.IODA Development Projects
| . IODA Development Projects |
IODA Development Programme - 2006 Projects| Thanks to continuing record sales of sail buttons, funds are still available for additional worthwhile development projects in 2006. | Guidelines on eligible projects are at www.optiworld.org/ioda-develop.html Projects in the first half of 2006 have helped to create two very different new fleets.
In the biggest single project so far three Optimists have been funded as part of the purchase of an initial batch of 20 ordered by the Olympic Council of Libya. They will be used to start up sail-training bases in several parts of the country and a further 20 Optimists are on provisional order for 2007.
As part of an ongoing programme to upgrade club fleets in Bulgaria twelve new Optimists have been purchased in a scheme worked out with the Bulgarian Sailing Federation.
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| South Pacific The sailing paradise of the South Pacific is the latest region where IODA is helping local enthusiasts to extend and upgrade their junior training fleets.
In 2005 IODA has been able to help three island groups.
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| Solomon Islands Thirteen training sails Nicholas Reese of Point Cruz Y.C. wrote that they could maintain their wooden hulls (and sent pictures to prove it!) but: "Four of our Optimists were hit by a 50 + knot gust for a few minutes off the edge of a thunderstorm last Sunday, the kids handled it well, but two of the boats had their sails ripped to shreds. It was only after that that I found out that most of the sails are eight years old). "Our junior sailors are very dedicated Solomon Islander children who have few other opportunities in sport and recreation, and they are the only competitive sailing fleet in the Solomon Islands (13 Optimists!)." IODA was happy to supply thirteen new training sails.
| Vanuatu Sails, spars & fittings for 5 Optimists Kely Ihrig of the Vanuatu Sailing Association formed in March 2005 wrote: "We are a very small group with very high aims. Currently we have four (yep only 4) antique optimist's that we use to provide youth sailing workshops. We have our first optimist hull construction underway utilising the skills supplied by a project for unemployed youth that is teaching carpentry. The club is already running youth sailing courses on weekends and we hope to see the club developing to the point where sailing lessons could be offered to all schools at a minimal cost to cover overheads. " IODA supplied plans to build 5 new wood/epoxy Optimists and then donated 5 sets of sails, spars and all fittings. 
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Papua New Guinea "6 for 5" scheme expands the fleet Rob Lane writes: "In the Royal Papua Yacht Club we have a small band of dedicated volunteers trying to develop junior sailing through the Optimist Class to international levels. This is obviously not an easy task in a country where funds are limited. We are very lucky that over the last few years that this small band has given up their spare time to increase the awareness of the sport and raise funds to purchase new boats. We have increased the fleet to 9 fibre-glass Optimists and still retain the old trainers. RPYC is a non profit organization. The Junior learn to sail program we run is very professional and is open to both RPYC members children for a nominal fee and selected local national children who are accepted free of charge. Over the last two years we have put though over 130 young sailors and we are trying hard to develop and build on the basic skills with the object of competing in the Oceanians or the Australian Open Nationals this year, if funds are available. Boat availability is an issue and we would love to increase our fibre glass fleet to at least 18 boats."
| Plans for 2006 include assisting with funds for expanding training schemes and possibly for attending the 2006 IODA Oceanian Championship in the Cook Islands. For details of IODA Development and Training grants see www.optiworld.org/ioda-develop.html | ||
| EL SALVADOR HOLDS FIRST NATIONALS
One of the newest Optimist fleets has just held its first national championship. Local organiser Torsten Rode reports:
"Let me tell you that we have progressed a lot in the last months. The
sailschool in San Salvador is starting to work properly and we have built a
trailer where we can transport 11 Optimists to travel around.
We have also just finished our first National Optimist Championship and have
now a ranking of the best sailors in El Salvador. Most of the kids come from
the fishermen town "Santa Barbara" and we were practising regatas for the
last 4 months. On the competition we had 12 Optimist on the water and had to
run some qualifying heats because of the big number of kids wanting to race.
We managed to do 5 final heats. I'm proud that we have an almost even number
of male and female competitors which is something special for this kind of
country. Cristina who is just 6 years old finished 4 overall, although the lightwind conditions helped a lot.
