Latest News

Message for Astra
The Little Optimist staff write messages of love, encouragement, hope and inspiration in books for

Sailors, Surfers & Smiles at The 9Miles Project!
This past Saturday was one for the books, a magical collision of surf, sail, and

Riding the Easter Winds – Amir’s ILCA 6 Nationals Journey
“Over the Easter weekend, from the 17th to the 22nd of April, I had the

Western Cape Championship – A Journey to Remember
Amir Yaghya, captain of the 420 fleet, had the privilege of competing in the Western Cape Championship alongside his sailing partner, Renton Geduld. This regatta was especially meaningful to them as it marked the final event they sailed together as a team.

Easter Drive – more deliveries
We have had more deliveries from Moving Tactics, Ullman Sails as well as Darios in

Easter treats
Grade R children from Hout Bay Educare and Wavecrest creche were treated to a sweet

Easter arrived early
The Little Optimist Academy team had a heartwarming visit to the New Somerset Hospital, where

The Waterfront Canal Swim
The Waterfront Canal Swim was a beautiful mix of courage, joy, and unforgettable memories. One

School Holiday Multi Day Sailing
During the April school holidays, The Little Optimist Sailing Academy hosted an extraordinary 5-day Multi-day

The Little Optimist visits Visa Nova Primary School
The Little Optimist Trust was thrilled to attend the grand opening of Vista Nova Primary

Going for Gold
This February, something truly remarkable unfolded. The Ocean Pledge, Roxy Davis Foundation, and The Little

Broadening Horizons with 9 Miles
On 3 March we began our Train the trainer with @9milesproject at the #thelittleoptimistsailingacademy. We explored ways to use sailing as a means to teach life lessons and promote growth mindset thinking and living.

Research Paper: Sailing Beyond Adversity
This research paper investigates the effectiveness of The Little Optimist’s (NGO) sailing therapy.

Little Optimist Sailing Academy Named A 2025 Laureate By International Olympic Committee
The Little Optimist Sailing Academy, based in the Waterfront’s Canal District, is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to empowering special-needs children and at-risk youth through sailing.

Finance in Common 2025
It has been a very busy week for the Little Optimist and we are so honoured and proud of our journey and the recognition and reward we are receiving.

French Ambassador for Sport
Today, just one day after our visit from the IOC & Advancing Olympism delegates, we were honoured to be visited by the French Ambassador for Sport, Samuel du Croquet, from the French Embassy.

International Olympic Committee Visit
Corale and Rebecca from Olympism 365 and the International Olympic Committee flew in from Senegal and Switzerland to visit our Sailing Therapy Academy and programme.

Sailing into Smiles: A Day on the Water with Our Young Friends
Today was an unforgettable day at our sailing academy as we welcomed a group of enthusiastic kids from Sentinel Oceans Alliance for a fun-filled sailing experience.

Going for GOLD
Our first multi-day program for our Broadening Horizons 2025 Project, The Going For Gold Programme in collaboration with Roxy Foundation and Ocean Pledge has commenced.

Sentinel Ocean Alliance Inspiration Talk
Our founder was invited to speak to the kids starting a new programme at Sentinel Ocean on 7 February.

Read Aloud Day 2025 at the Heidveld Baptist Church crèche
On 31 January, Dawnay and Aneeqah, The Little Optimist Sailing Academy staff, visited the Heidveld Baptist church creche.

Read Aloud Day 2025 at Kommetjie Primary
On World Read Aloud Day, Greg visited the Kommetjie Library.

boot Düsseldorf 2025, Germany (18–26 January 2025)
Our founder, Greg Bertish, was invited to be a guest speaker at boot Düsseldorf, the biggest marine/boat show in the world.
