Optimist Frostbite Regatta at Goolwa Yacht Club

by Sandy Higgins on 12 Jun 2012 Another successful Opti Frostbite at Goolwa Yacht Club over the June long weekend has been and gone, with 31 Optimist kids and their families enjoying some excellent conditions. This year we had boats from four different clubs, which is a great sign for the future of the Opti Class.

The Saturday was a little overcast and the first race was very light and with a strong current flowing, it made for tricky buoy roundings. Eventually racing was abandoned and we went ashore to wait for the breeze. Slowly the sky cleared and a light breeze from the south filled-in and we headed out again for another try. The breeze was now a consistent 5-7 knots, which enabled us to set up a short course in front of the Goolwa Aquatics club, which made for some great viewing for spectators. We managed to get in three quick races before the cold started to set in and the sun disappeared over the horizon.

The club once again turned on the hospitality and cranked up the fires and provided some great food for dinner. After a fantastic feed the kids were out enjoying some games and skateboarding whilst the Mums & Dads relaxed with a few quiet drinks.

The Sunday was magic, not a cloud in the sky and perfect 5-10 knots. Sailing got away early, with lots of keen kids eager to get into it. Racing was extremely close (too close at times, with the boats bunching up at the mark roundings) and we had a number of different race winners. It was great to see some of the kids that had moved up to open fleet for the first time, mixing it at the front end of the fleet.

After a quick pit stop for lunch, we then had a fun relay race. The kids were grouped into five different teams and reaching out to a mark and back to one of the ducks to swap over with another teammate until all the team completed the course. The team of Chelsea Higgins, Alex Magarey, Alexander Newman, Sarah Dredge, Oliver Snoad and Zac Wijesinha took this out.

To finish the regatta we did a couple more fleet races in a now dying, shifting breeze.

At presentation all the kids were awarded with a beanie from our Sponsor Extreme Snowboards (Greg Payne) plus trophies for the top three place-getters. Thanks to Janine from Little Picassos for printing the Frostbite Hoodies, which were a huge hit! Sandy from Binks Marine was also thanked, along with all the coaches, helpers, our PRO David Tonkin and Goolwa Regatta Yacht Club for making us feel so welcome and providing great food.

On leaving one of the kids asked; 'When will the next frostbite be on?' A sign of a good regatta………