Please select your home edition
Edition
Zhik 2024 December

US Optimist Dinghy Association Southeast Championship this weekend

by Talbot Wilson on 21 Sep 2013
Ian Moran 18578 of Edgewater Yacht Club Rocky River, OH gets the pin end start in a practice race on Friday before the USODA Southeast Championship in Pensacola FL. Racing starts Saturday morning and concludes Sunday afternoon. Talbot Wilson
Will practice make perfect for young Opti sailors in Pensacola, Florida this weekend? Time will tell. The young sailor who sails consistently fast throughout this 2-day regatta will win the US Optimist Dinghy Association Southeast Championship. The top 25% will qualify for the USODA national team trials.

Scores of boats were out on Pensacola Bay Friday afternoon hoping to find the advantage, getting used to the wind and waves at this near perfect venue for championship dinghy sailing. Tom Coleman held clinics for the Green Fleet getting these novice sailors ready for their own competition on a more relaxed level.

The championship fleet of 106 boats will sail in four divisions selected by random computer choice. 53 boats will be on the line at a time. All the sailors will compete against each other in different sets and the low score wins the championship. Ties can happen and they are broken by the system outlined in the racing Rules of Sailing.

The Championship Optis will sail a course that includes a weather leg, a short reach, a downwind leg, an upwind leg and another short reach to the finish line. The race committee plans to get in as many races as possible on Saturday and then see what happens on Sunday. The 31 Green Fleet entries will sail windward-leeward or triangle courses in the close-to-shore waters just off Sanders Beach closer to Pensacola Yacht Club. Wit a front expected Saturday night weather may be a factor.

Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) event Chairman Alan McMillan was excited with the turnout. 'It is incredibly exciting to bring the USODA Southeast Championship to Pensacola Bay. This is the largest USODA Southeast Championship ever and we are proud to host it at PYC. We have a skilled Race Committee and about 50 volunteers and club staff, too. Pensacola Bay is the best venue possible for sailboat racing of any type and we hope to host the USODA Nationals here in 2016. We have had fantastic support from local government, the tourism board and the Pensacola Sports Association. Our success has been a community effort.'

Friday morning 25 sailors took a hands-on tour of the National Flight Academy at Pensacola Naval Air Station. This was an added value for these youngsters to get to experience an Ambition mission and handle their own operation and fly a flight simulator.

Now it is time to go sailing.

137 entries from 12 states— Green Fleet continues to register until Saturday morning.

White Fleet (29), Blue Fleet (45), Red Fleet (32), Green Fleet (31)

37 girls
100 boys

Osterville, MA is furtherest.
Madison NJ is next
One international entry from Grand Cayman

79 from Florida
10 from LA
9 from GA
9 from TX
7 from SC
6 from TN
5 from MS
4 from NC
2 from AR
2 from AL
1 from NJ
1 from MA
1 from CAY

Representing 36 sailing/yacht clubs
Allen Dynamic 40 FooterZhik 2024 DecemberPredictWind - GPS 728x90 BOTTOM

Related Articles

Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 2
Philip Köster triumphs again in Pozo Izquierdo The 37th edition of the Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup delivered a thrilling second day this Sunday, once again marked by strong winds and the talent of the world's best windsurfers.
Posted on 6 Jul
A perfect start to the 5th annual AEGEAN 600
Cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind At the very southern end of the Greek mainland at Cape Sounion in Attica, today's start to the 5th edition of the AEGEAN 600 was perfect: cloudless blue skies, crystal clear waters and perfect 12-15 knots of northerly wind.
Posted on 6 Jul
29er Europeans at Lake Garda day 4
One race, one storm, and one big lay day vibe With qualification wrapped and the fleet now split into six groups—Gold, Silver, Bronze, Emerald, Purple, and White—Day 4 of the 29er Europeans kicked off with early optimism and an earlier-than-usual launch in pursuit of the morning breeze.
Posted on 6 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 1
Full foiling conditions launch the World Championship with four high-intensity races for both fleets The iQFOiL World Championship kicked off today in Aarhus with dynamic and demanding conditions that truly tested the world's top foiling windsurfers. The wind was anything but steady, shifting in both direction and intensity throughout the day.
Posted on 6 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais overall
American Magic Quantum Racing win Rolex TP52 Worlds after breezy week in Cascais. Doug DeVos' American Magic Quantum Racing crew were crowned 2025 Rolex TP52 World Champions today in Cascais, Portugal.
Posted on 6 Jul
Red Bull Sailing Academy Opens
A new hub for current and future superstars to reach the top of their sport Marina Monfalcone, North Italy, made waves yesterday, as sports superstars gathered to open the Red Bull Sailing Academy, marking the beginning of a new era in the sport.
Posted on 6 Jul
Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 1
Philip Köster edges out Marcilio Browne in one of the closest finals ever Philip Köster edges out Marcilio Browne in one of the closest finals ever as Pozo delivers 50 knot winds and waves.
Posted on 6 Jul
America's Cup: French give the Brits the "Hurry-up
Frustration builds between Cup factions over lack of progress with Protocol. Last weekend's missive from the French America's Cup challenge team is further evidence over the building frustration with progress towards the 2027 America's Cup in Naples.
Posted on 6 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?!
Posted on 6 Jul
GKSS Match Cup & Nordea Women's Trophy overall
It is the first time the Match Cup Sweden title has been won by a Danish Skipper Denmark's Jeppe Borch/ Team Borch Match Race, and France's Pauline Courtois/ Match in Pink by Normandy crowned the new champions of Marstrand in a day of fierce weather for the final of 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand.
Posted on 6 Jul