Merry Christmas, JOHNMADDEN, and Welcome.
Many boats have "cockpit scuppers" to drain water that finds its way aboard while sailing. (Also allow for spilled drinks to find their way out of the boat's cockpit.) If the opening in the cockpit is above the waterline there shouldn't be much water coming up through the hole. Some boats (including a stinkpot we own) have flaps on the outboard side of those scuppers so the water intake is limited even when the openings do dip below the water's surface. We sailed an Oday 19 for a short time, but I don't remember the location and orientation of the opening.