IODAI Communications Officer Brendan Foley reports on a recent Optimist dinghy class survey
What do Junior sailors and their families want from Oppie sailing? That was the key question that IODAI, the organising body for Optimist sailing in Ireland, wished to find out from their members. All members were sent a link to a survey, and 66 families responded.
Many interesting insights arose, which are outlined here;
- The average number of sailors per family is 2.
- 69% of respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with IODAI – only 1% were somewhat dissatisfied.
- When asked, “what do you like most about sailing an optimist ?” the overwhelming theme was friendship and fun followed by racing.
- From a parents' perspective, they appreciated the confidence building, family focus and independence that the class offers.
- When asked about what changes members would like to see, three main themes arose;
- More support at events.
- Have more regional training options.
- Make team racing part of IODAI events.
From a pathway in sailing perspective, IODAI were keen to understand what classes people would sail after leaving Optimists;
- The Mirror was not included in the list, but in “other”, three people indicated that as their next boat.
- ILCA 4, RS Feva and team racing were the most popular next boats for most sailors.
The final question was an open-field option to give any feedback that people wished to the committee. While it was clear there is a need to try to manage costs, vary venues and communicate these early, thankfully, the key takeaway here was, “You are doing a great job – keep it up”.
The newly formed IODAI Committee have already acted on some of the feedback and is committed to keeping an open dialogue with members to ensure the class can work for all. Our operating principle is to focus on the 80% rather than the top 20%, to continually encourage participation and create sailors for life.
