Optimists at Plas Heli

Lunch break for Team GB

Optimists are a class of boat raced by children up to the age of 15; every Olympiad will have raced an optimist. On the beach they look like bathtubs, about 8’ by 4’ with a blunt prow, but on the water they turn on a sixpence.

On 18^th July 260 young sailors from 37 countries will blow into Pwllheli for the European Optimists Championship. Cardigan Bay, with its weak tidal streams and stable winds, has long been rated one of the top sailing venues in the world.

July also sees the opening of the Welsh National Sailing Academy, which will put Pwllheli on a par with Weymouth but with better mountains in the background. The new events centre has cost £8.3m and is nearing completion; a circular design with a huge exhibition space and an entrance tall enough to wheel in a large yacht with its mast aloft. Perfect for hosting a boat show. The upstairs restaurant also provides a great view across the sea towards Cadair Idris and beyond.

The centre is called Plas Heli and will be a welcome watering hole for walkers on this section of the Wales Coast Path. 

Plas Heli clad in Damplon plastic and Trefor stone