Placement in Racing Classes is at the discretion of the ACMYC Program Director; please contact Lizzie Cochran at lcochran2126@gmail.com with placement questions. 
 
Intro to Race Classes 

Intro classes will be capped at 15 sailors. Please read the following descriptions carefully. 

Intro to Opti Race (Green Fleet): This class will introduce sailors to Opti racing and will attend green fleet (beginner) regattas.  The goal of the class is to have fun learning racing concepts to prepare sailors for the Championship fleet.

Opti Race (Championship): This class will focus on advanced racing concepts to prepare sailors for competition in the championship fleet. Concepts include reading puffs, playing wind shifts, and managing risk in large fleets. 

This is an advanced racing class for sailors who have surpassed Green Fleet level, usually having at least one full season of regatta racing.  Regatta participation is expected. Placement will be confirmed by the coaches after sign-ups have closed. 

Intro to 420 Race: This class is for sailors who have completed Opti Race or have the necessary equivalent experience as determined by the race coaches to advance to 420 sailing. This class is focused on teaching sailors to be comfortable sailing and rigging a 420.  It will cover basic racing concepts and will introduce sailors to spinnakers.  Sailors in this class will not attend regattas, but may engage in some mock races in class.

420 Race 

Important Notes:

• 420 Race will be capped at 30 sailors. 
• Registration is not a guarantee of placement into 420 Race. Sailors may be referred to Intro to 420 or the Junior Sailing Program as appropriate if requisite sailing skills are still developing or there is a noted lack of interest in racing. You will be contacted with any recommended changes to registrations. 
• While every effort will be made for sailors to attend regattas at the sailors’ skill level, ultimately attendance at regattas will be determined by the coaches, and factors including skill, interest, attitude, sportsmanship, attendance, and overall needs of the team will be considered.
• Sailors will be polled regarding interest and availability at the beginning of the season. Sailors participating in 420 Race are expected to want to participate in racing and regattas!
• 420 Race will also incorporate team racing regularly. 

420 Race: This class will emphasize the development of a fun and cohesive team environment while developing advanced racing skills. Each sailor will be expected to both skipper and crew to gain an understanding of boat speed from both perspectives.

Sailors will work on trapezes, spinnakers, controlling boat speed, and learn about the physics of sailing 420s (sail tensions, apparent wind, and land effects), and learn about how to manage risk and start well in large fleets of sailboats. More advanced sailors will travel to several regattas and team race; developing sailors will primarily team race, but may attend regattas as well.