The Optimist Dinghy is a gaff rigged sailboat with a single mainsail. Opti, the Optimist Dinghy, was created by an Optimist Club as a means of getting kids and their soapbox cars off the streets of St. Petersburg, FL. This sailboat is specifically designed for the junior sailor aged 14 years and younger. The Optimist Class is the largest class of sailboat in the world, with well over 1 million boats currently in use and is also the fastest growing class of sailboat. The Opti is sailed solo but occasionally will head out with two for a little fun. The Optimist only weighs 80 lbs. and can be easily launched by two junior sailors. The boat is extremely stable and juniors as young as 4 years have confidence in sailing alone. Sailing clubs around the world start teaching junior sailors in the Optimist. Roughly 90% of collegiate and Olympic class sailors have spent time learning or having fun in the Optimist. An Optimist Fleet can be found at just about every sailing club in the world, and several clubs in the Southeast regularly hold regattas for the Optimist. At the recent South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association regatta in Charleston, SC, over 30 Optimists were present with sailors ranging from 8 years to 12 years of age.