The
“Teeny” is ideal for sailors at the age of 8 to
15 years, but in fact its name originates from its length, which is ten
feet or
3.15 meters.Why
has the
Teeny been constructed?
In 1986 the German Sailor association together with expert
Günther Ahlers
did a survey on the requirements and demands of all associations, which
resulted in the construction of a dinghy boat, meeting almost all existing expectations.
The result is the
Teeny, a
convincing
alternative to the one hand dinghy “Optimist”, just made
for two. The teeny
combines all the different expectations and demands of the sailors. Due
to the
technical details such as spinnaker and trapeze, it offers most
comfortable
options for learning to sail. Step by step the student is introduced to
the
technique of two hand sailing. Amongst other advantages,
“Teeny” means having
fun by sailing, it motivates the kids as they learn. Compared to
sailing the
Optimist
the Teeny is more sporting and competitive. You
will
experience this at a Regatta: while Optimists are still on
their way
fulfilling the Delta, the Teeny will have already finished its Olympic
course.
Moreover the Teeny- fields are still growing in popularity. Nowadays
starter
fields of about 25 to 35 Boats aren’t rare anymore. Indeed, one
of the biggest
advantages Teeny sailing offers is sailing in a team. Training is done
stepwise, which means you have two positions, which can be rotated
depending on
your level of experience: Cox and jib sheet. For beginners it’s
easy to start learning how
to handle the
jib sheet. Kids don’t loose interest as fast as usual. Moreover
the Teeny is
the ideal preparation for upgrading to higher sailing classes later on.
In recent years successes of former teeny crews in the 420 dinghy class
have
become more and more usual, e.g. becoming national champion during the
year of
changing from Teeny to 420 dinghy classes.
This
trapeze young beginners two hand
dinghy has been constructed as a
standard class boat .Its dockyard Ziegelmayer is a manufacturer who has
proven
its competence already in producing the Olympic class 470 and the successful 420er dinghies. The joy of sailing
Teeny is not as expensive, as many parents may fear:
Including everything, even the canvas, it costs 3600€, which makes
it extremely
interesting for youth work in associations, since this is the price
range of
Opti regatta dinghies. Used dinghies are even less expensive and can be
bought from 1000 up to 1300 €.
Due to the fact that Teeny is a standard class dinghy they
are still useful for regattas.
Meanwhile the teeny class is established as championship class for the youngest. Within the regional association teeny classes are very active competing in regattas. Reference persons are the regional representatives. By the way: the teeny class is represented via Internet (E-Mail and homepages) since 1997. Therefore they are belonging to the frontrunners of class unions communicating via Internet always on the top, as in real life! So don’t hesitate, just contact us!
Outlook:
The teeny class becomes more and more popular: Switzerland, Austria,
Poland,
Czech Republic and Holland are interested as well, so it might become
an
international class in the very near future!