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National Boating Organizations |
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The United States Sailing Association is the governing body
for the sport of sailing in the United States under the authority of the Ted Stevens Olympic
and Amateur Sports Act of 1998. U.S. Sailing was founded as the North American Yacht Racing
Union in 1897, bringing together six regional sailing associations in the United States and
Canada. With a separate body having been founded for Canada, the NAYRU changed its name to the
United States Yacht Racing Union in 1976 and to the present name in 1991. U.S. Sailing comprises
regional sailing associations, scholastic and intercollegiate sail racing bodies, and associations
dedicated to the racing of single classes of sailboats. U.S. Sailing administers the rules of
racing, adjudicates protests and appeals, sanctions races, and oversees U.S. participation in
international amateur and Olympic sailing competitions. In addition to the
burgee shown, U.S. Sailing also uses a rectangular white flag in 2:3
proportions with the same logo on the center.
BOAT-US is a national organization that represents the political interests of
boat owners by sponsoring and supporting legislation, conducting public affairs efforts, and
the like. It also provides services to boat owners in the forms of group rates on insurance
and similar needs. BOAT-US was founded in 1966.
The American Power Boat Association, established in 1903,
is the organizing body for
professional and semiprofessional power boat racing. Accordingly, the APBA sets rules,
sanctions races, and sets safety and performance standards for the sport.
The Cruising Club of America, founded in the early 1920s,
exists to support and encourage the sport of deep water ocean cruising and "the adventurous
use of the sea." To those ends, it supports research on boat designs and safety, conducts
safety at sea training, sponsors the biennial Newport-to-Bermuda boat race, and awards the
Blue Water Medal for meritorious examples of seamanship.
The International Order of the Blue Gavel is an organization of some 4,000 former commodores of recognized
yacht clubs, founded in 1953 and dedicated to preserving the traditions, customs, and ethics of yachting and to promoting
camaraderie among its members. The Order conducts
training programs for young sailors and for prospective yacht club officers, supports such activities as
Sea Scouts, promotes antipollution and safety efforts, and helps fund a number of charitable causes such
as cancer research and the Make a Wish Foundation.
Sea
Flags
Copyright 2000, 2001 by Joseph McMillan