ILCA Class Qualification Overview

As you or your sailor moves into the ILCA class, there are a few core differences with the Optimist Class. Primarily, the Opti class through IODA requires qualification by country through country-specific rules that vary widely around the world. In the ILCA class, the rules are homogeneous worldwide and defined by the ILCA.

Terminology

1. ILCA North America (ILCA-NA) Grand Prix Rankings. These are the year-long standings in North America for the ILCA Class based on qualifying events.
2. Berth. A berth is a qualification slot for a sailor to compete at the ILCA World Championships. The number of berths available varies by event and is allocated through a structured qualification process.

ILCA Class General Information

The ILCA Class Handbook can be found here.

ILCA Classes are organized by age as follows:

• ILCA 4: 12-17 (last year is the year they turn 17)
• ILCA 6: 15-18 (last year is the year they turn 18)
• ILCA 7: No age restriction
• ILCA Masters: 30+, separate divisions based on age

Earning an ILCA World event berth can be done in three ways. Sailors only need one berth for a particular event to qualify. Unlike Opti, they can not double qualify.

1. Primary: Finish high enough in specific regattas.
2. Backup: Rank well in the ILCA-NA Grand Prix standings.
3. Last resort: Extra berths may be assigned to balance country quotas.

Berths are granted for the following ILCA World events each year.

• ILCA 7 Men’s Worlds (At least 8 berths total)
• ILCA 6 Men’s Worlds (At least 6 berths total)
• ILCA 6 Women’s Worlds (At least 8 berths total)
• ILCA 7 Men’s U21 Worlds (At least 6 berths total)
• ILCA 6 Women’s U21 Worlds (At least 6 berths total)
• ILCA 6 Youth Worlds (At least 10 male berths, 9 female berths total)
• ILCA 4 Youth Worlds (At least 11 male berths, 10 female berths total)

ILCA International Events Qualification

1. Primary way: Earning a Berth Through Competition. Sailors can participate in any of the following events and earn a berth depending on the number of berths granted at each competition. See the table below.‍
2. Backup way: ILCA-NA Ranking. After all regatta-based berths are awarded, any extra berths granted to North America will be filled using the ILCA-NA Grand Prix rankings as of December 31, 2025. This means that if a sailor did not qualify through a regatta but ranked high enough in the year-long points-based Grand Prix standings, they may still earn a spot‍
3. Last resort: Country Quotas. ILCA has set country quotas, meaning a minimum number of berths must be distributed fairly between different nations. If a country (e.g., Canada or the U.S.) has not used all of its allocated berths, adjustments may be made to ensure compliance

ILCA Grand Prix Rules

The Grand Prix is for class-sanctioned regattas which are sailed between January 1 of a given year and December 31 of the same year. See the guidelines for Open ILCA-NA Regattas.

1. Regatta Points. The score for eligible competitors is calculated as Total Regatta Points (as defined in the table below) – finish position + 1 (e.g. the regatta winner will receive a score equal to the Total Regatta Points) down to a minimum of one point.
2. Ranking. The Grand Prix ranking will be the sum of the top five Regatta Scores for all eligible competitors.
3. Tie-breaking. To award prizes only, ties will be broken by removing points first from district events, if the tie remains then removing points from regional events, etc. If a tie remains, the competitor who finished ahead in the highest graded, and most recent, mutually attended Grand Prix regatta shall be the winner, unless neither competitor faced each other, in which case the tie shall be broken by the ILCA-NA Executive Secretary by coin flip.

ILCA Districts

The following are the closest districts to ours. The list of district championships can be found here.

Regatta Categories and Grand Prix Regattas

There must be a minimum of 15 boats to hold a Grand Prix Regatta. For a class to count there should be a minimum of 3 boats start within 15 min of the starting signal of the class.

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