Zim Sailing Announced as Exclusive
North American Distributor of Fighter Optimist
BRISTOL, R.I. (February 15, 2023) - Zim Sailing and Fighter Optimist are excited to announce a multi-year partnership making Zim Sailing the exclusive importer and distributor of the Fighter Optimist Dinghy in North America. Zim Sailing, a subsidiary of Starting Line Sailing, Inc. and the largest small sailboat manufacturer and distributor in North America, will add the Fighter Opti to its wide ranging product line providing Zim customers with a top-of-the-line Race Optimist option that will rival the leading Optimist manufacturers.
The Fighter Optimist is fairly new to the game but is born from a strong Optimist boat building heritage. Slawomir Baranowski, most well known as the creator of the original BluBlue, BlueMagic, and Blue2 boats, has developed this newest evolution of the Race Optimist and is currently manufacturing in his home country of Poland. After leaving BlueBlue, Slawomir set out to build the best and fastest Optimist Dinghy in the world, and now he is bringing it to North America with the help of Zim Sailing. The Fighter Opti is used widely on the European racing circuit, including by US sailors when chartering. The Fighter is the Official Boat of the Polish National Team and was also used by Team Ukraine as they took 2nd Place at the 2022 Opti Team Race World Championship.
The Fighter Optimist, paired with the “Zim Pro” upgraded spar and rigging package, completes the “Zim Pro Optimist” offerings which now include a full line-up of Club, Race, and Pro Optimist options affording Zim customers the benefit of choosing the boat that is right for their sailing needs. The “Club Optimist” (with original Zou hull and Club spar and rigging package) continues to be a fantastic value for learn-to-sail and club sailing activities, while the “Race Optimist” (with Zou hull and upgraded spar and rigging package) is perfect for the entry level racer. The “Pro Optimist” (which now includes the Fighter hull and “Zim Pro” upgraded spar and rigging package) provides young sailors who are ready to compete at the highest level an alternative option that will contend and compete with the leading Optimist builders.
“As we set out to provide the best Optimist Dinghy possible to the US market, we spent several months researching, talking to top coaches and sailors, and discussing with the best boat builders in the business”, said George Yioulos, CEO of Starting Line Sailing, Inc. “I have personally visited manufacturers and factories on every continent (aside from Antarctica) and I am confident that the Fighter Opti will be the perfect Racing Optimist for our customers and soon will be the preferred boat for young sailors who are ready and looking to compete against the best of the best.”
Zim Sailing has a container of Fighter Optis already headed to the shores of North America with a complete charter fleet available for Opti Team Trials, and a second container is expected to arrive in the United States in late-Spring, just in time for the Summer Sailing Season.
Head to https://zimsailing.com/fighter/ to learn more about Zim Sailing’s Fighter Optimist offering, or to https://optimistdinghy.com/ to learn more about the Fighter Optimist Dinghy.