Clean wind or favoured tack?

Originally posted by Grumpycat This is very true, which is why this rule is very silly.

But no rule is much worse. I love gentle subtle kinetics, the use of subtle body movement coupled with sail and rudder to make best use of changing conditions, and if I'm sailing recreationally I do it all the time.

But legalise it, and is this what we see? It is not. What we see is the 470s [redacted] on the trapeze, the constant sail flapping/air rowing of the boards, Star crews constantly rocking the boat, and even when its technically illegal there have been times when certain fleets have got in the habit of rocking rolling and pumping round the track.

The cure tastes pretty nasty, but it sure as hell is a load better than the disease. I'm sure the sailing authorities would be delighted if someone could frame better propulsion rules that weren't desperately subjective, but I know I'm not smart enough to manage it.

Originally posted by Paramedic It isn't really though is it because if they did do away with it i'm pretty sure on some days I could roll tack my solo up the beat head to wind. Its only in conditions where we really shouldn't be racing that this crops up I suppose and if we decide to sail we - mostly - all know where the line is. I don't think there is much wrong with any of the propulsion rules. Windsurfing removed them and within 3 years a thriving racing scene at my club had died completely.

Edited by Sam.Spoons - 18 May 22 at 4:28pm

I never said the there shouldn’t be rules . In general I am for the current rules , I don’t want to see a pump and rock fest .Only that the bit about coming out of the roll tack faster than you went in is silly as it’s not enforceable and every half decent ILCA/ Laser/Solo etc  sailor is doing exactly that up and down the country on a light wind day .