Take a look at the "Look to Windward" blog

http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2006/10/racing-rules-of-sailing-2009-2012.html - http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2006/10/racing-rules-of-sailing -2009-2012.html  

Muchly thanks!

Has a final set of the rules been published yet?

Or even better a rules in practice book for 2009-2012 been published yet?

Doesn't surprise me. The protest committee is usually not organised before an event, in the hope that it will be a "good event" with no protests!

Mind you judges often have only themselves to blame - too many are of the "I be around, phone me if there is a protest".

I believe judges should be more hands on. If I am asked to attend an event I usually ask to review the SIs, with a view to avoiding potential requests for redress. I try to be allocated a RIB so that at least I can see the conditions. I prefer, when at dinghy events, to judge rule 42 ont he water. I believe that the judge should attend the initial briefing and be available for competitors to answer rules queries.

When good relations can be established with the Race Officer the judge can have a real role in helping run the eent. A Race Officer works "forwards" - from setting the course to getting the competitors back home safely. However, the judge thinks backwards - from the potential protest or request for redress back to how to prevent the situationin the first place.

Gordon DAVIES (ISA NJ)

At the Irish SB3 Nationals I was on the water judge. In adition to judging Rule 42 the SIs permited me to wave a yellow flag and hail an infringing boat. In effect this was an on the water jury protest. All boats so hailed took turns.

It worked very well, in so far as the competitors were all happy. There have been too many infingements and broken boats in the class recently (and not enough protests). Even the winner, in his aceptance speech, said thank you!

I was lucky, in that the 4th boat round the 1st windward mark came in on port and fouled a starboard tack boat. I whistled, she took turns and lost about 10 places. Competitors took care after that. Many of them came up to me afterwards and said that rule observance was the best they had ever seen at an SB3 event.

However, I feel that this system does remove the self-policing aspect of rule enforcement. I would be much happier acting as umpire - reacting to boat on boat protests as we do in match and team racing. The rules for partialy umpired team racing would be adequate.

One incident at the very last finish of the event, almost the last boats to cross the lineillustrates my reserves. A starboard boat was laying the pin end of the finish when a port tack boat tacked very close to leeward. It was almost certainly an infringement. However the ROW boat did not bother to protest, but instead criticised me because I did not whistle.

I do not want to go down that route - unless, as in medal races we can have adequate numbers of umpires on the water. However, as umpires are thirsty creatures, and given to eating heartily, especially when the club is paying, competitors would have to accept a substantialm increase in entry fees.

Gordon

Spyderman,

the relevant SI was:

15.1 RRS 44.1 and 44.2 are changed so that only one turn, including one tack and one gybe, is required.

15.2 Appendix P – immediate penalties for breaking RRS 42 will apply. RRS P2.3 will not apply and RRS P2.2 is changed so that it will apply to any penalty after the first one.

15.3 To encourage boats to take penalties afloat, protest committee members may blow a whistle and point a yellow flag at the infringing boat(s) when they see what they believe to be a breach of the RRS. They may then lodge a protest if no action is taken by the infringing boat(s).

Whilst this worked well I would in fact be happier if a variant of the team racing rules for partially umpired races was used. I believe that race officials are not there to replace the competitors as the enforcers of the rules, but may give an on-the-water decsion should a competitor protest.

Another incident at another event was interesting. A boat infringed on the start line, Victim, sailing a borowed boat, hails protest, but does not display a red flag (boat over 6m), however infringing boat does protest correctly. Having observed closely the incident, and as Jury chairman I wanted the incident to come before a hearing. After consultation with RO and another NJ, also on the water, we were worried that the infringing boat would not proceed with protest. We decided that I should protest in order to guarantee that a valid protest was made.  This I did, which encouraged infringing boat to protest. I then withdrew my protest, as soon as hearing began.

Juries don't often protest Part 2 incidents, but in this case the infringement was blatant, tok place within full view of RO and Jury, and was the type of behaviour we do not want to see.

Interested to hear peoples comments

Gordon

Following discussions after the SB3 Worlds - many sailors reported being  shocked by the flagrant rule abuse especially at marks - I have made the following suggestion for future events.

NB SB3 use a 1 turn penalty for rule 44.1. Other classe might go for a 3 turn penalty if umpire signals penalty

Find some experienced team or match racing umpires.

Insert following in SIs:

1. A green flag (or green and white flag) means "No penalty";
2. A red flag means "One or more boats are penalised". The umpire shall hail or signal each boat to be penalised.

1. fails to take a penalty signalled by an umpire;
2. commits a breach of sportsmanship;
3. breaks rule 14 when damage or injury may have been caused;