Sailing is the movement of a vehicle and the control of its direction with sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the vessel across water and change its direction and speed.
Instrumental in the development of civilisation, mastery of the skills required for this exciting sport requires experience in varying wind and sea conditions, as well as knowledge concerning sailboats themselves and an understanding of one's surroundings.
In most countries, sailing is enjoyed as a recreational activity or as a competitive sport. Recreational sailing or yachting can be divided into racing and cruising, and cruising can include extended offshore and ocean-crossing trips, coastal sailing within sight of land, and day sailing.
It's a very adaptive sport that all participants can get something out of. Whether it is intense racing, sailing around the world, or just an afternoon cruise, sailing is a sport to be enjoyed by everybody!
Open to male and female sailors, physically disabled athletes of all backgrounds use a scoring system to assign points between 1 and 7, based on the level of ability. This allows participants from different disability groups to compete together.
Yachting NZ aims to promote sailing as an innovative, inclusive and lifelong sport, while embracing adventure, enterprise and a passion for the sea.