April 2, 2023
My child is interested in sailing, now what?
Sailing progression
Sailing programs
.jpg)
First of all, Seattle is a unique and ideal place to learn and sail. Puget Sound and our many lakes make it possible to sail year-round in a variety of sailing conditions - ideal to develop great sailors.
Sailing is a sport that relies on your ability to make nature work for you. So, it involves decisions around equipment, conditions, and other racers - all at the same time. It requires big-picture awareness, detailed concentration, and crazy endurance. It’s similar to skiing but with more variables.
The answer here is pretty straight forward. If your live in the Puget Sound, your child weighs under 130 pounds and is under 15 they should start on an Optimist. There are MANY other classes of boats around the world and it seems every year there are more. However, no other class even remotely matches the size and breath of the Optimist Class in the NW, US, and around the world. There are over 500K registered optimist sailors around the world and over 150K active sailors from over 100 countries. It's a one-design boat class, meaning that all the boats are the same and must meet the exact same specifications. The goal is to make it all about the sailor's skill and less about the equipment. The Optimist Class is represented in the United States by the United States Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA) and by the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) world-wide.
The Opti is not a large boat, so it’s possible that your sailor may be too tall to be comfortable in the boat or they may be over 15 yoa or over 130 pounds. In that case, we recommend moving to a Laser for single-handed, or trying out a double-handed boat with a great international fleet like the IFJ or C420s. The Laser, IFJ and the C420s are the bread-and-butter of high-school sailing programs in the Pacific Northwest and all clubs use them. High-school sailing is represented Nationally by the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISA) and in the PNW by the Northwest Interscholastic Sailing Association (NWISA). Reach out to your local club, they are very likely to have a high-school sailing program for your sailor even if they are not yet in high-school.
Alternatively, the RS Tera and the O'pen BIC are two other great single-handed sail boats with a newer design with a national and international racing circuit. However, we just don't have enough of these boats in the PNW to offer a racing circuit or even a racing team. They are used mostly for summer camps.
The Laser is a tried and true boat with a loyal following and a large international fleet. The Laser class is divided into fleets based on the size of the sail. Here are the general size to weight recommendations from the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):
New Laser sailors under 140 pounds usually start with an ILCA 4 sail. It’s the smallest laser sail (also known as a 4.5). The smaller sail allows a lighter sailor easier control in higher winds. A more experienced sailor may be able to make the move at a lighter weight (specially if they are tall). However, it’s hard to start sailing in a Laser at less than 120 pounds. In the PNW our most experienced Opti sailors prefer to graduate into the ILCA 6 because the fleet tends to be larger and more competitive. That helps make the ILCA 4 a good Laser fleet to learn and start with.
Another good starting point for older sailors is a double-handed program. In the NW double handed programs sail primarily FJs and some c420s - both one-design boat classes used across the country. The majority of our double-handed sailors are part of the high-school sailing circuit. However, there are also middle-schoolers who don’t participate in high-school sailing but race double-handed as part of the Northwest Youth Sailing Circuit. As they get older, they can join their high-school sailing team if they have one. For example, at the Corinthian Yacht Club we have a double-handed program with Varsity and Junior Varsity fleets. The teams have sailors from 6 different high-schools and other middle-schools. Most of the high-school sailors that represent their high-schools at NWISA regattas. The middle-schoolers can’t sail the NWISA circuit but can sail the Northwest Youth Sailing Circuit in the summer.
In the PNW, high-school sailing is popular and it’s organized by the Northwest Interscholastic Sailing Association (NWISA). They primarily race FJs, Lasers, and some c420s. Because in high-school sailing the team represents the high-school, there are rules governing participation (e.g. schools can not combine, minimum number of sailors). These rules are less impacting to the Laser class, but can have a big impact on double-handed boats (FJs and c420s). In these classes, ‘Orphan’ sailors are common but they are limited to Silver fleet at most regattas and there are some regattas they can not sail. There are also boat rotation rules that limit the amount of sailing a particular crew can do. So, it’s important to understand what opportunities and limitations your sailor would have in a double-handed program.
Overall, double-handed sailing and Lasers are a great way to get older new sailors (15+) into the sport, but overall we definitely recommend that sailors start in an Opti even if they only get a chance to sail it for a couple of years. Your decision will also depend, a lot, on the availability and strength of your local club’s programs. Remember, high-school sailing tends to reign in the PNW so finding good Opti, Laser, and middle-school double handed programs is not easy, particularly in the South and North Sound. Start with a visit to your local sailing club.
