New Parents FAQ’s 

New to IODAI (Parents and sailors): 

This page is intended for sailors and parents who have already bought their boat and have attended at least one event on the IODAI circuit, probably in Regatta Fleet. It’s for parents who want to find out more about what IODAI offers and how their sailor can progress within the class.

Below you will find answers to the following questions.  If you have other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact [email protected]

1.     Regatta Fleet and making the move to main Fleet?
2.     What Training is available?
3.     What are the rankings?
4.     What are the trials?
5.     Who is invited to the trials?
6.     Who qualifies for the Worlds Team?
7.     Who qualifies for the European Team?
8.     Who Qualifies for the IDT Team ?
9.     Summary of who qualifies for the teams
10.     What is an Under 12?
11.     How do sailors qualify for the Under 12 Squad?
12.     What does the Under 12 Squad do?
13.     What funding/grant is there for Squads and Teams?
14.     What training is there outside Ireland for sailors not in a Squad or Team?
15.     How do I get a sail number for a new Optimist?
16.     I’ve bought a boat without a certificate.  How do I get a new one?
17.     How do I find a measurer?
18.     What is the maximum age to sail an Optimist?
19.     When am I too big for an Optimist
20.     What are the Junior and Senior fleets?
21.     Membership Fees for a family of 3 sailors
22.     Refunds for entry fees

1.     When should a sailor move form Regatta Fleet to main Fleet?

IODAI welcomes children 8-15yrs to the regatta fleet who are relatively new to sailing and racing.  This fleet is designed to give your child coaching and confidence in a fun atmosphere at an IODAI event with an emphasis on training & development.  It is NOT a racing fleet but a fleet where children can improve their basic optimist skills without the pressures of a competitive environment.

When a sailor should move form the Regatta Fleet to the main Fleet is always a thorny question; generally we advise that you speak to your club coach and other parents from your club.  Children like to move to the main fleet when confident and their friends are moving.  Also if a child wins 2 age prizes in regatta fleet they are no longer able to win a 3rd prize in that age category so sometimes that can indicate for a parent the right time to move.  You know your child best so ultimately it is your decision. IODAI firmly believe that this decision is one for the parents and sailors to make based on advice from various sources and without any criteria laid down by IODAI.

However, with the Junior fleet, regatta fleet parents and sailors may tend to move more rapidly to the Junior Fleet.  While such a move is to be encouraged, some may make it too quickly and then, during a windy regatta, may consider the weather too much for their sailor.  In these situations and for safety reasons main fleet sailors may temporarily move back to the regatta fleet BUT, in such circumstances, they will NOT be allowed to win regatta fleet prizes.

Race Officers decisions to run races should not be compromised by too many sailors not being capable of handling the prevailing conditions.

It should be pointed out to parents that this principle is not designed to allow switching between main fleet and regatta dependent on weather.  Regatta fleet to Main fleet moves should be considered a permanent move and this policy is only intended for exceptional circumstances.

In the event of Regatta Fleet sailing in, say, an inner harbour, while the Main Fleet are not put to sea, Main Fleet sailors may not downgrade to Regatta to simply get sailing.

End of IODAI statement.

2.     What Training is available?

Optimist Training takes place at many levels:

•          Club Level:  If you are members of an active Optimist club then there should be some training organised by your Junior Officer/Optimist Class Captain.  However your club may only have a few Oppies and you may have to join other classes to get some training in at local level.
•          IODAI Winter Training Camp:  IODAI organise a full winter training camp for all sailors in Baltimore, Co. Cork each year.  This is certainly IODAI’s main training facility.  It is an excellent opportunity for sailors (and parents) to meet and integrate themselves in to “The Oppie Circuit”.  More details can be found on the website nearer the time of the event.
•          Private Training:  Some parents decide to go it alone and combine at club and regional level to employ coaches to train a number of sailors. While this can help individual children it is preferable if sailors part-take fully in club and IODAI run events in addition to private training as this helps develop the fleet as a whole. 
•         Some Irish sailors link up with other countries for training and then go to take part in a major regatta with upwards of 400 competitors from all over Europe. This gives young sailors an excellent opportunity to experience top-flight racing in big fleets for the first time. Eg Garda at Easter / French Nationals / Malta Christmas Regatta/ Orange Bowl USA.
•          Parents have to fund participation in the international events. The Association tries to keep costs as low as possible. The greater the participation in IODAI’s activities the greater the efficiencies are in delivering the offering.
•          Sailors are encouraged to participate in Championships outside Ireland and many compete in events in the UK and Europe.

4.     What are the rankings?

Each Optimist sailor in the Main fleet, junior or senior, acquires a ranking based on their results in the ranking events.  Ranking events are the four Regionals and the Nationals.  (In a normal year, you must attend the National championships to be eligible to compete in the trials the following season) Final year rankings are based on the best two regional and the Nationals results.  End of season rankings determine whether a sailor will be invited to attend the trials or other events where IODAI may receive an invitation for a limited number of sailors in the winter months.

