Dinghy racing is the competitive sport of sailing dinghies. Dinghy racing has been influential in developing all aspects of the modern dinghy, including hull design, sail materials and sailplan, and techniques such as planing and trapezing. 2 GP14s, a Topper and a Graduate Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using (1) the sails and (2) underwater foils (centreboard and rudder). ...

Organization of dinghy racing

Dinghy racing comes under the auspices of the International Sailing Federation. Organisations such as the Royal Yachting Association (UK) and Canadian Yachting Association (Canada) organise and regulate the sport at a national level. Sailing dinghies compete on an international, national, state, association, club and class basis, using the ISAF International Racing Rules of Sailing, which are revised every four years. There are several courses used, such as the Olympic triangle. The International Sailing Federation is the world governing body for the sport of sailing, particularly yacht and dinghy racing. ... The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is the UKs recognised national association for sailing, windsurfing, motor cruising, sportsboats, personal watercraft and powerboat racing. ... The Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) is Canadas organization for controlling the water. ... The Racing Rules of Sailing govern the conduct of yacht racing and dinghy racing. ... The Olympic Triangle is a sailing course used in racing dinghies, particularly at major regattas like State, National and World Titles and at the Olympics. ...

Single-handed or more than one crew

Most racing dinghies can be classified as being either single handed (one person only) such as the Laser, RS Vareo or double handed, such as the 470, 5O5, Heron, Tasar, Flying Junior, International Fireball or the International Fourteen. A few classes of dinghy carry more than two crew whilst racing, typically heavier dayboat types, but also a couple of high performance Australian orginated skiff type dinghies. Some classes allow children to sail double handed until a particular age and then require them to compete single handed. Some double handed boats are ideal for an adult and child like the Heron, while some such as the Tasar have weight restrictions which ensure they are sailed competitively by two adults or near adults. Weight equalisation is also used on certain high performance classes to ensure that comparative levels of performance are attained. Olympic Class The Laser Standard Side view Rightening a capsized boat This article focuses on the Laser Standard dinghy. ... The RS Vareo is a modern, singlehanded sailing dinghy widely raced throughout the UK at both club and national level. ... The 470 is a monohull planing dinghy with centerboard, bermudan rig and center sheeting, designed for a crew of two. ... The International 505 is a one design high-performance two person monohull planing centerboard dinghy. ... The Heron Dinghy is a dinghy designed by Jack Holt of the United Kingdom as the Yachting World Cartopper (YW Cartopper). ... The Tasar is a 14 foot fibreglass sailing dinghy. ... Flying Junior Dinghy The Flying Junior or FJ is a sailing dinghy designed in 1955 in Holland by Van Essen and Conrad Gulcher. ... Originally designed by Peter Milne in 1962, the Fireball is a one-design high-performance sailing dinghy. ... The International 14 is a racing sailing dinghy. ...

One-design or development class

Sailing dinghies can be one-design, with virtually no difference between boats and strict rules controlling construction, or development classes like the International Moth which has gone from a wide-hulled scow, to a thin-hulled skiff and now to a hydrofoil-based design. Many people prefer one-design as it mean the competition is more about sailing ability than about who can afford the newest innovation, although the weight of the boat, and sail age and quality, also come into it even in one-design. In practice there are a variety of interpretations of the basic one-design and development class concepts. The Moth Class is the name for three different classes, although all three have similar boats. ...

One designs may be strictly controlled, as in the ubiquitous Laser (dinghy), with all boats being factory produced from identical moulds, with identical rigs and sails. Strict-one designs suffer from being very crew weight specific. Olympic Class The Laser Standard Side view Rightening a capsized boat This article focuses on the Laser Standard dinghy. ...

There are one-design classes such as the Europe (dinghy) and 505 (dinghy) which allow differences in hull dimensions within certain tight tolerances. Despite these tolerances only being intended to allow some leeway for boats built by different builders, this usually results in certain builders boats being perceived as faster due to the way they make use of the tolerances to create a subtly different hull shape. This type of one-design generally allows more freedom in choice of masts, sails and deck layouts. The Europe is a one person dinghy. ... The International 505 is a one-design high-performance two person monohull planing centerboard dinghy. ...

Some development classes (National 12 (dinghy) and Merlin Rocket (dinghy)) have tightly controlled rules which keep the boats closely competitive while allowing the owner to customise the boat to their preferences and weight. These classes are now considered restricted classes, although previously they were referred to as one-designs. The National 12 is a two person, two sail, twelve foot long sailing dinghy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The most diverse classes are those development classes with more flexible rules (International Moth International C Class Catamaran), these classes represent the cutting edge of the sport, using the latest technology including hydrofoils and solid wings in place of sails. The Moth Class is the name for three different classes, although all three have similar boats. ...

An Olympic sport

Sailing is an Olympic sport in both Men's and Women's divisions and for both keelboats (small yachts), windsurfing and dinghies. One of the most recent additions, for the Sydney Games, was the 49er skiff, bringing cutting edge technology to the top end of the sport. Sailing at sunset Wooden sailing boat Sailing is the skillful art of controlling the motion of a sailing ship or sailboat, across a body of water. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... A windsurfer with modern gear tilts the rig and carves the board to perform a planing gybe (downwind turn) close to shore in Maui, Hawaii, one of the popular destinations for windsurfing. ... 49er With Its Asymetric Spinnaker The 49er is a newer one-design class of small sailing dinghy. ...

