Week 3 Wrap-Up
The third week at the Junior Club finally saw some serious
action! The racing classes have gotten
into the full swing of regatta mode, with both team racing and fleet
racing. The sailors who stayed at home
got into the competitive spirit also. Friday was Olympic Day and was full of a
variety of fun competitions all day. For
a more detailed review of what each class learned this week, see below.
Beginner Opti Class
This week was a good mixture of fun and learning for the
beginners. On Monday, the kids struggled
with understanding tacking/gybing and maneuvering safely on a tow line. We did a few drills on the coach boat and
made wind sticks to help them conceptualize wind direction and basic points of
sail. We worked to reinforce the things
they learned each day with new games or activities and by Thursday, the kids
were able to sail out of the mooring field on their own and sail all the way to
the sand pit. I was exceedingly
impressed by their improvement throughout the week and look forward to what
next week has in store!
Intermediate Opti Class
This week we experienced an array of wind conditions ranging
from extremely windy weather at the beginning of the week, to absolutely no
breeze on Friday afternoon. With gusts
of over 20 knots on Monday afternoon, we decided it would be best for the
intermediate group to watch the advanced Optimists sail in the breezy
conditions. Sailors learned important
techniques such as bailing while sailing upwind, pumping downwind on the waves,
proper sail trim, good use of telltales, and how to trim the mainsheet with two
hands. It was great to see all the
sailors try these new skills later in the week when we had a match racing
competition one afternoon. Later in the
week, sailors also got a chance to go out in a Club 420 on a light air
day. Everyone really enjoyed the sail
and expressed a keen interest in learning how to trapeze in the future! Moving into the next few weeks, we will be
focusing on perfecting boat-handling as well as upwind sailing.
Opti Race Team
Our first two days were occupied by serious training for the
regatta; we focused on speed and starts.
The Shelter Island regatta on Wednesday went well, for the most part,
with SCJYC getting a first and a third in different fleets. Thursday and Friday were extremely light
winds, so we spent the time in the Sonars, visited the creek, and did the
Olympic Games. We also had a theory
session going over the issues that arose during the regatta.
Club 420/Pixel Class
This week the 420s focused hard on getting prepared for
Larchmont Race Week. Early in the week,
we worked on starts and shorts races. We
had another windy week and got in plenty of breezy practice. In the slightly less cooperative wind
conditions at the end of the week, we washed the boats and got them ready to go
to Larchmont.
Laser Class
This week began at SUNY Maritime College. Two of our Laser sailors and two 420 sailors
joined up with two others from The WaterFront Center to compete in the McIntyre
Team Race Clinegatta. It took place from
Monday through Wednesday. There were
clinics each day, followed by racing.
Brian Clancy ran the event and provided key lectures on team racing and
how to sail fast. Unfortunately, the
Seawanhaka/WFC team didn’t finish so well, but they took away a lot of
experience and gained knowledge. On
Thursday, all four Laser sailors competed in the Western Districts that were
hosted by Sea Cliff Yacht Club. It was a
well-run event, but, unluckily, it was cursed with very light winds. However, it was a good regatta for SCJYC, as
Matt Priebe won the Radial class! Jack,
Claire, and Bennett all sailed very well too and their progress since the beginning
of the program has been immense. This
coming week, all the sailors are off the Larchmont Race Week and will have the
opportunity to bring home more silverware!
Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable week for the Laser sailors and
they look forward to competing at Larchmont next week.
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