Rüzgar Üstü · Media Hub
Tell sailing
the right way.
Who organises a race, who wins it, and why the first boat to finish may not be the winner. A reference hub for journalists, editors and content teams, built on official sources.
At a glance
On the Bosphorus or in Cascais, the same rulebook.
Sailing is a sport with shared rules worldwide: the same signals, the same right-of-way rules, the same scoring logic.
Who’s who
Who writes the rules, who awards titles, who runs the race
The most common confusion in coverage is who organised a race and which title it may carry.
World Sailing
The international federation for sailing. It publishes the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), governs Olympic sailing, recognises classes and sets the Offshore Special Regulations (OSR).
Turkish Sailing Federation (TYF)
The national sailing federation of Türkiye and a member of World Sailing. Only the federation may organise Türkiye Championships.
Clubs
Apart from the federation’s own events, races are hosted by a sailing club or a sports company. A race name that includes a title requires the federation’s written permission.
Class associations
Associations that manage the technical rules and championships of classes such as Optimist, ILCA and J/70.
ORC · Offshore Racing Congress
Runs a rating system based on a velocity prediction program (VPP), so that different boats can be compared fairly in the same race. Most major yacht races in Türkiye have used ORC since 2025.
IRC · RORC and Yacht Club de France
A handicap system run jointly by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in the UK and Yacht Club de France. In Türkiye, the rule authority is the Turkish Offshore Racing Club (TAYK).
Who is the organiser?
Companies and agencies cannot organise a race on their own
Summary of TYF 2026 Principle Decisions · articles 2.1.a, 2.1.h and 2.4
- General principle
- No individual, company or institution may run a race alone as organiser; a sailing club or sports company must act as host.
- Other organisations
- Other federations and private organisations from Türkiye or abroad must work with the sailing club or sports company at the race location.
- International races
- All international races held in Türkiye must be included in the federation’s activity programme.
- In your story
- Name the brand or agency as an organising partner, alongside the host club.
Race formats
One sport, very different races
The story depends on the format: the winner may be decided by finishing order, by a head-to-head duel or by a time calculation.
Fleet racing
Many boats start at the same time. Each race result becomes points across the series; the lowest total wins.
Match race
Two boats race each other directly. Umpires decide on the water; the America’s Cup is the best-known example of this format.
Offshore and coastal racing
Courses lasting hours or days. Boats of different sizes are usually compared using ORC or IRC ratings.
One-design
Every boat is the same design; the first to finish wins. The difference is in the crew and the tactics.
Olympic sailing
LA 2028 programme: iQFOiL, Formula Kite, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7, 49er and 49erFX, mixed 470 and Nacra 17.
Team racing and leagues
Formats in which several boats race for a combined score. Inter-club leagues belong to this group.
Teams and brands
Who is on board, and who is behind the logo?
A race boat may be backed by a brand, a company, a club or a sailing school. Each is a different angle for a story.
The team name may be a brand
Teams often carry the sponsor’s name; the boat’s own name and sail number are separate. A story should mention all three.
Sailing can be a profession
Some sailors race professionally as helm, tactician or trimmer. Crews that mix professionals and amateurs are common.
Employees on the water
A crew made up of a company’s own employees is a separate story from sponsorship, with its own value for business and economy pages.
The boat may belong to a sailing school
Many crews race on a sailing school’s or club’s boat. Naming the owner makes the work of the school and its students visible.
Boat fact sheet
Include these details when writing about a boat
All of this is available from the entry list and the results sheet at the race office. Check anything you are unsure about with the team or the club.
- Boat name
- The boat’s own name and sail number
- Class
- The class or division, such as J/70, ILCA 7 or ORC B
- Team and sponsor
- The team name, and the sponsor if there is one
- Owner
- An individual, company, club or sailing school
- Skipper
- The crew leader; always name the skipper
- Helm and crew
- Who steers, and each crew member’s role
- Club
- The club the boat or crew represents
ORC and IRC
Why the first boat to finish may not be the winner
When boats of different size and design race together, each boat’s time is multiplied or adjusted by a rating. Results are ranked on this corrected time.
