Our young PNW sailing hero Dieter Creitz is spending 22 hours traveling to Algerobbo Chile today, along with his parents (and amazing support crew) Nate and Wanda. Creitz is one of 15 US sailors competing in the South American Championships.
Ponder this: Creitz just came back from a National Team training session in LA where they spent four days refining Opti techniques. To say he’s fraying the sheets at two ends is an understatement. The night before last he had a 103-degree fever plus vomiting. Nonetheless, he’s “VERY excited” to be going and after a few days training at the regatta site he should be ready to go.
For those who judge the boxy, underpowered and distinctly old school Opti as somehow “hurting” sailing, I’ll just say that there are 170 kids racing in this event from all over the world. They have support from parents, coaches and national authorities, and some (like Dieter) bring along their own gear (less hull) to get every last 100th of a knot out of the boat. They are as competitive as any adult, yet there are lifelong friendships and memories being made along the way.
As Craig Leweck said in yesterday’s Scuttlebutt newsletter, it’s not about the boat. He wrote, “I do tire of hearing people compare boats and then using that as a basis for judging what is the better one design class. To me that is short-sighted chest-pounding. The purpose of a one design class is to bring together like-minded people to enjoy camaraderie and competition in a boat they enjoy and feel competent sailing. When everyone is doing the same thing for the same reason, the beer tastes better at the end of the day.” Leweck was commenting about the Laser, but I submit that it applies to the Opti as well, as long as you supplant “beer” with “juice.”
I’ll be following Dieter as he takes on the South Americans. Knowing Dieter, his attitude will ensure a good finish and, more importantly, a fun time with some new friends. In Chile! If you want to check in on the regatta for yourself, here’s the site.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.