Optimist Racing on the Chesapeake Bay

2010 is shaping up to be a great year for Optimist Sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. There are 3 major events as well as several other large local regattas scheduled to be held on the bay. This is a terrific opportunity for the Bay-area sailors to get some great competition in addition to lots of fun on their home waters.

First up is the U.S. Sailing Junior Olympic Sailing Festival for the Chesapeake Bay. This event is being held on July 9-10 at Rock Hall Yacht Club which is located on the eastern shore of Maryland just over an hour from Annapolis. Rock Hall has a great sailing facility with a large rigging yard and a short sail to their sailing area in the Chester River. The club has a swimming pool, and lots of activities planned. With this event being just 2 weekends before the fleet-race segment of the Optimist Nationals, this is a great chance to tune-up in some larger fleets on the bay.

July 16-24 is of course the 2010 Optimist Dinghy Nationals in Deltaville, Virginia hosted by Fishing Bay Yacht Club. This event will attract the top Optimist sailors from around the country, as well as some international competitors. The Optimist Nationals was last held on the Chesapeake Bay back in 2005 at Norfolk Yacht and Country Club.

In October on the 9-10th (Columbus Day Weekend), Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford, MD will be hosting the USODA Atlantic Coast Championship. This is one of the last opportunities for sailors who are not yet Team Trials eligible to qualify for this prestigious event.

Other highlights will include the Commonwealth of Virginia Championships, to be held at Hampton Yacht Club, Hampton, VA on July 3-4, as well as the Maryland State Championships to be held at Miles River Yacht Club, St. Michaels, MD on August 9th. All of the above events and many other Optimist regattas on the Chesapeake Bay can be found on the CBYRA Junior Website.