Why sailing?

1. Sailing is fun: a great social life, now and for the rest of your days
2. Sailing is for all: tall? short? fat? thin? girl? boy? green with pink spots? - sailing is for you
3. Sailing builds self-reliance, physical strength, quick thinking and a love of the environment
4. Sailing doesn’t cost a fortune - we’ll talk about that later

Why the Optimist?

1. Optimists are designed for kids.
2. They can handle them without danger, fear or back-strain.
3. Single-handed is best, they didn’t learn to ride a bike on a tandem.
4. Over 150,000 kids in over 100 countries cannot be wrong.
5. The only junior class in Australia offering international competition and travel.
6. The Optimist is not only the biggest dinghy class in the world, it is the fastest growing.
7. The only dinghy recognised by the ISAF* exclusively for under 16s
   *the world organising body for sailing.
8. Almost 2/3rds of Olympic medalists at the last two Olympics were Optimist sailors.
9. Builders on five continents, promoting competition and cost savings.
10. Your local sailing club has them - and if it doesn’t, it will!

What is an Optimist?

"a flat-bottomed, hard-chine, pram-bow dinghy with a una spritsail"
(The Observer’s Book of Small Craft)


"a bathtub that breeds the best sailors"
(Observant Sailor at the Club Bar)

• 2.31m (7′6.1/2") long, 1.13m (3′8") wide. Weight 35kg.
• Easily transported on top of any car,
• (where it will drip water over your shiny paintwork!).
• Safe and simple enough for an 8-year old
• Exciting and technical enough for a 15-year old
• Available in GRP, wood or wood/epoxy.

What will it cost?

Around $500 a year, not unlike the secondhand automobile market):

• $2,000 buys a good first boat (pre-owned) - and you can expect to drop $200 when you sell
• Trade up every year or so. Reckon on adding around $400 a year to your investment
• When you sell your last Optimist you have the price of a good secondhand International Class dinghy like a Laser or 420 - and the path to a lifetime of sailing

• If you want to buy new, beginners’ GRP boats start around $3,000.
• Add a good lifejacket, appropriate clothing and a kid and see your little one grow up, quickly!

What Next?

• Check out fees at your local sailing club; contact AIODA (Australian Optimist Association) which is run by parents, they’ll let you know where
• For all technical and supplier information; www.optiworld.org, www.aioda.com.