 |
McLaughlin appointed
Olimpic Sail Service Center
|
Olimpic Sails recently announced McLaughlin Boat Works as US sales and service center along with the venerable Colie Sails of New Jersey. McLaughlin has always been proud to be able to offer our customers every quality sail on the market including North, Toni Tio, J Sails, WinDesign and Optiparts. "Race sails come and go in and out of vogue, but one sailmaker seems to always prevail" reports Spencer Wiberley, " and that is Olimpic Sails". We are especially impressed with the Olimpic BLACKBULL which is quickly gaining over the J Sail. |
Opti
Calendar*
|
RED DATE = McLaughlin charter available
TTQ = Team Trials Qualifier
JULY
7/3
JOSF Pensacola
YC
7/7
JOSF Larry White Regatta
Niantic Bay YC
7/7 West River Junior Regatta -WRSC
7/11USODA West Coast Champs Cal YC TTQ
7/11
JOSF Chesapeake Bay Open
- Baltimore Co. SC
7/11
High Sierra Regatta
Morro Bay YC
7/11
Opti Rumble
Pequot YC
7/11
New Bedford YC Junior
Regatta
7/11
JOSF & Texas Youth Race Week TTQ
7/14 MD State Champs Gibson Island yacht Squadron
7/17
JOSF MidWest
Lake St. Louis Sailing Club
7/17
JOSF Great Lakes
Grosse Pointe YC
7/20
JOSF Mid Atlantic
Island Heights YC
7/20 Marblehead Jr Race Week - Pleon YC
7/21
JOSF & NE Youth Champs
Northeast Harbor Sailing School
7/22
JSA-LIS GreenFleet
Regatta
Indian Harbor YC
7/20
USODA National Team Race Champs CBYC
7/22
USODA Girls Nationals
Cabrillo beach YC 7/23
USODA Nationals
Cabrillo beach YC TTQ
7/27
ILYA Opti
Championship
7/31
JOSF Rochester
SC
AUGUST
7/31 Fun Day on the Water I- Carolina Sailing Foundation
8/3
JOSF Mass Bay
Sailing Youth Reg.
Scituate Harbor YC
8/3 Miles River Junior Regatta
8/4
USODA New England ChampsTTQ
8/12
Girls Opti Regatta
& Clinic
Noroton YC
8/14
JSA-LIS Opti Champs
Pequot YC
8/14
JSA-LIS Opti
Alternate Regatta
Norwalk YC
8/15
JOSF NorCal & BAYS #4
San Francisco YC
8/17
JOSF & NBYA Jr Race Week
8/19
CORK
8/18
Ripple Clinic
The Gorge
8/21 JOSF NW Youth Champs
Seattle YC
8/22
JOSF Long Island
Sayville YC
8/24
CODA Nationals
8/24
JSA-LIS Midget Champs
SEPTEMBER
9/5
BAYS 5
Richmond YC
9/5
Rock,Paper,Scissor Opti Regatta Birmingham SC
9/19
Board Bash
Lake Norman YC
9/26
USODA SEC & JOSF South Atlantic Lake Lanier SC
OCTOBER
10/3 Pirates of the PrivateerPrivateer YC
w/ tours of McLaughlin ($100 CHARTERS!!!)
10/10
JOSF Michigan
Macatawa YC
10/10
USODA MidWest Opti ChampsMilwaukee YC TTQ
10/17
JOSF River Romp
Edison Sailing Center
NOVEMBER
USODA Midwinters
DECEMBER
12/5
JOSF
US Sailing Center
12/27
JOSF Orange Bowl
Coral Reef YC
|
* we try to be accurate, but always check dates, venues, etc., before making plans.
