Optimist Class Captain – Pete Spedding
The Optimist dinghy is a safe and stable boat designed for children to learn to sail. It is 7′ 6″ by 3′ 8″, flat-bottomed, hard-chined and weighs 77lbs.
The Optimist is easy to handle requiring control of just one sheet and the rudder. Whilst simple to rig it still presents a challenge when the more experience sailors seek the ultimate rig tuning for any particular conditions. In this way the Optimist offers plenty of opportunity for young sailors to grow and learn.
The Optimist typically attract sailors from around 7 to 15 years of age and is the only dinghy approved by the International Sailing Federation exclusively for sailors under 15 years of age.
The Optimist track record speaks for itself, with over 400,000 boats in 80 countries, virtually 50% of all of the sailing medal winners at the Sydney Olympics were former Optimist sailors.
So if your children are keen to sail the only questions left to ask are “Where do we find an Optimist?” and “How do we join Dee Sailing Club ?”.
Development
DSC recognises that the future success of the club will in part depend on the continued introduction of new members and especially families. The introduction of three club-owned DART 16 catamarans last year now provides an ideal stepping stone for sailors to move between the already popular Mirror Dinghy class and many of the adult classes.
The Optimist class completes the picture by providing an opportunity for children starting around 7 years of age to become involved in sailing.
In response to this initiative several DSC members have acquired Optimist dinghies and many more are looking to follow suit. Optimists (and Blue Peters) now sail regularly and are included in the DSC sailing program. Interested parents are invited to bring their children along and have a go.
Interested please contact Pete Spedding.
Buyer’s Guide
Optimist dinghies are manufactured in three different materials; wood, glass-reinforced plastic and plastic. Each material has its own characteristics broadly as follows:
Material | Cost (used) | Weight | Durability | Aesthetics |
Wood | Moderate (~£500) | Moderate | Excellent | Excellent |
GRP | High (£1000+) | Minimum | Good | Good |
Plastic | Moderate (~£300) | Heavy | Indestructible | Poor |