Boat racing

Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt,^[1] and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other water-borne craft for as long as such watercraft have existed.

Types

There are three broad categories of boat racing which define how the watercraft are powered. Self-propelled, human powered boats; wind (sail) powered boats; and motorised, frequently referred to as motorboats or powerboats.

Human-powered boat racing

• Dragon boat racing – a type of human-powered watercraft racing, originating from oriental Asia
• Rowing (sport) – a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers or lakes, or on the ocean in special types of ocean-going rowing boats
• Canoe racing – competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking
  • Kayak racing
  • Outrigger canoe racing

Sail-powered boat racing

• Yacht racing – the sport of competitive yachting
  • Team racing – also known as teams racing, is a popular form of yacht racing

Motorised powerboat racing

• Inshore powerboat racing – and within this category, the F1 Powerboat World Championship
• Offshore powerboat racing – racing by large, specially designed ocean-going powerboats
• XCAT Racing – a sport involving Extreme Catamarans or XCATs; XCAT Racing is promoted by the World Professional Powerboating Association (WPPA) and governed by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM)^[2]
• Drag boat racing – a form of drag racing which takes place on water rather than land
• Hydroplane racing – a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes and rivers
• Jet sprint boat racing
• Swamp buggy racing – although not technically classed as boats, these specialist craft race tri-annually on swampy area circuits in the Florida region

Race format types

• Kyōtei – parimutuel boat racing in Japan, referred to as "BOAT RACE"
• Match race – a race between two competitors, going head-to-head

Notable boat races

Human-powered

• The Boat Race – between Oxford and Cambridge Universities
• The Welsh Boat Race – between Cardiff and Swansea Universities
• The Northumbrian Water University Boat Race – between the University of Durham and the University of Newcastle
• Vallam Kali – the traditional Snake Boat Race in Kerala, India
  • Nehru Trophy Boat Race – Snake Boat Race in Alleppy, Kerala, India
• Musi Triboatton – an annually international boat race across more than 500 km of Musi River in South Sumatra, Indonesia

Wind-powered

• The Volvo Ocean Race
• The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
• The Vendee Globe – a round-the-world, non-stop, single-handed yacht race
• The Velux 5 Oceans Race – a round-the-world, staged, single-handed yacht race; originally known as the 'BOC Challenge', and then the 'Around Alone'
• The Fastnet Race
• The Harvard–Yale Regatta – also known as 'The Race'

Motor-powered

• 24 Heures Motonautiques de Rouen – a 24-hour circuit boat race in Rouen, France
• Archer eade memorial – an unlimited outboard race consisting of six laps

See also

• Boat race (disambiguation)
• Cowes Week
• Category:Yachting races

References

1. Evžen Strouhal, Life of the ancient Egyptians (1992), p. 46.
2. World Professional Powerboating Association, UIM

External links

• XCAT Racing