Fun, safe, easy to sail, cheap . Builds confidence . Beats TV and Playstation for real thrills !
Disadvantages:
Some parental commitment required . Too small for you to have a go !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
The International Optimist, or’ Oppy’ as it is known, is an 8 foot, single-handed pram type dinghy designed in 1947 specifically for children under the age of 16. Since it’s introduction it has been phenomenally successful. There are an estimated 250,000 worldwide and over 60 countries are members of the International Class Association. The Oppy provides the ideal learning platform for both boys and girls and is one of the few areas of sport where they can compete on equal terms.
I was lucky enough to have my first Oppy when I was 6 years old. My Dad actually built one in our garage from a set of plans. He also built 2 more from kits that I raced quite successfully for many years. Since then we have both been involved in teaching school and youth groups to sail and the Oppy is the best tool we have for this. It is an excellent combination. It is easy to sail, cheap to own, safe and most importantly, lots of fun! It instills confidence in even the most timid of children and gives them a real sense of adventure in an exciting environment whilst still being very safe. It is almost impossible to capsize an Oppy, unless you do it deliberately. It also allows children a freedom and sense of independence that many unfortunately don’t get these days and they love it. I know I did!
Did I mention that the Oppy is LOTS of fun? I did? Oh good.
When I learnt to sail I quickly became interested in racing and eventually ended up traveling all around the country to Open Meetings. Obviously this did require a certain amount of parental commitment but since my Dad sailed anyway it wasn’t a big problem and Mum liked the trophies that I sometimes brought home! That’s another thing about the Oppy. As a parent, you don’t need any sailing experience yourself. There are plenty of courses run by schools or sailing clubs that you can take your children to. They will usually provide the required safety gear (buoyancy aids are compulsory) and organize all the instructors and safety cover whilst there are waterborne activities taking place. This doesn’t mean you can nip off to the boozer though! You have to be around to take parental responsibility but that’s ok because there’s always something to do onshore. There’s helping to rig and de-rig the dinghies, pull them out of the water, assist the duty officers at the club or just stand on the shore shouting helpful advice like “ Look Out!” & “ No! Not like that!” ha ha. Basically a certain amount of commitment from you is required. There is actually a good social scene around the Oppy class at most clubs since usually whole families get involved and everyone helps each other.
And they are LOTS of fun too!
Oppys are usually made of either wood or GRP (fiberglass) and can be picked up for a few hundred pounds secondhand. Look in the yachting press or at local sailing clubs for adverts. They can be transported on a car roof-rack so there’s no need for an expensive boat trailer.
My personal experiences of sailing Oppys were great. I owned 3 over about 8 years and ended up racing at National level. Some of the kids I raced against went on to be Olympic winners and even now I recognize some of the top names in Ocean Racing as boys and girls that I shouted and screamed at over 20 years ago. I actually went on to race in the National Youth Squad in 420's (but then I discovered Windsurfing, Beer & Women and that was that!)
If you are at all interested check out this very good website. It has all you need to know about getting started in Oppy sailing and it does a lot more justice to the International Optimist than I can here:
www.optimistsailing.org.uk
The Oppy. Kids Love It!
(& they’re fun too!)
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