|
Yacht racing is a competitive sport, which tends to take place in salt water however it can also take place in open lakes and rivers; however these yachts are of a smaller size.
Yacht racing can take place either inshore or offshore, races which happen offshore tend to be longer and cross open water. Inshore racing can vary in time span which can go for a few minutes to a few hours unlike offshore racing which can go on for days.
Each yacht has a crew made up of no more than 3 people. In yacht racing they need to ensure that they are able to both control their sheets but also that the weight is evenly spread out across the boat.
A particularly popular position for a crew on a yacht is to have one controlling both the jib-sheets, positioned just forward of the helmsman, another aft controlling the mainsheet and the last called the preventer' who controls the other mainsheet.
Many yacht clubs hold there own racing events which are split into categories of juniors and adults. The age range of juniors goes for 8 to 18 and adults 19 to 64. Even though they are split into two groups both categories tend to sail the same boats.
One of the most famous offshore racing events in the UK is called The 'Fastnet Race', the popular race which has been around since 1925 takes place every two years and participants travel 608 miles. The race starts at Crowes in the Isle of Wright, then goes off the south coast of Ireland, around the Fastnet Rock and finishes in Plymouth. The winners then receive the Fastnet Challenge Cup.
|
