World Sailing (WS) is the world

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...

for the sport of sailing recognized by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

and the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...

(IPC).

History

The creation of the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) began in 1904, when Major Brooke Heckstall-Smith AINA, then Secretary of the Yacht Racing Association (now the

Royal Yachting Association The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is a United Kingdom national governing body for sailing, dinghy sailing, yacht and motor cruising, sail racing, RIBs and sportsboats, windsurfing and personal watercraft and a leading representative for inl ...

) wrote to the

Yacht Club de France The Yacht Club de France is the senior nautical club in France, and one of the most important yacht clubs in the world. History The club was established in 1867, during the Second French Empire. It was bestowed Royal Patronage by Emperor Napole ...

, pointing out the desirability of holding a conference for the purpose of devising an International Rule of Measurement for Racing Yachts acceptable to all European countries. As a result, an International Conference of Yacht Measurement was held in London in January and June 1906, at which the Metre Rule was developed. This group went on to adopt a formal Constitution after a meeting at the Yacht Club de France in Paris on 14 October 1907 which is seen as the formation date of the International Yacht Racing Union. On 5 August 1996, the IYRU changed its name to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). On 14 November 2015, ISAF changed its name to World Sailing.

Competition formats

Competitive sailing regatta contain events which are defined by a combination of discipline, equipment, gender and sometimes categories. These criteria are defined by the race purpose.

Disciplines

The following are the main disciplines: * Fleet Racing – The commonest form of competitive sailing involving boats racing around a course. * Match Racing – Two identical boats race against each other. This is one-on-one duel requires strategy and tactics. The first to cross the finish line wins. * Team Racing – Two teams each of normally three boats compete against each other. Fast-paced racing depends on excellent boat handling skills and rapid tactical decision making. * Offshore/Oceanic – Any offshore race over 800 miles, including races around the world. * Speed Sailing - Is managed by

World Sailing Speed Record Council The World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) was founded in 1972, initially to ratify records at the inaugural Weymouth Speed Week held every year since in Portland Harbor.The WSSRC is the body authorized by the World Sailing (formerly Internati ...

* Wave riding is common to board sports * Both

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

and

kiteboarding Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

are experimenting with new formats. * Cruising – Can be a coastal day sail or a longer distance international journeys, it is the most commonly enjoyed sailing discipline.

Equipment

Common categories of equipment include the following:

dinghies A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...

multihull A multihull is a boat or ship with more than one hull, whereas a vessel with a single hull is a monohull. The most common multihulls are catamarans (with two hulls), and trimarans (with three hulls). There are other types, with four or more h ...

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open wat ...

sailing yacht A sailing yacht (US ship prefixes SY or S/Y), is a leisure craft that uses sails as its primary means of propulsion. A yacht may be a sail or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, so the term applie ...

windsurfers Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

and radio-controlled sailboats. Within these categories normally specific

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

or rating system are used.

Gender

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 host more than 30 such World Championship titles each year. For the 2016 Olympics, compulsory mixed gender in the event was added for the first time.

Sailor categories

In addition the following categories are sometimes applied to events: * Age * Nationality * Disabled Classification * Sailor Classification

Rules and regulations

World Sailing is now most familiar to sailors for defining the

Racing Rules of Sailing The Racing Rules of Sailing (often abbreviated to RRS) govern 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 b ...

(RRS), the

international standard international standard is a technical standard developed by one or more international standards organizations. International standards are available for consideration and use worldwide. The most prominent such organization is the International Or ...

used to define competition rules and the framework within which racing is conducted. Para sailing regattas for para sailors likewise follow the World Sailing rulebook with a minor change to permit things like powered adaptations. Strict classification requirements are enforced in the Paralympic Games for fair competition in Paralympic-class keelboats. The key documents under control of World Sailing are: *

(RRS) – The RRS Rulebook is updated on every Olympic year. * Equipment Rules of Sailing (ERS) * Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) * World Sailing Regulations and Constitution

Membership

National members

Like all sports federations, World Sailing is composed o
"Member National Authorities" (MNA's)
from over 140 countries all of whom have the right to make submissions to determine World Sailing's policies. Persons with a physical impairment who are interested to learn to sail are encouraged to locate their national World Sailing Member National Authority (MNA), Disabled Sports Organization, or visit the local sailing club, as World Sailing seeks to integrate the differently abled into the sport.

Class associations

The federation recognizes over 80 classes which are each entitled to hold world championships.

Affiliated members

Offshore Racing Congress The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) is an international body for the sport of competitive sailing and is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of rating and classification standards used to define offshore, that is marine as opposed to ...

(ORC) *

(WSSRC) *

International Radio Sailing Association The International Radio Sailing Association (IRSA) formerly the ISAF Radio Sailing Division is an affiliate member of the International Sailing Federation that sanctions radio-controlled sailing competitions. It is authorised by ISAF to conduct up ...

