of a bulkhead, which partitions the boat nearly in half, is the daggerboard case. Right behind it on the centerline of the hull floor are attached a block and a ratchet block. These anchor the sheet and a block on the boom directly above. At the bow resides a thwart to support the mast which passes through a hole in its centre to the mast step mounted on the centre line of the boat. The painter, a rope used for securing a boat like a mooring line, is usually tied around the mast step. Buoyancy bags are installed inboard along each side in the front half of the boat and at the stern to provide buoyancy in the event of capsizing. Two straps, known as "hiking straps", run lengthwise along the floor from the bulkhead to the stern. These and a tiller extension allow a sailor to hang off the side for weight distribution—commonly called "hiking out". This can be crucial to keeping the boat more upright during heavy air, allowing greater speed through the water. The vast majority of hulls today are made of fiberglass, although a few wooden hulls are still made. Daggerboard and Rudder The rudder and daggerboard are made from fibreglass though plywood may be used for training and with wooden hulls. Performance While younger lighter sailors begin in Optimists, competitive sailors usually weigh between 35 and 55 kg (or between 80 lbs. and 125 lbs.). Optimists can be sailed by children from age 8 to 15. This wide range of weights which is not typical of most dinghies is made possible by different cuts of sail. Due to its inherent stability, unstayed rig, robust construction and relatively small sail, the Optimist can be sailed in winds of up to 30 knots. Optimists are manufactured to the same specification by over 20 builders on four continents. There is strong evidence that hulls from different builders are the same speed. Sails and spars of differing qualities enable sailors to upgrade their equipment as they progress. The Optimist is the slowest dinghy in the world according to the RYA Portsmouth Yardstick scheme, with a Portsmouth number of 1646. Its equivalent rating in the US scheme is a D-PN of 123.6. Competition The Optimist is the biggest youth racing class in the world. As well as the annual world championship the class also has six continental championships, attended by