The sport of sailing 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 .
57-479: The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts : one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known as the defender) and the other from the yacht club that is challenging for the cup (the challenger). The winner is awarded the America's Cup trophy , informally known as
114-554: A Defender and demonstrate that it will continue to have qualifying annual regattas on an ongoing basis" and not merely intend to hold its first annual regatta before the envisaged America's Cup match. The New York Supreme Court has also found that the Great Lakes between the United States and Canada are arms of the sea, allowing clubs with regattas on those lakes to be challengers. The challenge document must give dates for
171-405: A few minutes to a few hours. All sorts of sailing craft are used for these races, including keel-boats of all sizes, as well as dinghies, trailer sailors , catamarans , skiffs, sailboards, and other small craft. This kind of race is most commonly run over one or more laps of a triangular course marked by a number of buoys. The course starts from an imaginary line drawn from a 'committee boat' to
228-480: A few star players, the team can suffer if the player has a bad game, or if they play a turn-taking sport such as baseball . The longest (in terms of time) recorded winning streak in any professional sports is Spain 's Antoni Bou , having won 34 consecutive FIM Trial World Championship (17 outdoor and 17 indoor) between 2007 and 2023 (as of January 2024, he is still active in the sport). Pakistan 's Jahangir Khan 's 555 consecutive wins in squash from 1981 to 1986
285-734: A fleet race between the New York Yacht Club 's America and 15 yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron. The race was witnessed by Queen Victoria and the future Edward VII and won by America . This is considered to be the first America's Cup race. On 8 July 1857, the surviving members of the America syndicate donated the cup to the New York Yacht Club via the Deed of Gift of the America's Cup filed with
342-401: A matter of random chance. A team with low ability is more likely to lose frequently, and a team with high ability is more likely to win, but once ability is controlled for, there is no evidence that a "winning" or "losing" streak affects the result of the match. One study of European association football matches using a Monte Carlo methodology found that, once ability was accounted for, a team
399-574: A number of hours. The longest offshore races involve a circumnavigation of the world. Some of the most famous offshore races are as follows Several fully crewed round-the-world races are held, including: South African yacht clubs organise the South Atlantic Race (the former Cape to Rio race), the Governor's Cup from Cape Town to St. Helena Island, and a race between Durban and Mauritius. Single-handed ocean yacht racing began with
456-587: A sporadic lookout, due to the need to sleep, tend to navigation, etc. Certain races do not fit in the above categories. One such is the Three peaks yacht race in the UK which is a team competition involving sailing, cycling and running. Many design factors have a large impact on the speed at which a boat can complete a course, including the size of a boat's sails , its length, and the weight and shape of its hull. Because of these differences, it can be difficult to compare
513-472: A tradition of naming the company's blimps after America's Cup yachts, including America , Puritan , Mayflower , Volunteer , Vigilant , Defender , Reliance , Resolute , Enterprise , Rainbow , Ranger , Columbia and Stars & Stripes . The 1988 parody film Return of the Killer Tomatoes included background TV coverage of "Full Contact America's Cup" yacht racing. The 1992 film Wind
570-465: A win nor a loss, as in association football . Unbeaten streaks are still considered significant achievements and their length may be compared directly to winning streaks. It is possible to achieve both an unbeaten streak and a winless streak , with an all-ties record. Most quantitative studies of winning and losing streaks, and the associated concept of psychological momentum , have failed to find any evidence that "streaks" actually exist, except as
627-515: Is "incorporated, patented, or licensed by the legislature, admiralty or other executive department". The club must hold an "annual regatta [on] an ocean water course on the sea, or on an arm of the sea, or one which combines both". The New York Supreme Court and the New York Court of Appeals have held that this means the challenging club must in fact "have held at least one qualifying annual regatta before it submits its Notice of Challenge to
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#1732775667616684-445: Is affectionately called the "Auld Mug" by the sailing community. It is inscribed with names of the yachts that competed for it, and has been modified twice by adding matching bases to accommodate more names. All challenges for the America's Cup are made under the Deed of Gift of the America's Cup , which outlines who can challenge for the cup, and what information a challenge must provide to the defender. The deed then allows for most of
