A watersport discipline known from 16th century (Netherlands), cultivated with a use of boats moved by sails with a power of the wind (yachts). To drive a yacht (apart from boats equipped with a sail of a space smaller than 10m2) one must get a patent (in Poland given by the Polish Sailing Union after passing the exam of the navigation and pilotage rules, the theory of sailing and manoeuvring, the sailing rules and signs, the boat's construction etc.). As a sport, sailing means races (regattas) of the boats of similar parametres (same class) or with a handicap on oceanic (America-Europe regattas since 1905), open sea, bay and inland routes. In sport sailing (being an olimpic discipline since 1900) we distinguish Finn, 470, Tornado, Star, Soling, Flying Dutchman and Europe classes, depending on the construction and the space of sails.

The greatest success of Polish sport sailors is the year 1996 and M. Kusznierewicz's golden olimpic medal.