From time immemorial, man has used wind power for surface water locomotion. The earliest indication of a ship under sail was from Egypt in about 3500 BC. Advances in sailing technology from the 15th century onward enabled European explorers to make longer voyages into regions with extreme weather and climatic conditions. Improvements were made in the design of sails, masts and rigging, and navigational equipment became more sophisticated. Throughout history sailing has been instrumental in the development of civilization

Sailing is the art of controlling a sailing vessel. By changing the rigging, rudder and dagger or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails (main and/or jib) in order to change the direction and speed of a boat. Mastery of the skill requires experience in varying wind and sea conditions, as well as knowledge concerning sailboats. Today most people enjoy sailing as a recreational activity.

Whilst sailing's invention is prehistoric, racing sailing boats is believed to have started in the Netherlands some time in the 17th century, whence it soon made its way to England where custom-built racing "yachts" began to emerge.

These days, yacht racing and dinghy racing are common participant sports around the developed world, particularly where favourable wind conditions and access to reasonably sized bodies of water are available. Most yachting is conducted in salt water, but smaller craft can be - and are - raced on lakes and even large rivers.

Whilst there are many different types of racing vessels, they can generally be separated into the larger yachts, which are larger and contain facilities for extended voyages, and smaller harbour racing craft such as dinghies and skif Dinghy races are conducted on sheltered water on smaller craft, usually designed for crews of between one and three people. They are almost all equipped with one mast. Some have only one triangular sail.

For a novice sailor, dinghy designs from small, stable and slow crafts are available.

KYA aims at training the young and adventurous starting Dinghy races to more sophisticated and demanding higher class Yachting competitions.