Sailing

Sailing may be undertaken for pleasure or competition. Different boats may be used to sail, including dinghies, yachts, classic sailboats, and ships. Recreational sailing occurs on bodies of water across Canada. As a sport, sailing has many different variations ranging from short races in a confined area to long-distance, intercontinental races; for example, Olympic yachting has 7 classes, which range from 1-3 person crews and are divided based on the categories of the crafts. Sailing competitions often take place on a marked course, where the winner has the fastest time in manoeuvring around the placed buoys in the correct order and on the correct side. Competitive racing can occur in two forms: fleet racing and match racing. Fleet racing involves fleets of boats navigating the same course at the same time, while match racing is a head-to-head contest between two identical boats.

Sailing as a sport was originally created in Holland, with the first recorded race took place in 1610. Sailing vessels played a vital part in the colonization of Canada by European nations, and by the mid-1800s ships were hugely important politically, economically, and culturally in Canada. Watercraft races (called "yachting") were formally introduced as the Kingston Boat Club in 1826, and soon spread in popularity in Eastern Canada. The Halifax Yacht Club, created in 1837, is Canada’s oldest continuing sailing club. By the end of the 19th Century, yachting had spread across the country British Columbia; the sport is now practiced widely in Canada, in places with access to large bodies of water.

Sailing takes place during the warmer months, when there is safe access to open water.

Males and females of diverse ages. Due to the cost of the sport, participation is more likely among people of a high socioeconomic class background.