OPTIMIST LIFE: BERMUDA NATIONALS

A Story Told by Junior Sailor Tommy McCormick

In early November, over 65 top Optimist Dinghy sailors from all over North America flocked to Bermuda to compete in the 2018 Open and National Optimist Championship at Sandy’s Boat Club.

Everyday there was a variety of different conditions, ending in a beautiful day for sailing with winds blowing 20 knots from the northeast and huge waves.

The Key Biscayne Yacht Club was represented by Dylan Balunas, Tyler Bergendahl, Harvey Demovick, Kevin Gosselin, Teddy Martin, Tommy McCormick, and Umi Noritake coached by Juan Carlos Romero, North Sails Head Optimist Coach.

McCormick sails with the North Sails MZX5, a cross-cut sail.

“The MZX5 is perfect for me. It is a very deep sail, allowing me to keep up with smaller sailors. I can put the bow down and keep my boat moving fast.”

Anna Vasilieva, a lifelong North Sails racer, used the North R-2 Radial sail for this event. This radial-cut sail is more rigid than most other sails, requiring the sailor to actively trim the sail through the race. Shallower than the MZX5, the R-2 offers less power, but allows the sailor to point much higher.

“I think R stands for radiant, because this sail makes me shine”, said Vasilieva.

Juan Carlos Romero has been the North Sails Optimist Head Coach since 2007, and has assisted in the development of North’s Optimist sails, as well as many hands-on clinics and educational programs in which sailors can learn how sails work, helping them choose a sail that maximizes their potential as a sailor. In 2017, Romero held the North U Leading Edge Optimist Clinic to the Key Biscayne Yacht Club. This December 21-23, KBYC will host the North U End-Of-Year Racing Clinic for both Optimist and Laser sailors in preparation for the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta.

Learn more about North’s fast Optimist designs.

Tommy McCormick is a first-year student at MAST Academy and has been sailing Optimists year-round since he moved to Key Biscayne in 2012.