Optimist

Want to stay fast when the breeze comes up big during the race? Learn how to tighten the vang while sailing. Watch the video demonstration below. It looks hard, but after some practice, you’ll get the hang of it. How…

Here’s a fun activity for newer Optimist sailors. Use the worksheet to match the parts of the boat to the arrows in the drawing. This is a matching exercise – the worksheet lists the parts. Download the worksheet and answer…

Want to make sure you have all the bases covered before going sailing in the Optimist dinghy? In this post we provide an updated Opti pre-race checklist. Getting ready to sail an Opti can seem complex, especially for new sailors…

If you want to maximize performance and minimize frustration, it pays to learn the best techniques to tie an Optimist sail. We pulled tips from manufacturer’s tuning guides, books, and online sources to make the process easier. We added performance…

The Winner’s Guide to Optimist Sailing, by Gary Jobson and Jay Kehoe is the most comprehensive Opti reference we’ve found. It’s geared for beginning to intermediate levels. It’s clearly written and is suitable for both sailors and parents. The authors…

Want to help your young beginner opti sailor get started on the right foot? Get a copy of Kiwi Goes Sailing. Rob Coutts’ years as a professional sailing coach in New Zealand inspired this book. Rob saw the need for…