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History Some dates:
1947	Optimist designed by Clark Mills in Clearwater, Florida
1954	Optimist modified and introduced into Denmark by Axel Damsgaard.
1960	Optimist introduced to England by Nigel Ringrose. Main dimensions standardised.
1962	First World Championship (though it wasn't called that!) held in England. Denmark, Great Britain and Sweden participate.
1965	International Optimist Dinghy Association founded First members were Austria, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and USA, followed shortly by Germany and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Viggo Jacobsen (DEN) first president, his wife Edith first secretary.
1966	Worlds first held in the USA.
1970	Fibreglass hulls permitted They did not become competitive until 1975-6 and wooden boats were still seen at the Worlds until 1981.
1973	International Optimist Dinghy Association recognised as an International Class by the International Yacht Racing Union. Issue of numbered building fee plaques begins. South American Optimist Championship created. Metal spars introduced. 20 nations at Worlds.
1976	North American Optimist Championship created.
1981	"Stitch & Glue" (now wood/epoxy) hull authorised. Girls prize at Worlds created.
1982	Nigel Ringrose (GBR) becomes president. Independent secretariat established: Hanne Rix (DEN) becomes secretary. 30 nations at Worlds.
1983	European Championship created. Team Racing introduced at Worlds. IODA Yearbook first published.
1985	Al Chandler (THA) becomes president.
1987	Girl wins Worlds for the first time. Girls also won in 1996 and 2005.
1988	Direct judging introduced for team-racing.
1989	Helen Mary Wilkes (IRL) becomes president. Optiworld newsletter first published.
1990	Asian Championship created.
1993	41 countries at Worlds.
1995	Strict one-design hull introduced. See "Cheaper and more one-design - a history" Nesquik agree to sponsor IODA. Over the next three years they would contribute over US$500,000 to Optimist sailing. IODA website introduced.
1996	IODA, helped by Nesquik, starts its coach-training programme. See ioda-train.html
1997	Secretariat moves to Dublin. Robert Wilkes becomes secretary. Oceanian Championship created.
1998	René Kluin (NED) becomes president.
2000	59 nations participate in Millennium Worlds This remains a world record for any Class championship.
2001	IODA starts its development programme. See ioda-develop.html African Championship created.
2004	Foils made strictly one-design.
2006	Peter Barclay (PER) becomes president.

Statistics How many Optimists are there in the world? Frankly we don't know! For registered Optimists the answer is just under 140,000. In 1974 we started to issue numbered plaques for each Optimist built, and we have just reached number 139,000. But very many "Optimists" were built without plaques. Almost no plaques were bought by the former "East Block" even for exported boats, and builders in many other countries "cheated". And there are still a lot of boats out there which look like Optimists but aren't! Is this the biggest Class in the world? Probably not. There are over 180,000 Lasers worldwide. But outside the United States we believe there are more Optimists than Lasers. Which countries have the most Optimists? Probably the United States which currently buys over 1,000 boats a year France, Spain, Sweden, Finland and Germany also have very large fleets. Which are the strongest Optimist countries? These days this varies from year to year. See the history of our world championship and in general the results from recent Worlds. Why are they so good? One or preferably two really good sailors seem to raise the whole level of the top of the national fleet. Age and Size What age should they start? Most countries start at eight years old. But there are plenty who start earlier and eleven or twelve is not too late - even to get to the top in the Optimist. But surely they should not race at that age? It depends what you mean by racing. Kids probably start racing as soon as they can crawl! French coaches have the youngest pupils racing around by paddling even before they get a sail on the boat! The secret is to let the young sailors race to the level he/she really wants to (not the level you think it should want to). In many countries mini-regattas are organised at the same time as open (under 16) events. This is great, but they should be tailored to the needs of younger sailors - fewer, shorter races, if possible on more sheltered waters (inside the harbour? inside the bay?). What is the maximum age to sail an Optimist? Sailors are permitted to enter the Optimist Worlds and other big regattas until the are 16, i.e. until and including the year in which they have their 15th birthday. But some sailors do get too big before then. This is the breakdown of ages at the Optimist Worlds: 14.5 - 15.5: 38% 13.5 - 14.5: 41% 12.5 - 13.5: 16% Under 12.5: 5%

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. There is an interesting article and analysis of the 2002 Worlds at idealsize.pdf As an active sportsperson you are likely to be a bit lighter than the average "coach potato" but don't be tempted to diet without talking to a doctor. The unwise loss of weight may lead to loss of stamina. 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. Up to a certain age you will probably have more fun at Optimist regattas. But when you start to find most of the competitors "silly" - move on! But don't drink too much at the first regatta you attend with a bar!! Selection Who gets selected? For the IODA World and Continental Championships teams must be selected by the national Optimist association on the basis on sailing competitions in the Optimist. But IODA encourages countries to select different sailors for different events. At the Worlds and Europeans the same sailors may not enter both in the same year (except for the previous year's European champions). What is the age limit? Sailors are permitted to enter IODA events until and including the year in which they have their 15th birthday. What are the nationality rules? "Sailors shall be either nationals or bona fide residents of the country they represent, unless otherwise agreed by the IODA Executive. A sailor who has represented one country at an IODA World or Continental Championship shall not represent another member country except in cases of alteration of residence, which cases shall be approved by the IODA Executive. Attention is drawn to ISAF Regulations relative to the ISAF World Youth Championship." What this means is that a sailor living abroad or with more than one passport may choose which country he represents, but once he has chosen to sail for one member country at a major event he cannot then change his mind and sail for another one, unless he really has migrated. This reflects the fact that young people cannot choose where they live and sail, and should be allowed to represent their country of residence (provided that country allows). The reference to ISAF Regulations is that, if a sailor has represented a country in Optimists, he may have difficulties in representing another country at the ISAF World Youth Championship. NOTE: These are the IODA Rules. In some countries stricter nationality laws or rules apply. What should I do if I feel that the selection trials have been unfair? 1. Appeal to the protest committee/jury at the races in question. If the unfairness is a result of what you think was an incorrect decision by them, you can appeal to your national sailing asscociation. See RRS 70 and Appendix F. 2. If the "unfairness" is not a racing rules matter, request confirmation of the decision by the Executive of your national Optimist association. If still not happy, consider requesting an extraordinary General Assembly. 3. If you are still unhappy, consult IODA. We do not normally interfere in local matters but we may be able to advise what to do. For example in some countries we might advise appeal to the national Sailing Association: in others we would strongly advise against this! What is IODA Why does IODA exist? The object of the Class is to provide racing for young people at low cost. The objects of the Association are: To see that the Class Rules are observed To co-ordinate youth work between member countries To establish Conditions for IODA World and Continental Championships and choose the venues. Who are the members? Member countries, the national Optimist association or national sailing association in each country. Voting is on the basis of one vote per country. Who runs IODA? The ultimate authority is the members in Annual General Meeting. They approve all changes to the Class Rules and Conditions and elect: The president Three vice-presidents, one from Europe, one from the Americas and one from the rest of the world The Technical and Regatta Committees: the chairmen of these committees are members of the six-person Executive Committee. The Executive appoints the secretary. Who do I contact? The first point of contact is the IODA Secretariat. ALL communications with IODA should be copied to the secretariat. Where do I find out more? In the Administrative Handbook. Return to Optimist Homepage