at a low cost. Green and others of the Optimist Club took the idea to local 

 businessmen and got many of them to sponsor and pay for boats, thus 

 taking care of the children whose parents might not feel they could af- 

 ford one. I can remember my surprise and amusement to see the small 

 children sailing prams on the sides of which were emblazoned in large 

 letters the name of a local marine railway, insurance agency, department 

 store, or what have you. A child to whom a pram is assigned is responsible 

 for its care and upkeep. At fifteen he turns it over to a younger child. The 

 Optimist Pram idea took hold and has spread to many parts of the world. 

 No one seems to know how many there now are, but several years ago over 

 sixteen hundred were reported. While Florida has by far the largest num- 

 ber of the prams, there are said to be fleets operating in many of the 

 states and Canada and also in England, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, 

 Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand. An Optimist enthusiast writes : 



"The Clearwater Optimist Club . . . got behind the project, canvassed 

 the merchants for donations, spent many hours teaching, and developed 

 it along the lines that any child, rich or poor, could sail as long as he or 

 she shows the desire. This is the way it is still done today, although with 

 competition getting keener, more and more of the families who can afford 

 it, and some who can't, are buying their children their own boats. . . . 



"My wife and I are interested in children, having a seven-year-old daugh- 

 ter of our own, and I assure you when she reaches the age of eight she will 

 own a pram. In my opinion the Optimist Pram teaches the children a few 

 things I want my daughter to know, such as the initial frustrations that 

 come with making a boat do what the others are doing, the self-confidence 

 and satisfaction that comes when she finally does, then how to sail, how 

 to lose, and last but most important how to win." 



The Optimist Class Pram International Association is open to all children 

 from the ages of eight to fifteen, sailing in active competition being permitted 

 at the age of nine. Clearwater, Florida, where the idea started, is still the 

 leading Optimist Pram community, and the association is a nonprofit affili- 

 ate of the Optimist Club of Clearwater. The Secretary is Joseph Flaherty 

 (472 E. Shore Drive, Clearwater Beach, Fla.). A recent regatta had 

 eighty-five young skippers in competition from many fleets. Besides many 

 amateurs, principal builders are Ellie's Boat Works ( 1300 N. Betty Lane, 

 Clearwater, Fla.) and the Halifax Marina (912 Halifax Drive, Port Orange, 

 Fla.). The boats are of 1/4" plywood and cost $140 new, $50 to $100 used; 

 kits with sails are $95. 



VITAL statistics: L.O.A. 8'; waterline 7^3"; beam 3'8''; draft 

 without centerboard 4", with C.B. 2'8"; sail area 35 sq. ft.; weight 50 to 

 75 lbs.; trailable. 



RACING CLASSES 153 



