Yachts

These days, yacht racing and dinghy racing are common participant sports around the developed world, particularly where favorable wind conditions and access to reasonably sized bodies of water are available. Most yacht racing is conducted in salt water, but smaller craft can be - and are - raced on lakes and even large rivers.

There are many different types of racing yachts, they can generally be separated into the larger yachts, which are larger and contain facilities for extended voyages, and smaller harbour racing craft such as dinghies and skiffs.

In yacht races, with identical equipment the sailors best able to make use of the ambient conditions win.

Yacht designs vary from small, stable, and slow craft for novice sailors to lightweight, high-speed designs that are very difficult for even experienced crews to sail safely and effectively. Sailing yachts has a reputation for being a boring spectator sport, but skiff racing can be very exciting, particularly in unpredictable conditions where crews struggle to keep their boats upright. Various multi-hull racing classes are even faster.

Larger yachts are also raced on harbors, but the most prestigious yacht races are point-to-point long distance races on the open ocean.