Optimist racing is the rage for ages 8-15. In recent years, the International Optimist has become the largest racing class in the world. To find out more about Optimist racing, check out the International Optimist Dinghy Association or the US Optimist Dinghy Association.
The Optimist is, quite simply, the dinghy in which the young people of the world learn to sail.
Sailed in over 110 countries by over 150,000 young people,
it is the ONLY dinghy approved by the International Sailing Federation exclusively for sailors under 16 years of age.
At the Athens Olympics over 60% of the skippers and 70% of the medal winning skippers were former Optimist sailors.
