In the last few days, we have been musing on IOM Worlds Sponsorship. We know from UK’s MYA that their number of members is 2,250 …. but for Livestream TV to a Global Audience, how many skippers are “out there”? NB decided to ask AI …… and this is what it said…..
Here are the key indicators we do have:
- IRSA has member national authorities across many countries.
- Four major IRSA classes (IOM, Marblehead, 10R, A‑Class) are sailed worldwide.
- World Championships typically draw 70–90 sailors per class, with strict qualification limits.
- Large national associations (UK, USA, Germany, France, Australia, NZ) each have 1,000–2,500+ registered sailors.
Using these indicators, we can build a reasoned estimate.
📐 A realistic global estimate
Most countries with active IRSA membership have hundreds of sailors; the largest have thousands.
A conservative model:
| Region | Estimated sailors | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 8,000–10,000 | Many active IRSA nations; UK alone has 2,000+ |
| North America | 2,000–3,000 | US + Canada |
| Asia | 1,500–2,500 | Japan, China, Singapore, HK, etc. |
| Oceania | 1,500–2,000 | Australia + NZ |
| South America | 800–1,200 | Brazil, Argentina, Chile |
| Africa | 200–400 | South Africa mainly |
Global estimate: 14,000–19,000 active radio sailors worldwide
This aligns with class registration patterns, national membership numbers, and IRSA event participation.
If you have nay “real data” we can think about, please send your thoughts to the the email address on our “Contact” page of this website.
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