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