2 International Optimist Dinghy Association（2国际乐观主义者小艇协会）.pdfVIP

Viggo Ja obsen the Optimist Dinghy An extract from he Optimist Dinghy 1947-2007 Robert Wilkes Europe and beyond: 1954-1970 The immediate future of Clark’s design lay in Europe. In 1954 Danish architect Axel Damgaard [sic] Olsen learned about the design. Unfortunately there is no evidence for the romantic idea that he imported one from Florida on a tall ship. As recorded by his great friend Gerald Elfendahl, he saw the Optimist in Clearwater while working on a freighter. It is also a myth that he saw the plans in Woman’s Day . That publication was in June 1955 af ter the first Danish boats were built. Axel, who lived in Seattle from the late 1950s, was also the inspiration behind the International OK Dinghy. Whatever the truth of these stories it probably was Axel who had the first seven built by ans Christian Brorsen, dinghy chairman of the Sejlklubben Snekken and owner of a woodworking company. istory relates that the first race was held on 15 April 1955 in Vordingborg. The idea was taken up by Poul Gustav (P.G.) ansen, a school-inspector from vidovre who is quoted as saying that building Optimists was better for his pupils than breaking open cigarette machines! Kits were available from Brorsen and it is recorded that more than 2,500 were sold over the next seven years, including exports. In the following year ansen and his great friend Viggo Ja- cobsen from Århus set up a ‘self-selected commit