Chairmans blog

What does IRSA do?

World Sailing (WS) delegates to IRSA the administration of radio sailing, giving IRSA the authority to grant WS sanctioned Continental and World Championship regattas, to recognize international classes and provide input into the Radio Sailing Appendix of the RRS. Our membership includes representatives from both national radio sailing organizations and international class associations

Three classes (IOM, M, and 10R) have progressed through their formative stages from being managed directly by IRSA becoming free standing IRSA Classes by creating International Class Associations (ICA), each with its own management organization and governing documents.

More Radio Sailing classes are gaining international popularity and could join the IRSA family of classes if they so choose.

What advantage does IRSA membership offer?

  1. Affiliating with World Sailing without the cost and administrative burden of an individual class membership.
  2. For national radio sailing organizations, the ability to consider and discuss Radio Sailing issues that arise in their home country with the world community of Radio Sailors.
  3. For emerging classes, assistance with creating and standardizing governing documents for becoming an IRSA Class.
  4. For classes with an ICA, the strength that comes with numbers in terms of interfacing with WS on Radio Sailing issues at an economical cost, the ability to share the contacts and experience of the member nations and other IRSA Classes to solve common problems, and the ability to host official World and Continental Championship regattas.
  5. Coordination of World and Continental Championship regattas to avoid scheduling conflicts with other events and officials.
  6. As a member nation, you have the right to nominate members for the executive and the various committees to participate in the operation of the IRSA.
  7. Sharing information with other classes and nations via the IRSA Website Forum.
  8. As membership in IRSA grows, so does its influence within WS in terms of Appendix E and other matters that directly relate to Radio Sailing – a rising tide floats all boats.

What disadvantages does IRSA membership present?

  1. IRSA may charge a minimal membership fee, based upon the national radio sailing organization’s or ICA’s size. This has not been done in the recent past.
  2. For emerging classes (without an ICA of their own), none. In the past, IRSA governed with a heavy hand. This alienated some emerging classes who then decided against joining IRSA. The new Executive is changing the workings of the IRSA, with the goal of encouraging emerging classes to work towards creating an ICA and not require that they cede management to the IRSA in the interim.
  3. For classes with an ICA, having IRSA administratively between their ICA and WS, albeit with a considerably lower cost.

What are we ( the 2022 Executive Committee ) changing?

  1. Updating our governing documents and make them more user friendly and easier to navigate.
  2. Welcome emerging classes into IRSA without requiring them to cede control.
  3. We are in the process of moving the web site to another server and to a more supportable platform.
  4. Update the “Categories of Membership” to more accurately reflect their constituency.
  5. Modernize the IRSA web presence and encourage communication and participation, not only with the national radio sailing organizations and ICA’s, but with Radio Sailors worldwide.
  6. Simplify the process for a class to join the IRSA.
  7. Update our Regulations to allow IRSA to be fiscally sound.
  8. Add a representative from the “Classes Committee” (consisting of a representative from each IRSA Class), to the Executive to facilitate communication and coordination of efforts.
  9. We wish to rename the General Assembly (the group consisting of representatives from each member national radio sailing organization) as the “IRSA Council” and add representatives from each IRSA Class as full voting members of that Council.
  10. Presently, the General Assembly meets only once every 2 years. This has had the effect of isolating the Executive Committee and the General Assembly from one another and gives little voice to the IRSA Classes. Our intention is reverse this effect and to facilitate increased participation by IRSA Council members in the work of IRSA.