Learn about sailboat racing

“國內外的帆船比賽越來越多，現代帆船運動已經成為世界沿海國家和地區最為普及而喜聞樂見的體育活動之一，也是各國人民進行體育文化交流的重要內容。”

Do you know what a sailing race is all about?
In a sailing race, you not only have to compete with your opponents for speed, but also have to identify the speed of the natural wind on the sails, the current will also affect the speed of the boat, and the different locations of the venue, the wind strength, etc.! Before watching the race, let's get to know some basic rules of the race!

【1】: venue facilities
The regatta takes place on open water, from about 0.5 to 2 km from the shore. The line is a virtual line between the flag pole on the starting boat and the flag pole on the left boat or buoy. The finish line is also a virtual line, a virtual link between the finish boat, the flagpole and the flagpole of the boat or buoy on its left side. The finish line is usually 50-60 meters wide so that race officials can clearly observe the passage of each boat (board) through the finish.

【2】: the sailing signal
Different rules of departure, the way to open the departure line is also different, generally from the start of the start line open countdown 5 minutes!
・5 minutes → Raise the class flag (class flag is the flag of each group), and when you see the class flag of your group, you should know that you have 5 minutes to sail.
・4 minutes → Raising the p-flag means 4 minutes to departure
・1 minute → p-flag falls, which means 1 minute left before departure
・0 minutes → The class flag drops, and the start line opens to start the voyage!

【3】:competition rules
There are two main types of regattas, one is a "fleet race" in which the boats start as a group, and the other is a "match race" between two boats, one against the other. After the start signal is given, a boat is considered to have "started" when any part of its hull, crew or equipment touches the start line on the course leading to the first mark. If any part of the hull, equipment or crew of the boat touches the starting line or its extension before the signal is given, the boat is considered to be "sailing". The person who steals the boat must return to the starting preparation area within the specified time and in the manner prescribed by the rules to restart the race.
A race round shall end when the hull, equipment or any part of the athlete's body of the competing boat has passed all the required marks and touched the finish line on the course of the race in accordance with the regulations.

【4】:Scoring Rules
In sailing races, the total score is calculated after several races to determine the ranking, with one point for first place, two points for second place, three points for third place, and so on. The lower the total score, the higher the ranking. Therefore, if a competitor on the team breaks a minor rule, the judge will add points as a punishment.

【5】Sailing game avoidance
One of the rules of sailing. The avoidance rule is to avoid collisions and accidents. In the sailing rules, the course and the direction of the mark are also defined, and all sailing boats must go around the mark as specified, otherwise they are punished for not finishing the race. If a sailboat collides with a mark, it will be penalized with a 360-degree turn around the mark and then continue in the race. If a sailboat violates the rules during the race, it will be penalized with a continuous 720-degree turn in the same direction (i.e., two turns in place) to free itself and then continue in the race.

It is more like a game of wisdom to be able to identify these conditions and find the most favorable course for yourself while comparing speed!

Image from: Internet