741-402: Is largely about the America's Cup racing towards the end of the 12-meter era. Although the names have been changed, it is largely about Dennis Conner 's 1980s loss and comeback. The documentary The Wind Gods: 33rd America's Cup (2011) centres around Oracle Team USA's efforts to challenge for the 33rd America's Cup . David Ellison collaborated with American journalist Julian Guthrie on
798-459: Is the America's Cup . The tactics involved in match racing are different from those of other races, because the objective is merely to arrive at the finish line before the opponent, which is not necessarily as fast as possible. The tactics involved at the start are also special. Team racing is most often between two teams of three boats each. It involves similar technique to match racing but has
855-441: The 12 Metre being the most famous due to its involvement in the America's Cup . When all the yachts in a race are not members of the same class, then a handicap is used to adjust the times of boats. The handicap attempts to specify a "normal" speed for each boat, usually based either on measurements taken of the boat, or on the past record of that kind of boat. Each boat is timed over the specified course. After it has finished,
912-737: The 2016 Olympics in Rio, compulsory mixed gender in the event were added for the first time. In addition the following criteria are sometimes applied to events: Winning streak A winning streak , also known as a win streak or hot streak , is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions , commonly measured by at least three wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties . In sports , it can be applied to teams , and individuals . In sports where teams or individuals represent groups such as countries or regions, those groups can also be said to have winning streaks if their representatives win consecutive games or competitions, even if
969-580: The J-Class regattas of the 1930s. After World War II and almost twenty years without a challenge, the NYYC made changes to the deed of gift to allow smaller, less expensive 12-metre class yachts to compete; this class was used from 1958 until 1987. It was replaced in 1990 by the International America's Cup Class , which was used until 2007. After a long legal battle, the 2010 America's Cup
1026-483: The New York Supreme Court . The deed is the primary instrument that governs the rules to make a valid challenge for the America's Cup and the rules of conduct of the races. It states that the cup "is donated upon the condition that it shall be preserved as a perpetual challenge Cup for friendly competition between foreign countries", outlines how a foreign yacht club can make a challenge to the holder of
1083-582: The Swiftsure Yacht Race , are actually a group of inshore races of various distances along overlapping courses to allow for different classes and skills. Depending on location, stability and safety equipment requirements will be more extensive than for harbor racing, but less so than for offshore racing. Different levels of requirement for navigation, sleeping cooking and water storage also apply. Offshore yacht races are held over long distances and in open water; such races usually last for at least
1140-474: The United Kingdom . The winning yacht was a schooner called America , owned by a syndicate of members from the New York Yacht Club (NYYC). In 1857, the syndicate permanently donated the trophy to the NYYC, under a Deed of Gift that renamed the trophy as the 'America's Cup' after the first winner and required it be made available for perpetual international competition. It was originally known as
1197-407: The "R.Y.S. £100 Cup", standing for a cup of a hundred GB Pounds or "sovereigns" in value. The cup was subsequently mistakenly engraved as the "100 Guinea Cup" by the America syndicate, but was also referred to as the "Queen's Cup" (a guinea is an old monetary unit of one pound and one shilling, now £1.05). Today, the trophy is officially known as the "America's Cup" after the 1851 winning yacht, and
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#17327756676161254-412: The America's Cup attracts the world's top sailors, yacht designers, wealthy entrepreneurs and sponsors. It is a test of sailing skill, boat and sail design, and fundraising and management skills. Competing for the cup is expensive, with modern teams spending more than US$ 100 million each; the 2013 winner was estimated to have spent US$ 300 million on the competition. The most recent 2024 America's Cup
1311-671: The Auld Mug, is an ornate sterling silver bottomless ewer crafted in 1848 by Garrard & Co . Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey , bought one and donated it for the Royal Yacht Squadron 's 1851 Annual Regatta around the Isle of Wight . The cup was originally known as the 'R.Y.S. £100 Cup', awarded in 1851 by the British Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight in
