The document summarizes Optimist sailing events and participation in 2007. It discusses the two Optimist World Championships held in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2006 and Cagliari, Italy in 2007. It provides results and country participation for these events as well as for the North American, European, South American, and Asian Continental Championships. The document emphasizes that the Optimist remains committed to its principles of low-cost international youth sailing and that participation continues to grow globally with over 60 countries participating in one or both World Championship events in 2007.

1. Optimist
R
Yearbook 2007

2. The Optimist World in 2007
North America Europe Asia
Anguilla Andorra Bahrain
Bahamas Austria China
Barbados Belarus Chin. Taipei
Bermuda Belgium Hong Kong
Br. Virgin I. Bulgaria India
Canada Croatia Indonesia
Cuba Cyprus Japan
Dominican R. Czech Rep. Korea
El Salvador Denmark Kuwait
G. Cayman Estonia Kyrghizstan
Grenada Finland Malaysia
Guatemala France Myanmar
Mexico Germany Pakistan
Neth. Antilles Georgia Philippines
Nicaragua Great Britain Qatar
Puerto Rico Greece Singapore
St. Lucia Hungary Sri Lanka
St. Vincent Iceland Thailand
Trinidad & T. Ireland U.A.Emirates
U.S.A. Israel Uzbekistan
U.S. Virgin I. Italy Africa
Latvia Algeria
South America Lithuania Angola
Argentina Macedonia FYR Egypt
Brasil Malta Kenya
Colombia Monaco Libya
Chile Montenegro Mauritius
Ecuador Netherlands Morocco
Paraguay Norway Seychelles
Peru Poland S. Africa
Uruguay Portugal Tanzania
Venezuela Russia Tunisia
San Marino Uganda
Serbia Zimbabwe
Slovakia
Slovenia
Oceania
Spain
Am. Samoa
Sweden
Australia
Members: 106 Switzerland
Cook Islands
Turkey
8 countries shown in italics Fiji
Ukraine
are not current members. New Zealand
Papua NG
Attended 2006 or 2007 IODA World Championship 62 Samoa
Attended most recent IODA Continental Championship 75 Solomon Is.
Built GRP Optimists 2006/7 22 Tahiti
Received IODA training & development grants 2004/7 21 Vanuatu

3. The International Optimist
The Optimist is sixty years old this year and is more international than ever.
The Class remains true to its principles.
“Racing for young people at low cost ” (Class Rule 1.1)
This has several aspects:
• the boat:
in real terms the ex-factory price of the Optimist has fallen dramatically over the last 25 years and
continues to do so. Moreover it is impossible to buy a faster boat: the Worlds was again won in a
charter boat, randomly allocated and as used by 60% of the fleet.
• the events:
if you can charter to sail on even terms then the cost of participation is slashed. IODA events, thanks
to generous sponsorship and the impact they have on the local tourist industry, have almost certainly
the lowest costs in international sailing. The entry fee for this year’s Worlds including all accommo-
dation and meals was under EUR50/USD80 per day.
• the backup
the sailing world complains increasingly of the Formula One style teams provided by the richer na-
tions. At IODA events you get a single coach for up to ten sailors.
“a high standard of international competitive sailing” (ISAF Regulation 26.1)
• seventy three nations participated in official IODA championships this year.
This was despite the lack of an African or Oceanian championship and is certain to top 80 in 2008.
• at the Worlds the top 20 came from 15 nations on five of the six continents.
This elite band included representatives from Norway to Chile to Tahiti.
• the calendar continues to expand.
This year we counted 44 “unofficial” regattas with entry from five or more countries. Among the new
venues was Serbia and before the year-end there will be a new Asia/Pacific team racing champ-ion-
ship.
“to co-ordinate youth work between member countries” (IODA Article 2b)
The internet has changed the world
• contact information is universally available.
The IODA website receives 320.000 visitors (4 million hits) a year. The calendar page alone receives
over 50,000 visitors and the address list over 30,000.
• but personal contact remains important
Sometimes the main benefit of attending an international regatta is the contacts made.
Sailing is both an Olympic sport and a leisure activity.
You don’t have to travel to the far ends of the earth to enjoy yourself and there is a lot to be said for sim-
ply messing about in boats.
But if you do want to see other parts of the world and meet new friends from different cultures with a
common interest, this yearbook tries to show you some of the ways to do so.
What did you do in your holidays?

