The Rules in Practice 2021-2024: The guide to the rules of sailing around the race course

By Bryan Willis

Rules in Practice has been the best-selling guide to the racing rules for the last 40 years. Now, in its 10th edition, it has been updated for (and contains in full) the 2021-2024 Racing Rules of Sailing and features a brand new chapter on the luffing rules and how they are being applied. The latest rule changes are also described, along with their impact on you as a sailor. With over 20 new scenarios, reflecting the courses we now sail, it is as up-to-date and relevant as the first edition was in 1985. Unlike other rules guides which take you through the rules in order, this book tackles the subject from the sailors' point of view. It takes you around the race course, from start to finish, through the key situations that occur repeatedly showing, from the point of view of each boat in turn, what you may, must, or cannot do. You don't have to know all the rules off by heart, but you do need to know your rights and obligations on the water – the rules can be looked up afterwards. This knowledge will build your confidence while racing and enable you to make the most of opportunities when they arise. Colour diagrams throughout ensure concepts are easily understood. If you are going to buy one rule book – make it this one! (As dictated by World Sailing, the eBook does not contain the Racing Rules of Sailing but has a link to them.)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fernhurst Books Limited
• Release date: Nov 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781912621293

Bryan Willis

Bryan Willis is a leading authority on the rules of yacht and dinghy racing. He has been chairman of the jury and chief umpire for some of the most prestigious sailing events in the world, including the America’s Cup and Olympics. He served on the International Sailing Federation (now World Sailing) Racing Rules Committee for over 25 years.

Book preview

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Contents

Introduction

The Rule Changes

1. The Basics

2. Luffing a Boat to Windward & Keeping Clear

3. Before the Preparatory Signal

4. In the Preparatory Period

5. The Start

6. The Gate Start

7. On the Beat

8. Rounding the Windward Mark

9. On the Reach

10. Rounding the Gybe Mark

11. Rounding the Leeward Mark from the Reach

12. On the Run

13. Rounding the Leeward Mark from the Run

14. The Leeward Gate

15. The Finish

16. Means of Propulsion

17. Taking a Penalty

18. Protesting

19. Requesting Redress & Appealing

Online rules documents are available from World Sailing:

www.sailing.org/documents/index.php

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Bryan Willis

Introduction

This book is primarily for competitive sailors who race in dinghies and keelboats. The Racing Rules of Sailing apply to all forms of sailboat racing although there are some variations for windsurfers, kiteboards, match racing, team racing, radio-controlled boat racing, etc. I have aimed to examine over one hundred situations that are a regular feature of both championship and club racing. Unlike most other books on the racing rules, I look at these situations from the point of view of you, the helmsman. Placing you in each of the boats involved in turn, I explain your rights and your obligations. Being confident about this knowledge means you can avoid breaking a rule and having to take a penalty, and can concentrate on exploiting the situation to gain boat lengths over your immediate rivals.

It is a popular misconception that to be good at boat-to-boat tactics you need to know the rules. The rules, the rule numbers, the case law – all that can be sorted out before the start of the hearing if there is a protest. What you need to know out there on the water are your rights and your obligations; what you are allowed to do, and what you must and mustn’t do. You need to know this automatically and subconsciously, so that you can concentrate on manoeuvring and sailing fast, to exploit the situation to the full. It is just as satisfying to come away from a mark in the lead having approached it in second place as it is to spend twenty minutes overhauling your rival with superior boat speed. Conversely, there is no satisfaction in sailing faster than everyone else on a leg if you throw away your position through being uncertain about your rights and obligations when you come to round the mark.

The book should also be useful in the preparation of a protest, or the defence should you be protested. Each situation shows the critical questions, the answers to which will determine the ‘facts found’ and, therefore, the result of the hearing.

Because almost all the rules of racing apply to the boats rather than to the people sailing them, most books on the rules, and indeed the rules themselves, use the pronoun ‘she’. Since I aim to look at situations from the point of view of you, the helmsman, I use the pronoun ‘you’; and for the helmsman of the other boat ‘he’ and ‘him’.* However, bear in mind that it is what the boat does that matters. The intentions of the people sailing the boats are irrelevant (provided that they are not malicious). Even most hails are irrelevant. What each boat actually does is usually all that counts.

This tenth edition has been updated to comply with the changes that come into effect on 1st January 2021 published by World Sailing (formerly known as the International Sailing Federation, or ISAF).

I was a member of World Sailing’s Racing Rules Committee for some 30 years. After I retired, Marianne Middelthon from Norway gave me her help and advice in updating the book. Sadly, she died of cancer in February 2018. Her selfless dedication to the sport was legendary. She will be fondly remembered.

Ana Sanchez del Campo has been an International Judge since 1996, a member of the RRC from 2001 to 2016 (about the time I retired), chaired the Q&A Panel that answers questions from Judges from 2011 to 2016, has been a jury member of several Olympic Regattas, and has held or holds several key positions in the administration of the sport. I am honoured that she accepted my invitation to help me with this edition. She has contributed significantly, and I record here my sincere thanks for her work.

I must also thank Jeremy Atkins, my publisher and an active dinghy sailor, who has come up with several instances where he and his friends have misunderstood the application of certain rules and made me realize I haven’t explained them well enough. I hope I have resolved those issues.

