Fleet racing is a form of competitive

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

that involves

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

s racing one another over a set course. It is the most common form of sailboat racing and contrasts with

match racing A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consi ...

and

team racing Team racing, also known as team sailing, is a popular form of dinghy racing and yacht racing. Two teams compete in a race, each sailing two to four boats of the same class. The winning team is decided by combining the results of each team's boats ...

. 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. Racing can occur around or between

buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

s or geographical features such as islands, and take place over short inshore courses or long distances offshore (such as the

Volvo Ocean Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Rac ...

). The rules for fleet racing are set by

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). History The creation of the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) beg ...

and can be supplemented by race-specific rules set by the organisers of a particular race. 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. Fleet racing involves fewer strategic and tactical considerations for the sailor than match racing. In fleet racing, the most important factor in the outcome of a race is usually the speed of each boat. Three-time Olympic sailing gold medallist

Ben Ainslie Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie (born 5 February 1977) is a British competitive sailor. Ainslie is the most successful sailor in Olympic history. He won medals at five consecutive Olympics from 1996 onwards, including gold at the four consecutiv ...

, who made a foray into match racing for the

2007 America's Cup 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. As per the Deed of Gift o ...

, has described the differences between fleet racing and match racing as "huge". In the

2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...

, all eleven sailing events were One-Design fleet races. On the other hand, the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

is sailed as a series of match races.

References

{{reflist Sailing (sport) Racing