Parental Volunteers Help BODA Make It Happen

In 1998 the parents of Bermuda’s Opti sailors officially agreed to form an organization to be called the Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association. Since those early days the Association has become a registered Bermuda Charity.

BODA members can be any child 15yrs or younger with an interest in Optimist sailing and their parents. The intent is to pull from the diverse group of children in Bermuda who are exposed to the various summer sailing programs to foster competitive sailing throughout the year. Weekly sailing is held on Sunday afternoons for advanced sailors and intermediate sailors.  BODA has recently expanded its offering of racing by organizing the popular GREEN FLEET.  This is on the back of our success of holding a Green Fleet regatta as part of our Bermuda Nationals in 2009.  Today we host Green Fleet Fun racing Days at least once per month tied in with a social event.

As a group of parents, we have organized clinics in the past, usually during school breaks, by bringing in outside coaches. Participants are regularly encouraged to take part in various regattas oversea’s. Annually there is the IODA Optimist World Championship, the IODA North and South American Championships as well as several other International events in which individuals from Bermuda regularly participate.

As with clubs round the world, it is through the tireless efforts of volunteers who help make BODA a reality for our children. Because of their dedication and commitment to Bermuda’s young people, we have continued to see tremendous growth in the abilities of the fleet overall.