A great way to learn how to sail. The “Opti” is cute and forgiving. It is very hard to swamp, almost impossible to tip over, and yet very sensitive to the wind. The Opti lets you know you when you are sailing it well and when you are not. It is not a heavy wind or high seas craft, but it is fine in winds up about 10 knots and 1 foot seas. Two small children can fit in an Opti, or it can easily handled by one older child, even an agile adult. Due to its ease of operation and safe nature the Opti is the preferred beginner’s sailboat the world over. Young sailors at the Casino will tell you that each of the Casino’s Optis have their own personality.

We have Davis Hammond to thank for introducing Optimists into our teaching fleet. He noticed a photograph in a 70s magazine of little French kids shooting across the Seine in a cluster of them, and was intrigued. Although this class of boats was little known in America as yet, he managed to acquire one to teach his wee son Ben to sail. It was such a success, he got hold of a set of plans and built a wood one for Jay. At the time, North Haven Dinghies were the default teaching boat at the Casino for all ages, but they didn’t suit a little person sailing alone. Optimists, on the other hand, were tremendous confidence builders, both cozy and stalwart. At Davis’ urging, Doug Stone was commissioned to cast an initial set in plexiglas, and the Casino beginners’ class had the perfect means to entice and thrill its youngest generation of sailors.