Welcome, Guest (Login)

By John Doerr

The new edition of the Racing Rules of Sailing is effective from 1 January 2009. As usual the new edition contains changes of varying significance. In general is would seem as if the major changes bring the rules into line with the way most boats actually race, especially around marks, so they should not be too difficult to get a handle on. Inevitably the law of unintended consequences will come into effect and it will be interesting to see how long it takes for the first real problem to rise to the surface.

There are also changes to the appendices that affect match racing, team racing and windsurfing. These disciplines will also be affected by the changes to the main rules and we will be taking a look at the combined effect of these in future articles.

There is no doubt that the most significant changes are to the mark and obstruction rounding rules. Firstly they have been separated so we now have rule 18 dealing with mark roundings and rule 19 dealing with obstructions. Consequently, the following rules have been renumbered but only up to the end of Part 2 as there were some spare numbers built into previous books.

In total, there are well over 100 changes to the rulebook, but I have tried to focus on those that really have an impact on how we go racing.

Passing Marks - The Zone

The most obvious change is the size of the zone around marks increasing from two hull lengths to three, still of the boat nearest the mark. However, beware! Rule 86.1(b) now permits the sailing instructions to change the zone back to two lengths, or even increase it to four lengths! The size of the zone may only be changed if all boats using the marks have the same size zone, so it will be interesting to see if this possibility is widely used.

Changing the size of the zone has given the opportunity (and probably the main reason for the change) to fix the point at which rule 18 comes into effect. It used to be 'when the boats were about to round or pass' which changed with the type of boat and the prevailing conditions. Now the rule applies at the moment one of the boats enters the zone and so it should be easier to get common agreement when the rule turns on. However, one of the more common current debates in front of the protest committee, 'Was there an overlap at the zone?' just became even harder. It was difficult enough to agree the situation at two lengths, so what will happen now?

On one hand, it will be easier to get into the zone clear ahead and then manoeuvre to keep clear of boats ahead without leaving the zone and hence risk giving an overlap to a boat that was otherwise clear astern. On the other hand, it is going to be harder to establish if you either broke or gained an overlap in time. I think there will be even more reliance by juries on rule 18.2(d), which states: 'in cases of doubt it shall be presumed that a boat did not obtain or break the overlap in time.'

Passing Marks - Mark Room

A new definition of 'mark room' has been added. It reads as: 'Room for a boat to sail to the mark, and then room to sail her proper course while at the mark. However, mark-room does not include room to tack unless the boat is overlapped to windward and on the inside of the boat required to give mark-room.'

Now, it no longer matters if you are the right-of-way or give-way boat inside at a mark. Whenever you are entitled to room you can take the room needed to make a proper course rounding. So, in diagram 2, Yellow is now permitted to bear away having entered the 3-length-zone overlapped and make a 'proper course' rounding. This is one of the cases where the rules have been brought into line with the way many boats sailed, or at least, wanted to sail.

Passing Marks - Clear Ahead at the Zone

A boat that arrived at the zone clear ahead instantly became the right-of-way boat under old rule 18.2(c) even if she was on port tack and her opponent on starboard, and of course, the right-of-way could well reverse again once the boats had completed their rounding. Those changes of right-of-way are history. Instead of changing the right-of-way, the new rule 18.2(b) simply requires the boat astern to give the boat ahead 'mark-room' In many senses this change has no real effect, but is a good deal simpler to understand.

Passing Marks - The Windward Mark

In practice, not a great deal changes at the windward mark, but it is just a bit harder for a boat to pull off a port tack approach and tack within the zone.

The 'zone' around the mark is now three hull lengths of the boat nearer to it, but rule 18.3 now 'turns on' when the tacking boat passes head-to-wind rather than completes her tack. So, the overall effect is to increase the scope of the rule about an extra half boat length, a critical distance if you tack just below the layline outside the zone with the hope of shooting the mark.

Diagram 3 is a very important picture to keep in your mind if you are the Blue boat approaching the windward mark on port tack as it sets up the conditions for special rule 18.3 to apply.

The important things to note are:

• Yellow and Blue have approached the mark on opposite tacks
• Blue has passed head-to-wind and so has changed tack inside the 'zone'
• Yellow is fetching* the mark.

Once rule 18.3 is switched on, it remains on until the mark has been passed. If at any time during the rounding, Blue, causes Yellow to sail above close-hauled, Blue breaks the rule. This makes it almost impossible for Blue to tack below the layline and shoot the mark.

