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Dinghy racing Dinghy racing is the competitive sport of sailing dinghies. Racing is influential in forcing the individual sailor to improve his/her sailing skills. Dinghy racing has also been influential in efficiently developing all aspects of the modern dinghy, including hull design, sail materials and sailplan, and techniques such as planing and trapezing. Organisation of Dinghy Racing An International Sport Dinghy racing comes under the auspices of the International Sailing Federation. http://www.sailing.org Organisations such as the Royal Yachting Association (UK) and Canadian Yachting Association (Canada) organise and regulate the sport at a national level. http://www.rya.org.uk http://www.sailing.ca Sailing dinghies compete on an international, national, state, association, club and class basis, using the ISAF International Racing Rules of Sailing, which are revised every four years. Single-Handed or More than One Crew While many dinghies are single handed (one person only) such as the Laser, many are double handed such as the 470, 5O5, Heron, Tasar or NS14 and some have more than two sailors. Some classes allow children to sail double handed until a particular age and then require them to compete single handed. Some double handed boats are ideal for an adult and child like the Heron, while some such as the Tasar have weight restrictions which ensure they are sailed competitively by two adults or near adults. One-Design or Development Class Sailing dinghies can be one-design, with virtually no difference between boats and strict rules controlling construction, or development classes like the International Moth which has gone from a wide-hulled scow, to a thin-hulled skiff and now to a hydrofoil-based design. Many people prefer one-design as it mean the competition is more about sailing ability than about who can afford the newest innovation, although the weight of the boat, and sail age and quality, also come into it even in one-design. The people with most chance of winning a regatta often have new sails if not new boats. An Olympic Sport Sailing is an Olympic sport in both Men's and Women's divisions and for both yachts and dinghies / skiffs. Olympic dinghy classes include the Laser, Finn, 49er, 470 and Europe as well as a particular sailboard. Racing for All Ages, Sexes and Weights Most races and regattas are organised based on a class of dinghy, and within the class there may be several divisions such as Masters (older sailors), Ladies and Juniors. Handicap Events Mean Anyone Can Win Races involving mixed fleets (different classes of boat, different ages, weights and abilities of sailors) can be organised on a handicap basis. The most commonly used handicapping system is the Portsmouth yardstick, which assigns a different rating to each class of boat in a mixed fleet and (at least in theory) gives every boat an equal chance of winning. Handicaps can also be personal (sometimes called a back-calculated yardstick), taking into account the results of the sailor over past races, so an inexperienced person who sails significantly better than previously over a season or regatta can win on handicap. A Lifetime Sport Because of the use of handicap events, sailors of any age can be competitive. In the Concord & Ryde Sailing Club in Sydney, New South Wales Australia the youngest crew is 5, the youngest skipper is 10 and the oldest crew is 73 and the oldest skipper is 72. Class, Association, Club Clubs generally have a number of different classes competing on any one day, often sailing the same course at the same time, or sometimes with each class starting a few minutes apart. Keen club sailors join and compete in events with their State and National Associations. Associations generally cater for only one class of boat, but generally have competitors in several divisions. Examples Class: Laser: http://www.laser.org/m/_general/default.asp Class: 505: http://www.int505.org Club: Concord & Ryde Sailing Club: http://www.concordrydesailing.org Association: NSW Heron Association: http://herons.dinghies.org Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinghy_racing