Clarkie placed bags along the boat’s front
sides and in the stern to increase buoyancy so
that if it should happen to capsize, the little
skipper could hold on safely until it could
be righted. To avoid adding cleats, Clarkie
simply attached a line around the mast, which
could be used to secure the boat to docks and
other moorings.
The pram, as it was called, was an instant
hit. Some area yacht, boat and sailing clubs
as well as cities accumulated fleets of prams
for children to share. Before long, the Tampa
Bay waterways, especially around Clearwater
and Dunedin, were busy with the brightly
colored hulls and sails of prams. In addition
to sailing lessons and afternoon cruising,
the small dinghy-like boats became key in
highly competitive races, as enthusiastic
family members and friends cheered on the
lone sailors.
Over the years, Clarkie’s original simplified
design was tweaked by him and others.
Custom versions were fashioned from exotic
woods and eventually from fiberglass.
Word about the Optimist prams spread
quickly throughout the sailing world. Clark
Mills‘ original design was standardized in
1960 and became an official One-Design
class boat in 1995. Young Tampa Bay area
sailors traveled to other countries, winning
international races and breaking records in
their International Optimist Dinghies, or
“Optimists,” as they had come to be called.
Although they were designed for children,
the Optimist prams became popular with
grown-up sailors as well. In the late 1960s, a
few North Pinellas County women started a
group they named the Windlasses. They got
together regularly, often with picnic lunches
to eat on one of our many spoil islands. Prior
sailing knowledge was not a requirement.
Even new members, who had never been on a
boat, learned to sail, honed their sailing skills
and raced against each other in the child-size
Optimist prams. Their boats were supplied
by the Dunedin Boat Club or by other local
groups. Some Windlasses sailed boats that
their children had outgrown, or that were
their very own. The Windlasses became the
Windjammers of Clearwater in 2003. They
can sometimes be seen in Clearwater Bay,
Dunedin’s St. Joseph’s Sound and other Tampa
Bay area bodies of water, still competing in
Clark Mills-designed Optimist prams, just
like the children that the boats were created
to accommodate. 9
GRAM
This boat, which is part of the Dunedin History Museum’s new permanent
exhibit, is the sole survivor of the City of Dunedin’s 12 original Optimist
prams that were built by Clarkie Mills in his Dunedin workshop.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 141