Atlanta Yacht Club : What is One-Design Sailing?
Would you rather… have the faster boat? or be the better sailor? If you answered “the better sailor”, then you’ve already grasped the concept of one-design sailing. If you answered “the faster boat owner”, you may take some convincing but we’re willing to try! One-design sailors are committed to a concept — sailboat racing is more fun and more competitive when sailing almost identical boats. Racing then become a contest of skill, not a test of equipment. You’ve seen this concept demonstrated by the finest sailors in the world… at the Olympics, where boats are exactly the same size and weight, with identical sails and crew. Unlike handicap formula racing where speed is a product of boat design, the specific intent of one-design racing is that the boat NOT provide any advantage to the sailor. It’s the skill of the skipper and crew that outmanuevers the competition. How? With tactics, timing and crackerjack teamwork, for starters. Well-practiced boat handling skills are a must, along
