Fleet Racing
Fleet races can have anywhere from four boats to hundreds of boats in
a race. A regatta must have at least three races to be counted. Each
boat's place in each race is added to compile a final score. The lowest
scorer wins.
Match Racing
In match racing only two boats compete against each other. The best known competition of this type is the America's Cup.
The tactics involved in match racing are different from those of other
races, because the objective is merely to arrive at the finish line
before the opponent, which is not necessarily as fast as possible. The
tactics involved at the start are also special.
Team Racing
Team racing is most often between two teams of three boats each. It
involves similar technique to match racing but has the added dimension
that it is the overall scoring of the race that matters. In three on
three team racing, this means that the team that scores ten or less
points wins. For this reason, many tactics are used to advance teammates
to make stable combinations for winning. The stable combinations most
commonly sought are "Play one", which is 1-2-anything, "Play
two"or2-3-4, and "Play 4", a 1-4-5 combination. These are generally
regarded as the best setups to win and the hardest for the opposing team
to play offense against.