1368-400: The Auld Mug. Matches are held several years apart on dates agreed between the defender and the challenger. There is no fixed schedule, but the races have generally been held every three to four years. Any yacht club that meets the requirements specified in the Deed of Gift of the America's Cup has the right to challenge the yacht club that currently holds the cup. If the challenging club wins
1425-442: The added dimension that it is the overall scoring of the race that matters. In three on three team racing, this means that the team that scores ten or less points wins. For this reason, many tactics are used to advance teammates to make stable combinations for winning. The stable combinations most commonly sought are "Play one", which is 1-2-anything, "Play two" or 2-3-4, and "Play 4", a 1-4-5 combination. These are generally regarded as
1482-404: The arrangements for the match to be made by negotiation and mutual consent, but provides a backstop in the event agreement is not reached. The first valid challenge that is made must be accepted by the defender or it must forfeit the cup to that valid challenger or negotiate other terms. To be eligible, a challenging club must be "an organized yacht Club" of a country other than the defender, which
1539-420: The best setups to win and the hardest for the opposing team to play offense against. Is managed by World Speed Sailing Record Council Is common to board sports. Both windsurfing and kiteboarding are experimenting with new formats. ‹The template How-to is being considered for merging .› Harbor or buoy races are conducted in protected waters, and are quite short, usually taking anywhere from
1596-459: The boat to be considered a member of that class. Some classes (e.g.the Laser ) have very tight specifications ensuring that there is virtually no difference between the boats (except for age) - these classes are sometimes called strict one-design . In one-design racing all boats must conform to the same standard, the class rules , thus emphasizing the skill of the skipper and crew rather than having
1653-415: The box rule. No handicap is then applied. A construction class is based on a formula or set of restrictions which the boat's measurements must fit to be accepted to the class. Resulting boats are all unique, yet (ideally) relatively close in size and performance. Perhaps the most popular and enduring construction formula is The Metre Rule , around which several still popular classes were designed. With
1710-490: The centre-board nor sliding keel is considered a part of the vessel for any purposes of measurement. As long as these rules are met, the New York Court of Appeals has ruled that the defender may use a boat of a different category to the challenger, such as meeting a challenge in a monohull with a catamaran. Under the deed, the defender and challenger "may by mutual consent make any arrangement satisfactory to both as to
1767-409: The competitors are different. Streaks can also be applied to specific competitions: for example, a competitor who wins an event in three consecutive world championships has a winning streak at the world championships, even if they have lost other competitions during the period. A winning streak is different from an unbeaten streak in sports where tied results are possible, and so a result is neither
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1824-535: 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. The Barcolana regatta of the Italian yacht club Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano is currently the Guinness World Record holder as the "largest sailing race" with 2,689 boats and over 16,000 sailors at
1881-426: The cup and what happens if they do not agree on how the match should be conducted. The deed makes it "distinctly understood that the cup is to be the property of the club [that has most recently won a match for the cup], subject to the provisions of this deed, and not the property of the owner or owners of any vessel winning a match". The trophy was held by the NYYC from 1857 until 1983 . The NYYC successfully defended
1938-423: The dates, courses, number of trials, rules and sailing regulations, and any and all other conditions of the match, in which case also the ten months' notice may be waived". Since 1958, the practice has usually been for the defender and challenger to agree that the challenger shall be a Challenger of Record, which then arranges a Challenger Series involving a number of other yacht clubs from countries other than that of
1995-742: The defender. The yacht that wins the Challenger Series wins the Herbert Pell Cup and also an associated sponsored cup such as the Prada Cup in 2021 or the Louis Vuitton Cup from 1983 to 2017, and again in 2024. However, if the challenger and defender cannot agree, the deed provides a backstop, requiring a first-to-two match on ocean courses defined in the deed, at a venue selected by the defender, under its rules and sailing regulations so far as they do not conflict with
