At the end of eight weeks, a Racing Optimist sailor should know how to……

Safety

Follow program and harbor rules

Stay protected from the sun

Be safety conscious (Rule 1)

Use a safety whistle appropriately

Put on and take off a PFD in the water

Tread water without a PFD for two minutes in the sea

Avoid collisions

Get in the safety position

Capsize and recover

Execute a squall/storm drill

Seamanship

Avoid contact (Rule 14)

Use windward/leeward (Rule 11)

Use Starboard/Port (Rule 10)

Use clear ahead/clear astern (Rule 12)

Be comfortable in an Opti on the water

Tie an 8-knot, square knot, cleat knot, bowline, half hitch, and clove hitch

Coil and throw a line

Identify points of sail

Know where the wind is coming from

Explain actual vs. apparent wind

Name the parts of an Opti

Recognize the approach of puffs and lulls

Explain how a sail works

- push

- pull

- daggerboard as a foil

Take care of a boat

- proper and neat stowing and securing

- washing boats

- checking sail for ties

- tying sail ties

- jury rigging

- wet sanding?????

- minor repairs

Attach a sail onto spars

Do simple navigation

- North, South, East, West

- recognizing and using landmarks

- navigation buoys

- water depth

- reading a chart

- using a compass

Rig and de-rig properly

Use the paddle while steering

Steer responsibly on a tow

Do a MOB recovery

Recognize and sail in currents and tides

- tide charts

- current indicators

Assess weather

- simple weather systems

- clouds and what they mean

- wind and weather

- weather reports

- barometric pressure

Use sailing as a way to get somewhere

Row

Anchor

Sail as passenger or crew on a big boat

Check mast preventer

Boathandling

Leave the dock

Return to the dock

Maintain proper body position and weight placement in the boat

Hold the tiller and mainsheet correctly

Stay out of the no-go-zone except when tacking

Recover from irons

Gybe

- s gybe as apposed to c gybe

- pull in sail and center tiller

- mechanics

- rolling

- gybing in waves

Tack

- mechanics

- rolling

- rules (Rule 13)

- tacking in waves

Sail downwind

- reach

- run

- sail trim dictated by where wind is

- adjusting trim

- adjusting sail controls

- body position and placement

- steering

- awareness

- pumping on crests

- steering waves

- sail by the lee

Upwind sailing

- sail shape and trim

- close-hauled

- finding and holding “the groove”

- watching for speed and balloon in luff

- telltales

- sailing over waves

- hiking

Stop and start

- heading into wind

- backwinding sail

- pull in and head off

Adjust the daggerboard for different conditions and points of sail

Adjust sail shape (when and why)

- outhaul = adjust foot tension and control depth of sail

- boom vang = downwind leech tension

- vang stop = adjust luff tension and control draft position

- sprit tension = control shape

- for different weather conditions

- for different points of sail

- mast rake

- sail ties

Position body weight

- challenging the body on the boat

- steering with weight

- how body placement and movement affects the boat

- for different weather conditions

- for different points of sail

- quiet and gentle movement

Execute a 360

Execute a windsurfer tack

Sail backwards

Sportsmanship

Respect others

Respect equipment

View sailing as a team sport

Work in a team during rigging and activities

Racing

Organize his or herself for competition in a regatta

Understand sportsmanship in racing

- responsibility

- fair sailing

Sail all standard race courses

- triangle

- modified triangle

- modified Olympic

- windward/leeward

- offset marks

Assess wind on a course

React to wind shifts

- tack on headers

- stay on lifts

Sail through puffs and lulls

- spotting them

- reacting to them

Sail through wind shifts

- recognizing them

- headers

- lifts

Adjust sail controls for different legs

Adjust weight for speed

Find clear air

Apply racing tactics

Start

- mechanics

- favored end

- current

- line sight

- strategies & tactics

- timing (watches and mind)

- rules and things to watch for

Avoid la-la land

Round a mark

- the mechanics of it

- wide and tight

- tactics

- advanced applications of Rule 18

Finish

- dueling tactics

- sportsmanship in finishing

Execute penalty turns

Use rules in racing

Deal with protests and arbitration

- knowing the rules

- knowing who to ask

- sportsmanship and hearing

- mock protests and scenarios

Do basic team racing

TR motivation

TR rules

TR combinations

* winning

* losing

TR moves

* hi – lo

* passback

* mark traps

TR starts

TR mark rounding

TR finishes

TR legs

* upwind

* running

* reaching