PGJSA Championship Qualification, Rules & Scoring

Championship Qualifiers

The 2026 PGJSA Championship Qualifiers will be hosted by Devon Yacht Club, Mattituck Yacht Club, Old Cove Yacht Club, Orient Yacht Club, Shinnecock Yacht Club, Southampton Yacht Club, and Southold Yacht Club.

There will be five (5) Optimist Qualifiers and five (5) ILCA and C420 Qualifiers.

The PGJSA Championship Regatta is a separate event and is not a Qualifier.

Additional Qualifying Events

The Shelter Island Regatta for C420, ILCA, and Optimist sailors may count as one regatta toward satisfying the qualification requirements for the PGJSA Championship. Results from the Shelter Island Regatta will not count toward the PGJSA Summer Series standings.

Championship Qualification

To qualify for the PGJSA Championship Regatta, a sailor must participate in a minimum of two (2) qualifying regattas for their fleet.

To receive qualification credit for a regatta, a sailor must start and attempt to finish at least one race in that regatta. Registration, check-in, or receiving only DNC or DNS scores does not, by itself, satisfy the participation requirement.

The Shelter Island Regatta may count as one (1) of the two required qualifying regattas. A sailor using the Shelter Island Regatta for qualification must also participate in at least one (1) PGJSA Qualifier. The Shelter Island Regatta does not count toward the PGJSA Summer Series standings.

For a fleet's Qualifier results to count toward PGJSA Championship qualification and Summer Series standings, at least three (3) PGJSA sailors must compete in that fleet.

For a fleet to be included in the PGJSA Championship Regatta, at least two (2) qualified PGJSA sailors must participate in that fleet.

Cancelled Qualifier Exception

If a scheduled PGJSA Qualifier is completely cancelled and is not postponed or rescheduled, a sailor who was properly registered and checked in for that event may receive qualification credit for the cancelled Qualifier, provided the sailor has started and attempted to finish at least one race in at least one (1) other PGJSA Qualifier.

The Shelter Island Regatta does not satisfy the requirement to participate in at least one PGJSA Qualifier under this exception.

Class Requirements

ILCA sailors shall remain with the rig selected for their first PGJSA Qualifier of the season.

For C420 competitors, the skipper used for purposes of Championship qualification shall remain the same throughout the qualifying events. The crew may change.

Optimist age/fleet requirements and other competitor eligibility requirements are governed by the PGJSA Eligibility Rules.

Conduct

Team racing at PGJSA fleet-racing events is prohibited. Alleged violations will be handled in accordance with the Racing Rules of Sailing and the applicable Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions.

Coaching and support-person activities are governed by the PGJSA Coaching Conditions.

Registration, check-in, withdrawals, refunds, and sail-number reporting requirements are governed by the PGJSA Policies & Procedures and the applicable Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions.

Scoring — Qualifier Regattas

Each PGJSA Qualifier will be scored using the Low Point System of RRS Appendix A.

When fewer than five (5) races are scored, a boat's series score will be the total of her race scores.

When five (5) or more races are scored, a boat's series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.

Qualifier results will be used in calculating the PGJSA Summer Series standings in accordance with the PGJSA Summer Series scoring rules.

The Shelter Island Regatta may be used for Championship qualification as described above but will not be included in the PGJSA Summer Series standings.

Scoring — PGJSA Championship Regatta

The PGJSA Championship Regatta will be scored as a separate event using the Low Point System of RRS Appendix A.

When fewer than five (5) races are scored, a boat's Championship series score will be the total of her race scores.

When five (5) or more races are scored, a boat's Championship series score will be the total of her race scores excluding her worst score.

No scores from PGJSA Qualifiers, the Summer Series, or any other qualifying event will be carried forward into the PGJSA Championship Regatta.

All qualified competitors will begin the Championship Regatta with zero carry-forward points. Final Championship standings will be determined solely by races scored at the Championship Regatta.

Qualification remains required to participate in the PGJSA Championship Regatta. Qualifier results determine eligibility to compete, but do not contribute points toward a competitor's Championship score.

The PGJSA Championship Regatta is not a Qualifier.