4. The Year of
2006 IODA World Sailing Championship
Montevideo, Uruguay 29 Dec 2006 - 9 Jan 2007
228 sailors from 50 countries Because the 2006 Worlds were in the
southern hemisphere the first race was
Individual World Championship actually on 1 January 2007. Sailors who
1. Julian Autenrieth Germany would otherwise have been over the age
2. Griselda Khng Singapore limit were permitted to sail.
3. Edgar Diminich Ecuador
4. Stephanie Zimmermann Peru
5. Rufina Tan Malaysia
6. Marcus Hansen New Zealand
7. Jonathan Martinetti Ecuador
8. Benjamin Grez Chile
9. Leonardo Dubbini Italy
10. Russell Kan Singapore
11. Diego Montautti Brasil
12. Sean Lee Singapore
13. Rachel Lee Singapore
14. Haruka Komiya Japan
15. Timothy Seet Singapore
16. Manfredo Fink Uruguay
17. Gaston Bisio Argentina
18. Magali Damitio Argentina
19. Arianna Villena Ecuador
20. Adam Johansson Sweden
Girls
1. Griselda Khng Singapore
2. Stephanie Zimmermann Peru
3. Rufina Tan Malaysia
4. Rachel Lee Singapore
5. Haruka Komiya Japan
6. Magali Damitio Argentina
7. Arianna Villena Ecuador
8. Maria Jose Cucalón Ecuador
9. Lu Yuting China
Miami Herald Trophy
(Team Aggregate Scores - 4 sailors, no discards)
1. Singapore 19. France 37. Belgium
2. Ecuador 20. Poland 38. South Africa
3. Argentina 21. Netherlands 39. Norway
4. Peru 22. Denmark 40. Colombia
5. New Zealand 23. Spain 41. Canada
6. Germany 24. Great Britain 42. Guatemala
7. Sweden 25. Trinidad & T. 43. Dominican R.
8. Greece 26. Slovenia 44. Paraguay
9. Brasil 27. U.S. Virgin I. N. Antilles*
10. Puerto Rico 28. Chile Australia*
11. Bermuda 29. Mexico Egypt*
12. Italy 30. Venezuela Ireland*
IODA World Team Racing Championship 13. Malaysia 31. Turkey British V. I.*
14. Uruguay 32. Tahiti Ukraine*
1. Singapore 5 Ecuador 15. China 33. Austria
2. Peru 6 Netherlands 16. Croatia 34. Portugal * Incomplete team
17. U.S.A. 35. Switzerland
3. Germany 7= Argentina 18. Japan 36. Finland
4. Japan 7= Sweden

