When all boats retire.

Some clubs have different points for RTD and DSQ.
If the boat that finished was protested for receiving outside assistance, she would be DSQ, which might be series entrants plus 1, while retired might be race entrants plus one.

If she retired before finishing, that does not seem to alter the fact that she 'finished'.
Is there some circumstance where a retiring boat competes the course to get the other boat good points, to get a better series place?
Do the rules say you must retire immediately?

It does seem wrong that a race is valid when it was only completed with outside assistance.
But unless it was done outrageoulsy to win the series, I'd just treat it as one of the vagaries of scoring systems.

Some clubs might muddy the waters further by taking places at the previous lap if he'd not finished.

Originally posted by JohnW If you retire and then cross the finish line, are you still finishing?

If you're still sailing the course how can you be said to have retired?

The days when one lowered ones's racing burgee and hoisted ones's cruising burgee when one retired are long gone.

Mind at my club we've modified RRS 41 to permit assistance reboarding a boat in club races. I suspect that if it were possible to stick a mast in the mud at our club we'd allow assistance to extract mast from mud too. Apart from anything else it wastes safety boat time if they've got to hang around and see whether old Fred can get back in or not, and we feel it discourages new sailors too. By the time a patrol boat's arrived to provide assistance the clock has been ticking long enough for it not to be a significant advantage, and in any case there's always the "significant advantage" clause at the end.

Edited by JimC - 09 Feb 14 at 8:37pm

Originally posted by Peaky But the instant you get outside help you know you must retire. To continue on the racecourse knowing you must retire could almost be considered unsporting, especially if you interfere with other boats in any way.

Not necessarily. Supposing, for example, the outside help had been unnecessary, unrequested and unhelpful. It would be entirely reasonable for you to continue in the race, competing normally, and request for redress of finishing place, whereas if you retire from the race and ask for redress it could feasibly be turned down because you didn't finish. And why the heck shouldn't you carry on sailing round after receiving help, intending to retire after finishing? There's only one occasion when you are required to leave the course that I can think of off the top of my head, which is a BFD.

Edited by JimC - 09 Feb 14 at 9:21pm

Originally posted by Do Different Yes I know, rules is rules, but really into two pages! Rule this, rule that, this is exactly what makes my wife think this sport is as dull as ditch water and so often I have to agree with her. Surely to goodness if you've retired you've retired, end of.

It is a sport, it has rules. If you don't want to read about them, don't click on posts in the rules section.

I'd also assume that if boats start, then the race should count them as retired if they do so, and not expunge the race from history. They were willing to go sailing, so why not allow it?

Every respect for your reply Rupert.