I14 Worlds Stitch-up

from the link :

A subsequent protest by Irwin (AUS 631) against the tactics used by GBR 1516 was upheld by the International Jury.

Would be interesting to find out what GBR1516 was charged with, if they broke the rules, they get binned, but how could you move AUS631 up to 10th(up 4 places).  Don't understand this at all. 

AIUI what seems to have happened was that the second RMW team boat slowed down halfway up last beat, went and found the AUS boat and slapped a real tight team racing cover on them. They claimed they were doing this because if they managed to really take the AUS boat far enough down the fleet they could get an overall place off them. The Aussies claimed they were doing it because if the UK boat got them down to 14th or worst their team mates would win the Championships.

The Aussies protested (inter alia) under Rule 2, because you're not allowed to team race. Ruile two reads.

"2 FAIR SAILING
A boat and her owner shall compete in compliance with recognized principles of sportsmanship and fair play. A boat may be penalized under this rule only if it is clearly established that these principles have been violated. A disqualification under this rule shall not be
excluded from the boat’s series score."

The jury decided that they found it hard to believe that the UK boat sailing the Aus down the fleet was doing it to try and get an overall place off them because (1) they'd have had to slow them down by 8 minutes with only 9 minutes of the race left to do it and (2) there was someone ahead of them that they could (and they did) lose an overall place to while they were doing it so actually gain nothing. So the UK boat copped a DND - Disqualification none discardable. Controversial but not a totally unreasonable decision I think.

OK, so now we come to the redress claim.

Rule 62.1 reads in part:-

62.1 A request for redress or a protest committee’s decision to consider redress shall be based on a claim or possibility that a boat’s score in a race or series has, through no fault of her own, been made significantly
worse by [snip]
(d) a boat against which a penalty has been imposed under rule 2[snip]

Given the jury had just found that the Aus boat had been sailed down the fleet illegally in breach of rule 2 then it was the correct decision to give them some kind of redress. They made a time/place estimate rather than give average points, which would have done the Aussies rather more good. That part of it is pretty much uncontroversial.

It seems pretty certain that at that stage the only way the AUS guys could lose first overall was if someone sailed them down the fleet - and they then got sailed down the fleet by the winners' team mates who had stopped and waited for them in order to do it, and probably lost a place overall by doing so. It certainly would have looked suspicious!



Edited by JimC

Originally posted by Guest#260 It will be interesting to hear the full story but on the face of it this seems like a funny outcome. http://www.takapunaboating.org.nz/Business/productsbusiness/ productFlash.htm Morrison lost the worlds through someone elses actions; seems very convienient for the aussie boat to sail round with Richardson and then protest ... regards, Rick

Isn't it strange.....every time a Pom gets blown, then it's due a nasty rotten foreign type cheating and getting the protest committee to believe their story. Amazing.....

Don't you think that perhaps a jury there at the time had more information and evidence on which to base their decision than you do?

Chris 249 - I'm not Aussie bashing just saying that it is a funny outcome.

None of us have all the facts it's just speculation but as the above post states no rules in part 2 seem to have been broken so it is a very VERY subjective call for the Jury.

Depsite both boats being TEAM RMW I don't believe there was any team racing going on ...

It will be interesting to hear the full story if it ever comes out ...

Rick

Just read a resonably detailed report "on another site" with quotes from Barker.

Looks a very subjective decision to me ...

Rick