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This page explains how each Clear Air Racing Ranking is calculated. The rules are the same for every update; the data changes as official results are published.
Clear Air Racing Rankings are independent and are not the official rankings of any class association or governing body.
ILCA rankings
Clear Air Racing Rankings are independent and are not the official rankings of any class association or governing body.
A result
A result is a sailor’s official final position in one fleet. Gold and Silver fleet splits use the official overall order. Ties stay tied. A sailor with no official position is not counted.
Results Points
Each result earns place points. Place points are multiplied by the event weight and by recency. A sailor’s Results Points are the sum of their best three results, so travelling to more regattas does not by itself raise the score.
Head-to-head rating
Every fleet is also read as a set of head-to-head contests: finishing ahead of a sailor is a win against that sailor. The rating is fitted to all contests together with the Bradley–Terry model, a close relative of chess-style ratings. In a fleet of N sailors each pair counts 1/(N − 1), so a large fleet does not outweigh a small one.
Power Score
ILCA 7 Men and ILCA 6 Women: the Power Score gives Results Points and the head-to-head rating equal weight. ILCA 7 and ILCA 6 Masters (North America): the Power Score is the head-to-head rating alone, from the official age-adjusted results, so the best-three Results Points do not affect a Masters score.
Who is ranked
To be ranked a sailor needs at least two results in the 30-month window, including at least one in the last 12 months. Other sailors have a score but no position. Equal Power Scores (to one decimal place) share a position.
Updates and movement
Rankings are recalculated when new results are added, and each snapshot is dated. Movement is measured against the most recent snapshot at least 28 days older.
When a result counts
Results the source labels final count immediately. Any other result collected in a regular update counts once it has stayed unchanged for at least 7 days after the event (confirmed by checks on at least two days), and in any case from 14 days after the event, even if the source has not confirmed it. Results from sources that publish no status, added when the rankings were compiled, count as published.
Identity
A World Sailing sailor ID identifies a sailor. Without one, two results belong to the same sailor only if the full name is identical and something else agrees: nationality, sail number or club. A name match alone is never enough. Ambiguous cases are not merged automatically; they are settled by recorded decisions.
J/70 rankings
Two rankings: J/70 World and J/70 USA.
What is ranked: the racing campaign
The ranked entity is the racing campaign represented by its boat name, not a single sailor and not a physical hull. Results are linked to the same campaign only on matching evidence: the same boat name with the same helm or owner, the same sail number with the same helm, or the same boat name and sail number. The same boat name alone is never enough, and a change of published owner starts a new campaign. The campaign is shown under its most frequently published current boat name; its nation is the published nationality or, where none is published, the national letters of the sail number.
A limitation of boat-based rankings
Because the J/70 rankings rate campaigns by boat, one sailor’s results can be split across more than one campaign. Results are combined only on the linking evidence above, never on the helm alone. A helm who races a second boat, or a team that charters a boat for a major championship (for example a visiting team chartering a local boat for a World or European Championship), under a different boat name and sail number appears as a separate campaign, and those results are not combined with the team’s usual campaign. A charter raced under the team’s usual boat name with the same helm stays in that campaign. A sailor who divides a season between boats may therefore rank lower than their combined results would suggest. This is a limitation of ranking boats rather than individual sailors.
Results used
Official published overall positions of J/70 fleets from 2024 onwards: World and continental championships, restricted-entry world and continental titles (such as the Corinthian and Mixed Worlds), national championships, national circuits, international, regional and club regattas. Ties are kept as published.
Not used: league formats on supplied boats, handicap results, college events, season-overall standings that duplicate their individual regattas, and fleets without published results. Duplicate copies of the same fleet are counted once.
When a result counts
Results the source marks final count once the event has ended. Other results collected in regular updates count from 14 days after the event, even if the source has not confirmed them. Results from sources that publish no status, added when the rankings were compiled, count as published.
Power Score
The head-to-head rating compares every pair of boats in every counted fleet (Bradley–Terry, half-life two years), so beating strong boats counts more than beating weak ones at any event.
Professional and Corinthian teams are ranked together on their official overall finishing positions.
J/70 USA
The USA ranking uses regattas held in the United States. Every boat in those regattas is scored, including visiting campaigns, but only campaigns with U.S. affiliation are listed: published nationality, or where none is published the national letters of the sail number, never the regatta location.
Who is ranked
At least two results in 30 months, including one in the last 12 months. Other campaigns have a score but no position. Equal Power Scores (to one decimal place) share a position. Movement is measured against the snapshot at least 28 days older.
Melges 15 ranking
The Melges 15 ranking uses the same model as the ILCA and J/70 rankings. It ranks the helm; crews are not ranked.
Results used
Official final overall positions of Melges 15 fleets. One overall order per fleet. Entries scored as not starting in every race have no position and are not counted. A fleet needs at least three ranked boats. Season-overall series standings are not used, because they duplicate their individual regattas. Provisional results count once final, or 14 days after the event.
Identity
Melges 15 results carry no sailor IDs, so helms are identified by name. Identical names (after accents, case and punctuation are normalised) are treated as the same helm unless both appear in one fleet. Spelling variants are linked only with supporting evidence, such as a shared sail number, crew member or club, or by a recorded decision.
Who is ranked
At least two results in 30 months, including one in the last 12 months. Equal Power Scores share a position.