If there is one thing that the majority of Olympic sailors have in common is that they started their sailing career in an Optimist. Sailed in over 110 countries by over 150,000 young people, it is the only dinghy approved by the International Sailing Federation for sailors under 16 years of age. Although ‘Opies’ are produced by many builders around the world, the Danish company Winner Optimists ApS, which was founded in 1965, is not only one of the most experienced builders but also one of the most successful with 15 World and 18 European titles. With Winner’s emphasis on using only the best materials and the highest standards of craftsmanship, many would argue that Winner produce the best GRP Optimist. It is certainly the only one that comes with a five year hull guarantee. Vacuuum bag sandwich construction based on Divinycell cores is used for the hull with DIAB providing CNC milled core kits that meet Winner’s exacting specifications. Each dingy is checked by an independent measurer who takes 120 separate measurements that must be within ± 1 mm.