5.     What are the trials?

The trials are often described as our most serious event and they determine which sailors will qualify to represent Ireland at the World; European and IDT (international development team) .

6.     Who is invited to the trials?

The top 45 juniors (Oppie age 12 and below) & top 40 seniors from the previous year based on the final rankings are invited to the trials once age retirees have been excluded from the senior fleet.

7.     Who qualifies for the Worlds Team?

Traditionally, the top five sailors at the trials are invited to represent Ireland at the World Championships.  See below “Who qualifies for teams ?”

8.     Who qualifies for the European Team?

The next 7 sailors at the trials are invited to represent Ireland at the European Championships ( in 2015 we were allowed 8 sailors).  However since the Europeans involve a “girls’ championship”; the makeup of the team must contain 4 of one gender and 3 of the other. See below “Who qualifies for teams ?”

9.     How many qualify for the IDT Team?

The next seven sailors with a minimum of 2 of one gender qualify for the International development team which usually attends the French Nationals in July each year.

 10. Summary of who qualifies for teams?

This decision will be reviewed on a yearly basis.

11.  What is an Under 12 Sailor?

This is often difficult to understand but basically if a sailor is under 12 on the 1^st January he is an Under 12 throughout that year. 

12.  How do sailors qualify for the Under 12 Squad?

Although this will be kept under review each year, those Under 12 sailors W based on the previous years ranking form the Under 12 Squad.

13.  What does the Under 12 Squad do?

The Under 12 Squad is invited by IODAI to enter the UK National Championships.  They will receive training before the championships and will have coaching and logistical support during their attendance.

14  What funding / grant is there for Squads and Teams?

To be confirmed in a given year 

15. What training is there outside Ireland for sailors not in a Squad or Team?

There are a number of training camps throughout Europe that sailors can attend.  Many precede major regattas.  Some are published on this website from time to time.  Others can be found by surfing the web.  Many parents combine a European Regatta with a family holiday.

16.  How do I get a sail number for a new Optimist?

Allocation of sail numbers for Optimists is through the ISA.

To register an Optimist, send your blue and white Registration & Measurement Book (which should have come with the boat) to the ISA offices, together with the €30 fee, and ensuring that you have completed the middle section by entering your child’s name and address. The ISA will complete the registration for you and send your booklet back to you by return of post. Optimists must be registered in order to race in any event, so please ensure you register the boat in good time.

Irish Sailing Association
3 Park Rd, Dun Laoghaire – Co. Dublin – Ireland
For any queries please contact [email protected]

17.  I’ve bought a boat without a certificate.  How do I get a new one?

It is not uncommon for registration papers to be mislaid or lost. If your Optimist has been registered previously, IODA can supply a replacement hull measurement book for a GRP (fibreglass) Optimist once the hull number can be identified.

International Optimist Dinghy Association
e-mail:[email protected]

New GRP boats will come with the Hull Measurement papers from the manufacturer.

All of the equipment must be independently measured (well in advance) before the boat can be used in competition.

18.  Where do I find a measurer?

The following list of measurers was updated In December 2015.

Please note there is a charge of €25 for a sail measurement & €50 for a full boat measurement.  Please pay the measurer, do not wait for them to ask.

19.  What is the maximum age to sail an Optimist?

Sailors are permitted to enter the Optimist Worlds and other big regattas until they are 15, i.e. until and including the year in which they have their 15th birthday.
But some sailors do get too big before then.

20.  When am I too big for the Optimist?

A lot depends on local conditions, particularly during the summer holidays.
If you sail in a place that never gets more than 8 knots in summer, you are going to have problems winning over 55 kg.

If you feel you are getting nowhere and there is a good alternative boat locally, try it. Plenty of older Optimist sailors “cross- train” – sail a more powerful boat as well as an Optimist.  The ISA pathway is an excellent reference as to where to go after optimists.   More and more sailors are now moving on to the next class long before the reach the maximum age.

21.. What are the junior and senior fleets? 

Junior = aged 12 and under

Senior = aged 13 and over

22.  Membership for a family of 3

IODAI appreciates that having 3 sailors in the fleet at one time can be expensive.  For this reason, each family must pay their annual membership and then can request a refund for one sailor.  Membership must be paid online in the first instance as this activates your child’s sailing profile and enables them to enter events.  Refund is via paypal, please contact [email protected] if you have 3 or more IODAI members in January each year.

23. Refunds

There are no refund for entries  for an IODAI event except in exceptional circumstances and with a medical Cert. The committee may decide to issue a refund if notified up to 48 hours before the event.  After this deadline IODAI has to pay the hosting club for all entries hence refunds are not possible regardless of the circumstances. Notify [email protected]