Moving to the Open Bic after the Optimist?
Yet, a more critical question, in places where the Optimist dominates youth sailing under age 16, is if there is a place for the Open Bic after the Optimist.
So let’s have a look at some critical factors: weight and age.
The Optimist can be sailed competitively up to a weight of 110 lbs (50 kg), with a max of 120 lbs (55 kg). Many of the best Optimist sailors in the world are actually under those weights.
Regarding the Open Bic, a query with the current world champion (U 17) Sean Herbert from New Zealand brought up this information: an ideal weight of around 50 kg (110 lbs), but the boat can be sailed competitively up to 60 kg (132 lbs), after which performance declines rapidly./*
If you watch videos of the top Open Bic regattas - many are available on youtube - you find out that indeed, the top sailors look like very much into a 100 to 130 lbs (45 to 60 kg) weight range.
So there is a bit of overlap with the Optimist, but clearly, the Open Bic can be sailed competitively after the Optimist, for a certain period, that will depend on the growth of the sailor.
That period after the Optimist may be just one or two years for boys, maybe two to three years for girls.
Note that the limit for participating into regattas in the Optimist is age 15, while it is age 16 for the Open Bic (in the U17 category). In the Optimist class, many sailors will leave the class at age 14, some even at age 13, because being too heavy or too tall for the boat.
At a weight of around 132 lbs, the transition towards a boat like the Laser 4.7, but also the C420, i420 or 29er, can be operated much more smoothly than at 110 lbs.
At that time, the sailor may also have a much better idea as to what he/she wants to sail in the upcoming years. That's a very important factor, given the fact that boats such as the Laser, the i420 or the 29er are much more expensive - so it's a good idea to get the right boat!
The Open Bic can even be seen as a transition towards windsurfing - as the boat shares many similarities with windsurfs — fully battened sail, Bic brand name, etc.
Obviously, the Open Bic, with its modern design and higher speed, offers a vastly different experience to youth sailors than the Optimist, and a sort of introduction to the kind of speeds that can be achieved in larger boats.
The Open Bic is also a good platform to attract kids who did not start Optimist sailing very early on, and yet want to try sailing at ages of say 12 to 15.
To be noted is that a good resale value can be expected for the boat - based on the experience of the Nepean Sailing School, which has kept most of its Open Bics for over 12 years now. So buying a boat for 2 or 3 years, and then selling it, is not unreasonable.
So yes there is a rationale to develop Open Bic youth fleets in Canada and elsewhere. The fleets can co-exist with the Optimist fleets - and offer a smoother transition towards boats such as the Laser, the 420 and the 29er.
Another compelling option, after the Optimist, and prior to the Laser, the 420 or the 29er, is the RS Feva, which is now growing fast in North America, and allows Optimist sailors to learn double-handed skills, including assymetric downwind sailing, right out of the Optimist, without being overpowered like in the 420 or the 29er.
