USODA Southeast Championship Notice of Race now available

by Talbot Wilson on 22 May 2013 US Opti Southeast Championship’s Pensacola PRO John Matthews has made known that the Notice of Race is now posted on the US Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA) website and that registration is now open. Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) is gearing up for another fantastic championship regatta like it is famous for hosting.

All qualified Opti sailors, not just sailors from the Southeast and not just sailors from the USA, are invited to come to beautiful NW Florida for great sailing in the USODA Southeast Championship in Pensacola, Florida. Pensacola Yacht Club is waiting with warm water, warm hospitality, lots of cool fun and plans for a fantastic regatta. Registration is now open on the USODA website.

This USODA Southeast Championship is a Qualifier for Team Trials 2014, and the opportunity for young sailors to sail in international competitions and also to qualify for the US National Team. The sailor must finish in the top 25% of the fleet to be invited to go to Team Trials 2014.

The 2014 Team Trials Sailors will have the chance to qualify for the following events/countries for the 2014 summer international teams: IODA Worlds-Argentina, IODA Europeans-Ireland, IODA North Americans-Puerto Rico, IODA Asians-Bahrain. British Nationals- actual location not set for 2014, and Flanders-Belgium.

Past Commodore Alan McMillan is chairman of the event and anticipates a big turnout. 'When we started planning this championship, the committee was talking about 100-125 skippers. Now we are talking about over 200. We

have a great facility with a long beach to launch from, a great swimming pool overlooking the bays. We can handle all comers. We’ll have a lot of excellent racing and a lot of fun. September is a fine month for sailing on the bay with nice breezes and warm water. We’d like for this to be the biggest championship ever for Pensacola Yacht Club.'

Registration through USODA includes completing the online process, the Waiver and the Medical form and, of course, paying the entry fee. Registration will be closed at 1800 hours EDT, September 17, 2013.

For this competition, there will be a Championship fleet that will race as one or more divisions depending on the number of entries, and if there are multiple divisions, the process for allocating boats to divisions and the format will be specified in the Sailing Instructions.

There will also be a Green fleet and all young Opti sailors are encouraged to attend. The off-the-beach location at PYC is particularly Green Fleet friendly. Tom Coleman is our Green Fleet PRO. Tom is well known to most of us and will be a great complement to PRO John Matthews who handles the Red, White and Blue Fleets.

Schedule

Friday, September 20, 2013

0830 – 1800 Sailor check-in
1100 – 1500 Optional practice racing and on the water coaching

Saturday, September 21, 2013

0800 – 09300 Breakfast and Sailor check-in
0930 Skippers, Coaches, and Parents Meeting (Mandatory)
1000 Green Fleet Skippers Meeting
1100 First Warning Championship Fleet
Racing to follow
Lunch on the Water
After Racing Dinner hosted by Pensacola Yacht Club

Sunday, September 22, 2013

0800 – 0930 Breakfast
0930 Skippers, Coaches and Parents Meeting (Mandatory)
1000 Green Fleet Skippers Meeting
1100 First Warning Championship Fleet
Racing to follow
Lunch on the Water
1400 No first Warning Signal after this time
After Racing Frozen treats and hot dogs
Awards ceremony

The Green Fleet Sailors schedule will be the same through the Competitors meeting at which point a second, separate meeting for Green Fleet sailors will be conducted and the remainder of the schedule for that fleet will be announced.

Come to Pensacola for the fourth of July… Opti sailors are also reminded that the Pensacola Yacht Club also hosts the annual Independence Day Regatta and US Sailing Junior Olympics Sailing Festival also sailed in the Opti class boats. The JO sailed July 5—7 is the perfect way to learn the tricks of Pensacola Bay and tune up for the Southeast Championship in September.