by Piper Howell
One of the great things about attending international events is trading gear with all of the other competitors. It’s so awesome to trade T-shirts, rash guards, and life jackets with kids from other countries. My older brother and sister raced at IODA events too so not only did we get to meet sailors from all over we came home with team gear from Sweden, Norway, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia and Bermuda—and that’s just off the top of my head.
Some trading tips:
1. When you’re ordering your team gear order extra pieces just for trading
2. If you want to get good gear bring good gear (you can’t trade a NOB with a T-shirt)
3. But still bring your old regatta T-shirts for trading too (especially from big events like Opti Canadian, US Nationals and CORK).
When our team went to Opti NAMs in Nassau, Bahamas in 2019 it was just after a big hurricane had damaged the north islands in the Bahamas so we also brought down old sailing gear that we weren’t using and donated it to the Bahamian teams. So before you go it’s also a good idea to see if your host country is accepting donations of old sails or wet suits etc. so you can give away old gear as well as trade.
– Graciously written by former CODA member and ILCA sailor Piper Howell
And, from the Parent Guide for IODA event teams:
- For the sailors, “Trader items” are important at the end of the IODA event. At international events, sailors will often trade shirts, hats, life jackets, jackets etc… with sailors from other countries. This is a tradition at IODA events and adds to the memorable experience. It is a fun for all sailors as they interact and make friends with kids from other countries. It is however, important for parents to establish clear guidelines with the sailor about what can/cannot be traded before the event, as once an item has been traded, it is almost impossible to have it returned.
All Photos: Nassau, Bahamas 2019. Courtesy of Piper Howell
