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 cou ...

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 terminolo ...

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

). The rules for fleet racing are set by

World Sailing World Sailing (WS) is the world sport governing body, governing body for the sailing (sport), sport of sailing recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). History The creation of the Inter ...

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, all eleven sailing events were One-Design fleet races. On the other hand, the America's Cup is sailed as a series of match races.

References

{{reflist Sailing (sport) Racing