Optimist, Open Skiff, Youth & Olympic Sailing Blog

Optimist sailing is great, but all good things come to an end. Now what to sail after the Optimist? This is the question that will be addressed by Jean-Pierre Kiekens, a recently graduated optimist father, after over 10 years of service in that capacity. He is also very familiar with the Club 420 and Laser Radial as used in youth sailing. Jean-Pierre is not only a sailor (Laser, Snipe, etc.) but he is also running a specialized blog on youth sailing and has written many articles on the challenges associated with youth sailing development, particularly in the North American context. The webinar will discuss what's best to do after the Optimist: - Youth sailing development: what are the goals? - Single-handed or double-handed sailing? Or both? - Laser and C420s: are they still suitable for youth sailors? - Two missing links in youth sailing in North America: the Laser 4.7 and the RS Feva - 29er, i420, Nacra 15, etc.: multiple choices, but few real options - What about windsur...

Canadians at the 2018 Feva Worlds. From left to right: Top: Tomas Harmer, Henry Blue, Phil Rojkov, Tom Sluyter, Isaac Mitchell, Graham Maude, Ben Maga Bottom: Carter Chartier, Nixon Francis, Sophia McDonnell, Ruby Farr, Zavary Koehn This article is about a success story, the development of an approximately 30 boat large fleet of RS Feva XLs in British Columbia, with both community sailing centers and private clubs such as the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club involved. The boat, which is simply referred to here as the Feva, is proving to provide a great platform for youth sailing, as it welcomes beginners and advanced sailors alike, boys and girls, in the 10 to 16 age group. UPDATE : Watch our webinar about youth sailing , which discusses the role to be played by the RS Feva. Year after year, youth sailing in Canada typically remains pretty similar. Boys and girls join learn to sail programmes, usually in Optimists, and then move to dinghies for teens, mostly the 420 and the Laser....

2016 4.7 Europeans - Source: EurILCA This past weekend’s Laser Canadian championship was a reminder of the very limited spread of the 4.7 rig in Canada.  Out of a total of 55 participants, there were just 4 competitors in the 4.7. This situation is unfortunately pretty typical not only in Canada but more generally in North America, as the 4.7 rig remains unpopular in the US too. The contrast with Europe is stark. For example, at the 2019 Laser 4.7 European championships held in Hyères, there were nearly 400 participants. In Europe, there is a balance, in youth sailing, in terms of participation between the 4.7 and the Radial. Sailors typically sail there a few years in the 4.7, and then continue in the Radial. Some male athletes pursue afterwards in the Laser Standard. Unlike in Europe, there is no such balance between the 4.7 and the Radial in youth sailing in Canada, and in North America in general. Europe now has huge vibrant fleets of both Lasers 4.7 and Radial, and is ...

Update: here is the link to watch the webinar: https://www.facebook.com/highperformanceyouthsailing/videos/862679444088982/ Optimist sailing is great, but all good things come to an end. Now what to sail after the Optimist? This is the question that will be addressed by Jean-Pierre Kiekens, a recently graduated optimist father, after over 10 years of service in that capacity. Jean-Pierre is not only a sailor but he is also running a specialized blog on youth sailing and has written many articles on the challenges associated with youth sailing development, particularly in the North American context. The webinar will be held, online of course, at 4 pm EST on June 17. To register, please go to the Facebook Event . What will be covered? - Youth sailing development: what are the goals? - Single-handed or double-handed sailing? Or both? - Laser and C420s: are they still suitable for youth sailors? - Two missing links in youth sailing in North America: the Laser 4.7 and the RS...

US Sailing announced on April 22nd a ground breaking initiative supported by the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation aimed at advancing youth sailing. The Program’s purpose is to increase opportunity and diversity in the sport of sailing by providing resources and support to youth sailors at public access sailing centers across the country. The Siebel initiative fills several key gaps, which can also be found in youth sailing in Canada. The identified gaps are: - a concentration of  coaching expertise in mostly private clubs where access by youth sailors from less-affluent families is often problematic; - a lack of well-established development pathways for youth sailors in community clubs, beyond the learn to sail and learn to race levels; - a near exclusive reliance on single-handed dinghies, mostly the Optimist, in youth sailing up to the age of 15, while double-handed sailing is more popular with many youth sailors, particularly the youngest ones; - limitations of the...

The Feva and the 29er are mostly complementary boats, as the Feva can be sailed from say age 10 to age 17 or so, while the 29er is typically sailed say from around age 15 to age 19 or so. More and more, in a number of countries where both boats are present, sailors learn sailing and racing in the Feva, and then move to the 29er, or even the 49er FX. So for say a period of about 2 years, there is an overlap between the two boats. And actually this great. The Feva is a boat suitable from beginners to advance racers, while the 29er is only suitable for advance racers. Having such overlap is allowing to bring into the sport adolescents, who get into sailing say at age 12, 13 or 14, and still fit in the Feva (but not in an Opti) and obviously don’t have the skills to jump into a 29er. So there is a bit of overlap between the two boats, and the question of cost arises. There, there is a big difference between the two boats. And that can be a critical element. The difference in cos...

The Feva double-handed dinghy is emerging in Canada as a youth sailing boat. In just a year, a fleet of some 30 boats was built in British Columbia. There is also a number of boats in Ontario. The boat is likely to continue its growth, as it serves an important strategic role for the development of youth sailors, from the very beginner to the advanced racer. The boat is proven to be particularly attractive to girls and those sailors who do not want to sail single-handed. We present here guidelines for clubs and parents, to help understand how the Feva can best be used for youth sailing development. Learn to Sail While using the same hulls and spars, there are two versions of the Feva. The Feva S caters for those who are new to sailing. It is typically only sailed with a main and a jib. The main is a bit smaller than the Feva XL (5.5 v. 6.5 square meters) and is reefable. The boat can be used by two beginners, or near beginners, from say age 10 or even younger. While some sailors...

The RS Tera - one of the alternatives to the Optimist This is a response to a comment, on a FB group, summarizing the conventional view that only the Optimist is the truly worthy pathway for youth sailors aged say 10 to 15, and that the other classes are mere "spin-off classes offering a home to those not at the front end of the Optimist circuit." I think that things are much more complex than that regarding U16 youth sailing. Conventional thinking is that the Optimist is the best / only worthy path. It’s the naïve approach that many people, many parents, many clubs, many federations, fall for, not knowing the details about what competitive Optimist sailing is. The reality is that it is extremely difficult to develop top Optimist sailors. For several reasons. First the boat is complex, unnecessarily complex for boys and girls being 10,11 and 12, and who spend considerable amount of time learning for example how to rig the sail, adjust the sail ties, etc. All of this i...