Uncle Al's
Miniature College
of
Racing Rules Knowledge
(updated: 26 April 2008)

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Tim Dowling photo

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Hi! 

It's Uncle Al here! I'll be bringing you some Rules stuff from past Whiffles and/or seminars I've done. We'll start with a really basic precis of the most commonly encountered Rules for the person who's just starting to race. Then, there'll be an upgraded version of my precis of the "new" Rules that took effect in '97, and finally, an amplified Rules Quiz covering a lot of typical situations encountered in our racing.

If you have any Rules questions, I will try to answer them for you on this site and/or by e-mail.

With the kind permission of the International Sailing Federation, I have posted the text of most of the Racing Rules of Sailing complete with links to pertinent Rules and Definitions referred to in each Rule.

2005-2008 update: The new rules are now with us and I have posted most of them. I have now also completed an update of my Rules in Pictures to reflect the changes coming in as of 1 Jan 05. Complete text of all Rules, Appendices, Definitions, Appeals Book Cases, etc. are available for free from the ISAF site at http://www.sailing.org/

As far as I have been able to tell, only one change will affect the average racer. Rule 16.2 now has a much narrower application: If Port is keeping clear by sailing to pass astern Starboard, the latter shall not change course if as a result Port would immediately need to change course to continue keeping clear.

I have gone through all my Rules Quiz cases and updated anything that needed changing. If you find any cases that, in your opinion, still need updating, please let me know. Over the past few days, I have also spent many hours checking and adjusting links - please let me know - at uncle-al3854@cogeco.ca - the location of any dysfunctional links I may have missed. Thanks,

Best wishes for good racing from

Uncle Al (W3854)
2 March 07: I have created a one-page summary of the Rules of Part 2 (when boats meet) in nicely printable PDF format, this is aimed at the less experienced racer who quickly wants to get the Rules basics as they relate co-existing with other boats out on the race course.

3 May 05: The Pictorial Rules Quiz is now completed and posted.

Previous updates:

3 Jan 04: I have posted a series called Uncle Al's Racing Rules in Pictures in which I have used photos from my racing experiences over the past couple of years to try to make the Rules easier to understand. I have also posted the various parts of my Rules in Pictures in PDF format for those who wish to print out the material and/or work offline after downloading the PDFs.

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Rules College Contents

060412: Rules for Beginners

050426: Brief Synopsis of the Racing Rules of Sailing

050920: Uncle Al's Rules Quiz

070303: Beginner's Summary of Rules when boats meet

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Fundamental

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 2A

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 2B

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 2C

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 2D

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 3

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 4

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 5A

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 5B

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 5C

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Part 5D

050428: ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing - Definitions

070522: Uncle Al's Rules in Pictures

070522: Uncle Al's Rules Quiz in Pictures
050427: Protests 080426: Other Rules Quizzes you will enjoy