RYA reveals the Portsmouth Yardstick Numbers for 2026

Youth Icicle Series at Bough Beech day 2 © Sarah Seddon

The RYA has announced that the Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) numbers list for 2026 have now gone live.

Used around the world, Portsmouth Yardstick is a system, based on a boats relative performance set against the other boats they race with. Fostering collaboration between clubs and working alongside the RYA, the easy-to-use approach enables clubs to run competitive racing at all levels without requiring boat measurements.

How does it work?

The RYA publishes a national list annually to provide a baseline for clubs to assign numbers to the boats racing within their fleets. Through PY Online, clubs can submit their race results to the RYA and use the tool to generate local numbers, reflecting how boats perform in their specific sailing conditions.

In order to score a PY race each boats elapsed time (time taken to sail around the racecourse) must be converted to a corrected time (time converted based on a boats PY number).

This is done by applying a simple correction calculation to each boats elapsed time.

In 2025, the Portsmouth Yardstick system saw its first major update in 30 years. Working with Sheffield Hallam University, the RYA widened the race-time threshold to include more data and shifted to a median-based calculation for greater stability. Improvements to PY Online have further strengthened accuracy and ease of use.

Submitting results

Over the course of the last year, the PY system has received a significant increase in data shared by clubs further strengthening the tool for use in grassroots sailing.

Looking to the year ahead, the RYA encourages clubs to continue submitting race results via PY Online, allowing further development of local numbers for closer competition. Without ongoing data submissions from clubs, the PY system cannot effectively operate and so it's vital all those who use the system ensure they get involved.

When submitting data to the PY system, clubs are also encouraged to review the online lists and use the class configurations created. Any class that doesn't appear on the list can contact

"We greatly appreciate the volume of data clubs have submitted over the past year as we continue working together to create an environment that makes racing easier for everyone. Over the last year, uploading information into the system has become even more straightforward thanks to the expansion of direct data submission options now available through Sailing Club Manager, Hal Sail and Sailwave. We look forward to supporting clubs further over the coming year and are excited to see the data insights for 2027, the official 75th anniversary of the PY system" Adam Parry, RYA Technical Manager.

Find more information at www.rya.org.uk/racing/portsmouth-yardstick

Bartley Beast Series Finale - photo © Chris Oates