The most common racing that occurs in the sport of sailing is fleet racing. A fleet race can be as small as three boats, and as large as the race committee allows - sometimes hundreds of boats. Most fleet racing uses low point scoring, meaning that boats are awarded points equal to their finishing place. First place gets one point, second place gets two points, etc. Over multiple races each boat's points accumulate. At the end of the regatta the boat with the fewest total points wins. The boat with the second fewest points finishes second, etc.
The pages on this part of the site attempt to give some basic overview of fleet race strategy and fleet race tactics. If you've arrived at this page, it means it's time to get yourself a copy of the Racing Rules of Sailing. Download the App to your phone. If you join U.S. Sailing then you will get free access to the Racing Rules of Sailing via the App. Much of what will be discussed on the Tactics page will be a result of how the rules of the game are written. In addition, the Strategy and Tactics pages are informed by the work of others, including two members of Pequot who are world renowned sailors and authors on sailing. Each have numerous works, but here are some initial texts to get you started. Dave Perry's Winning in One Designs and Dave Dellenbaugh's journal publication Speed and Smarts are both fantastic.
This page focuses on strategy. When racing, "strategy" is the sequence of decisions you make to sail the most efficient route around the race course. In other words, it is your plan for how you will get from the starting line to the finishing line in the absence of other boats. Strategic decisions are made in relation to wind shifts, current, waves, and other course factors. Imagine a boat sailing the course alone. All the decisions that boat makes from start to finish would be strategic decisions.
The second page focuses on tactics. Tactical decisions are maneuvers you make to improve your position in relation to other boats on the course. Sometimes you might position yourself to be between other boats and the mark you are sailing towards, or position yourself to be in a place where other boats are not disturbing the wind your boat is getting. Oftentimes, tactical decisions interrupt your strategy.