League DivisionsThe racing teams in the Massachusetts Bay League (MBL) are organized presently into four divisions. The composition of each division is determined by the level of skill and the type of racing - fleet racing or team racing. The composition of these divisions is reviewed yearly so that teams have the ability to change divisions.Two of our divisions, A and B, team race in 420s, completing a round-robin series with each team in their division. Teams in the A Division are expected to also team race at least 3 teams outside of the MBL while teams in the B Division are expected to team race at least 2 teams outside of their division. Teams in both the A and B divisions are also required to sail in at least one NESSA event annually and to be members of NESSA and ISSA. Since these teams sail at several different venues, these teams have a "home" venue where they practice and host races while also travelling to race at other venues. The C Division is based at Community Boating, holding weekly fleet races in both 420s and Cape Cod Mercurys. While some of these student sailors are less skilled than those in the A and B Divisions, many are just as capable but have opted to concentrate on fleet racing or to limit their travel schedule. An important aspect for these fleet races is that we allow everyone from these teams to sail even though the teams may have different numbers of boats on the water. We have purposely chosen to do this to encourage participation by every student sailor on these teams. This unorthodox approach has been embraced with much enthusiasm by the students, coaches, and schools and has resulted in more competitive sailors. The Open Division is composed of fledgling and novice teams as well as teams that have unique circumstances. While only races within a team's division are counted toward their standings in the League, competition outside of a team's division and outside of the League is encouraged.
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