My Sailing Experience As A Waioda Optimist Sailor

My sailing experience with WAIODA and just sailing in general has been amazing! I really fell in love with the sport after just a few days of green fleet. I then moved up to intermediate, and it has all changed from there. I have had big regattas long camps and dedicated Saturdays and that is only what it is like for me! My Dad volunteers and I cannot thank him enough! It is the best feeling having him on either a support boat or the start boat when I am about to start a race.

Sailing has changed my life. And it has also helped with other sports at school, like rowing for example, it was extremely hard to keep the boat upright for other people in the very first lesson, but I could do it easily because of sailing.

For me sailing is the best way to relieve stress and frustration. And when you get race, you get the biggest rush of adrenaline you will probably ever feel. And when you win races, you feel like you’re on top of the world! But the best feeling is when the wind gets so strong that you have to hike out as hard as you can just to keep the boat flat so you can go faster. The optimist dinghy is the literal best dinghy you can sail as a 7 – 15 year old kid. It is actually the most popular dinghy for that age group.

When I did my learn to sail course at Fremantle Sailing Club with my sister, I could not stop talking about sailing I went home and watched so many sailing videos and came back with so many stories. If you are thinking of starting sailing, go for it!

By Hector Campbell-Sloan

Lihir II

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