* There is a new definition to clarify the term 'fetching'. 'A boat is fetching a mark when she is in a position to pass to windward of it and leave it on the required side without changing tack.' So, as long as a boat can get around the mark without passing head-to-wind, she fetched the mark.

Passing Obstructions

Passing obstructions now has it own rule, new rule 19. In concept, there is no 'zone' around obstructions but that would cause a problem when the obstruction is also a mark. Unfortunately this has caused the introduction of some real rules gobbledigook!

Rule 19 applies between boats at an obstruction except when the obstruction is also mark the boats are required to leave on the same side, however, at a continuing obstruction, rule 19 always applies and rule 18 does not.

What this means is - a committee boat on the starting line or any other large object listed as a mark in the sailing instructions, is treated as a mark, not an obstruction, unless the mark is something like 'the Isle of Wight' or, as is the case for the Vendee Globe, 'Antarctica to starboard', then it is indeed an obstruction!

So, remember that at obstructions there is no zone. An outside boat must give room to an inside boat, if at the time the overlap began she is able to do so. If the obstruction is a continuing one the rule has not changed. The outside boat only has to give room if, at the moment the overlap was established, there is room for the boat that was clear astern to pass in safety.

Passing Racing Boats

Racing boats can still be obstructions - and are when; other boats are required to keep clear of her, give room to her or avoid her - but they can no longer be 'continuing obstructions'. It is important to read this in conjunction with the change that removes the potential switch of right-of-way when a boat clear ahead enters the zone.  Also, remember that there is no 'zone' around obstructions.

So, in diagram 4, as Green approaches two right-of-way boats from clear astern looking for a gap between them, they are obstructions. In position 1, Green must keep clear of both Yellow and Blue as the boat clear astern. Green now pokes her nose in between the two boats and becomes right-of-way leeward to Blue, and remains give-way to Yellow, but now as the windward boat. Green must initially give room to Blue under rule 15 (no change) but Blue must respond to keep clear. Yellow remains an obstruction to both Green and Blue as both must keep clear of her. As Green is the inside boat and Blue is the outside boat passing Yellow, Blue must give Green room to pass Yellow, but only if she is able to so from the time that Green established her overlap. So, Green can force her way into a fairly small gap, but only if the boats affected are able to give her room. This is very different, as under the old rules, Green remained the give-way boat when she sailed into a gap that was too small for her to sail through safely at that time because the boats ahead were treated as continuous obstructions.

Proper Course

Rule 17.2 has been deleted. It prohibited a boat from sailing below a proper course when another boat was steering a course to pass to leeward of her. So, it used to be that you could protect yourself, by luffing, from a boat trying to pass to windward but you had to accept a faster boat overtaking to leeward. Now, if you see her coming and provided you can keep clear as you do so, you can bear away across her bow so forcing her to sail even lower or risk going to windward and being luffed.

Being able to bear away below a proper course could be particularly useful approaching a downwind mark. Because overlaps are so dependant on the angles between the boats, there is now a greater opportunity to break an overlap at the zone, as in diagram 5. Previously, Yellow would have broken rule 17.2 when she bore away at position 2. Her timing must be good and it may be difficult to prove in the protest room but nevertheless the opportunity now exists.

Outside Help

A change that might easily be overlooked has been made to rule 41. You used to be able to receive outside help from another racing boat without breaking rule 41 when that help was given under rule 1, Helping Those in Danger. It was an anomaly that you could not receive the same help from a boat not racing (for instance, a rescue boat) without breaking the rule. Now, if you receive help from any source, even when in danger, you break rule 41.

Race Management

A few things that had become common in sailing instructions have found there way into the rulebook. Hopefully, sailing instructions will now be shorter as a result.

The use of gates has increased dramatically and they are now included in rule 28, Sailing the Course. A boat must always pass between the marks of a gate from the direction of the previous mark.

A shortened course must now be signalled before the first boat has crossed the finishing line. It was never recommended practice to do otherwise, but it was not an improper action to do so. Presumably this will make it easier for boats to be given redress if the race committee does shorten the course too late.

The pretty pages with all the race signals in colour now include the full set of options (green triangle, red rectangle, plus and minus signs) for changing the next leg of the course. The words in rule 33 have been changed from 'lengthened' and 'shortened' to 'increased' and 'decreased'.

Add your own comment:

Please Login to leave a comment.