The Optimist as a Racing Boat
For the reasons given above: stability, safety and simplicity, the Optimist is also a great racing boat, offering multiple levels of competition for all ages up to the class maximum of 15. There are over 400 Optimist regattas just in the USA each year. With so many Optimist sailors and so many Optimist events, there's no limit to the number of events that a skipper can participate in.