Newsletter – March
The Optimist calendar kicks off with IS Youth Nationals in April.
Spring is in the air… Well, nearly, but there’s definitely lots to look forward to and the sailing season is definitely getting closer!
Your committee has had 2 meetings already. There were packed agendas and top of the list was to carefully consider your views and feedback from the membership survey. Thank you to all that responded. It’s so important that the committee had this input from as many of you as possible. I was genuinely heartened by the number of you that view that the friendships and fun you have from the Oppies is such an important part of what it’s all about! Brendan Foley had produced a brief report which can be found here on our website
While our season really gets going in May, Irish Sailing’s Youth Nationals are in Howth on the 13-16th April 2023. Our experienced Oppie sailors are an integral part of the week and will join the ICLA’s, Toppers, 420’s and 29er’s. They get great exposure to seeing other classes which they’re not too far from joining and the sailors’ results from Youth Nationals will be used to choose sailors for three of our international teams. This year entry for the event is through the Howth Yacht Club website for eligible sailors. While there’s been no substantial changes from last year, we’ve updated various supporting documents to assist parents and sailors and a copy of the Notice of Race can be found on the Teams web page on the website.
Please Join us for an information session on the 20th of March at 8pm, on Youth Nationals & International Teams 2023. How the selection process works, target entrants, costs, what’s in it for sailors, challenges, and how best to be prepared and really get the most out of high performance international events. A link to the zoom session will be shared on the Main Fleet whatsapp group shortly.
We are pleased to confirm that Dennis Paaske, Soren Laugesen and Thomas Chaix are to continue their work from National Training Week. Dennis will lead our Worlds Team to Spain, Soren our European Team to Greece and Thomas the IDT to France.
The dates and venues for all of the events have been finalised and all the details are on the events page of the website. The events team (Flore & Neil) are working hard to get the Notice of Race out for the Nationals in Ballyholme over the next few weeks.
We are also working on the Team Racing plans for the year. This will be the first year, for some time, that our sailors will have tried their hand at Team Racing. We are starting to put some structure on this and will communicate plans as they firm up, so keep an eye out for developments on this front.
I know lots of our sailors are itching to get going and it won’t be long before the Development Squad and u12 Team are in Lough Ree and then for all of us to be in the National for the Leinsters later in the May.
Lots of sailors have been out on the water over the Winter with some attending the massive Opti Orange Regatta recently held in Valencia. We also wish our Irish sailors well who travel to the UK Spring Championships in Rutland next week.
As always, please get in touch with any of us or your Class Captains if you’ve any queries
Warm regards
Paddy Ryan – President IODAI.
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