Payton Regatta

The Mendota Yacht Club invited all opti sailors to participate in the Payton Regatta on Saturday, June 19. Sailors brought eight boats to the lake, and more than 20 young sailors took turns at the helm and as crew in braving 15 mph winds at the start. The winds settled out nicely as afternoon turned to evening giving all children a chance to sail. The piers were lined with parents and spectators from the club as the sailors rounded buoys on an informal course.

Special thanks to Trey and Shelly Sprinkman for hosting the weekend events - Friday after-opti sailing party and the pig roast on Saturday.

See more photos at our picasa page.

Second Friday Night Sailing

The sky parted for a couple of hours just in time for some Opti sailing. A group of eight kids taking turns in four boats sailed for a little over an hour. Special thanks to Lon Schoor for jumping in a boat and sacrificing his back to help the sailors.

The Sprinkman family hosted an MYC party at their home that quickly was taken over by the sugared up Opti fleet. Thanks to Shelly and Trey for a great event.

Today the Opti fleet is sailing in the Mendota Yacht Clubs Payton regatta. Sailing starts at 4:30pm, but come early to set-up. There is a pig roast to follow sailing. Both events have no fee. Come join the fun.

More photos found on our picasa page.

Successful Start to Opti Sailing

A spirited group of kids sailed Opti's on Friday evening. The high winds earlier in the day settled to a nice 10mph warm wind from the south.

In the beginning the Dads set up a couple of boats to give the kids rides. That only lasted a few minutes before the Dads were thrown overboard and more boats were requested by the young sailors. By the end we had six boats being sailed by 13 kids of all ages .

The Moms were busy making hot dogs on the grill and assisting. The evening ended with a water balloon fight that included the Moms being targets!

On a personal note, I want to say how proud I am 0f all the sailors for making the effort and showing the enthusiasm to go sailing. You guys are true rock star sailors!

Sorry for not having photos to post.... that darn Coach Greg forgot to bring a camera!

2010 Madison Opti Sailing Roster

We're excited to have many young sailors returning for the 2010 summer and many new faces as well. Nine out of the ten boats from the Madison Youth Sailing Foundation have been reserved. Nine privately owned boats will also be brought to the lake.

New sailors include:

Samantha and Marisa Gorwitz
Quinn Senke
Will Sprinkman

Returning sailors include:

Martha and Oscar Anderson
Billie, Cora and Micah Hanson
Anna and Ellie Huff
Jenny, Kelsa and Kylie McCormick
Katie and Molly McCormick
Cayley and Tyler Metzloff
Bryn Ostby
Thor Rosten
Fritz and Meta Simon

Welcome sailors and see you on Friday!

First Friday of Opti Sailing for 2010

Fellow Sailors:

The 2010 Opti sailing season starts on Friday, June 11 at 5:00pm. Please come down to the Maple Bluff Marina next to the Warner Park boat landing.

A few quick reminders: Bring a life jacket for you and your young sailor. Parents are encouraged to sail if necessary.

Make sure the kids have good sandals, aquasocks or shoes. Flip flops or bare feet are not recommended.

The first Friday will focus on getting the kids comfortable in the boats and rounding some buoys.

I'll try to do a little coaching when needed..... but our main focus is on having fun.

See you on Friday and hope for good weather!

Greg

PS. Raise the excitement level for this year - share the photos from last year with your sailor http://picasaweb.google.com/GregSimon213

Opti Sailing Postponed For Sunday Morning

Due to high winds and cold temps we have postponed sailing on Sunday June 6th.

See you all for the start of Friday night sailing, June 11th at 5:00pm

Greg