2052-414: The designated 'starting' buoy or 'pin'. A number of warning signals are given telling the crews exactly how long until the race starts. The aim of each crew is to cross the start line at full speed exactly as the race starts. A course generally involves tacking upwind to a 'windward' marker or buoy. Then bearing away onto a downwind leg to a second jibe marker. Next another jibe on a second downwind leg to
2109-516: The field have pointed to the importance of understanding qualitative, psychological aspects of streaks. Studies in sports management suggest that some managers are able to prolong winning streaks through managerial strategies. In team sports , winning streaks may be achieved through planning a team based on Steiner's Taxonomy of Tasks . Teams may attempt to win through using star players (disjunctive), managing their weakest members ( conjunctive ), and/or aiming for squad depth (additive). Using one or
2166-467: The film; Guthrie later authored The Billionaire and the Mechanic , a non-fiction book detailing the history of Oracle Team USA. In 2021, Australian psychedelic rock band Pond released a single titled America's Cup . The song centres around the gentrification of Western Australia and Fremantle , the host city of the 1987 America's Cup , after Australia's victory of the 1983 America's Cup with
2223-504: The handicap is used to adjust each boat's finishing time. The results are based on this sum. Popular handicapping systems include Earlier popular rating systems include IOR and IMS . The majority of sailing events are "open" events in which males and females compete together on equal terms either as individuals or part of team. Sailing has had female only World Championships since the 1970s to encourage participation and now hosts more than 30 such World Championship titles each year. For
2280-512: The last mark which is called the 'downwind mark' (or 'leeward mark'). At this mark the boats turn into wind once again to tack to the finish line. The most famous and longest running of these events are: Inshore racing is yacht racing not in protected waters but along and generally within sight of land or from land to nearby islands, as distinct from offshore racing across open water and oceans. The duration of races may be daylight only, overnight or passage races of several days. Some races, such as
2337-427: The load water line. If it has more than one mast, it must be between 80 and 115 feet (24 and 35 m) on the load water line. These dimensions may not be exceeded by either challenger or defender. The yachts must be propelled by sails only and be constructed in the country to which the challenging and defending clubs belong. Centreboard or sliding keel vessels are allowed with no restrictions nor limitations, and neither
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2394-449: The match, it gains stewardship of the cup. From the first defence of the cup in 1870 until the twentieth defence in 1967, there was always only one challenger. In 1970 multiple challengers applied, so a Challenger Selection Series was held to decide which applicant would become the official challenger and compete in the America's Cup match. This approach has been used for each subsequent competition. The history and prestige associated with
2451-534: The present-day Velux 5 Oceans Race (formerly the BOC Challenge / Around Alone) and the Vendée Globe . Single-handed racing has seen a great boom in popularity in recent years. There is some controversy about the legality of sailing single-handed over long distances, as the navigation rules require "that every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout..."; single-handed sailors can only keep
2508-426: The proposed races, which must be no less than 10 months from the date the challenge is made, and within date ranges specified for both the northern and southern hemispheres. The challenge document must also provide information on the yacht, including length on load water line; beam at load water line, and extreme beam; and draught of water. If the yacht has one mast, it must be between 44 and 90 feet (13 and 27 m) on
2565-1032: The provisions of the deed, on the dates submitted by the challenger and in yachts meeting the terms of the deed and the challenge notice. Winning clubs [REDACTED] New York Yacht Club : 25–1 [REDACTED] Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron : 5–3 [REDACTED] San Diego Yacht Club : 3–1 [REDACTED] Société Nautique de Genève : 2–1 [REDACTED] Golden Gate Yacht Club : 2–1 [REDACTED] Royal Perth Yacht Club : 1–3 Multiple winning skippers [REDACTED] Peter Burling – Wins 2017, 2021, 2024 – Won 22 / Lost 6 [REDACTED] Russell Coutts – Wins 1995, 2000, 2003 – Won 14 / Lost 0 [REDACTED] Dennis Conner – Wins 1980, 1987, 1988 – Won 13 / Lost 9 [REDACTED] Harold Stirling Vanderbilt – Wins 1930, 1934, 1937 – Won 12 / Lost 2 [REDACTED] Charlie Barr – Wins 1899, 1901, 1903 – Won 9 / Lost 0 [REDACTED] Jimmy Spithill – Wins 2010, 2013 – Won 17 / Lost 23 Reference In 1928, Goodyear chairman Paul W. Litchfield began
2622-710: The race across the Atlantic Ocean by William Albert Andrews and Josiah W. Lawlor in 1891; however, the first regular single-handed ocean race was the Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race , first held in 1960. The first round-the-world yacht race was the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race of 1968–1969, which was also a single-handed race with the only winner, Robin Knox-Johnston on Suhaili ; this inspired
