Adults protesting children

Originally posted by Fraggle Blimin annoying when people don't turn up to protest hearings.

If it happens to you again get the PC to review rule 63.3(b)

(b) If a party to the hearing does not come to the hearing, the protest committee may nevertheless decide the protest or request for redress. If the party was unavoidably absent, the committee may reopen the hearing.

This is especially important to do if its a 69 hearing. If the accused legs it in an attempt to evade the hearing the PC should gather the evidence anyway and then report to the RYA (or whichever NA)

Blimin annoying when people don't turn up to protest hearings.  I have protested twice in my life.  Both incidents involved major hull damage to my boat and neither person turned up.

I won both protests - in the first one I had a witness and it was a port starboard collision. 

In the second one it was a bit harder as I didn't say protest (I was underwater with other persons mainsheet round my neck) but the jury boat saw the end result - witnesses don't get much better.  Also incident happened just after finish line but I needed redress for next race as boat not sailable and PC told me I had to win a protest before I would get that

Surely

I have to say that when I was 14 or 15 I would have been far more keen to protest than I am now.  Having gone through the 'protest hell' of university sailing I'd rather avoid them at all costs.  I total agree that sailor need to understand and follow the rules, but if I witness or am involved in an infringment I am very unlikely to protest unless either my boat has been damaged or the other boat has intentionally messed up my race.  At the end of the day sailing is supposed to be enjoyable and relaxing, and IMHO protest hearings are neither.  Avoid the protests and beat the other boats on the water in the first place!

jim is the font of all knowledge on this forum

Edited by mike ellis

Originally posted by Splosh who wernt racing so they cant protest anyway .

In fact they can... Or rather they can send a report to the organising club. For example if a sailor when racing shouts and swears at a passing cruiser who they think has messed the sailor about, but the cruiser has acted entirely within their responsibilities with respect to Colregs, then the cruiser is completely within their rights to submit a report to the race committee or protest committee of the organising club. The PC may then call a hearing under rule 69...