(IRSA)

Events

Sailing and the Olympics

World Sailing is responsible for administration of the Olympic Sailing Regatta. Sailing (called yachting in the early years) has been a mainstay of the modern summer Olympic games since 1896, omitted only from the 1904 summer games in St. Louis. To help encourage high level international competition in the Classes used for the Olympic Games, World Sailing arrange the following events: *

Sailing World Championships The Sailing World Championships (formerly ISAF Sailing World Championships) are World championships in sailing for the 10 events contested at the Summer Olympics, organized by World Sailing (formerly ISAF) and held every four years since 2003. In ...

this is held every four years and is the combined World Championships for the Olympic classes and used as part of the Olympic Qualifying procedure *

Sailing World Cup The World Sailing's Sailing World Cup is a series of sailing regattas. The World Cup came into existence during the 2008–09 Season. The series includes boats that have competed in the Olympics and Paralympics. The world cup was from the begi ...

, an annual global sailing tour

Sailing in the Paralympic Games

Sailing as an equipment based sports allows one of the largest ranges of paralympians to compete under equal terms. Sailing was included for the first time in the Atlanta

1996 Paralympic Games The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were held from August 16 to 25. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million. It was the first Paralympic Games where Internationa ...

program as a demonstration event. It became a full

medal sport A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

at the

Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...

up to 2020 were IPC removed sailing from the paralympic program. Work continues to get sailing reinstated for the 2028 Paralympics.

World Sailing classes world championships

Each World Sailing class is entitled to hold a world championship

World Sailing initiated world championships and events

The following World Championships are held: *

* Sailing World Cup Series *

Youth Sailing World Championships The ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships was first held in Sweden in 1971 and it has been held every year since. It is one of the key events of the federation to help promote top-level youth participation. Editions Equipment Gender Guide ...

* Team Racing World Championship *

Offshore Team Racing World Championship The ISAF Offshore Team World Championship are bi-annually since 2004 held by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Sardinia Italy and are run in cooperation with the Offshore Racing Congress. References External links ISAF MicrositeYCCSISAF Team R ...

* Women's Match World Championship *

Open Match Racing World Championship An ISAF ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , ...

(Presently awarded to the overall winner of the

World Match Racing Tour Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) features world class sailors including America’s Cup and Olympic champions, in a global championship series. WMRT is sanctioned with ‘Special Event Status’ by World Sailing, the sport� ...

) * eSailing World Championship (2018 Onwards) * Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat World Championship (2019 Onwards) * Nations Cup match racing * IYRU Women's World Championships (from 1978 to 1992)

World Sailing recognised world championships

International Association for Disabled Sailing The International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) was an affiliate member of the International Sailing Federation and was responsible for coordinating the paralympic sailing competition with the International Paralympic Committee. The organi ...

(IFDS) *

World Sailing Special Events

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 ...

SailGP SailGP is an international sailing (sport), sailing competition using high performance F50 (catamaran), F50 Sailing hydrofoil, foiling catamarans, where teams compete across a season of multiple grands prix around the world. Its reigning champio ...

* Star Sailors League *

The 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 ...

* PWA World Windsurfing Tour * GKA Kite World Tour * Foiling Week

Disabled Sailing

Sailing is a versatile sport that can accommodate many types of disability primarily because it is equipment based. Sailing is one of the few sports where disabled sailors compete on equal terms to able body sailors in a large section of the sport. Almost any boat can be sailed though some are more suitable for larger ranges of disabilities or specific categories of impairment. World Sailing is also responsible for disabled sailing worldwide under the guidance of its own brand Para World Sailing. This is since the merger of

(IFDS) in November 2014, and re-forming of the World Sailing Committee later rebrand Para World Sailing. The rational was given as follows: "The creation of a single governing body for Member National Authorities (MNAs) and sailors will better serve the needs and interests of sailors with disabilities, and provide consistency within the sport, from relationships with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to technical support and operational efficiencies." The IFDS Foundation was dissolved during the 2015 Annual Conference in Sanya, China. The Disabled Sailing Committee then re-branded as the Para World Sailing Committee.

People

Presidents

From 1906 to 1946 a chairman was elected from time to time to orchestrate the annual meetings. * 1946–1955: Sir Ralph Gore was elected the first President * 1955–1969: Sir

Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott, (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest in ...

* 1969–1986: * 1986–1994: * 1994–2004: * 2004–2012: * 2012–2016: * 2016–2020: * 2020–Present:

Vice presidents

Vice presidents have been elected since 1955. * 1998–2008: * 2004–2012: , Teresa Lara, * 2008–2012: , Eric Tulla, Tomasz Holc * 2008–2016: * 2012–2016: , , Adrienne Greenwood * 2010–2020: , , * 2016–2020: , , , * 2020–Present: , , , , , ,

Jo Aleh Joanna Ayela Aleh (born 15 May 1986) is a New Zealand sailor. She is a national champion, a former world champion, and an Olympic gold medallist. Aleh competes in the two-woman 470 dinghy, a double-handed monohull planing dinghy with a cen ...

