The story of the Class Association's optimists
As the 2021 season was about to begin, we felt inspired to support the Hungarian Optimist Class Association in updating its fleet. Back in 2008-2009, three HOOK Optimists were acquired through the Hungarian Sailing Federation (MVSZ), thanks to the Adriatic Challenge (Sea Yacht Championship). (Incidentally, we also played a significant role in facilitating that initial acquisition.)
Over the years, these boats have served countless sailors and clubs and had finally reached a point where a significant refresh was needed, although they still had many years of service ahead. The combined value of these boats was roughly equivalent to that of a new boat. With this in mind, we decided to replace them with a brand-new Optimist and, as an extra contribution, donate one additional complete boat free of charge bringing the total close to the original fleet size.
Through the Class Association’s naming contest, the boats were given new names:
- Upwind and Downwind
(Thanks to the creative contributions of Juhász Boti and Bagyó Áron)
We hope these new boats will serve the Class Association’s mission well, by supporting young sailors as they learn to sail and, of course, assisting the clubs!
Fair winds and a great season ahead!
Hodács Lajos and Attila
