Optimist of the Month

Stefan Falcon (Team Manager)

“I stepped in this role quite late in the programme due to the fact that the previously appointed manager contracted Covid and had to step down. The Team Manager position is typically a parental role, and because my daughter was competing in the event it was decided that I should take over . . . ” Read More

Mark Sadler (Team Coach)

“At the end of the day, we did a good job of representing SA Sailing and SA Optimist sailing. We got respectable results, we acted well as a team, and we all wore our SA uniform with pride throughout the regatta. It was an experience that no one will forget and will be a stepping stone in each one of these sailors sailing careers, for sure . . . “ Read More

Nicola Sadler (RSA 3207)

Elisa Falcon (RSA 1431)

“We had flown into Milano three days earlier and drove to the venue in a rental car. When we rented the car, we didn’t realise that there wasn’t enough space to fit all the sail tubes and be comfortable for the drive. So, we came up with the plan was to squash Theo in the back with all the bags. Then as soon as the coast was clear, we stopped at a petrol station, (or as the Italians call it: Autogrill) and took some pool noodles that we had and put them on the roof of the car. Let remind you, there was no roofrack. Anyways we tied the tubes to the roof and Theo and the rest of us were comfy again . . . ” Read More

Theo Scheder-Bieschen (RSA 1407)

The 2021 Optimist World Championship was an amazing experience involved, the event which was held in Riva del Garda in Italy was executed almost perfectly to accommodate the sailors and everyone involved. As soon as we arrived in Riva our team was blown away by the beauty and expansiveness of the lake itself, we were all very excited to be there. The sailing itself was a lot of fun and we even made into the team racing and managed to beat the German team which is a great accomplishment, I’m sure everyone that was there had the time of their lives and none of us will ever forget it.

Sean Kavanagh (RSA 1439)