Sail1Design Editor

Sail1Design will team up with North Sails to hold an Optimist Clinic focused on one thing: going really fast. This clinic will be run by North Sails Optimist expert & Severn School Head Coach Tom Sitzmann, a guest expert, and will feature a few of the Optimist Classes most successful current and former Stars. You do NOT need to have a North Sail, but we will offer some thoughts on the new V-Series Optimist Sail that’s turning heads in the Optimist class. Rather than tactics, starting, etc., this clinic will hone in on

• TUNING 101: Boat Setup and preparation, including rig setup, sail tuning, and overall boat prep. Dryland tuning/rigging advice from top coaches and top former Optimist Stars!!
• CHOICES in GEAR: There are a ton of options out there for hulls, foils, spars, sails, ropes, and more. We will give a brief overview of what’s out there, and offer advice on how to approach it all.
• SAIL TRIM: This is where the rubber meets the road. Using drone video, photos, and more, we will go out on the water and look at sail trim upwind and downwind, tuning on the fly, and how to put it all together. The goal here is twofold:
  • to learn how to go as fast as possible
  • to begin to learn why/how to tune your boat and trim your sails without someone else telling you how.

BONUS!! Sail1Design is also hosting a New England College Team Race Regatta at the same venue at the same time, with Tufts, Yale, and more in attendance!!! Opti clinic attendees will get a chance to de-brief with some of the nations top college sailors, many of them former Optimist Stars, and maybe watch a few team races up close as well!!

For more information, please contact Sail1Design: [email protected]   or 443-220-2089

ELIGIBILITY, REGISTRATION & APPLICATION
Clinic sailors need to bring their own food and hydration, and also MUST have appropriate winter/cold weather sailing gear. Sailing will happen only in safe conditions. Clinic space is limited, and is open only to current RWB Championship-level sailors. This is not a Green Fleet clinic. To Register, visit this Google form and complete. Space is limited, so register now to confirm a spot. After registering, you will receive an invoice, which will serve as your confirmation that you have a spot. To register, CLICK HERE

SCHEDULE
This is a 2 day training session, complete with dry-land video de-briefs.

• Saturday                              1000-1600
• Sunday                                 1000-1400

FEES
Per day:   $135

HOTELS/MOTELS NEARBY

• Comfort Inn, close by and on a budget
• Crowne Plaza Annapolis
• Holiday Inn Express
• DoubleTree Hilton

Coaches

TBD

Tom Sitzmann
A lifelong educator, professional sailmaker/sail loft owner, and pro sailor, Tom has coached sailing and directed sailing programs from Maine to Annapolis, and after working with both Tufts and Dartmouth sailing teams, was an assistant offshore & dinghy coach at the USNA, head intercollegiate coach at Bowdoin College, and is now head coach at Severn School, where he founded their modern program with its own private venue, and guided the team to a National championship and many other honors. As a competitor Tom had top regional and national-level success in the Laser, J/24, and J/22 classes.
Tom recently joined the North Sails team as an Optimist and i420 expert, having spent time working sail development and design in both classes, and has worked hard to learn the ins and outs of Optimist tuning, and given his years of one-design racing and sail-making experience, provides valuable lessons for young, up-and-coming Optimist sailors looking to get to the next level.

Apprentice Former Star Coaches

• Tommy Sitzmann, 2019 US Team Trials Champion, 2021 420 World Champion
• more… tbd!