| Uncle Al's Racing Rules in
Pictures Rules are quoted, then illustrated and explained as seems necessary. Part 2D + Penalty Turns for instant access without scrolling, click on the Rules listed below 20 Starting Errors; Penalty Turns; Moving Astern 21 Capsized, Anchored or Aground; Rescuing 22 Interfering with Another Boat 31 Touching a Mark 31 Touching a Mark: 31.1 basic rule 31 Touching a Mark: 31.2 taking a penalty 44 Penalties for Breaking Rules of Part 2 44.1 taking a penalty 44.2 720° turns penalty 44.4 limits on penalties This file is also available in PDF format. Click here to view or download. |
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When rule 20 or 21 applies between two boats, Section A rules do not. |
| Section A rules are port/starboard (10), windward/leeward (11),
clear astern/clear ahead (12)
and tacking (13). ... |
| 20
Starting Errors; Penalty Turns; Moving Astern 20.1 A boat sailing towards the pre-start side of the starting line or its extensions after her starting signal to start or to comply with rule 30.1 shall keep clear of a boat not doing so until she is completely on the pre-start side. 20.2 A boat making a penalty turn shall keep clear of one that is not. 20.3 A boat moving astern by backing a sail shall keep clear of one that is not. |
In so many words, if you are
... |
| 21
Capsized, Anchored or Aground; Rescuing If possible, a boat shall avoid a boat that is capsized or has not regained control after capsizing, is anchored or aground, or is trying to help a person or vessel in danger. A boat is capsized when her masthead is in the water. |
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| I believe this photo was taken during the
eventually abandoned first race of the 1989 Wayfarer Worlds in
Vallensbæk near Copenhagen. In these Force 9 (44-knot or 22
m/sec)
winds, there was no lack of capsizes including this beauty by Henrik
Koch, who either had the first-ever Wayfarer with airbags installed or
was
trying to fly the spinnaker?? Surely not!!?? Rule 21 is very much a common sense rule and is one I have never seen broken or invoked. People just naturally do the right thing. A boat that is capsized and/or full of water, anchored or aground (not a Wayfarer of course) is obviously in no position to keep clear. And of course, no one in their right mind would call "starboard" on a boat that is busy rescuing someone. ... |
| 22
Interfering with Another Boat 22.1 If reasonably possible, a boat not racing shall not interfere with a boat that is racing. 22.2 A boat shall not change course if her only purpose is to interfere with a boat making a penalty turn or one on another leg or lap of the course. |
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| Rule 22 again is a matter of common sense: 22.1: Obviously those still/already racing should be entitled to do so without interference from boats not yet/no longer racing. In the photo above, Mike Murto (W2945) is taking a well-earned rest by heaving to after single-handing one of the 2003 Midwinters races. In doing so, he must be careful not to interfere with any of the C Scows still completing their final beat. You are "interfering" with another boat if you hit that boat or force it to change course. Taking another boat's wind is not considered by the Rules to be "interfering" (in the expert opinion of Speed'n'Smarts author, Dave Dellenbaugh), but we will all do well to remember - starting with Uncle Al himself!! - how annoyed we get when a bunch of guys who have finished, sometimes sit there blocking all our wind while having lunch right near the finish area. Even to take pictures, I now try to get well clear of boats still fighting it out for finish positions! Note that 22.1 is a unique rule insofar as there will be no penalty turns remedy available to you if you break 22.1 - because rule 44.1 limits this remedy to rules of Part 2 broken "while racing"!! 22.2: Again, the poor guy doing a penalty already has enough troubles without anyone going out of their way to interfere with the turn(s)!! .. |
| Part
3 31 Touching a Mark 31.1 While racing, a boat shall not touch a starting mark before starting, a mark that begins, bounds or ends the leg of the course on which she is sailing, or a finishing mark after finishing. |
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| About 5 seconds before the start. John
Cawthorne (W3654) ends up "sitting" too close to the favoured "pin"
end, and is unable to get up enough speed to be able to "shoot" the
mark without hitting it. Uncle Al (W6) oddly enough, starts off
slightly to leeward of John but is already up to speed and will clear
the mark (and John) with relative ease. After his brush with the mark, John can keep sailing on starboard (tacking would be risky here!!) and gybe to initiate his penalty turn (see 31.2) as soon as there's no boats he'll interfere with to leeward. Often, it will be possible (but not required!!) to just do the penalty turn right around the mark (as John did!). But he must then remember to end up going in the same direction as he is in the photo, i.e. he can't just gybe to port, harden up and sail away on port. That would not satisfy 31.2 (below) which requires a "complete turn including one tack and one gybe"! ... |
| 31
Touching a Mark 31.2 A boat that has broken rule 31.1 may, after getting well clear of other boats as soon as possible, take a penalty by promptly making one complete turn including one tack and one gybe. When a boat takes the penalty after touching a finishing mark, she shall sail completely to the course side of the line before finishing. However, if a boat has gained a significant advantage in the race or series by touching the mark her penalty shall be to retire. |
| Pretty straightforward, this! You can (under
most circumstances!) exonerate yourself for hitting a mark by doing a
prompt penalty turn - always remembering that rule 20
requires you to keep clear of any boats not doing turns. You can do
the penalty turn by sailing a circle around the mark or not - as you
see
fit - so long as the circle is done “as soon as
possible”. If you hit a finish mark, you can also just gybe around it, tack back onto your original tack on which you hit the mark, and finish. This takes care of the part which says "she shall sail completely to the course side of the line before finishing". ... |
| Instead of a picture (which I don't have and
which wouldn't help very much!) may I suggest you do as I say not as I
do: Don't get so upset - especially in a blow - at having to do a turn
or two, that you rip the boat around so fast and in such a rage that
you capsize or swamp the boat (as I have done - most recently near a
windy finish line at the Pumpkin Regatta three months ago). Most people find it faster to gybe first (rather than tacking) when initiating a penalty turn. ... |
| Part
4 44 Penalties for Breaking Rules of Part 2 44.1 TAKING A PENALTY A boat that may have broken a rule of Part 2 while racing may take a penalty at the time of the incident. Her penalty shall be a Two-Turns Penalty unless the sailing instructions specify the use of the Scoring Penalty or some other penalty. However, if she caused injury or serious damage or gained a significant advantage in the race or series by her breach her penalty shall be to retire. |
| In my experience, we always have this penalty
available to us - except of course if a foul causes injury or serious
damage. I
have yet to see a situation where the "significant advantage" has
applied. I suppose it would apply if a boat came in to the windward
mark on port, faced an endless parade of starboard tackers and decided
to butt in and take a penalty that might cost her a lot less than
waiting for 20 boats to go by? ... |
|
44
Penalties for Breaking Rules of Part 2 |
 |
| Three
minutes before the start. If Leif Trier Jensen (W8420, port tack)
fouls Mogens Just (W4645) here, Leif can do a Two-Turn Penalty to
exonerate himself (unless he caused injury or serious damage). He can -
must in fact - immediately sail well clear of all
other boats and
do his
turns. With luck, he'll have the turns completed in time to still have
a go at a good start. ... |
|
44
Penalties for Breaking Rules of Part 2 |
| In so many words, one penalty per incident is
all
you need to do. |
|
Rules
in Pictures index
Definitions
Defintions PDFI have also made PDF's of the five items below - for those who want to print the material or work off line. These PDF's will not have the many links included in the on-line version, however. Part 2A Part 2A PDF Part 2B Part 2B PDF Part 2C Part 2C PDF Part 2D + penalty turns 2D PDF Photo-based Rules Quiz - 1 Photo-based Rules Quiz - 2 |