The IOCA UK British & Open Championships is one of the highlights for young sailing athletes in the Optimist class. Bringing together top talent from across the UK & beyond for 5 days of high energy, unpredictable racing.

The 2024 edition is being held from August 3rd to 8th, 2024 at the world class Welsh National Sailing Academy, Plas Heli, in North Wales, seeing sailors compete across three fleets: the Main Fleet for experienced racers, the Racing Regatta Fleet for developing sailors, and the Coached Regatta Fleet for beginners. This national championship is a chance for young sailors to test their skills, compete with the best, and gain experience in a fun and safe environment.

Such a prestigious event demands meticulous organisation, a deep understanding of youth development in sailing, and an unwavering commitment to safety.

Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Suzie Holland, who serves on the IOCA Committee as Sailing Secretary and has a personal stake in the competition – being a parent to young sailor & regular optimist regatta winner, Charlie Holland.

Our conversation delves into the complexities of organising a national sailing championship, the unique structure of the Optimist class, and the hopes for this year's event. As well as, how Suzie balances her role in the organisation, with being a parent of one of the UK’s most promising young sailors.

Introduction

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role in organising the IOCA British National & Open Championships?

I’m currently on the IOCA Committee in the role of Sailing Secretary. This involves planning and delivering our national events over the year, including working with the Race Officers and the rest of the Race Management team (Judges, Safety Officers, Venue Reps) to make sure every sailor gets afloat safely, and has great time on the water.

What goes into organising a national sailing championship like this?

The Nationals is certainly our biggest event each year, and this year in Pwllheli, we have just over 240 sailors, including over 40 international sailors coming from Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, UAE, France, Spain and more. Planning started back in January with a Nationals Delivery Team being formed, along with some committee members. However, an event of this scale doesn’t happen without an army of volunteers – we couldn’t do it without parents and carers volunteering for roles on the water, onshore, taking on catering coordination, arranging social events and the event hoodies, and the list goes on! There really is a role for everyone, and many don’t require any sailing experience. It’s also a great way to get to know other parents in the class.

Event Organisation

Can you explain how this event works, what are the different fleets competing? Who is racing here?

At the Nationals we will have 4 fleets racing.

Coached Regatta Fleet – this is the place where you’ll find our youngest sailors who are starting out on their racing journeys. Coached Regatta Fleet offers a week of safe and fun activities on the water, practicing race skills and learning new techniques, ready to take part in a relaxed (but still very competitive I hear) series of races. At times, the Fleet also joins the Racing Regatta Fleet on their racecourse for a taste of what’s to come. This Fleet is supported by a team of coaches (many who are older siblings or ex-Optimist sailors themselves) passing on valuable tips and support.

Racing Regatta Fleet is the next step and is intended to provide a full, competitive, race experience for developing sailors proportionate to their experience and capabilities, without the physical demands of the Main Fleet. The Racing Regatta Fleet sail in their own race area, with plenty of short races.

The Main Fleet is where the racing at the top end of the class happens. At the Nationals, the Main Fleet is split into Junior and Senior by age, with sailors Optimist age 13-15 racing in Senior Main, and sailors 12 and under in Junior Main. The sailors are experienced and take part in longer races, and often spend longer days on the water in all types of conditions! By entering the Main Fleet, a sailor accepts a challenge to test their skills against the best sailors at the event and the conditions!

How many sailors are expected to compete this year across the different fleets?

There are 242 sailors entered in total across the 4 fleets. This year we have our largest Coached Regatta Fleet with 45 sailors attending, which is exciting with so many keen, young sailors coming into the class. We are also welcoming 26 sailors from Ireland, and 23 sailors from other nations including Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, France, UAE, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany and the USA. So a very international field, which is exciting!

What safety measures are in place to ensure the well-being of the young competitors on the water?

Safety is the number one priority at the events. We have very experienced Race Management teams who have excellent knowledge of the venues we race at, as well as understanding the capabilities of the sailors and the Optimist itself.

There are daily Event Management meetings in the mornings which bring together the race officers, safety leads, child welfare officer and event delivery team. Here we’ll assess forecasts and tides and how things are going in the event and make any decisions for the day ahead.

On the water, on each racecourse there is an Event Safety Officer in charge of the safety fleet of RIBs and coordinates getting all sailors out and back off the water each day.

The class runs a tally system which requires each child to ‘tally out’ before launching each session, and to ‘tally off’ when they come back ashore. The tally system means children are physically seen by responsible adults.

There are a lot of people involved, but all valuable in the roles they play in creating a safe and fun event.

Optimist Class

Why is the Optimist class such a popular choice for young sailors? What skills do sailors learn by competing in the Optimist class?

The Optimist Class is unique! The one thing that separates the Optimist from other junior and youth classes is the sheer number of events that sailors can attend, not only nationally but internationally. If one so desired, you could find a major Optimist event somewhere around the world every week of the year.

For UK sailors, there are a full range of exciting events here at home and overseas that cater for all levels from early racers to gold medalists. This pathway ensures that from a very early age, sailors get to experience travel, sailing in big fleets, and meeting children from all over the world. This experience provides a fantastic platform for having great fun, honing the skills to mix it up with the best in the world and GBR sailors have also made new friends from as far away as America, New Zealand, and Thailand.

Are there any specific aspects of the British National & Open Championships that set it apart from other sailing events?

I think as mentioned above, there aren’t many dinghy classes for children that bring together so many sailors of such an age range, providing something on the water for them all. And of course, meeting sailors from around the world that want to come and sail with you is cool! It doesn't happen in many other classes.

What are your hopes for this year's British National & Open Championships?

Good weather! Good breeze! Good fun! And for everything to run smoothly. Also, on Tuesday at the event, we are running a long-distance Raid Race for the first time. The Racing Regatta Fleet will come together with the Main Fleets for a huge start and big course race. I hope this will be a good spectacle on the water, lots of fun for all, and something different.

Additional Questions

As a parent, how does it feel to watch Charlie compete at such a high level at his age?

It obviously makes me incredibly proud, but also, I’m so pleased he has found something that he just loves to do and makes him happy. I love being able to watch him grow in so many ways through sailing. It’s also slightly annoying that he is probably a way better sailor than me already and he is only 11!

How do you balance your role as an organiser with supporting Charlie during the competition?

Luckily, my husband is very involved and helps get Charlie sorted. But another great thing about Optimists is that he has plenty of friends and other parents that he knows who will help him lift boats, fix problems etc. Someone is always willing to help.

What are Charlie’s hopes for the British National & Open Championships?

He is sailing in Junior Main Fleet this year and certainly has his eye on the National title – but it won’t be easy...there are lots of sailors who will be pushing hard for the same thing.