For Immediate Release – February 6, 2024
USODA Announces Reset of Sail Numbers
The USODA is excited to announce that effective immediately, and per Class Rule 2.4.2, sail numbering for new boats sold will reset back to USA 1!
The USODA is currently the only MNA that assigns 5-digit numbers, and aligning ourselves with the rest of the world has many advantages. For anyone who has volunteered on Race Committee at one of our events, tracking 5-digit numbers on the starting and finishing lines is a major challenge for our race officials. Re-numbering sails will reduce costs to our members, as well as minimize numbering issues our sailors have experienced during measurement inspections at IODA events due to the difficulty of properly spacing so many sail numbers according to the Class Rules. The Board unanimously supports this alignment with the other countries competing in the Optimist Class.
Can I request a specific sail number when I purchase a new boat? Specific sail numbers cannot be requested. Class Rule 2.4.2 requires that we issue sail numbers consecutively to boats as they are sold by our builders and vendors. USODA plans to raffle boats with the first three numbers (USA 1, USA 2, and USA 3) at our 3 major events this year: Team Trials, Nationals and Midwinters (STQ). Please stay tuned for more information on how you can purchase tickets to win one of these boats!
What if I own an older boat with a low sail number? If you own an older hull and can provide proof of the IYRU/ISAF plaque number associated with that hull, you can continue to use that sail number. Please note however, that hulls with IYRU/ISAF plaque numbers below 92000 do not have registration books, and do not conform to the current class rules, meaning the hulls and the sail numbers assigned to them cannot be used at an IODA event. These are boats that were built prior to 1996, and most of them have sail numbers below 6400. Should multiple sailors register for a USODA event with the same sail number, the sailor who owns the newer, conforming hull associated with that sail number will be allowed to use that number. It is unlikely this will be an issue for many, many years, if at all!
What does this mean for my sailor who currently owns a boat with a 5-digit number? Sail numbers previously assigned are not affected by this change, and those hulls will not be renumbered. The Class strongly encourages all sailors with privately-owned hulls to register them with the Class. When you register a boat you own with the Class, we link it to your sailor’s membership, allowing you to select their sail number when you enter our events. A link to the registration form can be found on the home page of our website at www.usoda.org.
What if I am chartering a boat for a USODA event? When you charter a boat at one of our events, you will still use your own sail, with the sail number that is assigned to a hull that you own. If you normally sail a club-owned boat (i.e you don’t own your own boat), your sail number should be the one associated with the boat you charter from your club. If you are uncertain of that number, please feel free to reach out to Beth Danilek at usoda.admin@gmail.com, providing the ISAF/WS plaque number for the hull. Beth will confirm the sail number assigned to the hull you are using. Event-chartered boats do not have sail numbers assigned to them yet, since sail numbers are only assigned when boats are sold.
If you have any questions or concerns about the sail numbering change, please feel free to reach out to the USODA Class Executive Director, Beth Danilek, at usoda.admin@gmail.com.