About the Optimist dinghy
A short history of the Optimist in New Zealand - by Mike Judd
The International Optimist Dinghy was introduced to New Zealand by a group of active racing yachtsmen who had seen the boat being used in Europe as a young person's Yacht.
Clive Roberts and Paul Pritchett had both seen the large number of children that were enjoying learning to sail and race in these little boats all over the continent.
Paul and a group of parents from Charteris Bay near Christchurch built a few boats in 1975. They also set up a class association which they ran from 1976 until 1982. In 1982 the New Zealand International Optimist Dinghy Association moved its headquarters to Auckland and Don Burfoot became the National President. Two years later Don became ill and Mike Judd was elected president. Mike held this position until 1996. Ian Clouston, Kevin Robertson, Bryan Davies, David Glen and John Hunt have led the association since then.
In the very early days Charteris Bay Yacht cub organised sailing/training camps at Quail Island in Lyttleton Harbour. This idea was taken up by the New Zealand Yachting Federation, promoted as a "learn to race" event and became known as "Juniorsail". One was held in the South Island and one in the North. The camps later became "Optisails" and continue as annual camps.
A team of sailors was selected to attend the Optimist World championships in Greece in 1991. The team was selected from "P Class" sailors who contested an invited trial series. Teams were selected in 1992 and 1993 but did not attend because they felt that they would not be able to raise the funds. In 1993 a group of members from the Optimist Dinghy Association committee set out to raise funds so that the team selected for the next year's contest would have a start. Mike and Lorna Judd were on this committee and when the team was selected they decided to go even though they did not have any children sailing Optimists. That year the committee raised sufficient money to pay all but $1000 of the cost to send each sailor. The three adults: Murray Thoms, Mike and Lorna Judd paid their own way, although the association paid the registration costs for the three officials. The 1995 team was selected from "P Class" and when the team arrived home Mike Judd who had travelled to the worlds again initiated moves through the committee which resulted in the first New Zealand Optimist National Championships being held at Taupo over Easter weekend 1996 where a team was selected to attend the world championships. There were 83 entries at the first Nationals in 1996 and now there are regularly around 200 each year. There are even attendances of nearly 200 at local regattas in Auckland.
In 2001 Kevin Robertson organised a visit to New Zealand by 1994 and 1995 Optimist World Champion, Martin Jenkins. This led to the very successful annual Optimist training clinics at Willow Park.
New Zealand teams have attended every world Championships since 1994, and in 2004 the team of Paul Snow-Hansen, Daniel Willcox, Carl Evans, Francisco Lardies, and Susannah Pyatt won the Maimi Herald Trophy for the first placed team, with Paul and Daniel placing second and fourth in the individual championship. In 2005 the New Zealand team, Paul Snow-Hansen, Dan Willcox, Carl Evans, Luke Deegan and Jason Saunders, placed 3rd in the teams racing event.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
- 1998 - G Alder
- 1999 - Geoff Woolley
- 2000 - Scott Illingworth
- 2001 - Alistair Thompson
- 2002 - Scott Morrison
- 2003 - Peter Burling
- 2004 - Daniel Willcox
- 2005 - Paul Snow-Hansen
- 2006 - Marcus Hansen
- 2007 - Logan Dunning-Beck
- 2008 - Logan Dunning-Beck (1st New Zealander in 3rd position, Nicolas Poree 1st, New Caledonia, representing France)