World's Top 20 Major Sailboat & Yacht Racing Events

SAILING is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large (usually fabric) foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centreboard, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the vessel relative to its surrounding medium (typically water, but also land and ice) and change its direction and speed. Mastery of the skill requires experience in varying wind and sea conditions, as well as knowledge concerning sailboats themselves and an understanding of one's surroundings.

Yacht racing is a form of sport reserved for yachts and larger sailboats. Yacht racing usually refers to sailboat racing in a variety of forms with large racing yachts; distinguished from dinghy racing.

Boat Race News, Reviews & Resources

• 30 greatest sailing escapes to experience in your lifetime - The Telegraph.
• A Sailboat Race With a French Flair - "Les Voiles de St. Barth Richard Mille is a combination of high-end fun on shore and drama on the water."
• AMERICA'S CUP - Wikipedia.
• Dinghy racing - Wikipedia.
• International Sailing Federation | ISAF - since 1907. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the world governing body for the sport of sailing yacht racing.
• ‘It’s about money’: doubt over America’s Cup benefits in tourist hotspot Barcelona - "Authorities say event will bring in €1bn but local people fear little will remain in city on frontline of overtourism."
• Jaguar broke a world record with this tiny electric boat - The Verge.
• Jim Ratcliffe: Britain's richest man plots America's Cup coup - "He's investing $141 million in a British America's Cup venture headed up by legendary sailor Ben Ainslie, but billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is still discovering things about his Ineos team skipper."
• KyŌtei - literally "boat racing" and referred to as BOAT RACE, is a hydroplane racing event primary held in Japan. It is one of Japan's four "Public Sports", which are sports events where parimutuel betting is legal.
• Louis Vuitton Cup - (2004-2013). Yachting competition connected with the America's Cup.
• Monaco Energy Boat Challenge showcases clean energy solutions - "Twenty-seven teams from 23 nations have completed their registrations in the Solar and Energy classes, categories composed mainly of engineering students, in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge to run from July 3 to July 8 at Monaco Yacht Club."
• Omega’s New Seamaster Regatta Is a Tool Watch an Elite Sailor Can Actually Use - "Tool watches have largely become anachronistic play-things, but this hulking titanium regatta timer from Omega is the real deal."
• Performance Handicap Racing Fleet - handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other.
• Portsmouth Yardstick - system of handicapping used primarily in small-boat yacht racing.
• Regatta - Wikipedia.
• Riding in the Mercedes-AMG Cigarette Racing 515 Project One boat at 119 mph - The Verge.
• Sailboat racing - Wikipedia.
• SAILING - Wikipedia.
• SAINT-TROPEZ YACHTING - "The Mediterranean has long been a stage for epic regattas, where maritime passion and heritage are celebrated. In 1981, Dick and Celia Jayson, aboard their Swan 44, joined forces with Patrice de Colmont and skipper Jean Laurain to create the Nioulargue regatta in Saint-Tropez, later renamed the Voiles de Saint-Tropez in 1999. Now the Mediterranean's premier sailing event, it attracts over 250 boats annually, blending classic and modern vessels. This book, created in collaboration with de Colmont, features stunning photography by Guillaume Plisson and insights from yachting luminaries, capturing the essence of the French Riviera's yachting scene." Coffee table book published by Assouline. Price: US$120.
• Syroco vs SP80: The race to create the world's fastest sail boat - "For more than eight years, the world sailing speed record has remained unbroken."
• The science of sailing: inside the race across the world’s most remote ocean - "After a long hiatus, the epic Ocean Race is back - but this year, as well as dodging icebergs, cracking masts and suffering the occasional ‘hull sandwich failure’, the teams are gathering crucial data from places even research vessels rarely reach."
• The Secrets of the Wave Pilots - The New York Times.
• The Water Sporter - "Site dedicated to all things water sports. As well as product reviews and news, we have how-to guides, tutorials and much more here on the site, which is growing by the day."
• What next for the America's Cup? - Sir Russell Coutts on making the pastime of titans an accessible attraction.
• Why Britain's richest man Jim Ratcliffe has invested $153M in sailing - CNN sport.
• World's best sailing destinations - CNN travel.
• World's best sailing destinations - in pictures - CNN travel.
• Yacht racing - Wikipedia.
• Yachting paradise: Sardinia's Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup - CNN.
• yachts of America’s Cup are faster & weirder than ever - "Thanks to science (and a lot of money)."

