This Week

— If your child was in a Starter Sailor (SS) class last year - they may well be ready to move up to Opti Basic classes (OB). The time spent on the Rhodes 19s last year introduced them to the basics of sailing and gave them the fundamental feeling of being aboard a boat. With "Opti Basic/Refresher" they will be given the opportunity to pilot an Optimist (Opti) pram, under supervision of our instructors, through the waters adjacent to the Edgewood Yacht Club.

— If your child was in an Opti Basics class last year, you may want to consider the Opti Basic/Refresher (OB) classes this year also. We had a great group of kids in the Opti Basic classes last year. Those kids will be well suited to repeat Opti Basic again, and some of them have already signed up for periods as long as four weeks! We will be able to split the classes by ability on the water, so there should be no worries if your child has never sailed in an Opti before or if your child is on his or her way to Opti mastery.

— If your child was in Opti Intermediate last year (OI), we recommend that your child repeat that Opti Intermediate/Refresher (OI) class, as well. The instruction level will move up with the groups ability commensurately.

— On July 11th we will be hosting an Optimist Regatta at the Edgewood Yacht Club in conjunction with the NBYA (Narragansett Bay Yachting Association). Last year, this regatta included over 100 participants attending from all over the region in a range of age groups and abilities. We had a strong showing of 13 sailors from Edgewood, and for all of them it was their first regatta ever!

— On July 10th there will be a special Opti regatta trial-run for the novice "green" fleet, to get ready for the July 11th races, with a dinner that evening for all Opti sailors and families, hosted by the sailing school under the yacht club tent. The Edgewood Sailing School Opti sailors (both Opti Basic and Intermediate) will also have the opportunity to participate in other area regattas through the summer of 2012. Additional fees will apply for regattas, and attendance will be completely up to the child and their parent/guardian. While there is no need to commit to any racing now, we wanted to make sure you could plan accordingly.

— You should also know that under our Rick MacNeil Scholarship fund, we have limited tuition assistance available. If your child or a child you know is interested in taking classes at the Edgewood Sailing School, but may not be able to afford full tuition, please submit a letter about them to scholarship@edgewoodsailing.org. Your letter should explain their interest in the program, describe why you feel they qualify for a scholarship, and estimate the level of scholarship award that would be needed for that child to participate. Letters of application will be reviewed by the board and selected based on interest and need. A board member will contact you if additional information is required. Applications must be submitted by June 1 in order to be eligible for consideration for the coming 2012 season.