Scottish Optimists - the home of Optimist
Sailing in Scotland
How to buy an Oppie, and What does an Oppie cost?
A straight-out-of the-poly-bag top-spec racing Oppie will set you back over £2000.
Gulp!
For nine feet of boat that seems rather a lot. BUT second hand boats come in at a lot less.
There are presently 18 for sale on the IOCA web site, ranging from £300 to £1800.
You can obtain a perfectly serviceable wooden racing Oppie (and that's fine for a novice racer)
for £350 - a CCC parent has just purchased an immaculate 2 year old fibreglass boat for £1200.
Depreciation is slow, especially after the first year,
and boats/drysuits/kit in general can be re-cycled to younger siblings/new Oppie sailors.
The second hand market seems buoyant at the moment with boats available.
This is not always the case so now is a good time to buy.
What kit is required to sail an Oppie in a Scottish winter?
Unavoidably, a drysuit.
Brand new these come in at about £200. Again however you can pick them up second hand,
and they can also be lent, borrowed or stolen (if you are so inclined).
Check the IOCA For Sale site, or email the usual suspects for advice.
Gloves, boots, hat also essential but obtainable without too much expense.
For winter sailing gloves and/or balaclavas should be neoprene.
(Main problem is to avoid all of these items being lost in dinghy parks and
changing rooms - every Oppie parent buys an indelible marker at some point, but never soon enough!).
Popular brands include Rooster and Trident.
Summer Kit
$64,000 question! And the answer ... (drum roll, maestro, please): it depends!
Scotland (and Wales, and England) can be cold at any time of year. The West Coast
is usually warmer than the East Coast (does anybody remember the Gulf Stream from those
oh so boring Geography lessons?). You will see the experienced sailors wearing Roosters
in various flavours throughout the year: if you are working HARD you'll get away with it.
Again, a dry suit may be advantageous. Some form of wet suit is the minimum. The safety
crews at any event reserve the right to refuse permission to launch to anybody that is
not appropriately dressed.
Safety
Something that is taken very seriously - all the time. An appropriate number of
RIBs (or other suitable craft) are always on hand, manned by experienced crew at every
recognised training or racing event. Novice safety crew are accomodated - everybody learns somewhere -
at the discretion of the safety crew at the event. As a minimum, some knowledge of dinghies helps,
and RYA Power Boat II certification for drivers.
Repairs and Maintenance
Boats get damaged - particularly when the sailor is inexperienced. Luckily, most
damage is easily repaired, and it doesn't really matter whether it is a wooden boat or a
GRP boat.
