Sales

Sales of ISAF plaques for new Optimists were 4,040. This maintains the level of over 4,000 a year in 2004 - 2006 and contrasts with the average 3,300 in the five years 1999-2003.
With 31 active builders in 21 countries, geographically 41% of sales (43%) were to European builders, 37% to Asian (34%) and 22% to American (23%) - 2005 figures in brackets.

Sales of royalty buttons for sails were 8,306, very similar to 2004 and 2005.

Membership

The only new member was Libya but Andorra re-joined and three countries paid old debts to leave year-end membership at a record 110 members.

Participation
The function of International Classes is to provide international competitive sailing (ISAF Regulation 26.1).

Over 850 sailors from 81 countries sailed in IODA World and continental championships.

This is very similar to last year's numbers (2005 figures in brackets):

	Sailors	Countries
Worlds	228 (241)	50 (52)
Europeans	231 (232)	42 (41)
S. Americans	194 (172)	18 (15)
N. Americans	189 (183)	22 (18)
Asians	63 (98)	14 (12)
Africans	44 (60)	11 (10)
Oceanians	26 (-)	7 (-)
	975 (986)	164 (146)
Many countries enter more than one event but most send different sailors to different events. So:
less "duplicates"	<100	83 (66)
	850+ (850+)	81 (80)

A further 10 - 15 countries participated in "unofficial" regional regattas in areas such as the Balkans, Arabian Gulf and Caribbean. Numbers at Easter regattas topped 1,400 and almost 1,200 will have participated in regattas during the December holidays, including a new event in Melbourne, Australia.
In response to requests to identify the best of these international regattas the 2007 calendar will where possible link to the 2006 results so that parents and coaches can see the likely participation.

Technical and Measurement

Foils: The tighter, more one-design specification agreed in 2003 has now clearly established itself as a success with over 80% of participants at the North Americans choosing to use one-design charter foils in one of the last continental championships at which old ones were still permitted.

Technical Changes: The competition to re-think the Optimist sail was not a success with no apparent interest from sailmakers. The Technical Committee will review this situation.
The committee has conducted a general review of Class Rules and a large number of mostly minor changes with the aim of clarifying and simplifying these Rules were approved subject to ISAF ratification .

Measurement:
Scrutineering was conducted by International Measurers at the World, European, Asian and North and South American Championships. No major problems were encountered and analysis confirmed yet again the complete equality of speed of hulls from different manufacturers. See 06namtech.pdf and 06topgear.pdf for details.

IODA's Inspection Measurer, Luis Miguel Horta IM visited three builders to check production.

Regatta Management

The IODA Regatta Committee supplied International Race Officers at the World, European, Asian and North and South American Championships.
Amneris Cloos continued as regatta secretary and has done valuable work in collecting the data to assess the applicants for championships in 2007 and 2008, editing Notices of Race and Sailing Instructions and improving the website calendar.

Development and Training

IODA spent or allocated over $20,000 in the year in subsidies in two areas:

• Equipment Subsidies
  "6 for 5" grants were given to Bulgaria (2), Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands, and the Faroe Islands. Grants have been approved but not yet paid to Libya (3)Mauritius and Fiji (rigs for wooden boats).
• Sailor Participation Programme
  Sailors from the Seychelles, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji were given free entry, accommodation and charter to attend continental regattas.

  No coach-training grants were made since there were no suitable applications.