Red, White & Blue

Optimist RWB Fleets are age group fleets that Green Fleet sailors graduate to after proving proficiency at sailing and racing. The RWB Fleets are solely driven by the sailor’s age as follows:

White Fleet is for skippers who are 10 years old.
Blue fleet is for skippers who are 11 or 12 years old.
Red fleet is for skippers who are 13, 14 or 15 years old.

Sailors receive world class racing instruction from top coaches in small groups and are supported with coaches and motorboats at designated regattas. The program emphasizes focus, personal responsibility and the principles of Corinthian yachting excellence. CRYC team racers are renowned for being among the best prepared and highest achieving young sailors in the nation. These skills are highly valued at private high schools with sailing programs and the best Northeastern Colleges and Universities.
 

Coaches

The CRYC RWB Fleet Program has some of the highest caliber, highly experienced, and winningest coaches that Biscayne Bay and the sport have to offer.
 

Omari Scott

Opti RWB Program, Head Coach

Coach Omari Scott is from the tiny island of Antigua. He earned a Sports Management degree from Hampton University in 2008, where he was the leader and captain of the sailing team for four years. Omari arrived at Coral Reef Yacht Club (CRYC) in 2013 after serving as the National Sailing Team Coach for Antigua, St. Lucia and the British Virgin Islands. Omari currently serves as the Head Optimist Coach at CRYC and coach of the US National Optimist Team. Over the past 12 years, Omari has coached and competed in numerous regional and international regattas and clinics. Such regattas include, but are not limited to; St. Thomas International Optimist Regatta, Orange Bowl Regatta, Flanders Regatta in Belgium, Trofeo de Palamos in Spain, US Optimist Team Trial, US Optimist Nationals Championships, Schoelcher International Regatta in Martinique, IODA North Americans Championships etc. With his aggressive coaching style Coach Omari has developed many top sailors. Recent results include the Bronze medal at the 2016 South American Championships, Gold and Bronze medals at the 2016 North American Championships, winning two US National Championships - 2014 and most recently 2016, Silver medal at US Team Race Nationals and Gold medal at 2016 New England Championships. Omari believes that sailors race the way they train and with that in mind, maintains a high level of intensity at each practice.

Valentina Serigos

Opti RWB Program, Coach

Valentina Serigos is an agricultural engineer with extensive experience in both small boats and keelboats, and specialized on high-performance sailing data analysis using tools like SailNjord and Sail Cloud. She represented Argentina at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (6th place, Bic Techno 293) and competed in multiple ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships with top finishes. Valentina began her sailing career in the Optimist class, later competing in the 29er class as a helm, and excelling in windsurfing with numerous podium finishes in South American and international championships. In keelboat racing, she has participated in prestigious events such as the Rolex South Atlantic Circuit (1st place, Classic Boats Week), Bacardi Invitational Cup, and has been a crew member in IC37, J70, Melges24, Etchells, and 12 Meter classes. 

Valentina is certified as Small Boat Level 1 Instructor (US Sailing) and Kitesurf Instructor (International Kitesurfing Organization). Combining her technical background in engineering with her passion for sailing, Valentina brings a unique and multifaceted perspective to CRYC.

Ian "Kiwi" Andrews

Opti RWB Program, Coach

Coral Reef Yacht Club is thrilled to welcome Ian “Kiwi” Andrewes as our new Optimist Coach! A highly accomplished sailor and coach, Ian brings a wealth of top-tier competitive experience and a proven track record of guiding sailors from their first races to the Olympic stage.
Ian was a founding member and team manager of the American Youth Sailing Force, competing in the prestigious Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. His racing career spans high-performance foiling and grand prix sailing, giving him invaluable firsthand knowledge of what it takes to compete at the highest levels.
As a coach, Ian has worked at the pinnacle of the sport, leading athletes from both the Canadian and Belgian Olympic Sailing Teams through the Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At the same time, he has remained deeply committed to developing young sailors—helping them build strong technical foundations, sharpen their tactical awareness, and foster a lifelong passion for the sport.
Ian thrives on coaching sailors at every stage, whether he’s introducing Optimist sailors to the fundamentals or refining an Olympian’s race strategy. With his energy, experience, and competitive mindset, he ensures that sailors not only improve but also find the sport fun and rewarding.
We’re excited to have Ian on board at CRYC and look forward to the impact he’ll make on our sailing program!
 

Practice

During the Fall and Spring racing seasons, the RWB Fleet meets at CRYC to practice three times per week - once during the week and twice over the weekend. For the current racing season, practice is held, weather permitting, based on the following schedule:
 
Saturday and Sunday from 10:30am to 3:30pm
Wednesday from 4:00pm to 6:00pm 

Private coaching is also available for non-practice days and can be scheduled directly with the CRYC coaches. On weekends that our sailors are participating in a regatta, our coaches will determine if practice will be held and will communicate this to the team in advance. See our guide for Practice Details  for more information.

 

Regattas

During the Fall and Spring racing seasons, the RWB Fleet may attend one or more local or regional regatta per month - primarily within a one to three hour drive from CRYC. You may opt-out of attending a regatta if your sailor has already qualified for a national team or international regatta. 

 

Communications

If you are already a RWB Fleet sailor or family member, you can request access to our dedicated and active TeamSnap account that we use to communicate information about practices, regattas, and other events. Contact [email protected] to request access or if you already have an account you can login to TeamSnap here .
 

How to Sign Up

Please contact Waterfront Director Stuart deLisser at [email protected] to inquire about registering for the Opti RWB program.