Ranking as a Starter

Thanks for the input, Gordon. I think the reality is that we haven't done a complete revisit of the SIs in a while, and it's taken both our own local redress hearing, and your independent view of the SIs to highlight some of the shortcomings. Looks like a job for the winter!

However, just to clarify a couple of things...

Because our club racing is exclusively run from the shore, as opposed to our open meetings that use our committee boat (and have their own SIs!), our start and finish lines ARE bounded by an outer limit mark. Also, because of our location on the South coast, with prevailing southwesterlies, flag signals flown from the clubhouse are difficult to see from on the water, so we have a set of boards. Inevitably that means that we have to run with a restricted set of signals, and I accept that may lead to some SI inconsistencies.

And finally, I'm sure that our club isn't unique in having to use inexperienced club members to run the races some of the time, and even some of our experienced racers struggle when asked to sit in the start box, so we have to try to keep things as simple as possible, which again tends to produce inconsistencies.

As you asked...

http://lancingsc.org.uk/downloads/2007 SIs.pdf

...but when was the "Ranking as a Starter" removed from the rule book?

Well it went like this today.

The hearing was heard by a qualified race officer who consulted with an international juror before the meeting.

He determined that 3 boats intended to race and that BNS fulfilled here requirements to complete the course under rule 28.1.

Also that our SIs at the club are invalid as they do not change a specific rule and do not speicify this. See rule 86.1b

If you follow this through then there is nowhere in the rules that specify the number of starters. It does however say in Appendix J 2.2.35

"the minimum number of boats appearing in the starting area for the race to be started" 

This should be written into the clubs SIs.

Therefore as BNS sailed the correct course she was awarded a 1st and the race counts in the series.

Spent 15 minutes trying to fathum out what RRS ours related too!!!! My sympathies to you Gordon.

As Gordon said many SIs realate to a clubs hitory, and probably haven't really been looked at for a long time. On our Sailing committee we nominate one person to look at them each year and amend if required and 2 of us look through every 4, just to make sure they are current without loosing the history they may reflect.