| Yacht racing is the sport of competitive | | | | and the Vendée Globe. |
| sailing. There is a broad variety of kinds of | | | | Single-handed racing has seen a great boom in |
| races and sailboats used for racing. Much | | | | popularity in recent years. |
| racing is done around buoys or similar marks | | | | |
| in protected waters, while some longer | | | | There is some controversy about the legality |
| offshore races cross open water. All kinds of | | | | of sailing single-handed over long distances, |
| boats are used for racing, including small | | | | as the navigation rules require "that every |
| dinghies, catamarans, boats designed | | | | vessel shall at all times maintain a proper |
| primarily for cruising, and purpose-built | | | | lookout..."; single-handed sailors can only |
| raceboats. | | | | keep a sporadic lookout, due to the need to |
| | | | sleep, tend to navigation, etc. |
| Types of races | | | | |
| | | | Other races |
| Harbour or buoy racing | | | | |
| | | | Certain races do not fit in the above |
| Harbour or buoy races are conducted in | | | | categories. One such is the Three peaks yacht |
| protected waters, and are quite short, | | | | race in the UK which is a team competition |
| usually taking anywhere from a few minutes to | | | | involving sailing, cycling and running. |
| a few hours. All sorts of sailing craft are | | | | |
| used for these races, including keelboats of | | | | Classes and ratings |
| all sizes, as well as dinghies, catamarans, | | | | |
| skiffs, sailboards, and other small craft. A | | | | Many design factors have a large impact on |
| competition, or regatta, usually consists of | | | | the speed at which a boat can complete a |
| multiple individual races, where the boat | | | | course, including the size of a boat's sails, |
| that performs best in each race is the | | | | its length, and the weight and shape of its |
| overall winner. The most famous such event is | | | | hull. Because of these differences, it can be |
| the America's Cup, but harbour races are | | | | difficult to compare the skills of the |
| common anywhere there is a community of | | | | sailors in a race if they are sailing very |
| sailors. | | | | different boats. For most forms of yacht |
| | | | racing, one of two solutions to this problem |
| This kind of race is most commonly run over | | | | are used; either all boats are required to be |
| one or more laps of a triangular course | | | | identical (a one-design class), or a |
| marked by a number of buoys. The course | | | | handicapping system is used. A third approach |
| starts from an imaginary line drawn from a | | | | is the use of "open" classes. |
| 'committee boat' to the designated 'starting' | | | | |
| buoy or 'pin'. A number of warning signals | | | | In one-design racing all boats must conform |
| are given telling the crews exactly how long | | | | to the same standard, the class rules. In |
| until the race starts. The aim of each crew | | | | this way the boats are as identical as they |
| is to cross the start line at full speed | | | | can be manufactured, thus emphasizing the |
| exactly as the race starts. A course | | | | skill of the skipper and crew. Examples of |
| generally involves tacking upwind to a | | | | popular classes include Etchells, Snipe, |
| 'windward' marker or buoy. Then bearing away | | | | Star, Soling, Thistle, Lightning, Laser, and |
| onto a downwind leg to a second jibe marker. | | | | J/24. Each class has a detailed set of |
| Next another jibe on a second downwind leg to | | | | specifications that must be met for the boat |
| the last mark which is called the 'downwind | | | | to be considered a member of that class. At |
| mark' (or 'leeward mark'). At this mark the | | | | important regattas the boats are measured |
| boats turn into wind once again to tack to | | | | prior to the event to ensure that they do |
| the finish line. | | | | conform. |
| | | | |
| Offshore racing | | | | When all the yachts in a race are not members |
| | | | of the same class, then a handicap is used to |
| Offshore yacht races are held over long | | | | adjust the times of boats. The handicap |
| distances and in open water; such races | | | | attempts to specify a "normal" speed for each |
| usually last for at least a number of days. | | | | boat, usually based either on measurements |
| The longest offshore races involve a | | | | taken of the boat, or on the past record of |
| circumnavigation of the world. | | | | that kind of boat. Each boat is timed over |
| | | | the specified course. After it has finished, |
| Some of the most famous offshore races are | | | | the handicap is added to each boat's |
| the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the | | | | finishing time. The results are based on this |
| Transpacific Yacht Race, the Fastnet race, | | | | sum. Popular handicapping systems in 2006 |
| the Bermuda Race, and the West Marine Pacific | | | | include IRC (Sailing), ORR and PHRF. Earlier |
| Cup. Several fully-crewed round-the-world | | | | popular rating systems include IOR and IMS. |
| races are held, including the Volvo Ocean | | | | |
| Race (formerly called the Whitbread Round the | | | | An open class is based on a box rule, which |
| World Race), the Global Challenge and the | | | | specifies a maximum overall size for boats in |
| Clipper Round the World Race. | | | | the class, as well as features such as |
| | | | stability. Competitors in these classes are |
| Single-handed ocean yacht racing begain with | | | | then free to enter their own boat designs, as |
| the race across the Atlantic Ocean by William | | | | long as they do not exceed the box rule. No |
| Albert Andrews and Josiah W. Lawlor in 1891; | | | | handicap is then applied. Since it is |
| however, the first regular single-handed | | | | essentially based on the use of custom boats, |
| ocean race was the Single-Handed | | | | such events are generally limited to |
| Trans-Atlantic Race, first held in 1960. The | | | | high-budget racers. Popular examples of open |
| first round-the-world yacht race was the | | | | classes are the Open 50 and 60 classes used |
| Sunday Times Golden Globe Race of 1968-1969, | | | | in single-handed offshore events. However the |
| which was also a single-handed race; this | | | | Moth class is an exception, with boats being |
| inspired the present-day VELUX 5 Oceans Race | | | | no longer than 11 feet. |
| (formerly the BOC Challenge / Around Alone) | | | | |