|
Racing - Yachting as a Sport
While sailing has been around since man first wanted to cross water,
yacht racing is believed to have started around the 17th century. In
1851, a challenge was issued to the USA and the schooner America
answered. In 1853, one of the first international races took place in
Birkenhead, England. It was won by the lugger Black Joke, who beat out a
sloop, the American schnoor, and another schnoor from England. However,
it wasn't until 1911 that any serious attempt was made to organize the
sport. Each yachting club had their own rules and guidelines, making
international racing more of a challenge. After WWI international
yachting rapidly developed.
Today yacht racing and dinghy racing are a widespread sport mainly where
there are favorable wind conditions and easy access to reasonably bodies
of water. While the majority of yacht racing occurs on salt water,
smaller craft can be raced on lakes and large rivers.
Dinghy races are performed on sheltered water, with a crews of one two
three people. The races are usually conducted between identical design
vessels. In these races, with identical equipment, the competing sailors
are truly being tested, over the vessel.
The fastest monohulls are Australia's 18-foot skiff class, which can
reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers. Skiff racing is a thrilling sport
exceptionally with unpredictable conditions forcing the crew to struggle
just to ensure their boat remains upright.
The Summer Olympic Games races various classes of vessels. Larger yachts
are raced
on harbors. The prestigious yacht races, which are point-to-point long
distance races, occur over open seas. Adverse weather turns such races
into a test of equipment, skill, and willpower just to finish.
Unfortunately, there have been both sailor and ship lost at sea.
The longest events are "round-the-world" races, or circumnavigation,
which take months to complete. The best known of these are the Fastnet
race in the United Kingdom, usually sponsored by Rolex and the Sydney to
Hobart Yacht Race, which runs along the east coast of Australia.
Categories:
References -
Recreation -
Travelers checks
- Shopping
|