5. Two Worlds
2007 IODA World Sailing Championship
A total of 62 countries sailed in one or other Cagliari, Italy 22 Jul - 2 Aug 2007
of the two Worlds. 251 sailors from 55 countries
Individual World Championship
1. Chris Steele New Zealand
2. Benjamin Grez Chile
3. Alexandra Maloney New Zealand
4. Julian Autenrieth Germany
5. James Anfossi Bermuda
6. Adonis Tsiboukelis Greece
7. Sacha Pelisson France
8. Tpiadafillos Bakatsias Greece
9. Logan Dunning Beck New Zealand
10. Lara Vadlau Austria
11. Nicolas Porée Tahiti
12. Ian Barrows US Virgin I.
13. Jes Lyhne Bonde Denmark
14. Matías Rengifo Peru
15. Benjamin Bildstein Austria
16. Jonathan Martinetti Ecuador
17. Iván Aponte Puerto Rico
18. Federico Ortiz Vivas Mexico
19. Harald Faste Norway
20. Maxime Mazard France
Girls
1. Alexandra Maloney New Zealand
2. Lara Vadlau Austria
3. Rachel Lee Singapore
4. Stephanie Zimmermann Peru
5. Roberta Caputo Italy
6. Arianna Villena Ecuador
7. Josephine Frederiksen Denmark
8. Maria Jose Cucalón Ecuador
9. Morgan Kiss USA
10. Marlena Fauer USA
Miami Herald Trophy
(Team Aggregate Scores - 4 sailors, no discards)
1. New Zealand 20. Netherlands 39. Canada
2. France 21. Germany 40. Thailand
3. Italy 22. Tahiti 41. Australia
4. Denmark 23. Turkey 42. Portugal
5. Austria 24. Brasil 43. Hungary
6. Ecuador 25. Chile 44. Ukraine
7. Greece 26. Mexico 45. Trinidad & T.
8. Spain 27. Norway 46. Czech R.
9. Peru 28. Belgium 47. Montenegro
10. Singapore 29. Japan 48. Latvia
11. Bermuda 30. Uruguay N. Antilles*
12. Argentina 31. Ireland Barbados*
13. Croatia 32. Switzerland Kenya*
IODA World Team Racing Championship 14. U.S. Virgin I. 33. Finland Russia*
15. Great Britain 34. Slovenia Serbia*
1. Greece 5 Italy
16. Puerto Rico 35. Poland Slovakia*
2. Singapore 6 New Zealand 17. U.S.A. 36. Dominican R. Ch. Taipei*
3. Ecuador 7. Spain 18. Sweden 37. S. Africa
4. Bermuda 8. Croatia 19. Malaysia 38. Israel * Incomplete team

6. IODA North American Championship
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Over-all
Open SAm
185 sailors from 20 countries 1. Raul Ríos Puerto Rico 1
2. James Anfossi Bermuda 2
3. Antoine Screve USA 3
4. Thomas Brauer Argentina
5. Juan Autelli Argentina
6. Maria Jose Cucalon Ecuador ◊
7. Javier Patron Mexico 4
8. Axel Sly USA 5
9. Alex Jacob USA 6
10. Federico Ortiz Mexico 7
11. Nicole Barnes US Virgin I. 8 ◊
12. Ricardo Paranhos Brasil
13. Jonathan Martinetti Ecuador
14. Mac Agnese USA 9
15. Joao Pedro H. Souto Brasil
16. Brian Bulhoes Bermuda 10
N. American Girls
1. Nicole Barnes US Virgin I.
2. Marlena Fauer USA
3. Morgan Kiss USA
Team Racing
1. Puerto Rico 2. USA 3. US Virgin I.
IODA European Championship Boys
Vari Varkiza, Greece Open Euro
229 sailors from 38 countries 1. Etienne Le Pen France 1*
2. Leonardo Dubbini Italy 2
3. Juraj Divjakinja Croatia 3
4. Carl Strömbeck Sweden 4
5. Clement Ikhlef France 5
6. Alexandre Oliveira Brasil
7. Andreas Bakatsias Greece 6
8. Blake Burgess Bermuda
9. Bart de Kerangat France 7
10. Mathias Derrien France 8
11. Mathieu Bouchet Monaco 9
12. Guillermo Newton Peru
13. Stig Steinfurth Denmark 10
Girls
Open Euro
1. Patricia Coro Spain 1
2. Julia Gross Sweden 2
3. Daniela Zimmermann Peru
4. Sonia Arana Spain 3
5. Laerke Lokdam Denmark 4
6. Lisa Schwegert Germany 5
7. Laerke Bul-Hansen Denmark 6
8. Deirdre Lambert USA
9. Pauline Blais France 7
10. Urska Kosir Slovenia 8
11. Giulia Lantier Italy 9
12. Anne Lyngsø Thomsen Denmark 10
* subject to review

