Yacht racing

Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas race start 2013

Yacht racing is a form of sport involving yachts and larger sailboats, as distinguished from dinghy racing. It is composed of multiple yachts, in direct competition, racing around a course marked by buoys or other fixed navigational devices or racing longer distances across open water from point-to-point. It can involve a series of races when buoy racing or multiple legs when point-to-point racing.

History

Yacht Racing

Yachting, that is, recreational boating, is very old, as exemplified in the ancient poem Catullus 4:

1883 description of the racing of Bermudian boats, by Lady Brassey, with illustrations showing the Bermuda rig. Initially, working vessels were rented for weekend racing in Bermuda, but affluent competitors of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club soon purpose-built racers

The yacht you see there, friends,
says that she's been
The fastest piece of timber ever seen;
She swears that once she could have overhauled
All rival boats, whether the challenge called
For racing under canvas or with oars.

(trans. James Michie)

"Yacht" is referred to as deriving from either Norwegian ("jagt"), Middle Low German ("jaght") or from the Dutch word jacht, which means "a swift light vessel of war, commerce or pleasure. The sporting element in the word lies in the derivation of jaght from the root jaghen, which means to hunt, chase or pursue…."[1][2]

The formal racing of boats is believed to have started with sailboats in the Netherlands some time in the 17th century. Soon, in England, custom-built racing "yachts" began to emerge and the Royal Yacht Squadron was established in 1815. In 1661 John Evelyn recorded a competition between Katherine and Anne, two large royal sailing vessels both of English design, "…the wager 100-1; the race from Greenwich to Gravesend and back."[3] One of the vessels was owned, and sometimes steered, by Charles II, the King of England. The king lost.

In 1782 the Cumberland Fleet, a class of sailing vessel known for its ability to sail close to the wind, were painted racing up the Thames River with spectators viewing from a bridge.[4] Much like today, this obsession with sailing close to the wind with speed and efficiency fueled the racing community.

In the nineteenth century most yacht races were started by allotting starting positions to the competitors. Buoys were laid in a straight line, to which the competitors attached their yachts by means of spring ropes. The yachts were required to keep all the sails forward of the main mast on deck until the starting signal was given. [5] The Yacht Racing Association was founded in 1875 by Prince Batthyany-Strattman, Captain J. W. Hughes, and Mr. Dixon Kemp.[6] The Y.R.A. wrote standardised yacht racing rules which included the 'Flying Start' used today. [7]

Bringing yacht racing to the forefront of public life, the America's Cup was first raced in 1851 between the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron. Not ruled or regulated by measurement criteria as today, it is the second-place finisher was Aurora, "and but for the fact that time allowance had been waived for the race she would have been the winner by a handsome margin."[8] Subsequently, the Cup races were conducted, usually every 3–4 years, based on a challenge issued by one club to the current Cup holder, which till 1983 was the NYYC.

Rules and ratings

A yacht race at the finish line
Santa Cruz 70 Retro 2013 Ahmanson Cup regatta, Newport Beach, California.

As yacht racing became more prevalent, and yacht design more diverse, it was necessary to establish systems of measurements and time allowances due to the differences in boat design. Longer yachts are inherently faster than shorter ones; therefore, in the interests of fairness, in the 1820s a “primitive system of time allowance was introduced on the Solent.”[9] Larger yachts were handicapped; but owners with the biggest vessels had a problem with the allowance system, for they preferred that crossing the finish line first, much as in foot and horse races, should suffice to win the contest. As a result, both ratings and “one-design” competition were developed.

Ratings systems rely upon some formulaic analysis of usually very specific yacht-design parameters such as length, sail area, displacement, and hull shape. During the 1920s and through the 1970s the Cruising Club of America established a formula by which most racing/cruising boats were designed during that period. After its descendant, the mathematically complex International Offshore Rule (IOR) of the 1970s, contributed to much decreased seaworthiness (and even speed), the simpler Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF)[10] system was adopted. The PHRF uses only proven performance characteristics, especially theoretical sailing speed, as a means to allow dissimilar yachts—typically crewed by friends and families at clubs rather than by professional crews—to race together. Most popular family-oriented cruising sailboats will have a rating filed with a local chapter of the PHRF.

The most prevalent handicap rating systems today are the ORC, ORR, IRC, and the PHRF.[11] Many countries organise their own handicap systems which do not take into account the size, weight, or sail area of the yacht, but performance is measured on the basis of previous race results. The Irish E.C.H.O. system is such a handicap system.[12]

One-design racing was invented by Thomas (Ben) Middleton in 1886 in Killiney Bay close to Dublin City, Republic of Ireland. Middleton was concerned that winning a yacht race was more reliant on having an expensive new yacht, than it was on the skill of the yachtsman.[13] One design yacht racing is conducted with classes of similar boats, all built—often via mass-production—to the same design, with the same sail area and rig, and the same number of crew, so that crew ability and tactical expertise are more likely to decide a race than boat type, or age, or even weather. Popular racing boats such as The Water Wag, Laser, the J/22 and J/24, the Etchells, and the Star and New York 30 of Nathanael Herreshoff are examples of one-design boats.

In general, modern yacht-racing contests are conducted according to the Racing Rules of Sailing,[14] first established in 1928.[15] Though complex, the RRS are intended primarily simply ensure fairness and safety. The Rules are revised and updated every four years by the body now known as World Sailing.

Notable Races

The major races of today can be classified as offshore, ocean, around the world, and inshore racing all adhering to one set of rule, but diverse handicapping standards.[16]

Offshore races

Ocean classics

Around-the-world races

Inshore races

See also

References

  1. Phillips-Birt, Douglas (1974). The History of Yachting. New York: Stein and Day. p. 9. ISBN 0812817044.
  2. Free Dictionary: definition and derivation of "yacht"
  3. Phillips-Birt, Douglas (1974). The History of Yachting. New York: Stein and Day. p. 14. ISBN 0812817044.
  4. Phillips-Birt, Douglas (1974). The History of Yachting. New York: Stein and Day. p. 22. ISBN 0812817044.
  5. Athlone Yacht Club, 'notice of race' for Lough Ree Regatta 1835 in Athlone Sentinel, 31 July 1835
  6. Dixon Kemp's manual of Yacht & Boat sailing and Architecture, 11th edition of 1913
  7. Dixon Kemp's manual of Yacht & Boat sailing and Architecture, 11th edition of 1913
  8. Phillips-Birt, Douglas (1974). The History of Yachting. New York: Stein and Day. p. 28. ISBN 0812817044.
  9. Phillips-Birt, Douglas (1974). The History of Yachting. New York: Stein and Day. p. 29. ISBN 0812817044.
  10. "US Sailing.".
  11. "Offshore Home".
  12. Sailing.ie
  13. The water Wags 1887-2012 by Alfred and Vincent Delany
  14. "ISAF : About The Racing Rules of Sailing.".
  15. Rushall, Mark. "The Racing Rules of Sailing" (PDF). Rushall Partnership. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  16. Steward, Sue & Anthony (2000). Top Yacht Races of the World. London: New Holland. ISBN 1859743943.
  17. "About the Race". Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Retrieved 29 December 2014.

Further reading

Media related to Yachting at Wikimedia Commons

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