Other Olympic dinghy classes include the Laser, Finn 470 and Laser Radial, Tornado catamaran. The current Olympic keelboats are the Star (men) and the Yngling (women). Olympic Class The Laser Standard Side view Rightening a capsized boat This article focuses on the Laser Standard dinghy. ... The 470 is a monohull planing dinghy with centerboard, bermudan rig and center sheeting, designed for a crew of two. ... The Laser (often called Laser Standard to avoid confusion with the laser variants) is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy. ... The Tornado is an olympic class sailing catamaran, with a crew of two. ... A Star (or Starboat) is a 6. ... Yngling (keelboat) - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

A variety of other dinghies and keelboats have been used in previous Olympics, including the Soling, Flying Dutchman, Firefly and Europe. Key reasons for choosing new designs are to keep competitors' costs down and to make the boats accessible to people of all builds and strengths. A soling is a small class of keelboat that was used as the Olympic keelboat from 1972-2000. ... Former Olympic Class The Flying Dutchman is a high-performance class of racing dinghy. ... Former Olympic Class The firefly is a two sail hiking sailing dinghy with no spinnaker. ... The Europe is a one person dinghy. ...

A Scholastic Sport

Many secondary schools and universities worldwide have adopted dinghy racing as either a club or varsity sport. In the United States secondary school sailing is governed by the Inter-Scholastic Sailing Association. College sailing in Canada and the US is governed by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association. Both organizations have been in continuous existence since the early 20th century and, indeed, college racing began in 1928. [1] High School also refers to the highest form of classical riding, High School Dressage. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ... The word varsity can refer to several things. ... The Inter-Scholastic Sailing Association (ISSA) is the organization that serves as the governing authority for all sailing competition between both public and private secondary schools throughout the United States. ... The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is a volunteer organization that serves as the governing authority for all sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Most school programs own fleets of at least 6 dinghies, and the well funded programs often have more than 20 dinghies in addition to support boats and paid coaches. Often schools cooperate with local yacht clubs to share fleets. The schools compete in both the fall and spring within regional districts and then, if they qualify through district championships , at a national championship regatta. Additionally, schools also compete in Team racing regattas where they are able to compete one-on-one against other schools. A yacht club is a club ostensibly for the owners of yachts but more generally serving as a social club. ... A regatta is a boat race or series of boat races. ... // Overview Team Racing, also known as Teams Racing, is an increasingly popular form of yacht racing. ...

Examples of College Sailing Programs:

• Vanderbilt Sailing Club, Vanderbilt University
• Wheaton College Sailing Team, Wheaton College

Vanderbilt Sailing Club Homecoming Regatta in 2004. ... Vanderbilt University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ... Racing on a fall evening, 2003 The Wheaton College Sailing Team is a student run organization dedicated to teaching sailing and racing skills. ... Wheaton College is the name of two colleges in the United States: Wheaton College, Illinois Wheaton College, Massachusetts External Links Wheaton College (Illinois) Wheaton College (Massachusetts) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Racing for all ages, sexes and weights

Most races and regattas are organised based on a class of dinghy, and within the class there may be several divisions such as Masters (older sailors), Ladies and Juniors.

Handicap events mean anyone can win

Races involving mixed fleets (different classes of boat, different ages, weights and abilities of sailors) can be organised on a handicap basis. The most commonly used handicapping system is the Portsmouth yardstick, which assigns a different rating to each class of boat in a mixed fleet and (at least in theory) gives every boat an equal chance of winning. Handicaps can also be personal (sometimes called a back-calculated yardstick), taking into account the results of the sailor over past races, so an inexperienced person who sails significantly better than previously over a season or regatta can win on handicap. 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 Portsmouth yardstick (PY) scheme is a system of handicapping used in yacht racing and dinghy racing. ...

A lifetime sport

Because of the use of handicap events, sailors of any age can be competitive. In the Concord & Ryde Sailing Club in Sydney, New South Wales Australia the youngest crew is 5, the youngest skipper is 10 and the oldest crew is 73 and the oldest skipper is 72. The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... Capital Sydney Government Const. ...

Class, association, club

Clubs generally have a number of different classes competing on any one day, often sailing the same course at the same time, or sometimes with each class starting a few minutes apart. Keen club sailors join and compete in events with their State and National Associations. Associations generally cater for only one class of boat, but generally have competitors in several divisions.

Competitive areas

The UK has one of the most vibrant and diverse dinghy racing scenes in the world with over 100 different classes of dinghy and strongly supported clubs all around the coast.

Other competitive areas include the Eastern seaboard of the United States and Southern California. In these areas the junior programs are well funded and provide excellent training experience. The most popular boats are Naples Sabots, the Flying Junior, the Laser, 420's, and 29ers. Flying Junior Dinghy The Flying Junior or FJ is a sailing dinghy designed in 1955 in Holland by Van Essen and Conrad Gulcher. ... A LASER (from the acronym of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is an optical source that emits photons in a coherent beam. ...

Examples

1. Class: Laser: http://www.laser.org/m/_general/default.asp
2. Class: Lark: http://www.larkclass.org
3. Class: 505: http://www.int505.org
4. Club: Concord & Ryde Sailing Club: http://www.concordrydesailing.org
5. Association: NSW Heron Association: http://herons.dinghies.org

Olympic Class The Laser Standard Side view Rightening a capsized boat This article focuses on the Laser Standard dinghy. ... Lark 2462 Mr Bigglesworth About the LARK Class The Lark was designed in 1966 by Michael Jackson, designer of many National 12 and Merlin Rockets. ... The International 505 is a one design high-performance two person monohull planing centerboard dinghy. ...

See also

• Yacht racing
• Dinghy sailing

Inshore yacht racing on Sydney Harbour, Australia Yacht racing is the sport of competitive sailing. ... 2 GP14s, a Topper and a Graduate Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using (1) the sails and (2) underwater foils (centreboard and rudder). ...

External links

• ISAF Web site