"Bull Session"
News and comments for the El Toro Class
August 2007 #202
www.eltoroyra.org
"Why can't we all just get along" There are differences in life, boats and religion,
SO!
This is a long compiling of some of the discussions about Opti vs. El Toro, lots to
read.
SCUTTLEBUTT 2414 - August 20, 2007 (www.sailingscuttlebutt.com)
* From Sue Bailey: I always thought how nice it was that the Optimist did
not get established out west. There are plenty of talented juniors on the
left coast, and the need to travel east at that age seemed hard to justify.
Fortunately, the El Toro and Naples Sabot managed the situation nicely, as
their non-existence east of Interstate 5 kept the kids at home. Well, now
the Opti has found its way to San Francisco, and also into the Los Angeles
area, it would seem that the temptation will only get stronger to move the
So Cal kids to the Opti too. While the So Cal kids have proven that they are
highly talented, and that their sabot scene easily overcomes the "Evolve or
Die" concern, how long will it be before the Opti squeezes out this class
too?
* From Arnulf Nilsen: I was amazed to see the pictures from the 2007 El Toro
North Americans. Not because they are featured on Scuttlebutt but because
they highlighted in vivid fashion how kids have changed. The boat designed
in the 30's to be a tender and a trainer is now officially only for big
kids. The El Toro being one of the main stays of junior sailing on the west
coast (SF Bay) for many years has now been overrun by the Big Kids. Come on
Dad, let junior have a chance.
Curmudgeon's Comment: Both the El Toro and Naples Sabot classes out west
have very active senior events, and it just so happens that the photos we
received were from the adult championship.
Scuttlebutt August 21,
* From Buzz Blackett: The "Evolve or Die" blog in Issue 2413 raised
interesting questions about El Toros and Optis and the junior programs
supporting them. As an El Toro instructor, I have seen younger kids anxious
about sailing El Toros become enthusiastic and confident in smaller, stabler
Optis. And I know of several El Toro kids who moved to a professionally
coached Opti program. They became a team, had fun, and gained great
experience before graduating to bigger boats.
But I support junior El Toro sailing for several reasons. First, El Toros
provide room for average adults to sail comfortably and similar performance
across a wide weight range. This allows parents to sail side-by-side with
their kids (a wonderful experience) and coaches to provide do-what-I-do
instruction. Kids race, and sometimes excel, in adult El Toro fleets,
greatly increasing their learning curve. Second, El Toros provide a smoother
transition to bigger boats. Kids are competitive in El Toros until they're
big enough to move into performance dinghies. Similarly, the Marconi rig in
El Toros and their relative instability provide better training for other
boats. Finally, I believe in the family traditions of El Toro programs, with
parents providing coaching and other support.
El Toro programs face challenges, including maintaining streams of
volunteers with skills and time, attracting kids from non-sailing families,
and jump-starting production of affordable boats. But Opti and El Toro
programs should be able to co-exist peacefully, because each offers
something special for our kids.
* From Tom Coleman: (RE 2416 letter from Paul Tara about the story 'Evolve
or Die' in Issue 2413) I loved Paul Tara's letter about sailing El Toros
with his son. No doubt generations of Sabot and El Toro sailors have similar
stories to share. Some of my fondest memories are of sailing with my son on
Lasers and Sunfish. I do know for a fact though, the bulk of his (my son's)
fondest memories would be about his years racing the Optimist with all his
childhood friends. Yes, he had coaches (wonderful role models and warm human
beings). Yes, he traveled throughout the US as part of the Chesapeake Bay
Opti Team and then as a member of the Opti National Team. I count those
years and experiences as key to his being the fine young man he is today. I
point this out not to take anything away from Paul and the wonderful
experiences of parents and grandparents who have enjoyed sailing on
different levels, in different boats and in other regions, but rather to
celebrate the diversity sailing offers us all. Paul's letter helps me to
understand some of the resistance of the West Coast to receiving the Opti.
The Optimist has been and is a huge part of my life and I believe it can,
should, and will be able to co-exist with the Sabot and El Toro classes.

From Chris Boome: (regarding letter in Issue 2416) You got it exactly
right Paul! I remember year's ago sailing with my young son Casey on the
Saturday before the Richmond Yacht Club Jr. program. We sailed two El
Toros
"all the way" to Marina Bay Yacht Harbor, found a deli, and got lunch, then
he smoked me on the way back to Richmond...that was great. I was
smiling
from ear to ear and so was he.
Casey has not turned into the rock star sailor that Patrick Tara has become
(probably bad parenting), but at age 24, he has moved back to San Francisco
after college and has asked me to help him get into sailing more. We are
starting off with Friday night beer can races on a J/105, and while it is
different than our El Toro experience years ago (no beer in the El Toro), I
can't help but think the seed was well-planted back then.
Hi Gordy,
With great interest did I read the article "Evolve or Die" from Scuttlebutt. As a
long-time member of the El Toro Class, with fond memories from 1970 up to
recently, I like to respond to your question "What do you think?"
I do not believe that the steady advancement of the Opti in the Bay Area is the
result of the fact that the vitriolic Opti has paid sales persons who push the Opti
philosophy and has parents who are willing to pay lots of money to support the
Opti coaches and staff. To the contrary. Its worldwide success is the result of its
international, national and local organizations, its fairly reasonable cost and the
opportunity to sail in fleets of the kids' own skills. Paid coaches only appear in the
picture when kids show extraordinary talent to start sailing in more advanced
competition. These coaches are frequently being paid for through fundraising,
national organizations and hard work by parents. On the club levels most of the
coaching is done by volunteers, in a similar way as the "Junior Program" at
Richmond Yacht Club.
You may ask me: "How do you know this?" I happen to be the proud grandfather
of a young Opti sailor who finished third overall and first girl in the recent 2007
Opti Worlds in Sardinia, Italy. I had the opportunity to observe some of her
training and hard work by the parents to get her on the podium half-way around
the world.
I also do not believe that "the world treats the El Toro poorly". Yes, the El
Toro has indeed evolved into a sophisticated and highly tuned one design class.
Unfortunately,.I believe that starting with the introduction of the carbon fiber
masts years ago we, the El Toro sailors, have treated the class poorly. Over the
years we have made it too sophisticated and expensive. As a result many El
Toros became non-competitive and could not be replaced as a result of budget
reasons. We did away with the intend of our class founders.
I sincerely hope that I do not offend anybody with my comments. This is by no
means my intend. I still plan to hang on to my El Toro and periodically appear on
the starting line.
Aad Rommelse
El Toro 11453