2004 Junior Program Begins June 12 And Culminates With USODA ACCs In October
Noel Clinard
Junior Division Commander

The 2004 Jr. Program enrollment is complete, with splendid participation. We commence with 30 OptiKids and 29 Race Team Members on June 12. OptiKids also reconvenes on June 13, 19 and 20, and Race Team meets again on June 20. Junior Week follows with 81 additional participants from June 21-25, giving us a total of 140 Juniors in the program.

KEY PROGRAM EVENTS

Junior Week will be capped off by the VA State Opti Championships (and simultaneous FBYC Junior Regatta) on Saturday, June 26. Both events will have a separate Green Fleet for novices and less experienced sailors. Hopefully, many in Racing, Intermediate and Beginning Opti classes will stay over and compete. More Race Team sessions follow on July 11, 17 and 24, two of them in conjunction with Summer Seabreeze races.

There will be two other home invitational regattas (Junior Regatta on August 5, and the 65th Annual One Design Regatta on August 14-15) and special low-key events to make sailing more fun (the Dog Days Series on August 22 and September 6).

Those interested in racing may join the Race Team in traveling to away regattas and the Safety at Sea Program in Annapolis on July 7. The climax of the program will be a major championship invitational regatta (the United States Optimist Dinghy Association, Atlantic Coast Championship on October 9-10). Many volunteers will be needed to run this event.

The core objective of this year’s program is to increase participation in competitive sailing, with the hope of restoring the FBYC junior racing to its former glory.

Additional new equipment has been purchased (Laser and dollie, double 420 trailer, new Optimist). We have two outstanding coaches including the returning Head Coach, Melanie Clore, and the new Asst. Coach, Rob Wright, who coached at Cape Fear Yacht Club, is a Level II sailing Instructor and just graduated captain of the UNCW Sailing Team.

Your Club has generously supported the program with equipment purchases, payroll and coaches’ lodging expenses. Now it is up to you to fit the program into your summer.

WHY COMPETITIVE SAILING

Those adults participating in FBYC racing know the answer. The sport provides incomparable opportunities for individual development, dedication to the ideal of sportsmanship, self reliance, friendship, healthy activity in natural surroundings, wholesome competition, and more.

For those parents who do not sail yet, you can give your child and yourself the opportunity of a lifetime to foster an interest in a sport that can last a lifetime and foster personal and business relationships.

Many colleges offer competitive sailing programs, preparation for which may give the Junior a leg up on college applications.

Most important, in these days of parental challenges, sailing offers a wholesome, outdoor activity far more productive than “cruising the avenues.” We offer a safe, fun, well supervised series of outings over the course of the summer. We urge each of the parents of OptiKids and above be aware of the offerings of your club’s programs and join us.

A NEW GENERATION OF SAILORS

We are starting a new generation of sailors at FBYC, beginning with OptiKids, while nurturing our accomplished Junior sailors.

To foster that goal, the Club is paying the membership of every FBYC Optimist sailor in the USODA, providing each with a subscription to the class publication “OptiNews” and other opportunities, including eligibility to sail in the USODA ACCs at FBYC in October.

Each Junior Program registrant should have received a registration package containing OptiKids class assignment, a detailed schedule, medical forms, release, information on the Leukemia Sail-a thon, and other information. You MUST have these forms completed at the first day’s registration to participate.

We will tell you more at the Parents Meeting the first day of Junior Week.