Is Your Sailor Ready for Green Fleet?
The Optimist Green Fleet is the next step after Learn to Sail — where sailors handle the boat on their own and begin racing. Before joining, a sailor should be comfortable with the skills listed below.
We ask families to use this list as a self-assessment. Go through it together with your sailor and get an honest sense of where they are. If you have questions, or if you'd like us to arrange an on-the-water assessment, please reach out to Andreas Kesting at juniordirector@scyc.org — we're always happy to help you find the right fit.
Water safety
- Comfortable swimming, and can capsize and right the boat unassisted
- Can stop the boat using the safety position
- Confident sailing outside the harbor in winds up to 10 knots
- Familiar with towing
Rigging & equipment
- Rigs and derigs the Optimist independently, in under 20 minutes
- Treats the equipment with care
- Uses the tiller extension
Knots
- Figure-eight
- Bowline
- Square knot
- Cleat hitch
Sailing knowledge
- Knows basic boat terminology
- Can tell where the wind is coming from
- Knows and follows the right-of-way rules
Boat handling
- Sails upwind with the sail trimmed in
- Sails on a beam reach, broad reach, and run
- Tacks, using the tiller-hand exchange
- Gybes
- Trims the sail with both hands
- Gets the boat out of irons
- Demonstrates good docking
- Can sail toward the harbor entrance (tacking)
Please note
These skills are what make Green Fleet safe and enjoyable. A sailor who isn't yet comfortable with them will struggle to keep up and get less out of the class — and Green Fleet sails in conditions where that matters. For this reason, sailors who haven't reached this level won't be able to take part, and we reserve the right to move a sailor into a Learn to Sail group if it's the better fit.
This isn't a setback — it's how sailors build toward Green Fleet the right way, at a pace that keeps them safe and having fun. If you're unsure where your sailor stands, just ask; we're glad to talk it through.