Optimist

The International Optimist class is promoted by the Club as an ideal boat to teach children how to sail.  Although the club does not put any age limit on the Optimist, we have found those children that start sailing over 8 years cope best.   At the other end of the scale 13-14 year olds can quickly learn to sail in an Optimist but having learnt the basics will need to move on to a bigger more challenging boat.  Weight and age will determine which class of yacht the sailor should move on to.

Internationally the Optimist is used for sailors under 16 years old and World Championships are held each year.  The NZ Optimist Nationals are held each year over Easter and attract about 250 sailors including some from overseas.  The top 5 placed sailors are selected to represent NZ at the world champs. Chris Steel from Auckland won The worlds in Sardinia 2007 to be the first NZ sailor to win the event. The 2009 Nationals were held in Worser Bay, Wellington over Easter. The 2010 Nationals will be hels in Whitianga over Easter.

In addition to the worlds team, another 25 sailors were selected to travel overseas to regattas at the end of last season. These regattas are a great opportunity for young sailors to gain experience, learn about cultural differences, meet new friends and learn how to train and work together as a team plus much more as you could imagine. It is also a lot of  fun for supporters and parents training and travelling with the team.

In practice, only the Nationals require registration and measuring certificates to compete.  Pre 1995 boats have more flexible measuring requirements (allowing the hulls to be home built) but the hulls tend to be not as stiff and not as quick as the post 1995 boats.

Membership of the NZIODA – All racing Optimists should belong to the NZIODA, this costs $30 per year per family.  The Association produces a quarterly magazine to keep you up to date with the latest Optimist news, results, information etc. The association is also great support to sailors from our worlds team to development squads learning racing skills.