The yachting industry is full of competitions - professional and amateur. The racing of boats first started in Holland before being introduced in England and America in the 17th century. Since then, yacht clubs and marine institutions have organised all sorts of competitions for social and recreational purposes. Sailboat races come in a variety of different styles, such assingle-handed, around the world, coastal and fleet racing.
Many people might want to attend one of these races, so Yachting Pages has put together a list of top 5 significant sailing races in the world:
1. Cowes Week
One of the oldest and largest annual sailing regattas of its kind in the world, Cowes Week is an iconic feature of the British sporting calendar. It takes place at Solent with 8,000 competitors, from world champion professionals to amateurs. It is also worth mentioning that Cowes Week has onshore events and parties. It is extremely famous for its iconic fireworks finale on the last day.
2. Volvo Ocean Race
Formally known as the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Volvo Ocean Race has taken place every three years since 1973. Starting in Europe in October, it’s known as the longest and the most challenging professional event worldwide as its duration is almost nine months and the competitors face strong weather conditions.
3. America’s Cup
The America’s Cup is one of the oldest international sailboat racing events, dating back to 1851. Its prestigious reputation attracts the top professional sailors, yacht designers and the majority of wealthy entrepreneurs and sponsors. The competition is not only focused on sailing skills but also on sail design.
4. Vendée Globe
The Vendée Globe is named after the Département of Vendée, France, where the race starts and ends. A single-handed, non-stop round the world race, it’s widely known as one of the most challenging and extreme sporting events. Its duration is more than three months and it takes places every four years. The Vendée Globe puts sailors under great amounts of pressure and it tests their ability to deal with various technical elements during challenging moments.
5. Barcolana
Barcolana is one of the largest and most popular regattas in the Mediterranean. Its first race was in 1969 and it takes place every year in the Gulf of Trieste, Italy. The race attracts thousands of participants with approximately 25,000 sailors and 250,000 spectators who can enjoy the race from plenty of stands in Trieste. The participating boats are divided into several categories depending on their LOA. The competition allows sailors as young as eight years old to participate, including kite surfers and windsurfers.
Want to learn more? Find out about the industry's biggest superyacht regattas, or browse our dedicated yacht show library.
FAQs
The top sailing race in the world is currently considered the America's Cup, a prestigious yacht race begun in 1851 and raced on AC75 foiling boats.
What is the top sailing race in the world? ›
The top sailing race in the world is currently considered the America's Cup, a prestigious yacht race begun in 1851 and raced on AC75 foiling boats.
What is the most difficult sailing race in the world? ›
The Vendée Globe pits the sailing elite against one another in a 24,300-mile race. Often referred to as the Everest of the seas, the yachtsmen and women who partake in the maritime epic every four years must sail solo around the world with no stops or assistance.
What is the largest sailing event in the world? ›
Kiel Week usually gathers around 5,000 sailors, 2,000 ships, and about three million visitors each year.
What is the most famous boat race in the world? ›
The America's Cup was established in 1851. This is the oldest, and arguably the most prestigious, event in yacht racing.
What is the world's toughest boat race? ›
The Safari itself, billed as the "World's Toughest Boat Race", is an annual race via the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers, from Aquarena Springs in the college town of San Marcos, to the shrimping village of Seadrift on the Texas coastline, a total distance of 260 miles.
What is the most successful sailing nation? ›
No nation has won more Olympic sailing gold medals than Great Britain. Team GB have collected 31 golds and 63 medals in total since the sport was first introduced into Olympic competition back at Paris 1900.
Which ocean is hardest to sail? ›
North Atlantic Ocean
This part of the Atlantic Ocean is dangerous for ships, especially the route around the North Sea and Bermuda Triangle, which are characterised by unpredictable weather, including storms, cyclones, massive waves, and ice.
What is the fastest sailing vessel ever? ›
The current world sailing speed record has stood for a little over a decade at 65.37 knots (75.23 mph/121.06 km/h), set by Paul Larsen in the Vestas Sailrocket II back in 2012.
Is sailing in decline? ›
There were about 88,000 thousand sailboats registered in the United States in 2022, a 7.5% decrease from the previous year.
Newport, Rhode Island, “sailing capital of the world,” has many other annual sailing events.
Who owns the largest sailboat on Earth? ›
Koru | 127m
Commissioned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Koru has been the subject of much speculation for years but was revealed in all its glory in 2021. Not only is she the largest sailing yacht in the world, she is also the largest superyacht ever to be built in the Netherlands.
What is the oldest sailing competition in the world? ›
Today, the America's Cup is the world's oldest continually contested trophy and represents the pinnacle of international sailing yacht competition. It is listed as the oldest international yacht race by Guinness World Records.
What is the most famous boat in the world? ›
The “Unsinkable” Titanic. At 2:20 am on April 15, 1912, the Titanic, then the world's largest and most luxurious ocean liner, disappeared into the icy depths of the North Atlantic.
What is the name of the famous sailboat race? ›
America's Cup Race History. The America's Cup – the most famous sailboat race! America's Race: Competition for the America's Cup, the oldest and one of the most prestigious sporting trophies in the world, began in England in 1851.
What is the toughest sailing race in the world? ›
Since 1992, the Vendée Globe has taken place every four years. The race sets off from its start / finish port of Les Sables d'Olonne, on the Atlantic coast of France, in November in order to avoid the worst of the Southern Ocean weather by sailing the Southern Ocean stage of the race in the Southern Hemisphere summer.
Where is sailing the most popular? ›
A look at why Greece is the most popular sailing ground in the world for charter yachts and catamarans! Greece is the most popular sailing ground every year, with more people sailing there than in any other place on earth.
What is the big sailing race called? ›
America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known as the defender) and the other from the yacht club that is challenging for the cup (the challenger). The winner is awarded the America's Cup trophy, informally known as the Auld Mug.
What is the one man sailing race around the world? ›
The Vendée Globe is a single-handed, non-stop, non-assisted round-the-world sailing race that takes place every four years. It is contested on IMOCA monohulls, which are 18 metres long.
What is the most famous sailing trophy? ›
The America's Cup, a prestigious trophy and the most famous in the world of sailing, is also the oldest cup that continues to this day.
