ILYA Opti Clinic on Lake Mendota

We are excited to announce that the ILYA and Madison Opti Racing is hosting an Opti sailing clinic on Lake Mendota on Sunday Aug. 29th.

The ILYA has offered to recuit two National level Opti coaches to come in and work with our Madison area Opti sailors. IYLA has been thrilled with the revivial of youth sailing in our area and wants to help our local sailors continue to enjoy the sport. The sailors will be grouped in either the beginner or racer class based on experience.

The clinic will be run from Burrows Park starting a 10:00am and will wrap up shortly before 4:00pm. Lunch will be provided. Cost is $20 per sailor. Several boats are available for rental from MYSF at ($30).

Please contact Greg Simon to reserve a spot for this special opportunity.
GregSimon213@gmail.com or 608-849-4605

Pram Power Results

Thursday Aug 12th was a very hot day with light winds. The North Lake Yacht Club hosted the 21st annual Pram Power regatta. Forty-nine beginner Opti sailors from around southern Wisconsin competed in a Junior ( age 8 and under) and Senior (age 9 and up) fleets. Two races were completed for each fleet.

Lake Beulah's Annie Cate Schmidt won the Junior fleet and Karolyn Kunz from Lac LaBelle won the Senior fleet. Local Mendota Yacht Club skippers Meta and Fritz Simon competed in the Junior fleet. Fritz was the youngest sailor to compete and had a very eye opening first race with a finish of 9th place in the 28 boat fleet. Meta went on to pass her little brother and win that first race.

Meta finish the regatta in 3rd place and was thrilled to recieve a huge jar of candy for winning a race. Both kids enjoyed the regatta for the arts and crafts that the North Lake Yacht Club sponsors between races. Face painting, t-shirt art, tatoo's, picture frame making, and drawing were a big hit with the kids. Talk about making sailing fun for young kids...... NLYC has it figured out. Thanks to the club for hosting another great event. See you next year.

Full results here on the NLSS web site. Photos from the event on the picasa page.

North Lake Pram Power

North Lake Pram Power is quickly approaching. It is set for Thursday, August 12 at the North Lake Yacht Club. It is a great regatta for beginning sailors, sailors who don't have many opportunities to race and/or don't sail a the top of their fleet. The Junior Fleet (age 8 and under at 1/1/10) and Senior Fleet (age 8 and over at 1/1/10) sail at different times and can use the same boat, so your family/club doesn't have to transport as many boats. There are awesome crafts again this year--bags, picture frames, bottle holders, T-shirts (different this year--bring a black/dark cotton T), and the all time favorite-Shrinky Dinks! Along with crafts there is face painting and tattoos and an awesome raffle-including a boat cover from Aquarius, Rashgard shirts from Harken, Stelluca bag, American Girls Doll and much more! Are you having fun yet?! There is a check-in/drop-off opportunity at the Yacht Club the night before the regatta from 6:30-7:30 pm. Non-sailors can purchase the craft package which includes lunch. We serve a hearty taco lunch with peanut butter sandwiches for our non-meat eaters. The racing registration fee increases after Sunday, Aug 8th, so get your registration in today! More race details are on the NOR and Registration form and can be found on www.nlss.us Questions? Contact Terese Bailey at 262-751-5000.

Local Opti Sailing this Sunday

Madison Opti sailors will be practicing for the Pram Power regatta on Sunday, August 8 at Burrows Park. Sailing will begin at 10:00 a.m.

If you’re interested in the Pram Power regatta scheduled for Thursday, August 12 on North Lake, see their website for more information. This is a great beginner regatta.


Sailors Thor Rosten, Caley Metzloff, and Meta Simon enjoy Pram Power 2009.

Opti Inlands Recap

93 boats sailed in the Opti Inlands on Lake Okauchee August 2-3. Local sailor Meta Simon finished 9^th in the Green fleet. Four races were sailed in the Green and RWB fleets on Monday in 6-8 mph winds. Tuesday brought cloudless skies, no wind and no races. Full regatta results can be found on the ILYA website along with a regatta recap: day one and day two/final.

No Tears Regatta Report

Seven Madison Opti fleet members attended the No Tears regatta on Pine Lake. The Barkow family residence was the regatta headquarters and provided a stunning venue for the sailors and families to enjoy.

Four races were completed in light winds for the morning races and a moderate 8mph wind in the afternoon. The lake water was increadably clear and clean which made it impossible not to take a dip.

