The start of a fleet race | |
| Highest governing body | World Sailing |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | No |
| Type | Outdoor, Aquatic |
Fleet racing is a form of competitive sailing that involves sailboats racing one another over a set course. It is the most common form of sailboat racing and contrasts with match racing and team racing. [1]
Sailing as a sport involves a variety of competitive sailing formats that are sanctioned through various sailing federations and yacht clubs. Racing disciplines include matches within a fleet of sailing craft, between a pair thereof or among teams. Additionally, there are specialized competitions that include setting speed records. Racing formats include both closed courses and point-to-point contests; they may be in sheltered waters, coast-wise or on the open ocean. Most competitions are held within defined classes or ratings that either entail one type of sailing craft to ensure a contest primarily of skill or rating the sailing craft to create classifications or handicaps.
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Team racing, also known as team sailing, is a popular form of dinghy racing and yacht racing. Just 2 teams compete in a race, each team sailing 2, 3, or 4 boats of the same class. The winning team is decided by combining the results of each team's boats. This differs from an inter-club fleet race where boats from 3 or more clubs compete. Then the results of each club's boats are combined to give their club's overall position.
Fleet racing can take place in two main formats. In the "One-Design" basis, all boats in the fleet are of the same class (i.e., the same design, length, and sail area). Alternatively, different classes of boats can race on a handicap basis, where faster classes give time to slower classes either by starting the race later or having their finishing times adjusted after the race's completion. [2] Racing can occur around or between buoys or geographical features such as islands, and take place over short inshore courses or long distances offshore (such as the Volvo Ocean Race).
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated. In principle, a more experienced participant is disadvantaged, or a less experienced or capable participant is advantaged, in order to make it possible for the less experienced participant to win whilst maintaining fairness. Handicapping is used in scoring many games and competitive sports, including go, shogi, chess, croquet, golf, bowling, polo, basketball, and track and field events. Handicap races are common in clubs which encourage all levels of participants, such as swimming or in cycling clubs and sailing clubs, or which allow participants with a variety of standards of equipment. Often races, contests or tournaments where this practice is competitively employed are known as Handicaps.
A buoy is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. The etymology of the word is disputed.
The rules for fleet racing are set by World Sailing and can be supplemented by race-specific rules set by the organisers of a particular race. [3] Contraventions of the rules are resolved either by a boat voluntarily taking a penalty during the race, or by protest lodged and heard after the race. The rules of match racing, on the other hand, are normally enforced by umpires issuing penalties during a race. [4]
The Racing Rules of Sailing govern the conduct of yacht racing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, model boat racing, dinghy racing and virtually any other form of racing around a course with more than one vessel while powered by the wind. A new revision is published every four years by World Sailing, the sport's world governing body. Full information on the rules can be downloaded at World Sailing.
World Sailing (WS) is the world governing body for the sport of sailing recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Fleet racing involves fewer strategic and tactical considerations for the sailor than match racing. [5] In fleet racing, the most important factor in the outcome of a race is usually the speed of each boat. [3] Three-time Olympic sailing gold medallist Ben Ainslie, who made a foray into match racing for the 2007 America's Cup, has described the differences between fleet racing and match racing as "huge". [6]
Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie, CBE is an English competitive sailor.
The 2007 America's Cup was the thirty-second challenge for the America's Cup and was won by Alinghi in the 7th race. The Cup is the most famous and most prestigious regatta and Match Race in the sport of sailing.
In the 2008 Olympics, all eleven sailing events were One-Design fleet races. [7] On the other hand, the America's Cup is sailed as a series of match races. [3]
Sailing/Yachting is an Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad. With the exception of 1904 and possibly the cancelled 1916 Summer Olympics, sailing has always been included on the Olympic schedule. The Sailing program of 2008 consisted of a total of nine sailing classes. Eleven races are scheduled for each event except for the 49er class, for which 16 races are scheduled from 9 August 2008 to 21 August 2008 of the coast of the Qingdao International Sailing Centre facing the Yellow Sea. Of the 11 (16) races, 10 (15) are scheduled as opening races and one as a medal race. The sailing was done on four different types of courses.
The America's Cup, affectionately known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two sailing yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging for the cup. The timing of each match is determined by an agreement between the defender and the challenger. The America's Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy. It will next be raced for in the southern summer, in the early part of 2021.
