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EX GBR Optimist Sailors take 2008 ISAF Youth Worlds by Storm - 18/07/2008
Congratulations from IOCA(UK) to the Great Britain Team at the ISAF Youth World Championships where the team has won two Gold Medals and the prestigious Volvo Team Trophy for only the third time … with a day to spare.

Great Britain last won the Volvo Trophy in 1995 and 1996, with many of the sailors in those teams now representing Great Britain at Olympic level. The ISAF Youth World Championships, taking place in Aarhus, Denmark, is the Olympics of Youth Sailing with the Great Britain team being selected from the RYA Youth Championships held in the Easter holidays. From this years GBR team of 10 sailors, 6 are ex Optimist sailors and they have done the Optimist class proud.
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Easter Regatta - Lake Garda
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2008 Optimist World Championships - 14/07/2008
The British Team have arrived safely in Cezme, Turkey for the 2008 Optimist World Championships, having flown out from the UK on Sunday with Team Mum, Jennifer Williams, and Duncan Truswell from the RYA.

Team Coach, Alan Willams, joins the party on Tuesday, to take over from Duncan as the team prepare for the event, with the first races scheduled for Thursday 17th July.

Good luck to the team of Tom Britz, Jamie Diamond, David Grant, Christian Townrow and Matthew Wallis.

More news will be posted as it comes through, and for reference the event website can be found here - www.optiworld2008.com

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Optimist Europeans at Lake Garda - 04/07/2008
The GBR Optimist team have been in Riva Lake Garda for several days now competing in the European Championships against sailors from 38 other countries.

The typical Ora thermal wind Garda is renowned for has failed to materialise and instead a variety of shifty lightish breezes has dominated up to now!

After nine races in the 140 strong boys fleet, Tim Gratton is lying 20th and Scott Wallis 32nd. Tom Pain and Ed Riley are finding the conditions tougher, but had better races today.

In the girls fleet of just under 100 boats, Jess Lavery and Annabel Vose have been posting a great set of results, Jess lying 14th and Annabel 15th, meanwhile Nia Jones has found the conditions a bit more difficult in the middle of the fleet.

Kirsty Bonar the GBR coach said that with two more days racing scheduled the sailors are hoping for at least one day of the famous Ora wind before the end of the championship! And Carla Stanley the Team Manager is doing a great job looking after the team and celebrated her birthday on Monday. (full story)

IODA European Championships - Thursday 3rd July - 03/07/2008
The latest news from Lake Garda on Thursday morning is that the team are all fighting hard against un-typical Lake Garda conditions, with the Ora wind not behaving as expected for this time of year. Kirsty Bonar, the Team Coach, is working hard with all the team to keep them positive and focused, whilst Carla Stanley, Team Manager is ensuring that they are relaxed, appropriately fed and ready for each days racing.

Finding internet access however is proving hard, and this update comes courtesy of a text from Carla this morning!

Full results are available here: http://ioda.fragliavelariva.it/

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British Optimist team set off to Lake Garda for Europeans - 26/06/2008
Following a really tough team selection series in April and May where the top 80 British Optimist sailors battled in out for places in the Worlds, Europeans and Swiss nationals teams, the GBR Optimist Europeans Team which includes 4 boys and 3 girls are going to Lake Garda to compete in the Optimist Europeans 28th June to 5th July.

The team which includes Ed Riley, Tim Gratton, Thomas Pain, Scott Wallis, Annabel Vose, Jess Lavery and Nia Jones are all looking forward to competing against sailors from 38 other countries. Annabel Vose has recent experience of Lake Garda finishing 5th girl in this years Easter Regatta and in the early 40’s overall out of 999 Optimist sailors.

Kirsty Bonar is the team coach supported by Carla Stanley the team leader. In the build up to the Europeans Kirsty has worked intensively with the team and she is hoping for classic Garda conditions with the Ora wind kicking in each day to bring out the best in the team - more reports to follow. (full story)

IOCA National, Intermediate and Development Squads - 23/06/2008
Just a reminder that you do not have to apply for a place in the IOCA squads listed above. You will however need to have competed at the following IOCA major events:

Volvo Musto Optimist Inlands (Main Fleet)
Volvo Musto Optimist Nationals (Senior or Junior Fleet))
Volvo Musto Optimist End of Seasons (Main Fleet)

The sailors are then invited by IOCA(UK) based on their overall ranking. (See IOCA Squad Selection policies under PUBLICATIONS/DOWNLOADS) (full story)

Over 200 competitors at Royal Lymington over three weekends in early June - 20/06/2008
The Western Solent, close to the mouth of Lymington River, has been the venue for national Optimist racing events hosted by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, on three consecutive weekends in early June.

These included the first ever Lymington "PolyOppy" Open on 1st June, followed by the Harken Royal Lymington YC Optimist Regatta on 7th June, and finally the main Harken Royal Lymington YC Optimist Open on the 14th and 15th June. Three fantasitc events with over 200 competitors in total enjoying racing close racing. (full story)

Perfect conditions for the Volvo Musto Inland Championships 2008 - 20/05/2008
Young sailors in the Volvo Musto Optimist Inland Championship experienced two days of perfect wind conditions on Grafham Water (19 – 20 May). A record 325 optimist sailors headed out for the two days of racing dealing with sunshine, rain and a shifty cold 12-18 knot breeze.

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2008 RYA Eric Twiname Championships - 18/05/2008
The weekend of 10th & 11th May saw the six Zone and three Home Country teams competing in the 22nd RYA Eric Twiname Championships held at Rutland Water. The competitors, including the 60 strong Optimist Class, are all selected from the winter training RYA Zone & Home Country Squads. (full story)

2008 Team Selection Trials - Weekend 2 - Weymouth - 12/05/2008
The top sailors in the Optimist Class in the UK reconvened in Weymouth for the second weekend of their 2008 Team Selection Trials over the weekend of the May Day Bank holiday ready to conclude the competition for places in the IODA World Championship Team, the IODA European Championship Team and a team to attend the Swiss National Championships. With only 5 races completed in Pwllheli two weeks earlier (due to high winds) all eyes were on the weather, with the potential being for a complete contrast, as the forecast looked worryingly light. (full story)

Guernsey Open Cancelled - 27/04/2008
We have decided today to cancel the Guernsey Open on 24/25 May.

This is with much regret but with a month to go and only 2 entrants (both not fully confirmed) from other clubs and sponsorship moneys to consider we have deceided that the event can not take place this year.
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2008 Selection Trials - Weekend 1 - 24/04/2008
The top 85 sailors in the Optimist Class congregated at Pwllheli for the first weekend of their 2008 Team Selection Trials on the evening of Thursday 17th April, with competition at stake for places in the IODA World Championship Team, the IODA European Championship Team and a team to attend the Swiss National Championships. (full story)

Joint Zone Squad Weekend at Rutland - 12th/13th April - 16/04/2008
More than 100 Optimist sailors, their parents, and about 20 coaches converged on Rutland over the weekend of 12-13 April for their final training weekend of the year.

The zones included South, South West, East, South East, West, North, plus the Scottish and Welsh regional squads.

Each morning there was an hour in squad groups, followed by starting practices in groups of about 50 boats, which included lane holding, and short races around a windward leeward with a leeward gate.

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