|
|
|
New decal
After being hounded by droves of our loyal customers to expand on the
fact that Mclaughlin is the ONLY North American builder of the Optimist
we created a new logo/sticker for our boats. The 3.5" round decal can
be sent for regatta goody bags in a nice zip-loc baggy with a cool mini
version of the Optiparts catalog, our new McLaughlin Flier and a few
BlackGold sail ties.E-mail tom@optistuff.com for regatta sponsorship package _____________________
OPTISTUFF.COM website:
has been overhauled. Our homepage is easier to navigate showcasing the
many facets of McLaughlin including coach/parent boats, 420's and
trainer Optis as well as parts for Opti, Laser and 420. You'll
find guides to sails, spars and blades along with an expanded FAQ
section making OPTISTUFF.COM the largest and most informative guide to
everything Opti in this gallaxy (or any other that we know of).
_____________________New site
OPTIPARTS.US website: is a sister website especially for Optimist, Laser and 420 parts, fittings and accessories. |
Did you know?
Charter fees can often be applied to the purchase of a new or chartered Opti purchase.
Ask Spencer about details. 800-784-6478
|
|
|
|
|
Dear sailor,
Summer is here...hot...sweaty...clammy...hopefully windy with lots of eager young sailors plying the waters coast to coast. Safety is always on our minds, but can never be emphasized enough. Keep 'em hydrated (I call drinking water "liquid speed" you WILL go slower if you don't drink enough!). Wearing sunglasses is no longer a fashion statement, but a necessity for ALL young sailors. Be safe, have FUN and sail on! |
| |
Keeping
control of your Optimist in high winds
|
If you are lightweight and
the wind is blowing white caps, sailing upwind and holding the boat flat can be
difficult. Healing the boat going to windward is slow, the boat will not point
high, it's hard to control and can be just plain scary. You also risk capsize
which is reeeeeally slow. Beginners
associate healing with speed because a gust or higher wind produces both. But
if you can harness that healing energy and redirect it to forward driving energy
your speed will always increase and give you more control.
Why does the boat heal?
There is a point at which
the force of the wind not only drives the boat forward, but causes it to lean
over (heal). Wind energy is converted to forward driving force and to healing
force. If you can change that healing force to driving force it makes sense
that you will be sailing much faster. You will also have much better control.
To accomplish that you need either the weight or the strength and skill to keep
the boat flat.
At the Optimist Worlds
there are always several skippers in the 70 pound range. Even in the strongest
winds they are still competitive. How do they do it? READ ON________________________________________________________________
NEW! N1-XR Light and XR Heavy Daggerboards offering light and heavy sailors a choice. TEB FLEX and Superior Daggerboards also in stock.
|
| |
Opti Nationals - UPDATE
|
 The Optimist Class National Championship is less than three weeks away and the anticipation at Cabrillo Beach YC, like the winds of LA's "Hurricane Gulch" is building.
With
an incredible venue located on the edge of one of the World's greatest cities, Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club will be hosting the DON'T MISS REGATTA OF THE
YEAR!
Check this
out:
Wind (they don't call it Hurricane Gulch for
nothing'!)
Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm
Superb hospitality
Top 50% qualify for Team Trials
Tom "OPTIGUYTOM" Coleman GreenFleet Coaching and Clinics-
courtesy McLaughlin
Ocean and cool ginormous ships from the world
over
Click here for USODA Championships:
Team Race Nationals, Girls Nationals and Nationals.
|
| |
Tips on getting equipment to regattas by plane
|
 Flying to a regatta and chartering a new Optimist is
easy, no-pressure and can save money. With the Nationals being held in
California and the range of great "away" events many of you will be traveling
with Opti gear for the first time. Here
are a few tips to help things go smoothly.
Tools:
McLaughlin will be at most of the larger events and will have all the
tools you need regardless of what brand boat you sail. But if you want to be
independent, get yourself 2 each of the 5 in one multi-tools, extra sail ties
and you can fix anything that breaks on the Optimist. Oh... don't forget the duct
tape!
