Junior Sailing – Sail Mail – Volume 1
A word from the office:
It’s been an exciting first week of Sailing for both the instructors and sailors. Our newly built Opti racks and sail tubes are making it even easier for sailors to effectively rig and de-rig boats. The Opti Beginners were in their boats sailing by the second day, which is extremely impressive. At the rate that the beginners are learning to sail, I expect an extremely successful summer. In addition, the Opti-Warm up class experienced heavy wind sailing for their first time and each managed to sail with an impressive attitude. The Opti Race Team and Pixel Class had a solid week of refreshing their skills before the racing season is under way. Our new 420 class learned the basic sailing techniques of the 420 boat. A few reminders to all parents:
ü If you haven’t picked up the Roton Point Junior Sailing Packet along with filling out the Sailor Information Form, please do so as soon as possible! John Cross emailed this to information out on Friday, June 24th.
ü On days when it is raining, please remember to send your child with a rain jacket or spray top so they can stay warm and dry.
ü Many sailors were wearing flip-flops this week. Sailors need to wear closed toe shoes (that can get wet) because launching boats on the beach during low tide can get very rocky and dangerous.
ü Don’t forget that the sailing instructors offer private lessons during weekdays after5:00 PMand during the weekend.
— Jesse Buccolo
    Head Sailing Instructor
Opti Beginner Class:
The beginner Opti’s had a great first week! On the first day, the sailors learned how to rig their boats and went on a tow around the Sound. Calvin, Hayden, Ryan, and Emma quickly became leaders of the group with their knowledge and enthusiasm. On the second day the sailors got the chance to sail with a partner and they learned the points of sail. Owen, Tommy, Luke, and Willem learned how to control their boats in no time.  On Thursday, the sailors learned how to turn their boats and how to get in the safety position. James, Jackson, Robert, and Will quickly mastered the steps necessary for tacking. The sailors got caught in the rain while trying to de-rig, but even this did not dampen their smiles. On Friday, the sailors reviewed all they had learned and practiced capsizing. Sean, Charlotte, and Sander saw how much fun it is to capsize. We are all looking forward to a wonderful summer!          Â
- Sarah, Tally, Dylan, and Michelle
Opti Warm-up Class:
The Opti Warm-up Class had a first great week and the sailors are excited to be joining the Opti 2 class for Week 2. Liam, Spencer, Tyler, and Harrison all refreshed their skills on tacking, upwind sailing, downwind sailing, and other sailing techniques. On Thursday and Friday, these sailors battled heavy wind conditions, but managed to end the day with smiles. Liam and Tyler were fearless as they almost made it to Greens Ledge Lighthouse. Harrisonlearned how to hike out and get his full body out of the boat in order to keep it flat. Spencer became a master of switching his tiller and mainsheet behind his back when he tacks. Overall, this was an amazing first week and these four sailors are well on their way to a great summer!
-Jesse
Opti Race Team:
         The Opti Race Team had a fantastic first week of sailing. On Monday, the sailors refreshed their skills on a nice distance sail around Greens Ledge Lighthouse. On Tuesday, we practiced tacking on the whistle until the wind died! We then went swimming and played a little sailing tag with a tennis ball. Brinley, Meghan, and Natalie all performed beautiful tacks and will soon be practicing roll tacks. Megan, Christina, and Charlotte all refreshed their memory of sailing technique and strategy for upwind sailing. George, Alex, and Max might be outnumbered by girls in the class, but they showed no fear on Friday during heavy winds. Next week, we will move on to racing strategy in order to prepare for an interclub race between Roton Point, Stamford Yacht Club, Noroton Yacht Club, and Norwalk Yacht club on Friday afternoon!
-Jesse & Sarah
Pixel Class:
The afternoon PIXEL program has taken off with great success and anticipation! We are excited to welcome our new PIXEL sailors to the program as well as our numerous returning veterans. Michele Fink and Tally Thoren will instruct this year’s PIXEL program, and they are eager to teach the sailors all they know about two man boats.
To start the week off right, we went on a long sail towardsDarienandFishIslandand all had a lot of fun remembering the ins and outs of sailing the PIXEL. On Tuesday we reviewed racing and were able to start one race before the wind died.  Despite the lack of wind, Emma Janson and Emma Byrne were still able to fly their spinnaker!
Friday’s class was a hit despite the cloudy weather as students were able to go sailing in the 15+ mph winds. After reviewing the importance of tuning the boom vang, we set out to practice a windward-leeward racecourse. All did incredibly well! Some highlights were Emma Byrne and Emma Janson winning the race, Scott Jonker and Jonathan Stimpson fully hiking out to prevent their boat from tipping, Freddy Hinkley and Emma Hagey getting a little wet after capsizing, and Lexie Devlin and Hailey Keelips weathering the rough waves!
We look forward to the coming summer and furthering our PIXEL sailing skills and race tactics!
- Tally & Michelle
420 Class:
In the second half of the week we had a chance to go out in breezier conditions and continued expanding on the ideas we had introduced on Monday and Tuesday. By Friday the wind had really picked up and James was able to get out on the trapeze for the first time. Â Both Jack and James show enthusiasm and I am looking forward to focusing on racing next week in preparation for eastern districts.
-Dylan
A word from John Cross:
RPSA invited our junior sailors to participate with them in the Firecracker Race on Saturday, July 2nd. The junior sailors will serve as crew on the catamarans in this event. Sailors should be ready to leave Roton Point by 12:30. If you are interested please contact John Cross as soon as possible.
I also strongly encourage our sailors to participate in the Hambone Race on July 4th. This race is a yearly tradition at Roton Point. All vessels that float are able to participate. This is a great time to show off your sailing skills to everyone in the grove. The race is set to start around 2:00. Please pay attention to the website in case there is a time change.
The Junior Sailing/RPSA barbeque is on July 10th. This was a huge success last year as the parents and the junior sailors were able to get rides on the RPSA catamaran fleet. Stay tuned for more information.
Revised on May 12, 2012