Top 20 High-End Sailing Yacht & Boat Racing Events

YACHT RACING is a form of sport reserved for yachts and larger sailboats. Yacht racing usually refers to sailboat racing in a variety of forms with large racing yachts.

A MATCH RACE is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consisting of 2, 3 or 4 boats compete together in a team race, with their results being combined.

Boat & Yacht Racing News, Reviews & Resources

• $5 million boats & courses across the world. Welcome to the ‘fastest race on water’ - "The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix is new to the global 13-race calendar."
• 2017 Louis Vuitton Challenger’s Trophy - (officially, the Trophy was given to the winner of the 2017 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs) was a sailing competition held to determine the challenger in the 2017 America's Cup.
• 
• A Classic Yachting Watch Gets a Second Wind - "TAG Heuer’s new timepiece is inspired by one that commemorated the 1967 America’s Cup." The New York Times.
• America's Cup - Wikipedia.
• Around the world sailing record - Wikipedia.
• LOUIS VUITTON AMERICA'S CUP TROPHY TRUNK - Louis Vuitton Trophies.
• Louis Vuitton Cup - was a yachting competition connected with the America's Cup. Since 1983 until 2017, the Louis Vuitton Cup was used as the selection series in any year where multiple yachting syndicates are vying for the right to become the challenger for the America's Cup.
• Louis Vuitton Pacific Series - was a match race regatta in America's Cup Class yachts in Auckland, New Zealand during January and February 2009.
• Louis Vuitton Trophy - was a series of four match race regattas in International America's Cup Class boats, held between November 2009 and November 2010.
• Match race - Wikipedia.
• Monaco Yacht Show: How the super rich are saving the seas - "It may be a magnet for ocean-going excess, but the Monaco Yacht Show is becoming an increasingly precious jewel in the fight to save our seas."
• race calendar - Performance Yacht Racing.
• Regatta Yacht Charter - "A regatta yacht charter is the ultimate way to enjoy a sailing yacht, racing against other like-minded enthusiasts in some of the world’s most inspiring destinations."
• Regattas 2019 - Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
• Sailing at the Summer Olympics - Wikipedia.
• Sailing Events - WorldSailing.
• Top 10 yachting races in the world - JKMConsultancy.
• TOP MARQUES SUPERBOATS - May 30 - June 3, 2019. Grimaldi Forum, 10, avenue Princesse Grace, MC-9800 Monte-Carlo, Monaco. Since 2003.
• Top Sailing Yacht Racing Events in the World - CoastalBoating.net.
• Why Britain's richest man Jim Ratcliffe has invested $153M in sailing - CNN sport.
• Yacht racing - Wikipedia.
• yachts of America’s Cup are faster & weirder than ever - "Thanks to science (and a lot of money)."

Top 20 Sailing Yacht & Boat Racing Events

• Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix - since 2024. "All you need to know about the 2024 Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix, including Ticket Information, Live Stream and Broadcast Details."
• 37th AMERICA'S CUP - since 1851. (Aka the "Auld Mug".) The most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years.
• Antigua Sailing Week - since 1967. "Where sailing comes first." Yacht regatta held at Nelson's Dockyard, St. Johns, Antigua. It is one of Antigua's most notable events. It is cited as one of the top regattas in the world and attracts an average 150-200 yachts, 1500 participants and 5000 spectators on average annually.
• Candy Store Cup Superyacht Regatta - hosted and organized by Newport Shipyard and Bannister's Wharf, Newport, RI, U.S.A.
• COWES WEEK - started in 1826. "At the beginning of August, Cowes plays host to this world famous premier sailing regatta. With over 1000 yachts ranging from high-tech racing boats to classic day boats and with 8,000 people taking part, it's no wonder that Cowes Week is the longest running regular regatta in the world."
• Fastnet Race - since 1925. Famous biennial offshore yachting race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club of the United Kingdom. Generally considered one of the classic offshore races, 'Fastnet' is a difficult contest testing both inshore and offshore skills, boat and crew preparation and speed potential. From its inception, the Fastnet Race has proven highly influential in the growth of offshore racing, and remains closely linked to advances in yacht design, sailing technique and safety equipment.
• George Town Cruising Regatta - since 1981. "The George Town Cruising Regatta is an all volunteer regatta that takes place yearly in George Town, Exuma, Bahamas."
• Giraglia Rolex Cup 2023 - 70th edition: June 9-17. Sinde 1953. Mediterranean keelboat regatta, named after the island of Giraglia, which has been held annually since 1953. The regatta consists of a week-long set of races, beginning with inshore races in the St. Tropez Bay followed by the primary event which begins in St. Tropez, France, passes through the Îles d'Hyères near the island of Giraglia, and then finishes off in Genoa, Italy, a total distance of 243 nautical miles (450 km).
• 12th Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2019 - June 3-8. "Cream of yachting gathers in Porto Cervo for the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta."
• Newport-Bermuda Race - since 1906. Biennial sailing yacht race from Newport, Rhode Island to the island of Bermuda sailed in even-numbered years. The sailing distance is 635 nautical miles (1175 km) across open ocean and the Gulf Stream.
• Race To Mackinac - since 1898. The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac is hosted and managed by the Chicago Yacht Club. The "Mac" (as it is known)was first run in 1898. At 333 miles (289.4 Nautical mile) It is the oldest annual freshwater distance race in the world. The race hosts several hundred competitors each year and over 3000 sailors.
• Route du Rhum - since 1978. Transatlantic single-handed yacht race, which takes place every four years in November. The course is between Saint Malo, Brittany, Metropolitan France and Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, overseas France.
• SUPER BOAT Grand Prix 2019 - June 21-23. Since 1989. "Boat Racing Of The Rich And Famous."
• Superyacht Cup Palma 2019 - June 19-22. Since 1996. "The Longest Running Superyacht Regatta in Europe" The Superyacht Cup Palma has the ideal combination of professionally managed yacht racing and a relaxed, informal social programme enjoyed by everyone.
• Sydney Hobart Yacht Race - since 1945. Annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately 630 nautical miles (1,170 km). The race is run in co-operation with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, and is widely considered to be one of the most difficult yacht races in the world.
• The BOAT RACE - first boat race: 10 June, 1829. Annual event since: 15 March 1856. A rowing race in England between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights each spring on the Thames in London.
• THE TALL SHIPS RACES 2019 AALBORG - "More than 90 of the world's most beautiful tall ships are expected to berth in Aalborg for The Tall Ships Races 2019."
• Velux 5 Oceans Race - since 1982. Round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed in stages, managed by Clipper Ventures Plc since 2000.
• VendÉe Globe - since 1989. Round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance. Since 1992 has taken place every four years. As the only single-handed non-stop round-the-world race (in contrast to the VELUX 5 Oceans Race, which is sailed in stages), the race is a serious test of individual endurance, and is regarded by many as the ultimate in ocean racing.
• VOLVO OCEAN RACE - since 1973. "Around the world." The Formula One of sailing! Yacht race around the world, held every three years.
• WORLD CRUISING CLUB - global sailing event organisers World Cruising Club (WCC) are best known for the ARC, the world’s largest annual trans-ocean sailing event. The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, to use its official title, is the originator of the many WCC cruising rallies now taking place around the globe.
• WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR - "Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) is featuring world class sailors including America’s Cup and Olympic champions, the WMRT brings together the very best match racing sailors in the world, in a global championship series. WMRT is exclusively sanctioned with ‘Special Event Status’ by World Sailing, the sport’s world governing body. The winner of the WMRT each year is crowned official Match Racing World Champion."