READ ON for travel w/ blades, spars and sails...
|
| |
OPTI New England Champs 500+???
|
USODA's Opti New England Champs 2007 Amory Ross photo
The USODA New England Optimist Championship is always one of the largest one-design youth regattas in the country. Optis racing in the New England area make up the largest concentration in the world. This year with Opti Nationals being held over 2,000 miles away in Los Angeles, our guess is NE Champs, 8/3-6, will be humongous! The venue is Sail Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. Be there!Sail Newport Link - CLICK HERECharter a boat for the New England Champs - CLICK HERE
PLEASE GET YOUR CHARTER RESERVATIONS IN - THANKS!!
|
| |
Axel Sly dominates Scotiabank Regatta
|
Report from: caribbeanracing.com
Photo and story
by Dean Barnes
Good starts and consistent scores did the trick for fifteen-year-old
Axel Sly, from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, who won the 17th annual
Scotiabank International Optimist Regatta, held out of the St. Thomas
Yacht Club, U.S. Virgin Islands, June 19 to 21. "I just waited until
the end to do something," said Sly. That 'something' was a
come-from-behind win when Sly poured on the boat speed after fellow USA
sailor, Christopher Williford, the top place competitor going into the
last race started that race too early and lost valuable time on the
required restart.
Eighty-two sailors ages 7 to 15 years from 13 nations - Barbados,
Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Dominican Republic,
Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, the
USA, Venezuela and all three USVI -set sail in this Caribbean Sailing
Association sanctioned event. READ ON
|
| |
Cunningham = Clever Pig! GET IT? (click on pig)
|
 Our good friend Dave Dellenbaugh and troop have formed the Southport Sailing Foundation and if you need a coach, want to check out a venue or plan an Olympic campaign....
The mission of the Southport Sailing Foundation is to facilitate the
preparation, coaching and skill-building needed for youth and young
adult sailors to participate and succeed in national and international
sailing competition; and to do so in a way that promotes a lasting love
of sailing and respect for all aspects of the sport, including
seamanship, safety and sportsmanship. READ ON
|
| |
Incredible savings on event Optis
|
Is your sailor interested is racing? An investment in a good
hull will save you several hundred dollars over the long run. Depreciation on a
hull is often much less than the annual costs to rent a boat from the local
club. McLaughlin hulls are known for their speed and quality, but also for the having the highest resale value in the industry. There's still time to place your order
for delivery at Nationals or New Englands.
|
| |
Report from Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association - WRSC
|
West River
native Tom Coleman returned to his home club June 18th and 19th for a
two-day Opti clinic sponsored by the West River Sailing Club and
CBYRA.
The two-day clinic was divided into
classroom  time, skill and technique exercises and practical application
on the water. Among the many items Tom covered to accommodate a
variety of skill levels were: proper rigging to achieve optimal boat
performance and the importance of good equipment and good hardware on
your opti; correct body positioning in the boat; the importance of
pointing high, maintaining maximum boat speed and positioning in clear
air; continual sail trimming to accommodate changing wind conditions;
determining the effect of the current and waves on your racing
strategy; sailing fast and taking chances; how to work a starting line
to your advantage, including how to sit on the line.
Tom will be running clinics and coaching at Texas Youth Race Week and USODA Opti Nationals among other upcoming events.
|
| |
McLaughlin RIBs + HONDA Outboards = Value
|
There is simply no better boat than a RIB
(Rigid Bottom Inflatable), for families who want to get closer to the action of
the Opti scene. For watching, assisting (between races of course!), on the
water support, or just "messing about in boats", the RIB (aka - inflatable) is
indispensable. Safe, speedy, maneuverable, easy to trailer and easy to use, McLaughlin RIBs are very affordable and a great value! Call 800-784-6478 for more info
Order NOW for Fall delivery
|
|
| We hope you have a safe and fun-filled summer and we'll see you at one of the dozens of Opti regattas and clinics nationwide.
Sincerely,
Tom Coleman
McLaughlin Boat Works
|
|
|
