The Irish Optimist Dinghy Association (IODAI) IDT Team is the International Development team which is aimed at sailors just below the World and European level, writes Brendan Foley of the IODAI
The team is aimed at preparing sailors for international competitions in a fun and sporting manner. The core ethos is teamwork and doing your best on and off the water. This includes house chores as much as sailing!
Our team of 8 sailors were;
- Dougie Venner – Royal Cork Yacht Club
- Emily Donagh – Royal St George Yacht Club / Lough Derg Yacht Club
- Kate Spain – Howth Yacht Club / Royal St George Yacht Club
- Louise Hanley – National Yacht Club
- Anabelle Wilson – Kinsale Yacht Club
- Finn Foley – Royal St George Yacht Club
- Patrick Fegan – Malahide Yacht Club / Royal St George Yacht Club
- Mathew Holden – Ballyholme Yacht Club / National Yacht Club
- Coach - Thomas Chaix
- Managers – Ian & Ger Venner
The IODAI IDT Optimist Team in France - L-R Finn Foley, Anabelle Wilson, Dougie Venner, Kate Spain, Patrick Fegan, Emily Donagh, Matthew Holden, Louise Hanley
Our team of 8 sailors travelled to Perros-Gueric in Brittany for the La Coupe Internationale d'Été d'Optimist. This is a massive French Optimist Regatta with 227 in the main fleet and 435 overall including under U11’s and Regatta fleet. Teams from France, Spain, Brazil, Switzerland, Sweden, Monaco, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, USA and Ireland were present.
The IDT Managers were the dream team of Ian and Ger Venner, who met all the sailors with their boats at Ringaskiddy Ferry Port in Cork to do the 20-hour journey to France. The team looked great in their matching gear and boats looked super, thanks to former IODAI President Tim Lucas, who provided Team Ireland decals.
On arrival at the massive team house, the kids were delighted to see a pad rivalling that of any MTV crib. Thanks to IODAI Teams rep Steve O’Sullivan for finding a gem. After a day to settle in, team coach Thomas Chaix, usefully a French native but living full time in Ireland, helped the sailors get into the swing of things with some early training to acquaint themselves with the sailing venue and the notoriously strong tides of Brittany. The boat park was a beautiful beach, and one the first lessons of the week was launching boats in the shore break before learning to negotiate the fast currents.
The Irish Optimist IDT Team are towed home Photo: Thomas Chaix
Sailing conditions were generally 8-10kts and sometimes lighter with a 2-2.5 kts tide making very challenging conditions. In race 1 only 1/3 of the fleet finished within the time limit. A feature of the event is a ‘raid’ with all 435 boats starting on the same line. A dramatic spectacle, the race format massively punished anything but a front-row start. This was a big learning for our young sailors over the week. Getting a clear start was a must in such big fleets. Managing mark roundings with up to 30 other boats at the same time also proved a useful learning point. All the sailors had up and down races, but the wise coach Thomas Chaix banned all from looking at overall results throughout the week and was great at refocusing the sailors to concentrate on the next race and try their best.
The team really gelled which was a major objective. All the team can now count hoovering, lunch making and using a washing machine as part of their nautical skillsets! Kite flying, singing and skim boarding were also important skills developed along the way. There was even a sweet fairy depositing tic-tacs overnight in the Oppies. A special thanks to the Fegan family for sending a huge lasagne and garlic bread to feed the team on Thursday night as some of sailors spent a long night in the protest room.
After racing Friday, much gear swapping with other teams took place, with the sailors looking like a united nations convention as they boarded the ferry back home. The crossing back was a foretaste of the Fastnet conditions and several succumbed, though all perked up once inside Roches Point. Long after the boats were loaded on cars – the team were still all chatting and eight sailors that left as individuals retuned as one team.
Results can be seen here