7. IODA South American Championship
Over-all
Niterói, Brasil
Open SAm
185 sailors from 16 countries 1. Raul Ríos Puerto Rico
2. Antoine Screve USA
3. Russel Kan Singapore
4. Benjamin Grez Chile 1
5. Lucas Swan Brasil 2
6. Harald Faste Norway
7. Jose Nigaglioni Puerto Rico
8. Alexander Coyle US Virgin I.
9. Guillermo Arce Peru 3
10. Rachel Lee Singapore ◊
11. Matias Rengifo Peru 4
12. Caio Swan Brasil 5
13. Matheus Matschinske Brasil 6
14. Marlena Fauer USA ◊
15. Matt Wefer USA
16. Ian Barrows US Virgin I.
17. Luca Mazzaferro Brasil 7
18. Stephanie Zimmermann Peru 8 ◊
19. Brian Bulhoes Bermuda
20. Arianna Villena Ecuador 9 ◊
21. Jonathan Martinetti Ecuador 10
S. American Girls
1. Stephanie Zimmermann Peru
2. Arianna Villena Ecuador
3. Mariana Lombardo Argentina
Team Racing
1. Peru 2. Ecuador 3. Argentina
IODA Asian Championship
Over-all
Singapore
83 sailors from 15 countries 1. Luke Tan Singapore
2. Rachel Lee Singapore ◊
3. Russell Kan Singapore
4. Navee Thamsoontorn Thailand
5. Koh Boon Malaysia
6. Daniella Ng Singapore ◊
7. Darren Choy Singapore
8. Anjasmara Bin Malaysia
9. Amanda Tang Singapore ◊
10. Ignatius Thiam Singapore
Team Racing
1. Singapore 2. Thailand 3. Japan

8. Not just the big ones
Qualification for a national team is required for IODA championships. But many other regattas are
open to all.
While some 750 sailors from over 70 countries attended IODA world and continental championships in
2007 (despite the lack of African and Oceanian events in the year), the Class gives the opportunity to far
more sailors to experience international sailing. Last Easter a total of 1,630 sailors from 48 countries took
part in such regattas on the same day.
There is no “circuit” or Grand Prix - you don’t have to go to any given regatta - but there are endless oppor-
tunities. To help you to decide where to go, the IODA calendar has started to highlight regattas where at
least five nations are represented. In the last twelve months there have been over 40 of these.
Several events are central to developing Optimist sailing in specific regions.
The recent development in the Caribbean owes a
huge amount to the Scotiabank in St. Thomas and
the Schoelcher in Martinique.
From 2009 there will be a new Easter event, the
IODA Caribbean & Central America Champion-
ship, aimed at spreading opportunities more widely
in the region.
In the Arabian Gulf the Dubai International is alas no more (someone wanted the venue for development!)
but the Al-Bareh Regatta in Bahrain attracted sailors from the host country, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Pak-
istan and the U. A. Emirates.
The ASEAN (originally S.E. Asian) Championship,
one of the oldest regional events, has expanded to em-
brace most of the Asia/Pacific region, and the Hong
Kong International is developing fast.
In the Balkans the official Balkan Championship
has been joined by the Istanbul Optiweek and the
new S.E. European Open in Serbia.
A new event planned for December is the Asia Pacific Team Racing Championship to be held in Perth,
W. Australia. Modelled on the Rizzotti in Venice it will allow regional as well as national teams. Also at
Christmas big efforts are being made to expand the scope of the Orange Bowl in Miami to make it the re-
gional event for the Americas.
Where do you want to sail?
www.optiworld.org/08calendar.html

