Welcome to 2008 and another season of Oppy sailing. First off, a big thankyou to both Matthew Hickson and Colin Mark who ran the Oppies in 2007. It's by no means an easy job and it wouldn't happen at all unless volunteers like Matt and Colin are prepared to shoulder the responsibility.

Such is the popularity of Oppies, that in 2007 we were overwhelmed with enthusiastic sailors, many of who were in hindsight, possibly a little too young. Forty five applied, and this is far more than our resources can cope with. We only have 15 hulls! So this year we are ideally looking for a core group of 20-25 sailors and as a benchmark we are looking for children who are capable of righting a capsized oppy in conditions of wind force 2/3 and are committed to learning how to sail. Therefore, as a guideline, we are raising the minimum age to 8 years. Exceptions can be made, but please don't apply if you know that your child can't satisfy these requirements!

It must also be stressed, that Oppies is NOT a recognised RYA course. It is an MYC facility for
introducing children and grandchildren of club members to sailing and is run by club volunteers.
And as Oppies is a voluntary activity, ALL adults and children are expected to help.

This year, the course will be far more structured, with the intention of having ALL students sailing
as a fleet before the Mutiny weekend and hopefully entering the fleet for some inter club regattas towards the end of the season.

If you've got this far, then Oppies may well be for you. Have a look through the rest of the site and if you satisfy the requirements, download an application form and send it to me ASAP.

Here's to a great season!

Nick Stewart - Oppy Class Captain 2008
19.02.08