On the pictures you can also see the "Lenca" which is a handcrafted
sailvessel with bamboo masts and cotton sails where we let the sailors older
than 15 race. It is a very good sailboat to practise for sailing Laser.
Our Optimist children are highly motivated, so that we will sure have some good
competitors in the near future."
The Optimists are built locally to the 1997 wood/epoxy design, with spars, sails and fittings 100% sponsored by the International Optimist Association.
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BAHAMAS A SPECIAL Christmas Gift Many lucky children round the world will be receiving an Optimist for Christmas. But in the Bahamas they will be getting NINETEEN! In a deal finalised on Christmas Eve the Bahamas Sailing Association has ordered nineteen Optimists to help establish a National Sailing School. For some months the B.S.A. has been seeking low-cost second-hand Optimists to open the sport of sailing to juniors that previously could not participate in a sailing program due to economic reasons. U.S. builders McLaughlin searched hard and came up with an offer of charter boats to be used at the Orange Bowl Regatta in Miami next week. But the price was still rather higher than the funds available. An appeal to IODA for help under its "6 for 5" scheme secured a further 17% reduction and the order was placed.
John Lawrence, secretary of the B.S.A. wrote: This is a very worthy program and we hope that it will have substantial growth over the next few years. Having said that we are now at the first step and we can only afford a few boats and therefore request the "6 for 5" assistance. We feel that once we get the program started we will be able to grow from there as we will have something tanigble with our sailing program. We want to ultimately introduce the optis on a large scale basis to the local school system." Just two years ago the Royal Nassau S.C. wrote to IODA: "We have missed a complete generation of developing sailors at our sailing club. We now have a group of members who are willing to get this thing going again.". Fleets have since been introduced at the R.N.S.C. and the Nassau Yacht Club, and the initiative of the B.S.A. will open up the sport still further.
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Another 18 boats for the Dominican Republic
A further three Optimists are being given to the Dominican Republic under the IODA "6 for 5" development programme. A total of 18 Optimists are being ordered to bring the total fleet to 29 boats.
Irina Perez de Bros, director of the National Sailing School writes:
18 boats for Tanzania A third grant has been made to East Africa, in this case Tanzania, under the IODA "6 for 5" development programme. This programme offers a free Optimist for every five bought to create or develop fleets in countries new to Optimist sailing. The newly formed Tanzania Optimist Association is based in Dar es Salaam Yacht Club and, with the help of local sponsors, is placing an order for 18 Optimists. The three subsidised boats will be the property of the association and available to the children of non-sailors. The club has also donated its fleet of older wooden boats to the new association for novice training. In the past two years IODA has made similar grants to groups in Kenya and Uganda which are working closely together. Next year the Kenyans will organise the fourth All-African Optimist Championship and it is hoped that this will stimulate yet more new fleets. | |
| New fleet in El Salvador | |
The beginning of March saw the first launch of the new Optimist fleet in the Central American country of El Salvador. The new venture is a partnership between the Salvador Sailing Association and IODA whereby the Sailing Association commissions a fleet of ten boats, built locally to the wood/epoxy pattern, and IODA supplies sails, rigs and accessories. The strategy is to expand Optimist sailing in the region, working outwards from the successful fleet formed by Juan Maegli in Guatemala. Last year a similar wood/epoxy project was sponsored by IODA in Nicaragua and it is hoped to folow with Costa Rica and other neighbouring countries. A description of the Nicaraguan project can be found in Optiworld 53 For details of help in developing new fleets see the IODA Development webpage. |
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| Congratulation, Viggo! | |
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Viggo Jacobsen, president of the Optimist Class for its first eighteen years from 1965 to 1982, celebrates on 13 February his 90th birthday in his home club of Aarhus, Denmark. When founded IODA had just just seven members countries on two continents: by the time Viggo retired in 1982 its had 44 on all six continents and 30 nations at its Worlds! In that period he had overseen such daring innovations as the introduction of toe-straps, metal spars and, critical for the Class, competitive fibreglass hulls. Throughout he was aided as Class secretary by his wife Edith who sadly died in 2002.
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