Almost Foiling Optimist Pram! Really....

[Doug Lord]

See, there is a woman who has a Moth and she loves foiling. One too many people said it couldn't be done( I'm sure you know those same people) and so it goes... Now, this is interesting:
http://foilingboatadventures.blogspot.com/2009/12/foiling-oppie.html

Way to go!!!!! PS- Katherine Knight says it did fully fly just before it didn't -I believe her-more pix to come I'm sure....

[hoytedow]

That is pretty cool.

[ancient kayaker]

I am looking at my bathtub in a whole new different way ...

[Doug Lord]

Will the little one catch up??
(click on the picture)

[jimm]

Optimist,
Is the greatest design that has happened to the sailing industery in the century.
GOD bless!

[Chickadee]

Will the little one catch up??
(click on the picture)


That one is quite funny, everyone looking at the flying "thing" !

Makes me think of a french song for little children


Maman, les p’tits bateaux
Qui vont sur l’eau
Ont-ils des jambes ?
Mais oui, mon gros bêta,
S’ils n’en avaient pas,
Ils n’avanceraient pas !

Mom, do little boats on the water have legs ?

Yes, stupid ! If they had no legs, they couldn't go forward!

That's exactly the feeling you get from this picture !

[Doug Lord]

More details from Adam Mays Blog:

http://foilborne.blogspot.com/2009/12/foilborne-optimist.html

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-0o4_d4-NA&feature=player_embedded

crash 1 from May blog:

[Gary Baigent]

Best thing that could happen to the world's worst designed dinghy.

[jimm]

Gary,
Watch what you say about the largest (by far) one design class on the planet. The designer now deceased, did not take one dime in royalties and when it was designed, it was a perfect fit to its use.
Having said that I have raced them and they suck!

[C 249]

Cool fun!.

Dunno if anyone ever said an Opti couldn't foil - what was often said is that there's only a few classes in which a foiler is faster all-round than a non-foiler. That certainly has NOT been proven incorrect by an Opti that has foiled once in a big breeze.

Gary, the Opti is not my favourite design by a long shot, but in the couple of years since they were introduced at our club we've become convinced that they are excellent basic trainers. They don't scare the kids, they don't get stick in irons like Sabots, and they are dirt cheap and very easy to handle ashore.

Sure, they look like a box and sail slowly, sure they may IMHO not be as good as the Ant (my favourite kid's boat) but the Opti kids are loving their sailing. At the other end of the junior-sailing spectrum, of course, they do have fantastic competition.

It seems that Opti sailing around the world is doing pretty well, often a hell of a lot better than high performance sailing. Why curse the successful classes and glorify those that aren't working in today's world?

For a boat to have all that going for it indicates that it's not in any way a bad design. The huge number of people around the world who choose them are obviously NOT stupid.

It seems that these days it's accepted that people abuse many very popular and arguably very good classes, and also implicitly insult those who sail them. Wouldn't we be better off learning from the success of the popular boats? Wouldn't it be better for sailing if we embraced the classes that are doing best in a changing world? Why the negativity to our sport?

In a world where many people are bemoaning the shrinking of the sport, my own club is growing quite well and often starting 100+ boards and boats per week. Not many clubs can claim that, and it seems largely because we don't abuse slow or medium-speed classes - we cater for them, just as other clubs did when sailing was growing.

[daiquiri]

Gary, the Opti is not my favourite design by a long shot, but in the couple of years since they were introduced at our club we've become convinced that they are excellent basic trainers. They don't scare the kids, they don't get stick in irons like Sabots, and they are dirt cheap and very easy to handle ashore.
...
the Opti kids are loving their sailing.
I have learned to sail on Optimist 25 yrs ago and still remember the fun of sailing it, just like you have noticed with your kids. It forgives nearly all the errors a begginer can make, it is light, simple, easy to repair, two kids can take it to the water and bring it back on the dock, one kid can rinse it all with fresh water and dismantle the rigging in 3-4 minutes. I remember those days as if it was yesterday, so strong and positive those emotions were.
I truly hope that Optimist class will continue to live with same energy it has shown in the past decades and that many new young generations will have the fortune I've had - to learn the joys of sailing in that little bathtub... :)

Not much to do with foiling, I know, but you guys just brought too many good memories back... :)

[Munter]

Bring on the foiling flying ant!

[ancient kayaker]

Don't mention the Flying Optimist when you are boarding a plane or they will arrest you.