Guest contributor: Keith Milne, CFO Inspire Sailing

There are so many ways that we enjoy sailing. Day sailing on the Bay, cruising the coast, dinghy sailing, bareboat cruising, Hobie cat sailing off a beach, and racing!

The most common form of sailboat racing is Fleet Racing, which has a whole host of variants. One Design racing is where all the boats are essentially the same, with strict measurements governing the hull, spars and sails and the boats usually produced by a limited number of manufacturers who build the boats to meticulous specs. Examples here on the Bay are the J/105 and J/24 fleets. First boat to the finish line wins. Super simple.

Another form of Fleet Racing is Handicap Racing, where a formula is applied to give time to boats whose designs are deemed to be slower. Longer boats give time to shorter ones. Larger sail areas give time to smaller ones. Lighter boats give time to heavier ones, etc. A common handicap formula is the PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet). After the race, the formula is applied to determine the places of finish. Handicap racing includes around-the-buoys and distance racing from the Three Bridge Fiasco to the TransPac and everything in between.

Match Racing is less common, but well known because it’s the form of racing used in the America’s Cup. Match racing is one-on-one. It requires on-the-water umpires due to the many applications of racing rules as each boat seeks an advantage over the other.

Then there is sailboat racing’s least known form, Team Racing. In Team Racing, teams of two, three or four one-design boats compete against a team of the same number of boats. The winning team is the one with the lowest total of their finishing places. For example in a 3-on-3 team race, a team with boats finishing 1st, 3rd and 6th wins the race over the team finishing 2nd, 4th and 5th. 1+3+6 equals 10, which is less than 2+4+5 which is 11.

In Team Racing, one’s individual finish does not matter. It’s the team’s finishes that determine the outcome. So if you can help your teammates get your team to the magic number of the winning sum of your finishes, you win. To do so, you will use a great start, excellent boat handling in close quarters, and when needed every racing rule in the book to push your opponents back, or help a teammate get by an opponent who is attempting to do the same. Umpires in multiple RIB’s are following the sailboats and will make the call on the spot if a protest is lodged by one boat against an opponent.

Team racing is very common in college competitions. So many of the best team racers are recent college graduates. Some yacht clubs have very active team racing programs and compete annually against other clubs in open and sailor age categories. Examples are the Morgan Cup (any age), Hinman Masters (40+ crew, 50+ helm), and the annual Grandmasters (50+ crew, 60+ helm) team racing series with two in the East, one West and one South each year. These regattas have anywhere from four to ten teams competing in short, intense races over two or three days. In one recent 8-team regatta, each team sailed 26 races in three days!

Team racing was also very common from the dock of my house on Marina Lagoon in San Mateo. With four Lasers on the dock, and several more showing up every Thursday, it was a staple of many evenings during Daylight Savings Time.

How to get involved in Team Racing? Find a friend who is involved and whose team needs crew. You are likely to get as hooked on it as everyone else with the exponentially complex variations of what your team’s places are during the race, how and when to help your teammates by messing with your opponents, intricate boat-handling in close quarters, detailed knowledge of the racing rules. And most of all, great camaraderie with your team and your respected competitors after the races.

What is Team Racing?

Expanding the Team to Launch Spinnaker and Racing Programs!

Thanks! What a Turnout!