Bryan Willis

October 2020

* Publisher’s note: ‘she’ or ‘her’ is implied throughout.

The Rule Changes

Every four years the rules are updated. Way back in 1997 there was a major revision of rules and terminology. Every four years since 1997 a few new rules that change the way the game is played have been introduced, plus numerous small changes for improvement in clarity. The most significant changes from the 2017-2020 to the 2021-2024 rules are included in this chapter.

As usual there are many small changes aimed at making the rules easier to understand or less ambiguous. There are also some changes that every competitive sailor needs to know. I’ll start with those.

Changes that every competitive sailor will want to know

illustration A new flag: ‘Search and Rescue’. Flag V displayed from the committee boat with one sound signal means ‘all boats and official and support vessels shall, if possible, monitor the race committee communication channel for search and rescue instructions.’ ( Rule 37 )

This might conflict with rules, for example, for coaches to stay off the course, but clearly rescue instructions from the race committee would trump all.

illustration An orange flag displayed from a committee boat means: The staff displaying this flag is one end of the starting line.

illustration A blue flag displayed from a committee boat used to mean ‘This race committee vessel is in position at the finishing line’. Now it means: The staff displaying this flag is one end of the finishing line.

A language other than English may be used for a hail required by the rules if it is reasonable for it to be understood by all boats affected. This allows sailors racing in a place where English is not used, to use hails in their own language. (Introduction: Hails)

There is a change to the propulsion rule. Even sailing upwind (which was excluded before), when surfing, planing or foiling (foiling is a new addition) ‘is possible’, each sail may be pulled in once to initiate surfing or planning, or any number of times to initiate foiling. (Rule 42)

It used to be the case that the leading part of a boat or its equipment was what counted when it came to the race committee judging whether a boat was OCS (on the course side) at the start, or the time she finishes. That’s changed. Now it is simply the hull that counts; only if a part of your hull is on the course side of the starting line at the starting signal will you be scored as ‘OCS’. When finishing, what counts is any part of your hull crossing the line. (Definitions Start, Finish)

And when you are returning after being OCS, it’s only the hull that has to return to be wholly on the pre-course side.

Rule 14 (avoiding contact) used to include a clause ‘[the right-of-way boat …] shall be exonerated if she breaks this rule and the contact does not cause damage or injury’.

Sailors wondered what that meant. When would she be exonerated? In the jury room? Or on the water? Or did it mean she didn’t have to worry about contact if there is no damage? In which case, why not say a right-of-way boat may make contact in which there is no damage?

Since 2000, the general principle has been that everyone should avoid contact if possible. But if a right-of-way boat fails to comply with this important principle, and there is no damage or injury, then she should not be penalized.

All the exoneration situations are now together under one rule. (Rule 43)

The new rule refers to 3 situations in which exoneration would apply:

■ A boat being compelled to break a rule by another boat breaking a rule (for example, if you are to windward and the leeward boat luffs so quickly you cannot fulfil your obligation to keep clear).

■ A boat sailing within the room or mark-room to which she is entitled and, as a consequence of an incident with a boat required to give her that room or mark-room, breaks a rule of Section A Part 2, rule 15 or 16 (the requirement to give room to keep clear when acquiring right of way or changing course) or 31 (touching a mark).

■ A right-of-way boat, or one sailing within room or mark-room to which she is entitled, breaks rule 14 (avoiding contact) if the contact does not cause damage or injury.

The new rule goes on to say what exoneration means… ‘A boat exonerated for breaking a rule need not take a penalty and shall not be penalized for breaking that rule’.

If you are a windward boat at a mark at which, without doubt, you have the right to room, but are not being given that room, you could avoid contact by sailing the wrong side of the mark. If you can squeeze in, making contact with the leeward boat and the mark, without causing damage (to the leeward boat, the mark, or your own boat) then you will be exonerated for not keeping clear (rule 11), not avoiding contact (rule 14) and touching the mark (rule 31). If you take the alternative route, going the wrong side of the mark, you may successfully protest the leeward boat, but you cannot get redress for the time lost in turning back to round the mark. If you simply sailed on then you won’t have sailed the course, and the leeward boat did not compel you to break the rule requiring you to sail the course.

If your boat has been physically damaged or a crew suffered injury by another boat breaking a rule of Part 2 or Collision Regulations, you used to be able to get redress without the other boat being brought to account. Under the new rules, the other boat must have either retired (or taken an appropriate penalty) because of the incident or penalized at a protest hearing. So, in addition to requesting redress, you might have to lodge a valid protest.

The changes not so important to remember

The penalty for breaking the ‘Fair Sailing’ rule is now ‘disqualification that is not excludable’ (DNE). The protest committee no longer has the option to simply disqualify the boat allowing the competitor to discard the disqualification when calculating the series score. (Rule 2)

Sailing towards an obstruction with a need to tack, but there is a boat behind and to windward. When making a hail like ’room to tack’ it is important it is heard, since the person hailing needs immediate action from the hailed boat. Without the hail the other boat is not required to do anything; with the hail she is required to do something (tack or hail ‘you tack’). But what if they are big boats requiring space between them and there is a lot of ambient noise in which a hail would be lost? A