Top 20 Major Boat Races

• 37th AMERICA'S CUP - since 1851. (Aka the "Auld Mug".) The most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. "The Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup taking place between 22nd August and 27th October 2024 in Barcelona."
• Bermuda Race - since 1906. Widely known as the Bermuda Race, the Newport Bermuda Race is a biennial sailing yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island to the island of Bermuda sailed in even-numbered years. The sailing distance is 635 nautical miles (1175 km) across open ocean and the Gulf Stream.
• Cigarette Racing - since 1969.
• Commodores' Cup - biennial amateur team sailing regatta first held in 1992. The competition is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club consists of a number of events held in the oceans of the Solent, the English channel and the Isle of Wight.
• COWES WEEK - since 1826. One of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily races, up to 1,000 boats, and 8,000 competitors ranging from Olympic and world class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world.
• Fastnet Race - since 1925. Famous biennial offshore yachting race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club of the United Kingdom. Generally considered one of the classic offshore races, 'Fastnet' is a difficult contest testing both inshore and offshore skills, boat and crew preparation and speed potential.
• Giraglia Rolex Cup 2023 - 70th edition: June 9-17. Sinde 1953. Mediterranean keelboat regatta, named after the island of Giraglia, which has been held annually since 1953. The regatta consists of a week-long set of races, beginning with inshore races in the St. Tropez Bay followed by the primary event which begins in St. Tropez, France, passes through the Îles d'Hyères near the island of Giraglia, and then finishes off in Genoa, Italy, a total distance of 243 nautical miles (450 km).
• HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA - since 1839. Rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The regatta lasts for 5 days (Wednesday to Sunday) over the first weekend in July.
• Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez - since 1981. "The history of the Voiles de St Tropez began on September 29th, 1981 when the sailing boat Pride launched a challenge to the 12 meter Ikra on a course going from the village of St Tropez to the beach of Pampelonne through the Nioulargo (nest of the sea in south french dialect). Since every year and during 2 weeks, the most extraordinary sailing boats of the world, modern and traditional, meet in the Gulf of Saintt Tropez to challenge each other in an atmosphere where competition and conviviality mix. From this edition the format of the Voiles de Saint Tropez is enlarged with 2 weeks of regattas instead of one. The first week is reserved for yachts under 24m, the second week for yachts over 24m."
• Les Voiles de St. Barth Richard Mille - since 2010. "A truly grandiose spectacle." 1,200 sailors, 63 racing yachts, Les Voiles de St Barth Richard Mille is the perfect combination of sporting performance and innovation. Richard Mille has been an active partner of Les Voiles de St. Barth since the event was created in 2010.
• 10th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge - "Faced with environmental and technical challenges that require an urgent response to move forward, the Yacht Club de Monaco aims to be the driving force behind a new vision for yachting and to promote any positive approaches through this unique event." July 3-8, 2023.
• Route du Rhum - since 1978. Transatlantic single-handed yacht race, which takes place every four years in November. The course is between Saint Malo, Brittany, Metropolitan France and Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, overseas France.
• Sailing at the Asian Games - since 1970.
• Sailing World Championships - world championships organized by International Sailing Federation (ISAF). All Class that are member of the International Sailing Federation may hold class world championships in addition to those initialed by the organisation.
• Stotesbury Cup Regatta - since 1927. One of the largest high school rowing competitions. It is held annually in mid-May over a two-day period along the Schuylkill River near Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Competing crews come from schools all over North America.
• Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race - since 1945. (Sometimes referred to as the Bluewater Classic in the Australian media) is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately 630 nautical miles (1,170 km). The race is run in co-operation with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, and is widely considered to be one of the most difficult yacht races in the world.
• The Boat Race - since 1829. Annual rowing race between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights on the River Thames in London, England.
• The Ocean Race - since 1973. 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 Race after Swedish automobile manufacturer Volvo took up the sponsorship, and in 2019 it was renamed The Ocean Race.
• Victoria to Maui Yacht Race - since 1965. The longest offshore sailing race off the west coast of North America, is the pinnacle of Pacific Northwest ocean racing. First contested in 1965, since 1968 the Vic-Maui has run in even-numbered years, starting in June or July off Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and finishing near Lahaina, Maui, United States, a distance of approximately 2,308 nautical miles (4,274 km).
• WORLD CRUISING CLUB - since 1986. Global sailing event organisers World Cruising Club (WCC) are best known for the ARC, the world’s largest annual trans-ocean sailing event. The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, to use its official title, is the originator of the many WCC cruising rallies now taking place around the globe.
• WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR | WMRT - professional sailing series, featuring 9 World Championship events across the globe, sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation with "Special Event" status. The tour currently spans 3 continents.