(Athlete commission)

Presidents of Honour

* 1958–1991: King

Olav V of Norway Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Nor ...

* 1994–present: King

Constantine II of Greece Constantine II ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Βʹ, ''Konstantínos II''; 2 June 1940) reigned as the last King of Greece, from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Monarchy of Greece, Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Constantine is the only ...

, King

Harald V of Norway Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991. Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the lin ...

Race officials

There are four types of race officials used to conduct sailing events recognised by World Sailing as follows: * International Judge * International Measurer * International Race Officer * International Umpire

Official awards

World Sailing hold the following awards together with service medals.

Rolex World Sailor of the Year

The main annual award the " Rolex World Sailor of the Year" that is sponsored by ROLEX in the following categories: * Male World Sailor of the Year * Female World Sailor of the Year When a crew of 1, 2 or 3 people is nominated, the awarded is presented to the entire crew. When larger crews win the award, normally only the skipper is recognised.

Hall of Fame

On 5 November 2007 in Estoril, Portugal, the International Sailing Federation announced the first six inductees for the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame. *

Olin Stephens Olin James Stephens II (April 13, 1908 – September 13, 2008) was an American yacht designer. Stephens was born in New York City, but spent his summers with his brother Rod, learning to sail on the New England coast. He also attended the Massa ...

(USA) * Dame

Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur (born 8 July 1976) is a retired English sailor, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in Cowes, Isle of Wight. MacArthur is a successful solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005, ...

(GBR) *

Paul Elvstrøm Paul Bert Elvstrøm (25 February 1928 – 7 December 2016) was a Danish yachtsman. He won four Olympic gold medals and twenty world titles in a range of classes including Snipe, Soling, Star, Flying Dutchman, Finn, 505, and 5.5 Metre. ...

(DEN) *

Barbara Kendall Barbara Anne Kendall (born 30 August 1967) is a former boardsailor from New Zealand. She competed at five Summer Olympic Games and won gold, silver and bronze medals. Biography Kendall was born in Papakura on 30 August 1967, the daughter of ...

(NZL) *

Eric Tabarly The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

(FRA) * Sir

Robin Knox-Johnston Sir William Robert Patrick Knox-Johnston (born 17 March 1939) is a British sailor. In 1969, he became the first person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. Along with Sir Peter Blake, he won the second Jules Vern ...

(GBR) At the 2015 Annual Conference in Sanya, China, there were seven further inductees. *

Dennis Conner Dennis Walter Conner (born September 16, 1942) is an American yachtsman. He is noted for winning a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and three wins in the America's Cup. Sailing career Conner was born September ...

(USA) *

Alessandra Sensini Alessandra Sensini (born 26 January 1970 in Grosseto) is an Italian windsurfing, windsurfer. She is a 4-time Olympian, winning a gold medal and three additional medals. She also won 3 gold, 2 silver medals and 1 bronze at World Championships, a ...

(ITA) *

Harold Vanderbilt Harold Stirling Vanderbilt CBE (July 6, 1884 – July 4, 1970) was an American railroad executive, a champion yachtsman, an innovator and champion player of contract bridge, and a member of the Vanderbilt family. Early life He was born in Oakdale, ...

(USA) * Sir Peter Blake (NZL) *

Buddy Melges Harry C. "Buddy" Melges Jr. (born January 26, 1930) is a competitive sailor. He has earned national and international championships in several classes in conventional sailing and ice-boating. Early life Born in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, Melges ...

(USA) *

Valentin Mankin Valentyn Grigoryevich Mankin (russian: Валентин Григорьевич Манкин; 19 August 1938 – 1 June 2014) was a Soviet/Ukrainian sailor from Kyiv, three times Olympic champion for the USSR team. Life Mankin was Jewish. He ...

(RUS) *

Torben Grael Torben is a Danish variant of the given name Torbjörn. People named Torben include: *Torben Betts (born 1968), English playwright and screenwriter *Torben Boye (born 1966), Danish former footballer *Torben Frank (born 1968), Danish former footbal ...

(BRA)

Beppe Croce Trophy

The Beppe Croce Trophy is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to the sport of sailing. The roll of honour is an impressive one, including multiple Olympic medallists, rules gurus and designers, and all have dedicated an outstanding amount of time to the sport of sailing. Recipients are presented with a replica trophy.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control

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 ...

Organisations based in London Sailing in the United Kingdom Sailing rules and handicapping Sport in London

History

Competition formats

Disciplines

Equipment

Gender

Sailor categories

Rules and regulations

Membership

National members

Class associations

Affiliated members

Events

Sailing and the Olympics

Sailing in the Paralympic Games

World Sailing classes world championships

World Sailing initiated world championships and events

World Sailing recognised world championships

World Sailing Special Events

Disabled Sailing

People

Presidents

Vice presidents

Presidents of Honour

Race officials

Official awards

Rolex World Sailor of the Year

Hall of Fame

Beppe Croce Trophy

See also

Notes

References

External links