ORC
- Run by
- Offshore Racing Congress
- How it works
- A program (VPP) that predicts how fast a boat will sail at different wind speeds and angles, based on its measurements
- Documents
- ORC International: full measurement. ORC Club: some data declared or taken from other sources
- Calculation
- Time on time, time on distance or methods that vary with conditions; the notice of race sets which one applies
- Reading tip
- GPH is a general indicator in seconds per mile; a lower GPH means a faster boat
- In Türkiye
- Most major yacht races have used ORC since 2025; according to ORC, Türkiye has more than 300 ORC certificates
IRC
- Run by
- RORC Rating Office and Yacht Club de France
- How it works
- A system with an unpublished formula and limited inputs; each boat receives a single rating (TCC)
- Documents
- Endorsed certificate: data verified by a measurer. Some races require it
- Calculation
- Corrected time = elapsed time × TCC. TYF General Yacht Racing Rules use the same formula for IRC
- Reading tip
- A higher TCC means a faster boat
- In Türkiye
- Rule authority is TAYK; certificate applications and the list of approved measurers are handled by TAYK (tayk@tayk.org.tr)
Try it
Two boats, one winner: calculate with IRC
Sample values for illustration. Actual results follow the scoring system in the notice of race and each boat’s valid certificate.
Rules and flags
What happens on the water?
The Racing Rules of Sailing 2025–2028 are published by World Sailing. One of their basic principles is sportsmanship: unless she is exonerated, a boat that breaks a rule promptly takes an appropriate penalty, which may be to retire.
The start: a five-minute countdown
Who gives way? Five key rules
- Rule 10A boat on port tack keeps clear of a boat on starboard tack.
- Rule 11When two boats on the same tack are overlapped, the windward boat keeps clear of the leeward boat.
- Rule 12When two boats on the same tack are not overlapped, the boat clear astern keeps clear of the boat clear ahead.
- Rule 13After passing head to wind, a tacking boat keeps clear of others until she is on a close-hauled course.
- Rule 18In the zone around a mark (usually three hull lengths), an overlapped outside boat gives the inside boat mark-room.
What do the flags mean?
Penalty turns
A boat that breaks a right-of-way rule takes a two-turns penalty; a boat that touches a mark takes one turn. If the dispute remains, a protest is lodged and the jury decides.
Lowest score wins
First place scores 1 point, second 2. The worst result is excluded from the series score by default; the notice of race may set a different system. Unless stated otherwise, the codes below score points equal to the number of boats entered in the series plus one.
Live tracking
Follow the race on screen
Race calendars, entries and live rankings for races in Türkiye are on one platform, and international races can be followed live via satellite or GPS trackers. The tracking system and link are given in the notice of race or on the organiser’s website.
Sail Club · sailracing.club
The platform clubs in Türkiye use for race entries, live rankings and results. Races from 33 clubs (September 2026) and events abroad with Turkish crews in one calendar.
- Watch on
- Sail Club app (iOS, Android) and web
- On screen
- Live races, entry lists, live rankings
- Afterwards
- Results, podium and race archive
YB Tracking · YB Races
Satellite trackers. Because they report positions far from land and mobile networks, they are widely used in offshore and ocean racing.
- Watch on
- Free YB Races app and web
- On screen
- Position and track, speed, distance to finish, live leaderboard by division
- Afterwards
- Race replay
Vakaros · RaceSense
The Atlas 2 unit on board sends positions to receivers set up around the course. Used at championships of classes such as J/70, ILCA and Star, and at SailGP Inspire.
- Watch on
- Vakaros live viewer, open to spectators and media
- On screen
- Position, speed, heading, distance to the start line
- Afterwards
- Replay and detailed analysis
Media on the water
Watching the race from the water
Some organising clubs, within their means, provide a boat for media, access to the race office, and work with official photographers and drone teams. The starting point is always the same: contact the organising club in advance.
Watch the race up close
Where a media boat is available, it goes to points where you can watch the course and the start line without affecting the race. Places are limited; registration is required in advance.
Get information at the source
The race committee and jury are reached through the race office. Course, postponement, protest and results information is published on the official notice board.
Ask for official images
Many races have an official photographer and video team. Images are shared through the organiser, with photographer credit and usage terms.
Aerial filming requires permission
Drone flights over the race area require the organiser’s approval; in Türkiye, drone use is also subject to the regulations of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM). Asking the official drone team for footage is often the fastest route.
Ask the organiser
Seven questions to settle before the race
- Is there a media boat?How many people, what time, and from which pontoon?
