The South Island Optimist Clinic is an epic three-day event held every year by South Island clubs of New Zealand. This year's edition was in the beautiful Tasman Bay, Whakatu hosted by Nelson Yacht Club and NZIODA. Special thanks to our coaches: Kate Overend, David Buchanan, Sally Roff and Liv Mackay! Thanks also to OWNZ for their continuous support and Nelson Yacht Club for the epic drone footage. Enjoy the video! ? Music: A.M.T - Call Your Name (Extended Version) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

The South Island Optimist Clinic is an epic three-day event held every year by South Island clubs of New Zealand. This year's edition was in the stunning Marlborough Sounds hosted by Queen Charlotte Yacht Club and NZIODA. Special thanks to OWNZ for their generous support. Enjoy the video! ? Music: Kygo - Happy Now ft. Sandro Cavazza Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

Ever wanted to build your own personalized model optimist?? Now you can, this one is very easy to do - you'll just need some cardboard, craft glue, scissors, paper, fabric, string and pens. In this video I show you the steps to convert a piece of cardboard into an absolute masterpiece! See the attached link for your free template download https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QS13n2P6hNdAW73wYTWHC-N6u-oEqXKF/view?usp=sharing Thanks for watching!

A lee-bow is a powerful technique that helps you control boats to windward. It is an important tool if you want to force a boat to tack or prevent being rolled on the upwind. Learning how to perform a good lee-bow takes a good amount of practice and it can help you in many situations after the start. In this video I show you how to perform the lee-bow in light weather. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: exeqt & Tim Woocker - Lost in the Jungle Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

Bailing in light winds is not thought to be a normal thing. However, the advantages made during a roll tack are so great that even a risky roll tack and scooping water into your hull can sometimes be better than doing a slow tack. It is important to remember when sailing in light breeze to always make gentle movements. I hope this video helps you improve your bailing technique :) Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Monrroe - Disparate Lives Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

Due to various reasons, underlaying can happen at the windward mark. So being able to get round the mark when you are below the starboard layline is a key skill to do, if a double tack option is not available. Skinning the windward mark is a technique that you can use to help you round. In this video I show you how to do a tight windward mark rounding. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Hybrid Minds - Never Change (feat. Grimm) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

Going downwind in medium conditions is an important skill to master. You have to read gusts and waves well; using your body effectively to perform each pump with the correct rhythm and timing. In this video, I show some tips how to take advantage of waves and gusts on the run to assist you on the downwind leg of a course. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Etherwood - Revive (feat. Logistics & Eva Lazarus) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

Kiting is an important skill to master for maximizing speed for light winds on the downwind leg. Using the correct technique and balance can assist making smooth gains on the run. In this video, lets explore some basic tips that can assist your speed downwind when the wind is light. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Etherwood - Clouds (feat. Phoebe Freya) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

If you're seeking to improve your overall starting technique and getting off the start line faster, then one thing you should consider is your timing. A very important tip that I recommend during any start is setting your start watch to 59 seconds and you do this to avoid syncing. In this video I show you my strategy to get your timing done once and right for the race, so you can focus on more important stuff using a Ronstan start watch Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Hybrid Minds - Don't ever (ft. DRS) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing? Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/

The optimist class speed differences between boats are very little but having more speed can be a huge advantage, especially after a bad start. In this video, lets explore some of the basic elements in which help the optimist go just a little bit more quicker in medium breeze. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Hybrid Minds - Phoenix (ft. Alexa Harley) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing? Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

In our first of Exploring NZL series, let me take you on a journey to Oriental Bay, Wellington, New Zealand and experience Elliot 6 sailing up close. Here, I give a run down of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club and the RPNYC youth scheme, of footage taken from this year's 2021 Centreport International Youth Match Racing Championships. The club itself is a premiere sailing facility for keelboat and offshore racing with windy conditions: the best in the Wellington region. **Check out the club at: https://rpnyc.org.nz/ ** **Check out youth scheme at: https://youthyachtingscheme.org.nz/ **

Accelerating well off the start line is critical if you want more options during a race. It is a technique that involves being aggressive and takes time to get the timing perfect! In this video I show you how to gain speed off the start line for light wind conditions Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Jome - Cinnamon (Hybrid Minds Remix) Amplified sailing on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing Amplified Sailing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

A roll gybe is a technique that is good for light air conditions. There are some times that the boom refuses to cross to the other side, so you can use this to help it get across. In this video I show how to roll gybe when the breeze is very light. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Hybrid Minds - Solitude (ft. Alexa Harley) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

Kiting is a technique to used on the downwind leg and is easy to do. Some sailors like to hold the centreboard but I don't recommend it because it shakes the boat too frequently. In this video I break-down some tips on how you can achieve a consistent kite. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Wayr - Silence (Eminus Remix) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

Feathering is a technique used to sail upwind. It involves using the heel of the boat to maintain its balance. So during windy conditions, lighter sailors (with weight range less than 40kg) can use the leeward heel to point up in the gusts. In this video, I show you how to sail upwind for the little guys 'n' gals out there in the breeze! Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Indiana - Mess Around (Etherwood Remix) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

Surfing wake from your coach boat is something you can't do in races but you can do in training. It is a great way to learn how to go fast on reaches when you have 20 knots with consistent breeze and big chop. This can be done on both the windward side and the leeward side of any coach boat. In this video I show how you can surf wake in breeze and get some insane speed! Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Roos Denayer - The Style of Evermore (Blue Marble Remix) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_?

Tacking in strong wind is a fast-paced manouvre. It is recommended to keep the roll to a minimum to avoid filling your boat with water. During the cross, go straight to the hiking straps and hike out in order to keep the boat flat on the new side. In this video, I break down how to tack in 20kts breeze without losing any speed. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Mr FijiWiji - Yours Truly (Vacant Remix) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

The Dip is an alternative manouvre to tacking and there are times when you just need to go for clear air so doing it can be beneficial. A lot of sailors forget to ease their sails which is incredibly slow. A dip can be very similar to any mark rounding manouvre where you have to ease and trim in the mainsheet while turning. In this video I show you how to do so. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Pogo - No Worries (Hybrid Minds Remix) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

The Windward Mark Rounding is another manouvre that involves co-ordination of the 3 controls: the body, the mainsheet and the rudder. Normally when sailing the optimist course, we don't bear away and sail straight downwind, instead we reach to the Wing Mark. In this video, I show you how to bear away downwind sailing around the top mark in most typically a Windward/Leeward course, I hope this video helps you gain a few inches when rounding. Suggestions? Put them down below in the comments! Good Winds! ? Music: Arctic Lake - Heal Me (Spectrasoul Remix) Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_

Pumping (trimming and easing on waves) is a technique used downwind. The racing rules of sailing allows us to perform one pump per wave, so being able to pump well and correctly is an important skill as you can make many small gains per wave on the downwind leg of a course. To master it, you need to be able to read the waves like a book. ? Music: Hybrid Minds - Lost Amplified sailing on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ampsailing/ Amplified Sailing on Twitter https://twitter.com/ampsailing_