9. Teams
Whether you belong to a big team
or a little one
it’s all about teamwork
Regattas are most fun if you go as part of a
team, even if it is just a few friends.
Olympic sailors rely heavily on training partners and there is strong evidence that countries’ results improve
when one or two exceptionally talented sailors raise the general level in that country.
Current examples include Ecuador with four different top-20 sailors in the last two years. Germany, or
more precisely Bavaria, has produced three sailors in the top four at the Worlds, having produced only one
in the previous quarter century. Tiny Puerto Rico is re-writing the history of the two American champi-
onships, again with three top sailors. It looks as if Austria, which rose from 33rd to 5th in the Miami Her-
ald rankings this year, may be the next to shine.
It is notable that many of the best countries do not spend excessive time on travel to regattas or clinics. New
Zealand and Ecuador, for example, do not often have the chance to do so.
Good coaches help and seem to be sought after as much as football managers. But like football man-
agers the best coaches are those who know how to weld a team together.

10. The Optimist is 60
The Optimist, designed by Clark Mills in 1947, is 60 years old.
We haven’t made a great fuss about it because there are plenty of
people out there who would like the world to believe that we are
sailing an obsolete design.
However the go-kart is only six years younger and has trained For-
mula One drivers from Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna to
Lewis Hamilton.
Continual upgrading of gear, always preserving the right of older
boats to participate, have brought us to a specification which remains at
the same time both safe and exciting.
1976 - the halfway stage
Nazli Imre, president of the Turkish Sailing Federation, hosts of next year’s Worlds, has found in their
archives some fascinating pictures of the last time Turkey hosted the event in 1976.
As far as we can tell all the hulls were still wooden though this
was the year that Winner started production and GRP had been al-
lowed for six years before that. The spars are metal - permitted
since 1973. We don’t know who is the sailor
We have played with the rig a bit since then but it is interesting above but the event was won by
Hans Wallén of Sweden who went
to note that this hull could still enter the Worlds - though it might
on to Olympic silver in 1996.
need a better sail!
In 1976 we had 19 countries represented Can we treble it in 2008? (55 in 2007)

11. but it has changed a bit
60 years of development have produced a boat that sails in winds where few other dinghies can survive.
Heavy winds this summer showed what you can do with it . . . .
. . . . even in the hands of some of our less experienced sailors
On the day when it blew 32
knots only eight of the 232
sailors failed to finish either
race - a tribute to seaworthy
equipment and courageous
young sailors.

12. The wrong size?
The sailing world is obsessed with the idea that there is an ideal size for each boat.
In Olympic and most other Classes if you are not the right weight for the boat, you must either change your
Class or change your weight.
This is not true of the Optimist.
Look at this year’s all-conquering New Zealand team.
The big boy on the left is the world champion. He weighs in at 54 kg (121 lb or 8.1/2 stone).
The “little” girl weighs 45kg (101 lb or 7 stone 3lb). And she is the bronze medallist.
These are not the extremes. The heaviest Optimist world champion on record is Peder Rønholt (1989) who
weighed 59kg: the lightest was Mattia Pressich (1998) who weighed just 34kg.
Since young people grow at vastly different ages, Optimist weight is
no indication of future size. Back in 1998 Optimist European cham-
pion Ivan Kljakovic-Gaspic (CRO) was known as Bambi.
Apparently he still is.
But at the Finn Class
obligatory 90kg the
name seems somehow
less appropriate!

13. Girls
For the third year in succession there was a girl on the open medal podium at the Worlds.
Which is quite a change, given that
in the previous 42 years of the Opti-
mist Worlds to 2004 only two girls
had ever made this level.
In the last three years Tina Lutz
(GER), Griselda Khng (SIN) and
now Alexandra Maloney (NZL)
have shown that in the Optimist at
least females can compete at the
very highest level. And at the 2006
Worlds we had, with Griselda,
Stephanie Zimmermann (PER) and Rufina Tan (MAS) three girls in the top five.
At the 2007 IODA Annual Meeting the
members decided that a minimum of 25%
of team members at IODA continental
championships (except for small teams)
should be of each gender. In practice the
percentage at most of them is well over this.
But selection for the Worlds will remain
strictly on merit.

