PSA Sailing
About PSA's Flying Scots
PSA has always been about introducing people, both young and older, to the sport of sailing. Indeed, that mission has been part of our culture and passion for over 80 years.
To assist in that endeavor, we've been growing a fleet of Flying Scots. The Flying Scot is a 19' daysailer, that's uncomplicated, stable and fun to sail. From the Wikipedia entry for Flying Scots, "in a 1994 review Richard Sherwood wrote, 'a big, fast centerboard boat, the Flying Scot has an unusual reverse sheer. Capacity is eight adults. With hard bilges and a slightly tunneled hull, stability is good. Rigging is relatively simple, and the class rules discourage complexity.'"
Class Rules? (skip this part if you are already a racer). Yes, class rules. There are basically two types of sailboat racing. One is "handicap," whereby two or more sailboats of different type, or design, race against one-another and get scored on their handicap numbers, which is typically the amount of time one boat can sail a nautical mile compared to another, different design's projected time.
An example might be a J24 vs a Catalina 27.
An arguably BETTER way to race sailboats is One Design, whereby the boats are same design and there are CLASS RULES to make sure none of the boats are modified to gain an advantage. (don't worry, there are no Measurers at PSA and boats are never disqualified for our casual races)
Handicap racing can be a blast, but most racers will tell you One Design is truly the best way to race sailboats and everything else is "just so much fluff."
One Design is also the best way for new racers to quickly begin to learn the skills and science behind sailboat racing.
Later this fall and into winter 2026, PSA plans to hold some informational sessions, hopefully in person, about next years' Flying Scot program. These will probably include a conversation or tutorial on the Racing Rules.
We'll keep you posted here!
For info on Flying Scots click here
For info on The Racing Rules of Sailing click here