You can become a devoted
sailor at any time in life and experience the spiritual relationship
to nature that sailing is all about. But the chance of developing
a real passion is higher at an early age. Not a sailor yourself?
You can still give your child the special gift for life that
learning to sail is. We check out the Optimist Dinghy.
No Tipping, No Sinking
The Optimist Dinghy, a small round sail boat, is designed
exclusively for children. There are many benefits including:
It cannot tip over;
it cannot sink;
it is easy to sail with its single sail;
it is cheap to buy,
rent or build;
it is light to transport;
and there are numerous
schools and training events all over the world for beginners.
Children from
the ages of 8 to 16 without any previous experience of sailing can manage the Optimist.
It has been the starting boat for many of today’s world
class sailors, including a number of Olympic medallists.
The World's Most Popular Sailing Boat The Optimist originated in Florida in 1947 when a group of
parents asked a local designer, Clark Mills, to come up with
a small boat for their bored children. The boat he designed
looked more like a wooden box or a bath tub with a square
sail than a sailing boat. The truth is, it turned out to be
extremely functional in its design. Today, there are approximately
150,000 Optimists in over 100 countries, making it one of
the most popular, if not the most popular, sailing boat in
the world. World Championships have been held since 1962,
and there are national Optimist Associations everywhere from
Andorra to Zimbabwe.
Adopted by Scandinavia
Although the Optimist is an American innovation, the Nordic
countries took this charming little tub to their
hearts. Denmark was the first to import it in the 1950s, then
Sweden. Both countries today have some of the largest Optimist
fleets in the world. Sweden and Denmark also dominated the
Optimist World Championships for many years.
Fun & Practical
If you want your child to find a hobby that can become
a passion for life and an activity which will keep your child
outdoors (even more than you perhaps sometimes would like!),
the Optimist Dinghy is a great way to start. The risks involved
are minimal, there are numerous training events for beginners
everywhere, and the costs of Optimist sailing are reasonable.
The issue of giving bored kids a meaningful and healthy outlet for their energy, which inspired the parents
of Clearwater in Florida to design the Optimist in the 1940s,
is as relevant half a century later. Although technically
a child can start at the age of 8, the optimal
age is 12-14. Research has found that almost half of
adult sailors started learning to sail at the age of 14.
Calling on all kids! Get your life jackets and wet gear out
and set sail for an optimistic adventure.
The International Optimist Dinghy Association has a web-site, www.optiworld.org where
you can find anything you need to get started. Their web-site
has the address to your national Optimist Association. Many
of them have their own web-pages with all the details you require,
wherever you are.
healthy outlet for their energy, which inspired the parents
of Clearwater in Florida to design the Optimist in the 1940s,
is as relevant half a century later. Although technically
a child can start at the age of 8, the optimal
age is 12-14. Research has found that almost half of
adult sailors started learning to sail at the age of 14.
