The Junior Sailing Championships, dating from 1921, are contested on three levels: Association - Gray, Charles and Curtis Jr. Trophies; Area - NEYRC Trophy, Street and Bliss Trophies; and Finals - Sears Cup, Bemis and Smythe Trophies.

CONDITIONS: The eligibility requirements specify a crew of three for the Sears; two for the Bemis; and one for the Smythe; boys and girls who have reached their thirteenth (13) but not their nineteenth (19) birthdays during the calendar year in which they compete. Each contestant, or parent or guardian thereof, must be a member of the voting organization which he or she represents as well as a member of MBSA. The Committee on Junior Yacht Racing of the US Sailing Association publishes each year the complete conditions with which each competing club and contestant should be familiar. For elimination purposes, MBSA is divided into three districts: North, Central, South: each qualifying its champion for the MBSA Junior Finals. The champion of this event is then qualified to compete in the Area A event, which embraces the Maine, Narragansett Bay and Southern Massachusetts Associations. In 1956 the New England Yacht Racing Council Trophy was presented to be emblematic of US Sailing Area A New England Junior Championship. In 1976 two more competitions were added to the group; the Street Trophy (doublehanded) and the Bliss Trophy (singlehanded).

No helmsman or crew member after participating or being entered in any elimination or series, may be helmsman or crew from another club in that championship in the same year except as a "substitute" under US Sailing General Regulations.

No helmsman or crew member may enter or participate in more than one of the three Junior Championships in any one year except as an "alternate" under US Sailing General Regulations. A club may enter a crew in only one Association or group eliminations. An individual may enter a Junior series from only one yacht club.

The intent of all series is to test the capabilities of crews under competitive conditions. Consequently, no coach, instructor, advisor, or other professional or amateur shall board any yacht which may be used in the series without the specific permission of the Judges. Nor shall he or she coach or otherwise advise a crew while afloat or on the waterfront until the boats are secured at the end of the Racing day. There will be no contact between the crews and their parents or guests or coaches during the Race Day.  Wet clothing may not be used to add to either the skipper's or the crew's weight. No weight adding devices may be used. Clothes worn for additional warmth must be worn inside foul weather gear. The Race Day is defined as starting when each crew has been assigned its boat and equipment prior to the first race and shall continue until the completion of the last race when boats have been put away and protests, if any, have been filed.

Efforts should be made to accommodate parents, guests and coaches aboard supervised spectator craft off the race course.
The skipper is always the helmsman. After the starting signal of a race, the helmsman shall not leave the helm during that race except for an emergency.

Violation of these regulations will subject a crew to disqualification.