2679-414: The regatta. Although often both adults and juniors sail the same classes of boat. Fleet races can have anywhere from four boats to hundreds of boats in a race. A regatta must have at least three races to be counted. Each boat's place in each race is added to compile a final score. The lowest scorer wins. In match racing only two boats compete against each other. The best known competition of this type
2736-535: The results depend on equipment superiority. This kind of class is most commonly with a brand, as occurs with Laser Performance , RS Sailing , Melges and J/Boats . Popular International Classes include the Optimist , 470 , Snipe and Etchells . A box rule specifies a maximum overall size for boats in the class, as well as features such as stability. Competitors in these classes are then free to enter their own boat designs, as long as they do not exceed
2793-472: The series of races is the overall winner. There is a broad variety of kinds of races and sailboats used for racing from large yacht to dinghy racing . Much racing is done around buoys or similar marks in protected waters, while some longer offshore races cross open water. Various kinds of boats are used for racing, including small dinghies , catamarans , boats designed primarily for cruising , and purpose-built raceboats. The Racing Rules of Sailing govern
2850-408: The skills of the sailors in a race if they are sailing very different boats. For most forms of yacht racing, one of two solutions to this problem are used: either all boats are required to race on a first to finish basis (these groups of boats are called classes), or a handicapping system is used which implements correction factors. Each class has a detailed set of specifications that must be met for
2907-678: The starting line. The International Olympic Committee recognizes World Sailing (WS) as the world governing body for the sport of sailing yacht racing. It was formed in 1904 as the International Yacht Racing Union and then called the International Sailing Federation until rebranding 2014. Many town yacht clubs maintain their own racing teams for both juniors and adults. Often several yacht clubs will get together to hold events that can include more than 100 entered boats per race making up
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#17327756676162964-478: The trophy 24 times in a row before being defeated by the Royal Perth Yacht Club , represented by the yacht Australia II . Including the original 1851 victory, the NYYC's 132-year reign was the longest (in terms of time) winning streak in any sport. Early matches for the cup were raced between yachts 65–90 ft (20–27 m) on the waterline owned by wealthy sportsmen. This culminated with
3021-573: The yacht Australia II . The music video prominently features the America's Cup trophy being 'auctioned' off to the highest bidder. In 2022, Netflix released Untold : The Race of the Century , a film about the Australian team's win in the 1983 race. Sailing (sport) On the water, a sailing competition among multiple vessels is called a regatta . A Regatta consists of multiple individual races. The boat crew that performs best in over
3078-645: Was a 7-2 win for Emirates Team New Zealand, making the New Zealand team the only team in the foiling era to win the cup 3 times in a row. The America's Cup is the oldest competition in international sport, and the fourth oldest continuous sporting trophy of any kind. The cup itself was manufactured in 1848 and first called the "RYS £100 Cup". It was first raced for on 22 August 1851 around the Isle of Wight off Southampton and Portsmouth in Hampshire , England , in
3135-493: Was actually slightly less likely to win or lose when it had experienced the same result in the previous match. A study of streaks in Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association concluded that the actual results were similar enough to predictions with no momentum effect, that the effect was of limited importance. Despite the apparent nonexistence of streaks in quantitative terms, many scholars in
3192-586: Was held between the defending Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Royal Yacht Squadron 's INEOS Britannia from 12 October 2024 in Barcelona , Spain. Both the 37th and 38th America's Cup matches are, or due to be, sailed by AC75 class yachts. On the 19 October 2024, Emirates Team New Zealand won the Americas Cup against challenger of record INEOS Team Britannia in Barcelona, Spain. The final result
3249-520: Was raced in 90 ft (27 m) waterline multihull yachts in Valencia, Spain. The victorious Golden Gate Yacht Club then elected to race the 2013 America's Cup in AC72 foiling, wing-sail catamarans and successfully defended the cup. The 2017 America's Cup match was sailed in 50 ft (15 m) foiling catamarans, after legal battles and disputes over the rule changes. The Cup, also known as
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