Oscar, Bryn, Tyler, Meta, Quinn, Billy and Micah represented the Mendota Yacht Club, Monona Sailing Club, and the 4LIYC very well. The ILYA was thrilled with the "revival" of youth sailing in our Opti fleet. Look for a future regatta on our home waters!

Thanks to all the young sailors from Madison that made the effort to compete. They all left the water with huge smiles on their faces and no tears. Great first regatta learning experience for all, including the parents.

Go Team Mendota!

Madison Opti Sailors Enjoy No Tears Regatta

Photos from the No Tears Regatta are posted on the picasa page.

Pine Lake No Tears Regatta

Just some reminders before heading off to the No Tears event on Pine Lake July 26th.

Please respect the Barkow family home. Shoes, shirts, and shorts are suggested. Flip flops and/or bare feet are a no-no. Sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and a water bottle while ensure happiness.

All kids need a whistle, bailing bucket and a life jacket. Life jackets are required at all time while on the piers or near the water.

Parents need only say "Good Job" and "Have Fun" while out watching the kids. Leave the coaching up to the coaches. If you have concerns about your childs sailing, talk with a coach.

This is a fun regatta.... make sure you enjoy yourself and your young sailor will follow suit.

Happy Sailing.... See you at Pine Lake.

Greg

Senke family are new boat owners!

Quin and Colen Senke are proud owners of an Opti sailboat. The boat was built by Winner and manufactured in Denmark. Watch for them out sailing soon on their home waters of Lake Monona. Quin is planning to race in the upcoming No Tears event on Pine Lake.

Big Wind, Big Waves, Big Fun

The kids had a wild ride on Friday, July 16 with steady 18-20 mph winds and big waves rolling across the lake from the southwest. More boats became swamped than tipped over as the kids managed the big blow. Many dads came to the rescue standing in chest deep water to bail out boats and set the kids back on course. A cookout complete with mint-cookie smash icecream fresh from the Metzloff icecream maker followed the sailing along with lots of swimming in the waves. With the high winds and waves we weren't able to hold any real practice races. In anticipation of the upcoming No Tears Regatta on 7/26, we're tentatively planning to hold some practice races this Sunday afternoon at Burrows Park. Watch for an email with more details.

Hope did get some photos of the sailing but pulled the camera out late and missed some of the early sailing (sorry Tyler and Oscar!). See the photos on the picasa page and hopefully we can sail on Sunday.

Tyler Metzloff wins first race!

Tyler Metzloff, fresh off his return from six months in New Zealand, got his first race win on Friday, July 9 with the Madison Optis. Fourteen young sailors in 11 boats enjoyed a 7 mph NW breeze in Warner Bay on Lake Mendota. The sailors participated in five short races complete with the cow bell clanging to signal the finish. Many sailors are showing great progress this summer: Will led around the buoys last night; Ellie and Anna sailed solo in individual boats for the first time and Anna demonstrated her skills to mom, Teresa; Oscar continues to lead the charge each week being the first boat off the pier; Tyler and Cayley are shaking loose all of the cobwebs in the first night back in Madison this summer; fighting beltline traffic to get to the lake, Kelsa and Kylie dove right in and sailed the final two races; Samantha let her dad, Dave, come along for a ride; and the Senke boys Quinn and Colin continue to work well together - will next week bring solo rides for them as well? Meta had the good fortune to win the "hot dog" race ensuring she got the first hot dog at the cookout. Cayley received the coveted "cow bell" award and brought all sailors to shore to the ringing of the bell (while dad, Kyle, did his best to cover his ears). Parents and sailors alike enjoyed the post-racing cookout of hotdogs (and beer for the parents).

There was also talk of Mendota sailors going to the upcoming No Tears regatta on Pine Lake on July 26. See you next week! More photos on the picasa page.

July 2nd Opti Sailing

Eleven kids appeared to sail on a beautiful Friday evening. The highlight of the night included Oscar Anderson joining the tip-over club. He righted the boat himself and sailed to the beach where he learned how to use a bailing bucket! Oscar was all smiles and made the other kids jealous that he was the first to swim this season.

The evening marked the first official racing of our Madison Opti fleet. Four boats raced including skippers Frankie Hearn, Bryn Ostby, Oscar Anderson, and Meta Simon.

All enjoyed the after sailing party which included healthy snacks provided by the Schoor Family.

See you next week. Please check back for photos later in the week.