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A person leans out of a small sailboat, holding the mainsheet as the boat tilts on a sunny lake with trees in the background.

From the Experts

A person in a black jacket and BC hat smiles while standing on a boat, with a large Boston College sail featuring an eagle visible in the background.

Inside College Sailing: An Interview With BC Sailing Coach Greg Wilkinson

Interview by TY Olsen ABOUT GREG TCO: Can you give us a little bit of background about yourself, sailing and coaching prior to Boston College and the Inter-collegiate Sailing Association […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannSailboats with college sailors compete closely in a regatta, racing in choppy water near a stone bridge. Sail numbers and the word 'Collegesailing.org' are visible on the sails.

Team Member News: West Coast Sailing Supporting the Next Generation of Sailors – 15% OFF Gear for Scholastic Sailors !!

Supporting the Next Generation of Sailors – 15% OFF Gear for Scholastic Sailors !! Shop at West Coast Sailing and Zim Sailing for 15% OFF apparel and accessories for all […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannA trailer parked on grass carries five stacked white sailboats, each labeled with a blue number. Trees and shrubbery are visible in the background.

S1D Marketplace Spotlight: 6 BOAT FLEET OF (Brand-New) 2020 ZIM E 420’s. WOW!

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannA white sail with blue letters 'ABC' and numbers '123,' featuring a blue circle and square symbol near the top. The sail has red ties and several diagonal seam lines.

S1D Sponsor News: North Sails Unleashes the V-Series Optimist Sail

S1D SPONSOR NEWS After nearly two years of diligent, painstaking development, testing, re-designing and more testing, both here in the US and in Europe, North Sails is proud to launch […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannA laptop screen displays a colorful weather map with swirling red, yellow, green, blue, and purple patterns, indicating wind or pressure systems. A sidebar on the left shows various weather data options.

PredictWind is very excited to release the HRRR, NAM, and Arome models into our system!

News from S1D Team Member Predict Wind. I used their weather routing software this past summer and it was outstanding. Their spot-on weather forecasting/modeling makes Predict Wind an invaluable tool […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannA small sailboat with the number 21 on its sail glides on choppy water, with three other similar sailboats in the distance under a cloudy sky.

Sponsor News: Optimist Quick Tip— Sprit Tension is the Key!

When you think about it, your Optimist sail has a really big job to do; it has to have a great shape in really light wind, when most sailors wish […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannSeveral small sailboats with numbered sails race on a river beneath a large cable-stayed bridge on a clear, sunny day. The water is calm, and the sky is bright blue.

Crew Communication in Team Racing: How to Optimize Your In-Boat Dialogue to Make Plays Happen

By Airwaves writer Lucas Masiello Team racing adds an incredible amount of complexity to sailing tactics. While everything from fleet racing strategy applies to a team race, the tactics and […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannImage placeholder icon displaying a gray outline of mountains and a sun on a light background, commonly used to represent a missing or unavailable image.

A Layman’s Guide to Basic Sailing Meteorology: How to Use Weather Patterns and Geography to Improve Your Racing Strategy

By Airwaves writer Lucas Masiello As sailors, we participate in a sport that is uniquely dependent on the weather. Everything from wind shifts to puffs and lulls is all products […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannA marina filled with parked cars, boats, and sailboats, with numerous small sailboats scattered across a calm blue bay under a clear sky.

US Optimist Team Trials: How to Make the Most of 4 Big Days

The USODA Team Trials: When 4 days determine a year of preparation By Bernat Gali Bou, USNT Coach, Lakewood Yacht Club Head Opti Coach Let’s be honest…when does the Sailing Schedule […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannA young sailor wearing sunglasses and a cap maneuvers a small sailboat with “USA” and numbers on the sail near a bright orange buoy during a sailing race. Other sailboats are visible in the background.

International Regattas: Experience, Friendships and Team Work

By Airwaves writer Bernat Gali I’ve recently come back from Pwllheli, Wales, after coaching one of the USA Summer International Teams which participated at the Volvo Gill Open Optimist British […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannA group of kids and a few adults gather around a small sailboat near a dock on a lake, preparing for sailing on a sunny day with clear skies and many boats in the background.

2018 S1D Optimist Spring Clinic Debrief, Notes & Video

This spring’s clinic was great! Despite cold temps, we saw a lot of improvement out there, and we hope that everyone learned at least one valuable thing. Our Optimist coaches […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannBlack and white logo featuring an oval-shaped graphic next to the word 'SELDÉN' in bold uppercase letters, with the phrase 'for sailing' in italic lowercase letters beneath.

Reinventing the Wheel: Seldén’s New Jib Halyard Turning Block

 A number of classes, including the Fireball and Flying Fifteen, have moved from 2:1 jib halyards to 1:1 systems. The reasoning behind this has been weight and windage, but it […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannA license plate frame with the words “I’d rather be sailing” and an image of a sailboat, surrounded by icicles and frost, attached to a vehicle bumper.

Beat the Cold (and the competition): Wear Your Base-layers!

By Airwaves Writer Paige Hoffman It’s safe to say that the most difficult aspect of spring sailing in the Northeast is facing the cold. Knowing how to keep yourself warm […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannFour sailboats with white and tan sails, labeled with USA numbers, race closely together on a lake with trees and houses visible in the background. The sky is overcast and the water is calm.

Tight Layline Management & The Art of the Shoot

By Airwaves writer Andrew Kerr Picture this: A team is approaching the weather mark in 3rd place on a tight starboard tack lay line , it looks like that with some […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannImage placeholder icon displaying a gray outline of mountains and a sun on a light background, commonly used to represent a missing or unavailable image.

A Look at Forestay Sag

By Andrew Kerr A key element of upwind performance is forestay sag – how loose the forestay (or head stay on a masthead rig) is for the given set of […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannA sailor on a blue and white boat numbered 5 adjusts light blue sails on a windy day, with trees and buoys visible in the background on the water.

Windward Spinnaker Takedowns, Revisited

By Airwaves writer Andrew Kerr Ah, spinnaker takedowns; either they go really well, or really bad. Your team is approaching the leeward mark on port tack  getting ready for a […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannImage placeholder icon displaying a gray outline of mountains and a sun on a light background, commonly used to represent a missing or unavailable image.

Manage Your Sailing Program Toward Success: Part II, Team Building

By Airwaves writer Joe Cooper Check out Part I During my two America’s Cup campaigns we would generally try and pull the boats out of the water every day (Oh […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannImage placeholder icon displaying a gray outline of mountains and a sun on a light background, commonly used to represent a missing or unavailable image.

Manage Your Sailing Program Toward Success

PART I:  SAILBOAT RACING IS A MANAGEMENT EXERCISE   Annapolis, MD (December 16, 2015) –  By Airwaves Writer Joe Cooper Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles, […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannImage placeholder icon displaying a gray outline of mountains and a sun on a light background, commonly used to represent a missing or unavailable image.

From the Experts: Headsail Changes

By Airwaves writer Andrew Kerr The call of “change the headsail “has resonated with teams since the inception of competitive sailing. It is one of the ultimate calls to action […]

Tom Sitzmann avatarTom SitzmannTwo people sailing a small boat with 'DISASTER AREA' printed on its side, closely approaching a large yellow West Marine buoy on a lake with trees and hills in the background.

Light Air Leeward Mark Roundings

By Andrew Kerr Like so many elements of sailing , rounding the leeward mark in light with the dual goals of the team exiting the mark at top speed and […]

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