Norfolk, VA - After a year's pandemic postponement the waters of Hampton Roads were, at last, blanketed with small white sails and the intensity of the United States Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA) 2021 Optimist National Championships. Races took place from July 24th-29th.

The events were hosted by Big Blue Sailing Academy at Old Dominion University. Two events over 5 days were staged out of the Old Dominion University Sailing Center.

The US Optimist National Championship began on Monday, July 26th, with 300 competitors from around the US and 10+ other countries. Competitors sailed four days with five races planned per day and concluded on June 29th, 2021. 

The Optimist Dinghy is sailed by athletes up to 15 years old. It is eight (8) feet long with a single sail. The Opti is the largest one-person training dinghy class in the world.

The Girls National Championship was first up on Sunday, July 25, with 105 girls from around the US and neighboring countries. The girls will sail for the Girls National Championship in this one-day event in the waters off of the ODU Sailing Center. Conditions are expected to be 15 knots - 20 knots from the southwest with five (5) races scheduled for the championship.

The 2021 USODA Girls National Championship concluded on Sunday, July 25th.

Four (4) races were sailed in total, in 10-15 knots of breeze from the southwest. Racing area was in the mouth of the Lafayette River at the convergence with the Elizabeth River, directly off of the ODU Sailing Center. All starts were U Flag starts, with U Flag disqualifications in Races 3 and 4. PRO Bill Stump, along with the judge team led by Chief Judge Cliff Black, completed all races with no delays and only one (1) General Recall.

The competitors were split into four (4) fleets, orange, yellow, blue and green. For each race,
two (2) fleets were called to the starting line. This enabled competitors to sail against all the
other sailors, while still keeping the starting line to a manageable number. In total, 99 boats
sailed the event.

After four (4) races, Madeline Janzen of Lauderdale Yacht Club and Southern Yacht Club
finished first (1st) with three (3) points, dropping a 51/UFD in Race 3. Sophie De Leon Urban
from Coral Reef Yacht Club finished in second (2nd) with five (5) points, dropping a third (3)
place finish in Race 1. Taylor Mertz from Lauderdale Yacht Club finished in third (3rd), also with
five (5) points, but losing the tiebreaker to Sophie De Leon Urban.

Racing on June 28th was non-existent, as competitors postponed on the water waiting for wind. When breeze did fill in, storms chased everyone off the water again.

Thursday, June 29th, saw southwest winds from 8-12 knots, allowing the race committee with PRO Bill Stump to get three (3) races completed for all fleets.

The fleets were not separated into championship fleets after five (5) races, the race committee instead decided to get as many races as possible in while they could. In total, seven (

7) races were sailed over four (4) days.

RESULTS for the 2021 USODA National Championship

After seven (7) races, James Allgeier claimed the overall title of National Champion with 13 points, followed by Wylder Smith (18) and Casey Small (23). James was also first in Blue Fleet, Wylder Smith first in Red Fleet, and Aidan O’Gwen first in White Fleet.

Casey Small was the Top Girl, followed by Sophie De Leon Urban and Madeline Janzen. The event was made possible through the generous support of the sponsors and partners: Gourmet Gang, Cape Charles Sailing Camp, Rite in the Rain, Associates in Dermatology, Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, and the US Optimist Class.

RESULTS

Click HERE to access the complete spreadsheet of final results for both the co-ed and girls' competitions in Norfolk, VA. 

Big Blue Sailing Academy is run by Mitch Brindley, Head Coach of the Old Dominion University Sailing Team, with support from Assistant Coaches Morgan Collins and Tyler Colvin.

Big Blue Sailing Academy provides elite-level youth coaching in the Hampton Roads area, as well as an accessible avenue for local youth to get on the water and learn to sail. Brindley, Collins and Colvin have run the 2017 USODA National Championships, the 2018 College Sailing National Championships, the 2019 C420 Mid-Atlantic Championships, the 2020 ILCA Atlantic Coast Championships, the 2021 Junior Women’s Championship Mid-Atlantic Clinic June 29th-July 1st and hosted the 2021 USODA Fleet Race Championships July 24th-29th.