An important component to the American Sailing League concept are the courses.  For several years now, there has been a discussion in the world of yacht racing about whether or not there is a favorable gain in improving the sport for spectators at the potential expense of some eveness and quality of racing for the athletes. 

We have taken that trade-off to the extreme.

ASL races at PIER 39 begin just off the pier's end at the ferry and yacht harbor entrances.  Competitors race upwind to a mark near Pier 45 then downwind to a mark just east of PIER 39 and back, sailing through the start finish line in both directions. 

These course are roughly the length (and maybe shorter) of a collegiate dinghy course, but where an FJ or a 420 sees a max speed of maybe 6 knots, 18 footers sail well into the high twenties and beyond.  During the May test event, the winning boat competed the two-times-around course in an average of just 12 minutes (championship courses will be three laps). Every thirty seconds a maneuver is required. In order to complete an ASL series, each team must set and douse 32 times. How hard is that exactly? Stay Tuned...