US Sailing Association

US Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body of sailing in the USA. It was first formed as the North American Yacht Racing Union (NAYRU) in 1897, its original purpose being to promote yacht racing and to unify the racing and rating rules in the USA and Canada, and throughout the yachting world. However, early efforts to achieve this latter aim failed and the NAYRU ceased to function until it was revived in 1925; thereafter some progress was made towards unifying the rules at an international level. However, in 1931 Canada formed its Canadian Yachting Association and by the 1970s it became evident that American sailors needed a governing body to represent them, and in 1975 the NAYRU, with the support of the US Olympic Committee, changed its name to the US Yacht Racing Union (USYRU) and was restructured to take a more active role in promoting the sport. Then in 1991 the USYRU voted to change its name to the United States Sailing Association, Inc., and to do business as US Sailing. Its current functions include certifying training instructors and race officers, and administering seventeen national championships.

Bibliography

Anderson, H., and and MacArthur, R. , The Centennial History of the United States Sailing Association (1998).