- Who is the race office contact?Who can you send committee and jury questions to?
- Who are the official photographer and drone team?Where, when and with what credit are images shared?
- When are results and press releases issued?At what time are daily results and the press release published?
- When can you reach the sailors?The best moment for interviews is usually after the boats return to the harbour.
- Is there a live tracking link?Will a Sail Club, YB or Vakaros page be shared?
- Which radio channel?The committee’s VHF channel is given in the sailing instructions and is monitored on the media boat. In an emergency, use VHF channel 16 and 112.
Rules on the media boat
The media boat does not assist racing boats, block their wind or disturb their course with its wake. The support and spectator boat rules in the sailing instructions apply.
Life jackets are worn, the boat driver’s instructions come first, and the committee’s VHF channel is monitored. Do not enter the start line, the marks or the course area.
If you cannot reach the organiser, use the club details in our directory or write to us, and we will connect you with the right person.
Getting it right
The most common mistakes in coverage
Small differences decide whether readers understand the race. Sailors and clubs notice these details too.
Glossary
Words you will hear on race day
Our name comes from this list too.
The side the wind comes from and the side it blows towards. The basis of the right-of-way rules.
The left and right side of the boat. A boat on starboard tack has right of way over a boat on port tack (rule 10).
Sailing as close to the wind as possible. Most races begin with an upwind leg.
Sailing with the wind from behind. The leg where spinnakers are flown.
Changing direction by turning the bow through the wind.
Changing direction by turning the stern through the wind.
A mark that defines the course and must be rounded.
An imaginary line, usually between the committee boat and a mark, as defined in the sailing instructions.
The boat from which the race committee gives signals.
Large, light sails used downwind and on a reach.
Wings that lift the boat out of the water. iQFOiL and Formula Kite are Olympic examples.
A class in which the same design races; no handicap applies.
The actual time spent on the course, and the time after the rating is applied.
An allegation that a rule was broken, and the panel that hears it and decides.
The side from which the boat takes the wind: a boat with the wind on her starboard side is on starboard tack.
When two boats overlap in length; decisive in the right-of-way and mark-room rules.
Crossing the finish line first; in handicap racing this may not mean winning.
The crew leader, the person who makes course and tactical decisions, and the person who runs manoeuvres at the bow.
On the water, whatever happens, is told here.
Documents
Official sources
You can refer directly to these documents when writing. Links go to each publisher’s own website. This page does not speak for any institution; the texts published by those institutions are binding.
International Partnership
Let’s tell sailing together
We create joint content with international races, clubs, brands and media. Wherever your race takes place, we can present it in Turkish to the Turkish sailing community, write your brand’s story in sailing, or provide content from Turkish sailing for your publication.
Rüzgar Üstü is an independent, not-for-profit sailing publication. Partnerships are free of charge and do not involve the sale of advertising space; our editorial team decides what is published and how.
Your race, told in Turkish
For international races and clubs, wherever they are held, that want to reach the Turkish sailing community.
- A Turkish preview and a “What’s This Race About?” feature
- A Turkish summary of entry, participation and travel information
- Announcements to the community on our site, newsletter, Instagram and podcast
- Sharing your live tracking link with the community
- Following Turkish crews at your race, with results coverage and interviews
- Sharing your media boat, official photographer and drone team details with the press
If you want to hold a race in Türkiye: under TYF rules, races are hosted by a sailing club or a sports company. We can help you connect with clubs in our directory.
Brand partnerships
For brands involved in sailing as sponsors, suppliers or corporate teams.
- The story behind the sponsorship: why sailing, why this team
- Stories of corporate teams and employee crews
- Coverage of sustainability and youth programmes
- Fact-checked articles, not copies of press releases
Content for your publication
For magazines, websites, podcasts and broadcasters that want to follow Turkish sailing.
- News and results summaries from races in Türkiye
- Content in Turkish and English, co-publishing and republishing
- Photo selections with photographer credit
- Podcast guest exchange
Our current series
Press contact
Have a question?
Write to us with questions about races, classes or rules. We will point you to the right person or the official source.
Rüzgar Üstü in the press: Habertürk · Business World Global (September 2026)
info@rüzgarüstü.com
Rüzgar Üstü is an independent, not-for-profit publication. When using our photos, please credit the photographer and Rüzgar Üstü. Rights for third-party photos belong to their owners.