2012 OPTIsailing calendar

Wow, what an awesome year of Optimist sailing and incredible response from everyone voting on photos on our all new www.optisailing.com! The result is the best version of the Opti sailing calendar EVER!. This 15 month calendar offers a huge size of 18" wide x 24" high when hanging on your wall. So big you can practically feel the spray hitting you in your face while doing homework or just daydreaming about your next chance to venture out onto the waters at your next regatta! We have also worked closely with regatta hosts and Optimist organizations around the globe to include every possible regatta that is currently scheduled and have listed many that the dates are still pending in the month they are expected to happen. If you are sailing in North America, Europe or anywhere else around the globe, we have many regattas listed for your convenience!


The calendars were printed in a limited quantity and are available right now at http://www.opticalendar.com. They will also be available at some of the upcoming regattas, if there are any left... Enjoy your copy before they are all gone.

2010 Orange Bowl Regatta is underway

The 2010 Orange Bowl regatta started with a tremendous day of competition in cooler than anticipated conditions for most competitors. With temps that never stepped above 60 throughout the day and starting at only 34 (in Miami), there was an unusual chill to the air that helped to raise nerves and anticipation just before launch in the 9-20 knots of breeze that were providing for an awesome day of racing on Biscane Bay. Photos of all three fleets will be posted on daveheinphotography.com

Layline Optimist Great Lakes Championships

In 2010 Layline has been selected by USODA as their Platinum sponsor. Among many benefits of being awarded this honor, Layline is able to require all competitors at USODA events to place their logo on the boats.

At the Great Lakes Championships we witnessed the first event with the Layline logo and debate erupted over the placement of the stickers. What do you think? Should it be on the starboard side as shown, or directly on the bow?

Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club in Lakewood, New York was the host of this event and proved to be a great place to sail in the spring. With light, 8 knot breeze blowing in the beginning it looked like an average regatta, but the 18 knots were not far behind. 21 sailors from this event qualified for the 2011 USODA National Team Trials which will be sailed in San Francisco at the St. Francis Yacht Club in late April.

All photos posted

All photos of the incredible sailing action of last week's IODA North American Optimist Championship regatta at CORK in Kingston, Ontario are now online and available at http://pix.daveheinphotography.com/event/2010-OPTINAM-at-CORK. Here you can view the photos, purchase any prints you want and save your favorites to view online or vies as a slideshow and share with your friends.

Remember to vote on these photos at http://www.optisailing.com. The top photos here will be used in the 2011 OPTIsailing calendar, which will be distributed worldwide this fall! Login every day and vote for the top photos from OPTINAM 2010!

USODA New England Optimist Champs

Day 2 of the 2009 USODA Opti New England Champs is in the bag, with the weather and excitement one would expect from the Capital of sailing, Newport, RI.

The day provided an excellent opportunity for all sailors to prove their meddle with sustained breeze of 12 and gusts above 18. The shifty New England wind proved to be a true test of the sailors attention to detail and kept everyone looking across the race course to be the first to the puffs and shifts.

Day 3 is about to get under way and looks to be offering the lightest conditions of the event. Sail Newport is truly proving to give sailors a little of every condition as a real test of sailing abilities. Photos from day 1 are now available on the Dave Hein Photography site.

Opti New England Champs

As if just being in Newport, RI is not enough on it's own for a sailor; this week Sail Newport is hosting the 2009 USODA New England Championship regatta. With nearly 400 boats competing for an opportunity to qualify for the 2010 US Team Trials Invitational regatta, you can bet the level of sailing is at it's top.

Day 1 of racing ended after 4 complete races in the 4 flights. With shifty winds that did not top 10 knots, the sailors were required to stay attentive and watch for the shifts ahead while navigating the changing tidal currents.

I shot nearly 3000 photos of the first day of racing, and they will all be posted on Optisailing.com as soon as I get near adequate Internet access. Keep watching for more exciting sailing photos to follow!