Hmmmm…so much to talk about. Let’s begin with the issue you’re holding in your hands. It is the last WindCheck of 2018. It’s also the shortest in terms of pages. But it might be the best one of my tenure. We tackled a number of large projects for this “two-month” issue and I am extremely proud of the WindCheck team on how they came out.

First up, we put a ribbon on the “Optimist vs What” conversation as promised after my Publisher’s Log in September. This conversation certainly is not going to end here, but we gathered and synthesized a lot of perspectives to share. I think the biggest takeaway is for people to really focus on what the goals are for introducing young people to our sport and how we’re going to measure success. There are a few “pro” Opti submissions in the Letters section this month (juxtaposing the less enthusiastic ones from October) and we gathered still more input for the article on page 34. We thank Bob Whittredge from the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound (JSA), who supported our research and forwarded a “mission statement” crafted at the JSA Annual Meeting on October 24. We were in production by then so could not run the whole thing so here’s an edited (for length) portion:  

Editor’s note: We’re still getting lots of feedback on the Publisher’s Log in our September issue, “Resume Hand Wringing!” in which Ben Cesare opined, “I think we need a better tool [than the Optimist] for the job [of teaching kids to sail].”

Across two junior sailors I never had issue with the [Optimist]. I honestly think it’s a great class, but again, I’m a focus group of one. At a beginner’s level, say a 9-year-old, you can simplify the boat and get a real cheap one they can hack around on and learn. Then they can take over the tweaking when they get a bit older – 12 or 13, but I don’t recall it ever being frustrating. What is great about the Opti is its rudder and ease of sailing. Big rudder = quick responsiveness.

Who said Optis are just for racing?  ©nnyliving.com

Editor’s note: The following letters were submitted in response to the Publisher’s Log in our September issue in which Ben Cesare began a discussion on the nearly universal use of the Optimist in junior programs by stating, “I think the Optimist stinks as an early trainer.” We’ll have a full article on this topic next month.

I agree. I was greatly dismayed when my kids reached a young sailing age, and our yacht club began switching to Optimists from 7’ 11” Dyer Dhows. The Optimist was a tiny tub with no ability for multipurpose use, neither rowing nor motoring. The club expected us to shell out large dollars for this little pram which had no use other than a kiddie trainer. A boat that was supremely uncomfortable for a normal-sized adult or father and son (or daughter) to sail together, although we did when pressed, one time winning the parent/child race.

A New England Science & Sailing Opti Team member practices roll tacking in Stonington Harbor.   © Caroline Knowles/nessf.org

Phew! It feels like these last two months, August and September, were like a mad scramble to enjoy summer while it lasted. Junior sailing wrapped up, family vacations happened in August, then the big, season ending or championship regattas all went down in September. (And due to that family vacation, you may not have been as prepared as you would have liked!) Cruisers and day sailors were out trying to milk the last few nice weekends and evenings before the non-stop string of low pressure systems rolled through.  For those in the industry who support our passions, they had all this plus back-to-back to back boat shows to deal with. Fortunately this year, the weather cooperated for the most part and at the time of this writing, before our friends in Annapolis have theirs, the Newport and Norwalk shows had great products, good weather and good attendance.

Last month, I exalted the WindCheck Community to celebrate the efforts of our kids and their supporters and pointed out some great successes. Well, now that junior sailing is over, and program heads take a well deserved breath before diving back into evaluating the pros and cons of their efforts, I’m going to jump right down onto the tracks and touch that third rail!

I think the Optimist stinks as an early trainer. Here is why. Like all sports, we are introducing our kids to sailing at a younger and younger age. It used to be 9 years old, and now programs start as young as 6. What does a typical 9 year old like? They tend to like other kids and want to be in close proximity to them. They don’t like to be scared. They don’t really have a handle on “seamanship” nor, unless they are gifted, the physics of sailing. And finally, sad to say, they may be a bit more spoiled than prior generations and like quick satisfaction (digital!) so menial chores, like bailing, turn them off more quickly. 

I guess it’s natural to worry about the lack of growth or progress in anything we are passionate about. There is certainly no lack of hand wringing about how hard it is getting kids involved in sailing and keeping them engaged. Almost every day in Scuttlebutt, there seems to be a success story juxtaposed with a lament that we are not doing it right. The success stories almost always revolve around some program finding a secret sauce (usually a combination of independence and fun). The other version is a dedicated group, donor, mentor or gifted coach that takes matters into their own hands to instill the joys of working hard at something and seeing the results.

In choosing this month’s cover photograph, as usual, the WindCheck team had a lot of very good options. When presented with Kerstin’s (Kerstin Fairbend, WindCheck’s Graphic Designer) first choice, part of me groaned. Again?! “Seriously, how many times has that boat been on the cover of WindCheck?”(WindCheck hat for the first one who provides the correct answer). “It seems like every month there is a fantastic photo of her submitted for a cover or a story!” Zep (Chris Szepessy, Editor of WindCheck) said in an almost begrudging way, “But she is beautiful...and what a shot!” 

My father was an artisan. He loved craft and beauty. So much so that as a kid, if I wanted to fashion a new Laser tiller in his shop, I had to be sure to cut and drill the Montreal hockey stick and attach the PVC tube for a tiller extension when he was not around. Otherwise, while he might appreciate my logic for the weight-to-strength ratio of those laminated Montreal shafts, he would be far more concerned with why I had not chosen mahogany. And which plane was I going to use to round the edges before sanding them? And wasn’t I going to varnish it (four coats minimum, seven coats recommended)? And when did I need it by? And no, today was definitely not going to happen.

“The Personal Locator Beacon – It Locates You!” (From the Captain of the Port, May 2018) is a good article, but 12 nautical miles by 12 nautical miles is not 12 square nautical miles but 144 square miles – a real lot of water to cover! All the more reason to get a PLB if you are going out there.

Lloyd Herman, via email

What the heck is JYRA? Well, at one time it stood for Junior Yacht Racing Association and has since been renamed Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound. We had a reunion of JYRA sailors in 2009, and we have been encouraged to do an encore performance. Over 125 showed up in ’09.