Beanie or Cap

NOTE: It is usually 5 degrees cooler on the water than on land

Warm Weather (Above 25ºC) • Long legged wetsuit – spring suit style

• Long Sleeve UPF50 Rashie

• Bathing suit

• Cap

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All Conditions • Lifejacket (with spare sail ties in pocket)

• Rashie

• Sunscreen

• Hat and sunglasses

• Sailing gloves

• Sailing booties or water shoes

• Waterproof watch with counting function

• Hiking pants are recommended but are not essential

• Running shoes and shorts or track pants

• Full change of clothes

• Water bottle (It is preferable to drink lots of water before

and during sailing, and save fruit drinks for the end of the

day)

• Lunch

• Lots of snacks for the water (peanut free please)

• Duct tape/electrical tape/tool kit

• Spare sail ties

• Something to do when postponed on shore (cards,

frisbee, soccer ball, etc.)

• All of the gear that you normally bring to training

• Plenty of water and snacks

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Boat Dry Clothes Sail Under garments

Mast Shirt

Wind Indicator (Windy) Tank Top

Boom Pants/Shorts

Rudder Sweater / Fleece

Dagger board Raincoat / Windbreaker

Mainsheet Shoes

Air bags Socks

Paddle

Bailers (2) Other Mast Clamp Watch

Sail Ties Sunscreen

Sponge Hair Elastics

Food / Snacks

Clothing Water Bottle

Bathing Suit Towel

Sun Top (UV Top) Copy of Insurance Policy

Spring suit or steamer wetsuit Notice of Race (NOR)

Shorts Sailing Instructions (SI)

Hiking Pants More sail ties

Spray jacket

Booties

Gloves

Hat (beanie if cold)

Life Jacket

Sun Glasses

Flip Flops

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It is the responsibility of parents to sign their sailor up for each regatta

that they plan to compete in. This can be done online, directly with

the regatta organizer. Usually, if you sign up by the early registration date, there is a discount.

You should also print out the Notice of Race.

Please note that your sailor must be a member of the New South Wales International Optimist Dinghy Association (NSWIODA) to compete at

NSW or National events.

You must also make sure that your sail number and boat is registered

with AIODA. Some regatta organizers will ask for insurance policy

details, when signing in, so always make sure you have a copy of your insurance schedule with you at regattas.

Green Fleet: All novice sailors, of any age. For the younger or more

inexperienced sailors who are not ready for Intermediate Fleet just yet

Green Fleet provides a great introduction to attending a major regatta. Green Fleet will be using the ISAF Introductory Rules of Sailing

and limited on-water coaching to assist sailors build their confidence

and boat handling skills.

The Intermediate Fleet is intended to provide a full race experience

for developing sailors without the physical demands of Open Fleet or the frustration of being scored “Did Not Finish”. The Intermediate Fleet

will race under the full Racing Rules of Sailing. The Intermediate Fleet

will be scheduled to sail up to 5 races on any day depending on regatta conditions and scheduling. The target maximum wind

threshold is approximately 20 knots

Who should think about entering the Intermediate Fleet?

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• Developing sailors (any age) who have raced in Open Fleet

before and regularly either “timed out” or have consistently

finished in the back 25% of Open Fleet at other Optimist

regattas.

• Perhaps consider the best Optimist sailors at HHSC and think

about whether you are able to finish within 10 minutes of them

in all wind conditions in particular very light (<6kts) or heavy

(>18kts).

• Emerging sailors who have sailed in Green Fleet at other

regattas and are looking to transition to the Open Fleet.

• Younger sailors who may be more experienced but find the long

days in Open Fleet too demanding.

The Open Fleet at most regattas will be scheduled to sail up to 5

races on any day depending on regatta conditions and scheduling. The target wind conditions are approx. 3kts to 25kts. Boats which do

not finish in the time limit will be scored DNF. By entering the Open

Fleet a sailor is accepting a challenge to test their skills not only against the best sailors at the event but also in the conditions, which may be

variable and physically demanding.

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Optimist Governing Bodies

AIODA (peak body

for Optis In Australia www.optimist.org.au

NSWIODA (peak body for Optis in

NSW)

www.optinsw.org.au

Australian Sailing www.sailing.org.au

IODA (World

governing body for

Optis)

www.optiworld.org

Rigging Manuals

McLaughlin https://www.optistuff.com/info/faq/manuals/

OptimistOwnersManual.pdf

http://www.optistuff.com/info/faq/manuals/

OptimistBasicRigging101.pdf

Winner http://winneroptimist.com.au/library/13_77/d

ocuments/4902.pdf

Sturgis http://www.sturgisboatworks.com/v/vspfiles/r

esources/optimistrigging.pdf

Royal Cork YC http://www.royalcork.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Optimistsailsetup0

7.pdf

North Sails http://www.tuningguides.northsails.com/Portals/27/docs/One%20Design/north-optimist-

tuningguide%20USA%202014.pdf

Olimpic http://www.sturgisboatworks.com/v/vspfiles/r

esources/opti_olimpictuning.pdf

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IODA / International events that require qualification /

invitation

IODA North American Championships

TBA IODA European Championships

TBA

IODA World Championships TBA

IODA Asian & Oceanian Championships

TBA IODA South American Championships

TBA

NOTE: To qualify for an IODA/international event, Australian sailors

must compete at the Australian International Optimist Dinghy

Championships, and have competed at their home State Championships in the preceding twelve months (or applied for an

exemption). AIODA then makes a list of the top ranked Australian

sailors, based on results, taking into account sailors that have “aged out”. *

Those on the list are invited to apply to compete in an international

event/s. AIODA then works through the list and sailors are invited to

join a team, based on rank and spots available. Females are also ranked separately as each team reserves an allotment of spots for

females, usually one/team.

*Please check the AIODA website for up to date selection criteria for

each of the Australian Squads

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Clarke’s Point Woolwich

Sydney Australia

www.huntershillsailingclub.org.au