Optimist News Archive Page
Optimist Class Report, spring & summer 2006
Junior Helm Event 2006 was on Saturday 9th September........ More
It’s a great time to be involved, as sailor or parent, with junior sailing at Barnt Green and in
As the performance of Jo Powell and Rachel Lennox in the Average Lap races of Boxing Day and New Years Day showed, our Optimist sailors can give any member of the club a serious race.
Our squad sailors, Rory Jones, Peter & Sarah Alton in the Intermediates (top 30-60 sailors in the country), and Jo & Mark Powell, Rachel, Charli, & Hannah Lennox in the West Zone (top 12 sailors in the area who qualify in various age groups) have now come to the end of their 6 training weekends (7 in the case of the West Zone who had 2 weekends plagued by very light winds) and are about to start the 2006 ranking events at the Inlands at Grafham Water on 13 &14 May. I am pleased to see that Kieran Carter will be joining them in the Regatta fleet both at the Inlands and the Nationals. It was also good to see Lucy Best and Jess Pickworth honing their skills at Easter training, and I hope that many others will want to carry on with their sailing after a very successful 3 days, and taking part in the Sunday morning "Katie's Crew" training.
A near record turnout of 32 boats contested our Open Meeting with both Peter Alton and Rory Jones sailing well enough to win a race each. However, they were beaten by the on form Cameron Douglas who, by borrowing his cousin Tom Paton’s boat, showed that you don’t need the latest, most expensive new Optimist to win. A big thank you to all who helped run the event, especially to John Smith who stepped up to be Race Officer, and did an excellent job. I was so relieved that I wouldn’t have to be responsible for disqualifying my eldest daughter for being over the line (as happened last year) until John’s first request to me, his assistant, was to judge the line for him! Ruth and her team of Julia Powell and Wyn McDowell did a great job in the galley thoroughly testing the new cooker.
Proving there’s no “Class prejudice” in sailing, Mark, Rachel, Charli, and Hannah thoroughly enjoyed sailing Cadets at Easter training. Hannah and Charli even got their picture in the Standard “showing how it’s done”, although you can’t see how the picture was done with Mike Powell and Ruth hanging on to the boat for dear life to keep it in shot!
Outstanding Performance
The highlight of the year so far, though, has to be Jo Powell’s winning of the Optimist Class at the Welsh Youth Nationals. The country that produced Hannah Mills, the British Optimist sailor with the best ever result at the Optimist Worlds, could not stop Jo winning in their own back yard. Our team’s only regret was not being able to produce an English flag to drape round her shoulders at the prize giving! Mark Powell, too, was proudly telling everyone, whether they wanted to know or not, “And I came tenth!”
So much good sailing away from home has inevitably kept Club racing turnouts down so far this year, but June and July are quieter months on the circuit so numbers will rise again. Wednesday evening Club racing during term time does seem to be an issue as it finishes so late.
Perhaps a slightly earlier start and a shorter race could be the answer? Please let me know your thoughts on this and on any other way that Optimist sailing at BGSC could be improved.
Good sailing!
Rob Lennox. 2006/7 Class Captain.