14. Development
Sailing for a wider world
IODA has more than doubled the number of member national associations over the last fifteen years and
is committed to bringing the benefits of sailing to young people worldwide. It offers limited financial aid
to “newer countries”.
Free boats - the “6 for 5” scheme
Countries seeking to start or enlarge Optimist fleets can apply for one free boat for every five bought. The boats
must be owned by an association, club or other ‘not for profit’ organisation and available to the children of non-sailors.
Alternatively countries which build wood/epoxy Optimists can receive free spars, sails and fittings.
Over the last five years more than 250 Optimists in twenty seven countries have been acquired under this scheme. Countries
benefiting in 2007 include Fiji, FYR Macedonia, Mauritius and Serbia.
Grants are also available for instructor-training and the first visit to a regional regatta.
Building wooden Serbia
Optimists in Fiji Some of the 42 new Optimists bought in the Balkans in
2005-7 under the “6 for 5” scheme.
and sailing them in
El Salvador
Training
Matevz Ravnika
(SLO) gives a course
for 18 club instructors
in Serbia.
“6 for 5” Scheme
www.optiworld.org/ioda-develop.html
Faroe I.
Serbia
Caribbean etc.
Macedonia
Bahamas Tunisia
Bulgaria
South Pacific
Barbados Libya Cook I.
Dominican R Fiji
El Salvador Sri Lanka Papua NG
Neth. Antilles Samoa
Nicaragua Uganda Solomon I.
St. Vincent Kenya Vanuatu
St. Lucia Angola Tanzania
Trinidad
Mauritius

15. After the Optimist
The Olympic dream
Most young people may never be surgeons, save the world or own Ferraris. But dreams are important.
For most it will remain a dream: there is only a total 400 sailing places at the Olympics.
But if you have talent it may well show at an early age. Lewis Hamilton approached McLaren aged ten and Dean
Barker was noted as exceptional at the age of nine. The link between the Optimist and the Olympics was established
from the start. Peter Due, silver medalist at the first, 1962, Optimist Worlds went on to Olympic silver. Since then
many of the great Olympians have been former Optimist sailors: Jochen Schümann, Luis Doreste, Jordi Calafat,
Robert Scheidt, Ben Ainslie and Siren Sundby to name a few. In 2004 74% of the medal-winning boat helms were
former Optimist sailors.
Adults come to terms with their dreams and sailing is a sport with huge opportunities at all levels. When we
conducted a survey of 1994 Worlds sailors ten years later we found an incredible variety of later experience
from managing a Farr 52 to sailing a Sunfish. The dropout rate of those who had got as far as an Optimist
Worlds was negligible (under 15% in developed countries). The dream had created a lifetime activity.
Olympic Helms who previously sailed Optimists
2004 Laser Finn Europe 470M 470W 49er Tornado TOTAL
Sailed Optimists 60% 65% 76% 78% 60% 58% 35% 63%
Sailed Optimists in
36% 26% 36% 70% 60% 53% 18% 43%
Worlds or Continentals
2000 Laser Finn Europe 470M 470W 49er Tornado TOTAL
Sailed Optimists 50% 52% 57% 62% 63% 47% 38% 53%
Sailed Optimists in
30% 20% 36% 48% 47% 29% 25% 36%
Worlds or Continentals
and the other dream
Yes, the helmsmen of the two yachts in the biggest prize in sailing were ex-Optimists.
Both Dean Barker and Ed Baird sailed Optimists - wooden ones! - from an early age.

16. Photo credits:
Manlio Ferrari
Roberto Vuilleumier (www.slidebox.it)
Roberto Marci (www.robertomarci.com)